“What to Believe in Uncertain Times?” is the latest installment of Big Questions, presented by the Notre Dame Alumni Association. As we get closer and closer to the 2020 election — and the first presidential debate held at Notre Dame — competing information, even misinformation, is everywhere. “What to Believe in Uncertain Times?” is designed to help you learn how to constructively debate, positively make arguments, and change or confirm your own beliefs as you find the truth. This four-part, digital micro-course, led by Dr. Paul Blaschko, uses short videos, recommended readings, and interactive worksheets to help you sort through the noise and navigate uncertain times.

The latest episode of “The Grace of Giving” podcast is out today and features Regional Associate for Foundation Relations, Ernestine Gardner! Check it out here. If you’d like to be a guest on the podcast, please fill out this brief form and we’ll contact you.

Maria Dahn is no longer in Foundation Relations. If you had any projects with Maria, please reach out to FR Senior Director Michelle Joyce for a transition plan.

Colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce that Mary Jane Anon will serve as the Director of the Cavanaugh Council and President’s Circle Program effective March 1, 2020. For close to 8 years, Mary Jane has played a critical leadership role of our Advisory Council program helping to launch the Student-Athlete, Keough School of Global Affairs, and IDEA Center advisory councils during her tenure. As important, she has worked tirelessly to deepen the engagement of our 700+ members across 18 councils by collaborating with our executive officers, vice presidents, deans, office of special events, and storytelling and engagement team to deliver an unsurpassed fall council experience. Mary Jane transformed our annual Advisory Council renewal process from a review process to a comprehensive strategy process by working closely with regional development, prospect management, and information technology and services team. Please join me in welcoming Mary Jane to her new role.

Drew Buscareno
Associate Vice President of Development

Dear Colleagues,

The Badin Guild will be hosting stewardship events in Orange County and Los Angeles on Saturday, March 21, 2020, and Sunday, March 22, 2020, respectively. Christopher Adkins, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Notre Dame Deloitte Center of Ethical Leadership will be our special guest speaker at both of these events. The Orange County reception is hosted by Tom and Suzy Robinson and the Los Angeles Brunch by Vic and Diane Hawley.

Invitations with event details were sent on Monday, February 10, 2020 via email and mail to all Badin Guild members. Reminders will be sent in the coming weeks.

Invitation and RSVP lists for these events are available to view here. If you have a benefactor you would like to invite or would like more information on these events, please contact Laura Walker.

Dear Colleagues,

Please join us for the 2020 Scott Malpass Endowment Update Teleconference on Tuesday, February 18 at 2:00 PM EST. This private, invite only event for Notre Dame’s charitable remainder trust donors and beneficiaries will include Scott’s remarks on the Notre Dame Endowment followed by a Question & Answer session.

The Fighting Irish room has been reserved for team members to access this event. If you will be offsite, please contact Laura Walker for call access information.

Colleagues,

Please keep Ernestine Gardner and her family in your thoughts and prayers as they mourn the loss of her mother-in-law, who passed away after a short illness following complications from a surgery she had a few months ago. Her obituary can be found here.

There will be no viewing or funeral, since she elected to be cremated, but there will be a memorial Mass at her church on Feb. 22 and her ashes will be interred afterward in the little cemetery adjoining the church. If anyone wants to send flowers or cards, they can go to Ernestine’s house, 6428 Redenbacher Court, South Bend, IN 46614.

Many colleagues are experiencing more work/life dynamics than in the past due to advances in technology and increased demands on personal time. The line that has traditionally been drawn between work life and personal life has gradually blurred. It is vitally important for us as a department to acknowledge and respond to these changes in our workplace to both attract talent and enhance the culture for our most valuable asset: You. Changing technology, demographics, attitudes of the workforce, and new ways of managing employees play a significant role in the ultimate success and viability of flexible work arrangements. Flexible work arrangements enable employees and supervisors to work outside of the standard 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. work schedule and office location. Any change in regular hours of operation is solely a departmental and/or team decision.

The process for the pilot is as follows. We will focus on three types of flexible work arrangements: 1) Working Remotely. Should you be interested in working remotely, please initiate the conversation with your supervisor to establish the appropriate parameters relevant to your situation. 2) Flex Hours. Flex hours will be focused around the core hours of 9:00am – 3:30pm, of which everyone is expected to be in office. 3) Compressed Week. A compressed work schedule allows an employee to work a traditional 35-40 hour workweek in less than the traditional number of workdays. Many compressed work schedule options may be negotiated. A flexible working arrangement form (Development Dept Flexible Work Environment Agreement Form_2.12.2020) will be signed by both the employee and the manager, and forwarded to James Riley, Sr. Director of Internal Engagement. During the pilot, a three and six month evaluation must be completed by the manager and employee. We have developed an FAQ specifically designed to answer questions that may be on your mind, and will continue to add questions as we learn throughout this dynamic pilot.

On March 1, 2020 the Development Office will begin a Flexible Work Environment Pilot Program that will run through September 30. It is anticipated that there will be many questions about the pilot. As such, we have arranged our next ND Shares to address this topic and all of your questions/concerns on Monday, February 24 at 4pm in the ESC Family Room. Please plan to attend. There will be additional opportunities throughout the pilot to ask questions and learn from each other. We also encourage you to reach out to Heather Christophersen or James Riley directly with your inquiries. This is an exciting time for our office, as we take yet another step toward enhancing our culture.

This Sunday, the Annual Giving team will send a stewardship email to undergraduate alumni who have made a gift this fiscal year. This email will celebrate some of the ways these alumni make Notre Dame a better place and announce the ND Loyal Score, which represents an individual’s cumulative years of giving.

If you have questions or would like to see email copy, please let Ellen Roof know.

Eddy Street now has a new coffee option. We have replaced the Douwe machine with a new Keurig machine stocked exclusively with Tayst Coffee. This highly regarded coffee brand has completely compostable pods, allowing us to assist the University’s sustainability program while providing great tasting coffee. Please give it a try, we know you’ll love it!