Job fair sees 2,000 students andglimpses of a better economy

IN THEWORKS

A tax man worthknowing

...page 6

Renovare projectchanges life formany

...pages 4-5

And now...the Writing Irish?!

...page 3

Want to write alove poem?

...page 7

By Gail Mancini

Glimmers of an improved economy surfaced Jan. 27when the Career Center sponsored the 10th annual WinterCareer and Internship Fair.

Lee Svete, Career Center director, said that visiting employersposted between 75 to 100 full-time jobs and more than 100 internshipsthat they had not been anticipating as recently as late fall, when theyfirst signed up to attend the fair. “Employment will lag behind theeconomy, but it’s starting to catch up,” he said.

More than 2,000 students attended the fair, most who already hadparticipated in several Career Center workshops on resume writing,interviewing, researching job opportunities and networking. AnitaRees, Career Center associate director, coordinated the event.

The exchange between students and recruiters at the more than 115employer booths in the Joyce Athletic and Convocation Center was continued on page 2

Vol. 1, No. 3February 12, 2004

Nationally acclaimed biographyis new approach for Marsden

“I have felt that Edwards wasnot well appreciated,” saidMarsden, who himself referred toEdwards in an essay as “thewhite whale of AmericanStudies.”

“The general public whoknow about him, usually knowonly about his sermon ‘Sinners inthe Hands of an Angry God,’which hardly gives a completepicture. Scholars who know ofhim think of him mostly as atalking–writing–head.”

In researching the book,Marsden was able to rely on

Notre Dame historian George Marsden’s biography on18th century intellect Jonathan Edwards finished as one ofthe most lauded books of nonfiction in 2003. It began witha simple goal, says Marsden: “I wanted to show he had alife.”

Edwards’ writings that had onlyrecently been transcribed. “Icould cover a range of materialimpossible for those who had todecipher his difficult hand,” hesaid.

Were Edwards alive today,would he have fit in at NotreDame?

“The fact that he called thepope the Antichrist might havecaused problems for moreconservative Catholics, and hisconservative morals would havealienated almost everyone else,”said Marsden.

“If we were to imagine thathe was a 21st century Catholic,he would have been inthe theology department, but onthe very conservative wing.Today he is actually more

sandwiched by several othersmaller but important venues ofcareer developmentprogramming and employeroutreach:

• This year premiered the firstDiversity Reception, a pre-fairgathering that brought 128students together with companiesthat have strong traditions ofvaluing diversity in theworkplace. All students wereinvited, but the Career Centerstaff contacted student leaders inthe diverse communities toencourage their participation.The staff provided business cardsand engraved nametags for each

student who accepted aninvitation to the reception.

• The night before the CareerFair, the center sponsored aseries of employer presentations.Thirteen businesses with specialappeal to students gave one-hourdiscussions about theirorganizations, including MTV,the National Football League,the Kennedy Center for thePerforming Arts, the AmericanLegislative Exchange Council,Organon Pharma and GeneralElectric.

Svete said the staff tries tobalance the presence oftraditional career fair recruiterswith businesses that have specialappeal to young people. “Wehad the Fortune 500s, but wealso had representatives fromfashion, sports, nonprofits,government agencies, journalismand entertainment.”

“Jonathan Edwards: A Life”is one of five finalists for theNational Book Critics Circle(NBCC) award for biography.The winner will be announced inMarch at the organization’s 30thannual awards ceremony.

A controversial Protestanttheologian and author in his day,Edwards (1703-1758) has beencredited with igniting theEnlightenment movement of the18th century. Today, referencesdescribe Edwards in such termsas “the first superstar preacher.”

popular among some of NotreDame’s philosophers, whoappreciate his intellectual andtheological rigor.”

Marsden is the author of morethan a dozen books, but he hasnever written a biography before.“I’ve always enjoyed readingbiographies, so writing one was aremaining challenge. Also, somesay one has to be older to be agood biographer who canappreciate a whole career.”

He is at work on a shorterpiece on Edwards, but has notpicked his next big project.

