Mendoza College of Business
Mendoza College of Business
The Mendoza College of Business consists of two buildings on the south end of campus: The Mendoza building built in 1995 and the Stayer Center opened in 2013. Together, the two spaces offer the 370-seat Jordan Auditorium, two chapels and many learning and gathering spaces for the College’s more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
Mendoza was founded in 1921 with John Cardinal O’Hara serving as the first dean. In establishing the College of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, as it was known, O’Hara wrote, “The primary function of commerce is service to mankind. Business has a code of ethics based very largely on divine principles. When this code is followed, commerce can and does advance civilization. When it is overlooked by selfish interests, individual or national, every sort of injustice, from petty thievery to world war, may result.”
O’Hara’s charge, which is displayed in the atrium, continues to be the operating principle for the College and the foundation for Mendoza’s mission statement:
As a leading business school guided by the University's Catholic identity, the Mendoza College of Business seeks to grow the good in business to improve the human condition in an ever-changing society Through impactful research and educational programs, we contribute to the formation of ethical business leaders who integrate the mind and the heart, and have the competence to see and the courage to act.
The business school moved into Notre Dame’s first business building – Hurley Hall – before eventually expanding into the adjacent Hayes-Healy Hall. Hurley, which was constructed in 1932 on the South Quad, set a metaphorical theme for the school in several ways. Most notably, a three-masted clipper ship crafted of copper was mounted above the main entrance to symbolize business as a “ship of commerce.”
When the College’s current location opened in 1995, the ship was moved and placed atop a wave-shaped pedestal in the courtyard. The building, shaped like a giant “H,” was designed with other features suggesting the nautical theme; perhaps most prominent is the grand central staircase, which is patterned after a mariner’s compass at its base, while the ceiling holds a skylight to signify unlimited future prospects.
In 2000, the College became the Mendoza College of Business as a result of a gift from alum Tom Mendoza, an executive with Silicon Valley-based NetApp.
The Stayer Center situated to the south of Mendoza is home to the Notre Dame MBA and Executive MBA programs. The 54,000-square-foot building was made possible by a gift from finance alumnus Ralph C. Stayer (’65). The Collegiate Gothic-styled center includes classrooms, team breakout rooms, several student lounges, a flexible multipurpose space, administrative offices and the St. Matthew Chapel.
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