It is with mixed emotions that we announce that Michele LaCosse will be leaving University Relations to accept a position in the Institute for Church Life effective March 11, 2013. We will miss Michele’s easy-going personality and wonderful dedication, but we are confident that she will make great contributions to Notre Dame by working with students in the ND Vision program.

In the seven years Michele has been in Donor Services she has made significant contributions in the Lettershop, Alumni Files and Gift Processing areas. She has done a wonderful job helping lead various Donor Services initiatives including database upgrades and process improvement projects. Most recently Michele has been a valuable member of the Lettershop Gift Acknowledgement Greenbelt Project team. We are so thankful for all Michele has done for Donor Services. She has earned our respect and admiration, and we wish her well in her new position!

After March 8, please direct questions regarding the Lettershop to Barb Patnaude, Sue Prister or Stacy Koebel-Harder. We will be working with Human Resources to fill Michele’s position.

Stacy L. Koebel-Harder, CPA, CGMA, Director, Development Donor Services

Mary A. DeTrempe               (May 22, 1927 – February 19, 2013)

PEORIA – Mary Amberg DeTrempe, 85, of Peoria, passed away at 6:15 p.m., Tuesday, February 19, 2013, surrounded by her children.

Mary was born in Peoria on May 22, 1927, to Louis E. and Frances (Lammers) Amberg in Peoria. She married L. David DeTrempe on October 16, 1948 at St. Philomena Catholic Church. He preceded her in death on October 30, 2012. She was also preceded in death by her parents; an infant daughter, Anne; a grandson, Jacob Willi; and a son-in-law, Bill Hughes.

Mary is survived by her eleven children, David Jr.(Dale) DeTrempe of Wauwatosa, WI, Therese (Ron) Gruber of Peoria, Katherine (Ken) Wolbeck of Peoria, Elizabeth (Dave) Thomas of San Antonio, TX, Frances (Larry) Solomon of Peoria, Maureen (Rick) Smith of St. Augustine, FL, Mary Susan (Marty) Willi of Peoria, Peter (Rosemarie) DeTrempe of Houston, TX, Mark (Cindy) DeTrempe of Barrington, IL, Christopher (Corinne) DeTrempe of South Bend, IN, and Thomas (Desiree) DeTrempe of Winnetka, IL; thirty-nine grandchildren; and eighteen great-grandchildren.

Mary was a 1945 graduate of the Academy of Our Lady, where she served as senior class president and was named Academy Girl that same year. She attended Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame, where she studied history and developed a life-long passion for politics and reading.

A devoted wife and mother, Mary dedicated herself to serving others. She was a member of the Easter Seals Ladies Auxiliary and on the executive board of the Chemical Dependency Center at Proctor Hospital. Mary also volunteered at St. Patrick’s Day Care Center and at St. Philomena Catholic Church.

Funeral Mass will be 10 a.m., Saturday, February 23, 2013 at St. Philomena Catholic Church with Father David Richardson officiating. Visitation will from 5-7:30 p.m., Friday, February 22 at Wright & Salmon Mortuary. Recitation of the Rosary will be at 4:30 p.m. preceding the visitation at the mortuary. An additional visitation will be held 30 minutes prior to the funeral Mass at the church. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery in West Peoria.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception or to the Peoria Notre Dame High School Building Fund.

Chris’ mailing address is 14154 Stonehurst Court, Granger, IN 46530

Please keep our colleague Chris DeTrempe in your prayers as he and his family deal with the loss of his Mom, Mary, who passed away yesterday.

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that, effective immediately, Cristi Ganyard will join the Office of Special Events as an Event Specialist.  In this role, Cristi will lead the coordination of a variety of University events hosted by the Executive Officers and other University leadership.  In addition, Cristi will lead the completion of special projects within the Office of Special Events, including Green Belt projects focused on process efficiency. Cristi will also serve as the team communications specialist with responsibility for the development of communication and the implementation of communication guidelines to a variety of stakeholders.

Cristi has been a member of the University Relations team since June 2009, serving as a Sr. Administrative Assistant to Jean Gorman.  Cristi brings a broad range of experience to the Office of Special Events, having worked in both the private and non-profit sectors prior to coming to Notre Dame.  Cristi’s background includes several years in marketing, sales and account management for Management Services, Inc., a self-insurance administration company.  In addition, Cristi has worked in public relations, event management and administration with the American Lung Association and the Warsaw Educational Foundation.

Cristi and her husband, John, reside in Middlebury with their three sons Adam (a junior in the Kelley School of Business at IU-Bloomington), Joey (a senior at Northridge High School in Middlebury), and Lucas (an eighth grader at Northridge Middle School).