Marsden

Students and employer representatives fill the Joyce Center to capacity for the annual WinterCareer and Internship Fair. In its earliest years, the fair fit neatly in the Monograph Room and drew

about 300 students. Photo by Matt Cashore

"As successful as thefair was as an event, theend result is that we'veencouraged students toparticipate in theprocess of careerpreparation. It's hours ofresume writing, weeksupon weeks of companyresearch. Thatexperience for me is thesuccess." Lee Svete,Career Center director

Forum

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PUBLISHERRoberto GutiérrezEXECUTIVE EDITORMatthew StorinEDITOR IN CHIEFGail Hinchion ManciniLAYOUT EDITORWai Mun LIew-Spilger

Comments should be forwarded to:ndworks@nd.edu or to NDWorks, 405 Main, Notre Dame, IN 46556.

ND Works Page 2February 12, 2004

Renovare is the program nowunderway to replace theadministrative applicationsrunning on the University’slegacy Hewlett Packard (HP)mainframes. The motivation forreplacing these applications wasdriven by HP’s decision todiscontinue support for thistechnology. But the challengedovetails with an ongoingUniversity discussion about howto equip our administrativedivisions with more responsiveinformation software to supportstudents, faculty, and staff. I amconfident that Renovare willsignificantly boost the capacityand performance of the systemsthat power the academicenterprise. And it will do so in away that is economicallyresponsible, as the solutions tothese operational challengesbecome the backbone of thereplacement project.

Renovare is perceived as atechnology challenge. But thoseof us who work on it day by dayunderstand that it is as much achallenge on how to managechange. To achieve the goalsdiscussed above, we mustembrace the notion of change—we must be willing to lead andengage in change—not onlythrough the efforts of Renovareteam members, but in virtually allof our day-to-day operations.

Leading and engaging inchange will move us through a

period of transition to moreeffective ways of operating ourUniversity and supporting ourstudents.

• First, we will implement aquality conversion of ouradministrative technology.

• From this newly installedbase platform, we will evaluateand redesign our businesspractices to take advantage ofadditional functionality, efficiencyand flexibility offered by thesystem.

• Ultimately, we will put thesystem to work to provideincreasingly more sophisticateddata and analysis—enabling ourcritical management decisionsand strategic initiatives—andfurthering our work as a world-class university.

While this transition beginswith Renovare, it requiressustained University commitmentto ongoing change even beyondthe program’s completion.

Some changes we encounteralong the way will be minor—achange in how something lookson a computer screen, forexample. In other instances,change will be significant,

modifying an establishedbusiness practice, and therebychanging how work gets doneand potentially who does it.

Engaging in change is anintegral part of Renovare. Wewill discover that there arecertain efforts that can allaysome of our concerns andconfusion associated withchange. However, our responsesto the changes we encounter willmany times be individual—perhaps impacting us at anemotional level and each indifferent ways.

As the stories on pages 4 and5 show, many professionals havejoined the Renovare team fromother departments. They canattest that often the best way tohandle change is to meet it headon, to jump in feet first.Experiencing the associated upsand downs is natural to theprocess—and a good sign thatsomething is going on. TheUniversity leadership and theRenovare project team havejumped in and they arecommitted to providing theappropriate communications andstructures to assist us all inunderstanding the transitionsnecessary to be successful.

Understandingthe change thatRenovare brings

Chief Information Officer, Associate Vice President andAssociate Provost

Career faircontinued from page 1

• Dozens of students stayedpassed the fair closing time of 8p.m. for a seminar oninterviewing. They were to meetthe following day withrepresentatives from more than40 companies who stayed overto do more intensive recruitmentwork.

A winter storm affected airand road travel throughout theday and threatened employerattendance at the fair. The CareerCenter staff rearranged employeeflight schedules, cajoled UnitedLimo into waiting for late-running visitors, and evenmaking post-midnight pick-upsat the South Bend RegionalAirport. In the end, the center

lost only about a dozenof the more than 125employers who hadplanned to come. Thelast minute pressculminated threemonths of planningand preparation byRees and her team thatincluded late-nightresume-writing andpizza events builtaround students’nocturnal schedules,Svete said.

“As successful asthe fair was as anevent, the end result isthat we’ve encouragedstudents to participate in theprocess of career preparation,”Svete said. “It’s hours of resume

Colleagues from yhe College of Engineering welcome homeJeffrey Talley, center, at the South Bend Regional Airport in July.Talley, an assistant engineering professor and Army Reservist, wasdeployed to the Middle East in preparation for Operation IraqiFreedom. Photo by Matt Cashore

Wishon

By Bill Gilroy

Fresh from extendedservice in Operation IraqiFreedom, Jeffrey W.Talley has moved to a newrole in the war onterrorism.

