Meet Notre Dame Mendoza’s MBA Class Of 2025

THE NOTRE DAME WAY OF LIFE

As a West Point grad, Mitch Cucinotta lived according to the mantra of “Duty, Honor, Country.” He found a strong correlation at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, where “God, Country, Notre Dame” is inscribed on the East Door – a declaration of the school’s “sense of service to the community” – in Cucinotta’s words. To Mallory Dubay, that translates to what she calls “a dedicated group of individuals who inspire me to strive for excellence.” It is that community – the example they set and the support they provide – that makes all the difference at Mendoza, writes Jacqueline Herrick.

“Just like anything in life, you can’t do an MBA on your own. I have felt even more support in the Mendoza program than I could have imagined, especially from my learning team and other colleagues who are always extending a helping hand. I’ve learned how much building community depends not only on you, but the intentionality of all who are a part of it. Notre Dame takes this seriously, and their commitment to community is palpable in how the program is designed.”

Herrick also relates to Mendoza’s tagline: “Growing the good in business.” During her first year, Herrick spent time reflecting on the type of leader she wanted to be. Ultimately, Herrick says, she hopes to “humanize” how people do business. Mitch Cucinotta plans to pursue a purpose close to his heart: Helping veterans transition out of the military. Mitch Morecraft’s passion is small town America. Through Mendoza, he intends to “reinvigorate [their] economic engines.” All the while, Alexander Renzi is looking forward to applying free market solutions to making “affordable and reliable” energy available in emerging markets. For Erin Stevens, the big purpose is simply to learn how to be a true leader – so she can pass on her lessons through word and example.

“I’m a proud Air Force officer and dedicated leader, adamant on setting the tone through an unmatched work ethic. I’m constantly seeking to become the best version of myself while bringing others with me. Mendoza College of Business helps me realize this mission and recommit to it every day by surrounding me with exceptional individuals who are dedicated to setting the standard and acting with integrity in all they do. Mendoza operates with a “people first” mentality and finds a way to drive home the importance of upholding your values.”

THE ALUMNI ADVANTAGE

As a whole, the Class of 2025 features 104 students who averaged a 687 GMAT (with scores ranging from 610-740 in the mid-80% range0. Another 27% of the class submitted a GRE score, which collectively came in at 315. At the same time, the average undergraduate GPA hit 3.4. This year’s class hails from 19 countries, with 34% of the student population being international. Women make up 31% of class, and underrepresented minority populations achieving a 20% share.

One advantage to earning an MBA at Mendoza? Think engaged alumni. They’re certainly fond of their time at Mendoza, as evidenced by their high 9.227 school satisfaction score in The Financial Times’ 2024 annual alumni survey. In the same survey, Mendoza posted the 4th-highest score for alumni quality and engagement. Not surprisingly, ’24 alum Bailey Harrison happily vouches for the alumni.

“Before I even started classes, I had current students reach out to give me recommendations, recent graduates tell me about their favorite classes,” she told P&Q. “Notre Dame alumni are so willing, excited, and eager to help another Domer: I have yet to be turned down for a coffee chat to discuss their role or their time on campus. In fact, this is consistent across the entire Notre Dame campus, not just other Mendoza graduate students. I have yet to experience that strength in support from alumni elsewhere.”

First-year Shiney Fotedar was equally bullish on the alumni. “The acclaimed Notre Dame alumni community has surpassed my expectations. Alums take extra efforts to connect, engage, and champion your victories.”

BUSINESS ON THE FRONTLINES

Along with Notre Dame alumni, you’ll also hear MBAs talk about Mendoza’s distinctive curriculum: Global-minded, hands-on, and service-driven. In Mod Away, says Mallory Dubay, students can spend seven weeks in Silicon Valley or Chile completing consulting projects. In mid-October and mid-March, there is the Grow Irish program, where students gain further experience in projects aligned with their passions. Let’s not forget the Frontlines in America program. Here, MBAs head to regions as different as Appalachia or inner-city Chicago to partner with private companies and non-profits to support vulnerable populations suffering from poverty, violence, and addiction. In one project, for example, Mendoza MBAs teamed up with an apparel recycling firm in Los Angeles that provided jobs to former gang members, helping the firm identify new revenue streams and potential partners.

Still, the fundamental Mendoza experience remains the Meyer Business on the Frontlines course (or BOTFL). Here, MBA teams head overseas to work with field partners on projects that improve the livelihoods of people ranging from fishermen to healthcare professionals. Along the way, students develop financial models and go-to-market strategies for their partners, further honing the skills they learned in class. This combination of bettering lives and sharpening problem-solving skills was an unbeatable 1-2 punch for Madhujit Mohan Narayanan.

