Career Center to run SIBC as group leaves Mendoza College of Business

Notre Dame’s largest student-led organization, the Student International Business Council (SIBC), was founded in 1989 with the help of current benefactor Frank Potenziani.  After an uncertain few months, SIBC is now recognized as an independent student group working with the Career Center.

“Since the very beginning, SIBC has been open to all students from the University of Notre Dame and St. Mary’s College,” Monica Laidig, advisor and program manager of SIBC told the Rover.

The mission of the group is to “empower students through the ethical advancement of international commerce by developing leadership, entrepreneurial ability, practical management skills, and global interaction.”

Previously a Student Activities Office (SAO) group, SIBC was put under the control of the Mendoza College of Business (MCOB) at the start of 2014 school year.  This change prevented students not enrolled in Mendoza from participating in the group.

Students and professors of Notre Dame’s academic colleges (including MCOB) expressed frustration at SIBC’s exclusion of non-business students under this new arrangement.

“We were disappointed as many of our Economics majors have enjoyed and benefited from this program,” Mary Flannery, Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Economics Department told the Rover.

“We also felt that the Arts and Letters students added a different perspective and brought various talents to the case analysis and presentations,” she added.

In a written statement to the Rover, SIBC co-presidents Alisha Anderson and Alessandro DiSanto said that students involved in SIBC were unaware of the move to Mendoza until the beginning of the fall semester.

“The decision to move the SIBC to Mendoza was made by a group of administrators in SAO and the MCOB,” said Anderson and DiSanto.  “The conversation occurred over the summer and no students were consulted during the process.”

Due to the widespread frustration caused by Mendoza’s takeover, SIBC leaders quickly decided that a further change needed to be made, resulting in the current arrangement with the Career Center.

“When it became clear that an exclusive membership structure was an absolutely necessary condition for our transition to the business school, the SIBC began to evaluate other options,” noted Anderson and DiSanto.  “Because of overwhelmingly negative reaction from students, donors, and professors across campus, the Office of Student Affairs reached out proactively to engage the Council in discussion about the Council’s future.”

“We are very excited with this outcome and are looking forward to reopening our membership to all students,” the co-presidents continued.

Despite the move from Mendoza, SIBC still hopes to sustain a relationship with the business school.  “We will always work to maintain strong ties with our outstanding business school but know that our organization’s continued success relies on our association with all of the highly distinguished colleges at Notre Dame,” Laidig explained.

Senior economics and political science double major Bryan Enriquez shared his excitement with the Rover: “I’m very pleased to hear that SIBC will move from Mendoza to SAO and the Career Center.  Opening membership to all majors is the right decision because having students from different backgrounds serves to enrich the conversation and enhance the overall depth of the Student International Business Council.”

“I was impressed by the way the leadership of the SIBC with whom I spoke was very committed to helping those students who were newly excluded,” Flannery said.  “These leaders were largely Seniors in Mendoza and therefore had nothing personally to gain.  They were great representatives of Mendoza, SIBC and Notre Dame by advocating for what they thought was right and fair even it did not personally benefit them.”

“We are committed to welcoming all students and to making known that we are better and stronger for having our membership include diversity in thought and learning,” Laidig emphasized.  “We absolutely want science, engineering, and arts and letters students to join together with business students and continue SIBC’s tradition of student-led initiatives and opportunities here at the University of Notre Dame.”

 

Kenny Zesso is a junior economics major in Keough Hall.  Contact him at kzessoho@nd.edu.