Talley, an assistant professorof bioengineering andenvironmental engineering, hasbeen appointed a strategicplanner for the Joint Chiefs ofStaff’s War on TerrorismDirectorate.

A lieutenant colonel in theU.S. Army Reserve, Talley isone of only a handful of reserveofficers who have beenappointed to the Joint Staff. Hewill prepare Joint Staff ActionPackages—white paperssuggesting terrorism policies—for the Chairman of the JointChiefs, the Secretary of Defenseand the President.

Prior to Operation IraqiFreedom, Talley spent sixmonths in Iraq, where he earnedthe coveted Bronze Star. Hecommanded 4,000 engineersand soldiers who prepared forthe arrival of troops by buildingroads, airfields, base campbuildings, bridges, enemyprisoner-of-war camps andwater and wastewater treatmentplants. They also conductedenvironmental baseline surveysof ares impacted by the war.

In summer 2003, heattended Army War College.His nomination andconfirmation to the Joint Stafffollowed.

Talley reported to thePentagon late last fall expectingto serve as an engineeringlogistics director in the JointChiefs’ Military and PolicyPlans Directorate. Upon hisarrival, however, he wasinformed that he was to reportto Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks,deputy director of the U.S.Central Command. Brooksbecame one of the recognizable

Talley assistingJoint Chiefs

faces of the war as he provideddaily televised press briefings.

When Brooks requestedthat he join the TerrorismDirectorate, Talley suggestedthat he wasn’t qualified for theassignment. “Gen. Brooks toldme that he felt I was a citizensoldier who could bring a freshset of eyes to the problems ofthe war on terrorism,” saidTalley. “He felt that, as aprofessor, I was trained tocommunicate well. And, as anengineer, I was used to solvingproblems, a skill that is highlyvalued in the directorate.”

Talley remains a full-timemember of the College ofEngineering faculty; his workfor the Joint Chiefs isconducted during semesterbreaks and summer reserveservice. During those periods,he will report to the Pentagonto assist in the preparation ofpolicy papers. He maintainsongoing familiarity about hiswork through daily briefinginformation from thePentagon.

Talley joined the NotreDame faculty in 2001 afterearning a doctorate in civil andenvironmental engineeringfrom Carnegie MellonUniversity. He holds threemaster’s degrees—in religiousstudies from AssumptionCollege, in history andphilosophy from WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis (he is athird-order benedictine withSt. Anselm’s Abbey) and inenvironmental engineering andscience from John HopkinsUniversity.

Talley’s research examineschemical and microbiologicalprocesses that can treatcontaminated groundwater,soils and sediments. Thoseprocesses can also be used todetect microbiological andchemical weapons. “I amtrying to apply my hazardoussubstances research toweapons of mass destruction,”he said.

Students present employeer representativeswith resumes that have undergone weeks ofpreparation. Photo by Matt Cashore

writing, weeks upon weeks ofcompany research. Thatexperience for me is the success.

The Write Stuff:2,000 students a year take

their prose for a secondopinion

By Julie Flory

If you were to happen by the bustling second-floorspace in the Coleman-Morse building, you mightmistake the activity inside for a social gathering, ameeting of the debate club or even, at times, a scientificlaboratory.

But the discoveries students make here are different from thosemade in chemistry or biology—these “aha” moments are based onthe ordinary, but often trying, act of putting pen to paper. This is theUniversity Writing Center, self-proclaimed home of the “WritingIrish.”

“I think this is one of the most exciting places in the University,”said John Duffy, assistant professor of English and the center’sdirector. “It’s really fun to wander from table to table and hearpeople arguing and talking about a wide variety of subjects. Formany students, it’s kind of a discovery, something they haven’t donebefore.”

The center was established in 1999 in recognition of the need tosupport students beyond their freshman composition courses, saidStuart Greene, director of the University Writing Program and firstdirector of the Writing Center. “Learning to write is a lifelongprocess,” he said.

The center is dedicated to assisting students of all ability levelsbecome better writers. While some do come seeking help with thebasics, Duffy is quick to point out this is not a place to go to “getyour grammar fixed.” The vast majority of the center’s visitors areundergraduates who are competent writers but who want to improvetheir writing by engaging in constructive dialogue.