Welcome, Cristi!

Mary Andersen, Director of Executive Events

DIGITAL STRATEGIST POSITION

If you know of any “super talented” people in the digital space — please alert them to our posting for a Digital Strategist.  We are seeking someone to replace Chas Grundy (who took a new position in OIT) on our marketing and communications team.  Thanks!

Jim Small, Senior Director, Marketing & Communications

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION WEEKEND APPROACHES!

We hope that you are excited for Academic Recognition Weekend, which is just around the corner on March 1-2.

We are expecting around 125 guests, including 33 milestone benefactors who have achieved a new level of giving since the last event.  An updated list is available on the portal.

Highlights of this year’s event include a presentation with audience involvement by Prof. Christian Smith, outlining his research on the science of generosity; a student poster session with representatives from across the academy; and of course the recognition dinner, hosted by Father John.

Please visit http://arw.nd.edu/  for more information.

Dear UR Team:

I am writing to share that Del Lali has decided to spend more time at home with her 14 month-old son Kyon so beginning April 1^st she will no longer be working full-time as the administrative assistant and receptionist in 405 Main. She does plan to continue to work at Notre Dame in a part-time or on-call capacity. Del has been an important member of our UR team in 405 and will be deeply missed. Please note this position has been posted at http://jobs.nd.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=59787.

Best,

Drew Buscareno

We celebrate the birth of William John Corbett III (Liam for short) to Will and Candice Corbett. Liam was born on February 4, 2013, at 3:04am, 7 lbs 14 oz, 21 inches long. Will, Candice and Liam are all doing very well. 

The UR Walking on Sunshine Relay for Life committee is in full swing and we have some exciting news to share with you.  This year’s Relay, which will be held on April 12th-13th, has been moved inside to The Compton Family Ice Arena.  We have many new fun, family friendly activities planned for the evening and throughout the night including an open family skate, broom ball tournament, Acoustic Café, movies on the jumbotron to name a few.  So mark your calendars and register with our team online at http://relay.org/ndin

Last year our team raised over $11,000 towards Relay.  This year, our goal is $12,000 and we have a number of great fundraisers planned to help achieve this goal.

Bake Sale:      On Tuesday, February 12^th “Fat Tuesday” we will be holding bake sales at Eddy Street Commons and the 5^th floor of Grace from 9:00-3:00.  We are in need of volunteers to donate baked goods to be sold at both locations.  Please package your items in sellable containers or bags, i.e. 5 cookies per bag, ½ cake, whole pie, etc.  We will price the items the morning of the sale.

Massages:       $10 – 10 minute massages will be taking place at three locations in February.

• Monday, February 4^th 1:00-4:00 – 5^th Floor Grace – Contact Rachel Hughes (1-1481)
• Wednesday, February 6^th  9:00-12:00 – ESC – Contact Noell Stoher (1-3040)
• Wednesday,  February 6^th, 1:00-4:00 – Alumni – Contact Lori Willard (1-2681)
• Thursday, February 7^th 11:00-2:00 – 5^th Floor Grace – Contact Rachel Hughes (1-
• Wednesday, February 20^th 1:00-4:00 – 405 Main Bldg. – Contact Libby Mountsier (1-1099)

Auction:         Our online auction will be held from March 13^th-15^th,  This is the major fundraiser for the UR Walking on Sunshine committee.  We are looking for donations of any kind, i.e. handmade scarves, autographed books, gift baskets, photos, jewelry, baked goods, babysitting, car washing, dog walking, etc.  Please contact a committee member if you are interested in donating a service or item.  We are accepting items now through March 8^th.

Purple Week:        Purple week will be February 25^th – March 1^st.  Think of new and fun ways to show your purple pride in your offices and attire.

Put your Feet Up:        We will again be selling purple feet for $1 each to help raise awareness and pave a path of purple all across campus.  We will kick-off this campaign during purple week.  Stay tuned.

 

Committee Members

Roberta White             1-8696

Dawn McGrath           1-6369

Rachel Hughes            1-1481

Giovana Heeter           1-3352

Cheryl Schlimpert       1-2433

Lori Willard                1-2681

Jessica Brookshire       1-5829

Libby Mountsier         1-1099

I am pleased to announce that two new positions within the Office of Special Events are now posted on the HR jobs website. These positions include the following:

1) Assistant Director, Special Events

2) Events Specialist

The posting for the Assistant Director position will remain open through February 15th.  The Events Specialist posting will be open for five days.  A preferred candidate has been identified for this position.  If you have interest in either position or wish to recommend someone, please contact Melanie Davis at mdavis21@nd.edu.

Thank you for your consideration,

Mary Andersen, Director of Executive Events, Office of Special Events