“You are not only applying your skills and experience to solve a problem but also are able to understand the kind of impact it creates. This provides a 360° view of your capabilities, and it enables one to do better. “

Mitch Morecraft is also looking forward to Business on the Frontlines. “The course spans an entire semester and pairs small teams of students from business, law, and global affairs with NGOs around the world. My team will be working with Accelerate Prosperity in Kyrgyzstan, where we will be consulting on a project to catalyze green construction. This kind of experience is exactly what I was hoping to get out of the Mendoza MBA.”

AN INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH SWEENEY

The Grow the Good Gala has become another staple of the Mendoza MBA experience. Started two years ago, the event raises money for local nonprofits. For example, the 2022 gala garnered $15,000 for the South Bend Cultivate Food Rescue. Not only does the event bring the Mendoza community together, but enables them to practice their “Grow the Good in Business” philosophy.

“The event was conceived by forward-thinking MBA students who realized the immense potential of Mendoza graduate students to make a real difference in the community,” explains Shiney Fotedar. “The gala rallies and energizes all Mendoza graduate students to come together in support of a South Bend nonprofit’s mission. It brings students, faculty, and staff from across Mendoza’s Graduate Business programs for an evening focused on altruism, unity, and celebration. This year, the Gala featured a silent auction, dinner, dancing, and speakers. The mission for the Gala was to raise funds to support Mercy Works, a division of campus ministry that helps students to connect and serve the wider community; past initiatives have focused on feeding the hungry, tutoring adults on the road to recovery, playing with children, and much more.”

What’s on the horizon at Mendoza? Earlier this year, P&Q reached out to Joseph Sweeney, academic director of the Notre Dame MBA. From new developments to the advantages of the alumni, here are Sweeney’s thoughts on the state of the program.

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Sweeney: “The most notable development for our MBA program this year is the decision to discontinue the One-Year MBA program following this academic year. While this move does not impact the experience of current students in the program, our intent is to support the elevation of the Two-Year MBA program in alignment with the College and University strategic plans. The move will provide greater flexibility in directing the appropriate resources to advancements in career discernment and support, leadership development, experiential learning, and personal growth over the two-year arc of the program. In the next five years, we seek to grow the size and quality of our two-year MBA program, while leveraging the strengths of our faculty and alumni to complement existing expertise.

A second significant development for the Notre Dame MBA program has been our Grow Irish program to expand our experiential learning offerings. These week-long engagements allow students to work on live projects with business partners around the world. While we have offered similar opportunities domestically for the past several years, the addition of international projects provides the opportunity to engage with companies facing unique challenges in different markets.

In March 2023, students traveled to London, Dublin, Mexico City, and Wroclaw, Poland, to work onsite with our industry partners. In October 2023, projects were in partnership with organizations in London, Mexico City, Jerusalem, and Zagreb, Croatia. These projects provide an invaluable opportunity for students to apply the skills they learn here on campus to real-world challenges in real time. For our consulting partners, the external perspective gained through the collaboration with our students helps to move their businesses forward and introduce fresh ideas.”

P&Q: Give us your one-minute pitch for your business school. What makes you unique?

Sweeney: “At Mendoza, you’re not just a part of a cohort or class; you’re part of the broader Notre Dame network, which facilitates more alumni groups worldwide than any other university. The strength of the community on campus ultimately drives the responsiveness of that network, creating a shared bond that makes people want to engage with each other long after they’ve left campus. Our community is intentionally small to foster these connections. The alignment to our mission of using business as a force for good attracts students who are interested in being part of something larger than themselves. Ultimately, this creates powerful connections and supports individuals who are looking to positively impact the world around them through the unique power of business.”

P&Q: Sustainability has emerged as a major attraction to prospective MBA students. How does your full-time MBA program integrate sustainability across its curriculum?

Sweeney: “Disruption and innovation are key considerations in any business education. Critical topics like sustainability and AI tend to find their way into the MBA experience in different formats based on the students’ level of interest. Experiential learning opportunities such as live consulting projects through the Grow Irish program create opportunities for businesses to ask our students these questions in real time, allowing them to apply the business fundamentals of the MBA program to the specific sustainable context. There are also specific courses that have been developed around sustainability issues such as Sustainable Business, Social Innovation, Climate Resilience in Business, and Regenerating Ecologies and Economies for Livelihoods.”

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