These conversations are guided by peer tutors, who have beencarefully selected and meticulously trained and mentored and whocan guide conversation on content from the first letter on the pagethrough the final draft. Tutors come from every class and discipline,according to Connie Mick, assistant director at the center.

“Because we get writers from all different disciplines, it makessense that the tutors would also come from a variety of academicareas,” she said. “We’re not genre specialists, we’re writingspecialists.”

Of NotePROFILE

ND Works Page 3February 12, 2004

Patrick Murphy, professorof marketing and C.R. Smith IICo-director of Notre Dame’sInstitute for Ethical BusinessWorldwide, is among a dozenleading scholars nationwideappointed to the core faculty ofthe newly established Institute forCorporate Ethics.

The institute will conductresearch, create a cutting-edgebusiness ethics curriculum, leadexecutive seminars on businessethics, and develop best practicesin the area of corporate andbusiness ethics. It will be housedat the University of Virginia.

Murphy recently wasappointed to a three-yearfellowship with the EthicsResource Center in Washington,D.C. He specializes in studyinghow ethics influence marketingdecision-making.

The institute was establishedby the Business Roundtable, anationwide association of chiefexecutive officers of leadingcorporations.

John Blacklow, assistantprofessor of piano, is traversingthe globe as a designated “RisingStar” for Carnegie Hall andE.C.H.O. (European Concert HallOrganization). Blacklow will bepresented throughout the year inCarnegie Hall’s “DistinctiveDebuts” Series, and in prominentEuropean concert series at venuessuch as the Concertgebouw inAmsterdam, the Konzerthaus inVienna, Cite de la Musique inParis, Symphony Hall inBirmingham, Palais des BeauxArts in Brussels, and theMozarteum in Salzburg.

Writing Center tutor Jenn Randazzo, left, a senior, reviews a paper by law student Vineeta Gupta. Photo by Julie Flory

Senior English major Aidan Brett has been a frequent visitor tothe center, often benefiting from having a “fresh pair of eyes” look athis work.

“Sometimes, when you work on a piece of writing for sometime you become immersed in it and it becomes difficult to bring acritical eye to reading it,” he said.

Showing your writing to anyone can be scary, he adds. TheWriting Center’s use of student tutors “neutralizes the intimidationfactor,” he said.

In the lively discussions that tutors encourage, the give-and-take is apparent in more ways than one.

“Tutors discover that they end up helping themselves as muchas they help the student who comes in,” Mick said. “Tutors say thatthey become better writers by analyzing students’ texts and offeringstrategies for improvement. When they sit down to do their ownwriting, tutors find themselves taking their own advice.”

What amazes Greene about the center is its success. “We’veonly been around for a few years and already 2,000 students a yearmake their way here, including graduate students. Our tutors’schedules are always filled, and a lot of departments are takingadvantage of our workshops,” he said.

The center provides tutoring and business writing workshopsfor Notre Dame staff members and assists faculty by visiting classesand encouraging professors to incorporate trips to the Writing Centeras part of the classroom experience.

What the Writing Center provides goes beyond the writtenword, according to Duffy.

“I would also argue, borrowing from ideals of classicalrhetoric, that learning to write well is an important dimension ofbecoming a citizen,” he said. “Constructing a good argument is anethical act, in which writers need to make clear claims, weighevidence honestly, and present it in ways that make sense to theiraudience—the members of their community. So while being a goodwriter is valuable to the individual, it is also important to the healthof discourse in a democratic society.”

Guthrie to present“Othello”

Notre Dame's SummerShakespeare program andthe Guthrie Theatre'sShakespeare in AmericanCommunities program willbring “Othello” to SaintMary's O'LaughlinAuditorium Feb. 26 toFeb. 29.

Joe Dowling, artisticdirector of theMinneapolis-basedcompany, will direct thisstory of passion,manipulation and betrayal.This is the thirdconsecutive year that theGuthrie organization haspartnered with SummerShakespeare to bring aperformance to the area.

Tickets for NotreDame faculty and staff are$20.50 for eveningperformances: 7 p.m. Feb.26 and 27 (Thursday andFriday) and 8 p.m. Feb. 28(Saturday) and $12 forSaturday and Sundaymatinees at 2 p.m. Ticketinformation is availablefrom the auditorium boxoffice at 284-4626.

