Friends and Colleagues,

Confession is good for the Soul.  A year ago when word began to spread that we would be looking at an evolving workspace as to accommodate 50+ new employees, I was pessimistic.  I enjoy my office and the ability to return from nomadic life on the road to my own space.  So when asked to serve on the Work Environment Committee, I made up my mind that I would fight for the status quo.

Three weeks ago, the committee traveled to Grand Rapids to visit Steelcase, Notre Dame’s office space partner.  I was able to experience an open concept environment with dozens of work spaces to choose from – both shared and private.  Neat as the physical spaces were, what changed my mind about the open work concept was the energy and collaboration of the office.  Their office was full of light, joy and sense of shared purpose.  It felt like the new Duncan Student Center.  Can I envision our sacred work magnified through a space like this?  Yes.  Is this a magic bullet for collaboration? No. That is our responsibility, but a reimagining of our space will certainly play an important role.

I humbly ask, on behalf of the entire committee, to please take a look at this virtual tour (click on the # and “p”) of what our work space could be like.   Furthermore, ask us questions and engage us in dialogue.  As a team we are meeting again this week and are grateful for the opportunity to bring to the larger team all of your suggestions and concerns.  We will continue to update you in the coming weeks and months as we navigate a transformation in our work space.  And if you need to remember how fun and joyful of a team we have, just ask Darrell.

Gratefully,
Aaron

The Integrated Work Environment Committee

Aaron Wall

Amy Schell

Conor Montijo

Dan Santucci

Eileen Murdock

Laura Midkiff

Lin Wang

Lynn Hubert

Nathan Utz

Scott Jessup

TJ Pillari

Marty Harshman – Co-Sponsor

Brad Goff – Co-Sponsor

— Aaron Wall