Meet the MBA Class of 2025: Mitch Morecraft, Notre Dame (Mendoza)

Mitch Morecraft

Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame

“Ambitious MBA candidate and dedicated patron of the arts, dive bars, car washes, and tailgates.”

Hometown: Marshall, Illinois

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was an 11-year member of 4-H and raised livestock growing up.

Undergraduate School and Major: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, International Business and Entrepreneurship

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: University of Colorado Denver, Director of Strategic Plan Implementation

When you think of Notre Dame, what are the first things that come to mind? How have your experiences with the Mendoza program thus far reinforced or upended these early impressions? The Notre Dame community is the most notable attribute of the university, and the strength of the Notre Dame network was evident from before day one. For example, I was astonished when a second-year student approached me at Welcome Weekend several months before the program started. He recognized me, knew my name, and commented on a specific element of my story without ever having met me before. This interest in one another has made me feel at home and has been demonstrated time-and-time again by my classmates over the last several months.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the Mendoza MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? There is only one shot at business school, so I wanted to enroll in a program that would open doors and set me up for the greatest success in the long-term. As a counterbalance to that ambition, however, I wanted to build a meaningful community with peers who believed in pursuing a well-rounded life. Additionally, I wanted a program that held a sincere commitment to leveraging commerce for the greater good without sacrificing excellence and a competitive spirit. I have been pleasantly surprised over my time here, as I have watched peers exhibit incredible commitment to serving society while also landing incredible jobs.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Mendoza? I am most excited by the Business on the Frontlines program. 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 and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far? I am most proud of my role in leading the development of the University of Colorado Denver’s 2030 Strategic Plan. With the pandemic raging and our entire workforce operating remotely, we were able to harness the ideas of 3,000+ community members into one ambitious vision for the university. The plan’s central mission—to make education work for those who have historically been left out—not only serves the university and Colorado, but also resonates with me as a first-generation college graduate myself.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? I came to Mendoza with a set of objectives, the first of which was to elevate my professional stature. I knew I wanted to build on the internal strategy work I had done by going to a strategy consulting firm post-MBA. Over the summer, I dedicated significant energy to understanding the consulting industry, networking with firms of interest, fine tuning my pitch, and launching into case prep. I am proud that the work paid off through an early offer from EY-Parthenon.

Mendoza is known as a purpose-driven MBA program that asks students to “grow the good in business.” What is your mission and how has Mendoza been helping you realize it? Above I mentioned that I am a first-generation college graduate and I grew up in a tiny rural town. Roughly 40% of Americans live in rural areas, and I care deeply about the economic vitality of small towns. Their economic trajectory is bleak; it is due not to a lack of concern from small town residents, but rather the depletion of small town small business and the centralization of capital in urban areas. Over the course of my career, I hope my mission includes dedicated efforts to reinvigorate the economic engines of small towns, leveraging Mendoza’s holistic viewpoint that commerce can, in fact, service mankind.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? I don’t know that I can choose just one. Singing “The Alma Mater” after a football game, dancing to throwback tunes at the bars with my friends, listening to the midnight drum circle, and passing glimpses of the dome all stand out as memories I’ll carry forever.

DON’T MISS: MEET NOTRE DAME MENDOZA’S MBA CLASS OF 2025