Sue Brandt—AssuringFinancial Aid’scompetitive edge

It’s commonly understood thatNotre Dame competes with thenation’s top universities for thebest and brightest high schoolgraduates. A financial aid divisioncan clinch a deal by providingrecruits with quick informationabout the aid they’ll receive.

Under their outgoinginformation system, the FinancialAid staff could not produce thatinformation quickly—at least notas quickly as some of the othertop schools, said Sue Brandt,associate director of financial aid.And the professionals in thatoffice have worried that NotreDame therefore operates at adisadvantage.

Being able to shepherdtechnology systems with a fresh,leading edge has made the

Renovare assignment worthwhilefor Brandt, who describes herselfas “basically a ‘user’ ofcomputers. I would definitely notconsider myself a systemsperson.”

Brandt joined the Renovareteam in August 2003, leavingbehind an office in the MainBuilding. Her office view wentfrom the picturesque Main Quadto JuniperRoad.

Twenty newcomeThe ship cal

Craig Brummell— Keeping it ship-shape

At the helm of this crew isCraig Brummell, a Notre Damegraduate who has spent most ofhis career undertaking corporate-level systems implementationand re-engineering projects.Beyond his expertise intechnology, Brummell is adevoted student of the art ofmanaging change.

Upon arrival, Brummell faceda mandate: Create a talent poolfrom people already on campus.The University could not hire anew staff for a project that was tolast only five years. ThoseBrummell recruited would haveto understand the operationalnuances of their home divisions,and be able to learn systemsimplementation skills likeplanning, testing and execution.

Teaching new tasks andforming new teams takessomeone with evangelical zealand a soft heart—someone who’spart mother hen, part SigmundFreud.

“They’re well respectedprofessionals from across theUniversity who are at the top oftheir game and have been blastedout of their comfort zones,” saysBrummell, who has mixedcompassion with practicaldecisions such as sprucing up theemployee lounge. “Changefrequently brings with it a senseof loss accompanied by theexcitement and adventure of anew challenge.”

As the following vignettesshow, technology neophytes canbecome technologically savvybusiness process change experts.

Page 4 ND

Katherine Rosswurm—Bringing data tothe desktop

In her position as director ofstewardship programs inDevelopment, KatherineRosswurm might haveproduced endowmentpublications or organized eventsthat acknowledged benefactorgenerosity.

Rosswurm describes hertechnological aptitude as“challenged”; the lingo knownas computerese sounded to herlike “a foreign language.”

“I completely took mycomputer for granted,” she said.

Nevertheless, she becamethe point person forrevolutionizing Developmentsystems and introducing newpolicies, processes andprocedures. The change willtransform awkward and time-consuming processes intopractices she can conduct on herdesktop by drawing on a centralstore of data.

“We have not had the tools tobe able to manipulate dataourselves,” she explained. “Wehave been completely dependenton others to pull the needed dataout of the system.

“This will all change with thenew system. This new systemallows centralized data storage.It will increase efficiency andimprove communication. It willimprove campaign planning andultimately assist in bringing inmore dollars to the University.”

The system is scheduled to bein place by July 1. And that’sabout when Rosswurm plans toreturn to her office on the 10thfloor of Grace Hall, surroundedby development colleagues andfriends.

Although housed in a room thathas more than a dozen workstations,Brandt is enjoying proximity to otherprofessionals whose jobs have beento manage student services such asadmissions, registration and studentaffairs.

One of the unexpected gains ofchanging technologies is that lots ofother universities use Financial Aid’snew system. Even though these

By James Cope and Gail Mancini

More than 20 employees from across the Universityhave left their home departments to take on full-timepositions on the Renovare project.

Their insights should lead to the best possible solutionsfor their departments. But many of these transplants arenew to the world of information technology planning.

Rosswurm and Brummell

Although strangers not that long ago, Renovare team members, clockwise from left, Katherine Rosswurm, CraigBrummell, Scott Kirner, Sue Brandt and Tracy Biggs form a tight unit. Photos by Bryce Richter

Page 5

rs and a captain:ed Renovare

orks

schools may compete with oneanother for students, they’re willing“to share best practices and storiesabout what to do and what not to do,”she said.

Tracy Biggs—Awaitingmore timely reportingand a Starbucks

Tracy Biggs describes herself as“in the middle” of the spectrumbetween a technology specialist andsomeone who only knows how to usea computer.

She knew the ins and outs of theaccounting software package used byher division—the Controller’soffice—and the system worked fairlywell, even if some procedures werestill manual.

On the Renovare team, Biggs isredesigning how the University willmanage and prepare financial reports.The gain will be great: “We’ll havegreater efficiency, enhanced reporting,more integration with other campussystems and overall improvedcustomer service to all of our endusers–from students to alumni.

“We hope that our team willprovide better and timelier reportingfor both significant annual decisionsand day-to-day operations,” she said.

The new financial system isexpected to be up and running by July1. Biggs could be back in her officeon the 8th floor of Grace Hall bysummer, or sipping a Starbucks inGrace’s Café de Grasta, a favoritestopping point.

Although that’s an attractiveproposition for her, sheacknowledges, “I have grown fromthe many new relationships and Idefinitely have a greaterunderstanding and appreciation forthe University as a whole –professionally, the training, additionalknowledge and more in-depthunderstanding of this new financialsystem have already provided asignificant benefit to me.”

Scott Kirner—“Changeis inevitable, struggle isoptional”

Scott Kirner was a “techie” in hisformer posting, and he remains atechie today as the head of the OIT

team that is coordinating changeto the systems servingadmissions, financial aid, theRegistrar’s office and studentaccounts.

In his past life as an OITtechnical advisor, Kirner mighthave been called upon to custombuild or at least customize asoftware package to suit adivision’s demands. That job gaveKirner a front-row seat on whythe University might want tophase out the old and adapt to thenew.

“You don’t have to look anyfurther than the Irishlink systemfor an example of why we neededchange,” Kirner said. “Studentsuse this system to register forclasses and view grades amongother things. We had serioussystem capability and capacityissues with Irishlink. At least fourtimes during registration over thepast few years the system crashedor became unavailable.

“We really needed somethingbetter.”

One of Kirner’s newchallenges has been to “freeze”outgoing applications likeIrishLink, so that he and his OITteam members could concentrateon the new applications, calledthe Banner system.

Another challenge relates tohis work with colleagues new tothe IT process, like Brandt,Rosswurm and Biggs. Adapting anew system inherently involvestrial and error. Hours are spent oncreating an approach, only to findit’s a dead end. “Long hours thatsometimes seem in vain whenyou have to go back to where youstarted after going down thewrong path.”

Kirner will be on hand whenRenovare solutions are deliveredto departments, whose membersthemselves will have to adjust.

“In the end, I strongly believeRenovare will make Notre Damea better place to work. I believe Iwill gain—indeed, I have alreadygained—a significant amount oftechnical and business knowledgeto help me to be a stronger ‘agentof success’ for the Notre Damecommunity.”

RENOVARE IN BRIEF

What is Renovare?

Renovare is the name of a multiyear project to replace Notre Dame’sadministrative computing systems. Although identified as an OIT initiative,Renovare leadership and management teams are comprised of our chiefadministrators and managers from a myriad of divisions.

Why are we replacing our systems?

About three years ago, our primary system vendor, Hewlett-Packard (HP)announced that it was phasing out support of our HP administrative systems,making those systems obsolete.

Describe the magnitude of the project.

It would be as if the City of South Bend were told it needed to completely replacethe infrastructure of pipes that bring water to homes, schools and offices. Butwhen someone turns on a faucet, they expect water. When Notre Dameadministrators turn on their computers, what they expect differs depending onwhether they work with budgets, student grades, fund raising, or student housing,to name a few. The challenge is to create common solutions while making surethat the needs of individual divisions are fulfilled.

Who is affected?

Everyone; or at least everyone who applies for admission, requests aclassroom, submits grades, pays bills, buys office supplies, registers for classesor dorm rooms or oversees University budgets.

This is a very expensive and labor-intensive process—in the range of $40 millionover five years. Some important projects will be delayed to make this happen, andthose delays also affect faculty and staff.

Is there an upside to Renovare?

It’s allowing upgrades and cutting-edge programming that divisions have beenrequesting for years. Manual processes will be automated; data availability anddata sharing enhanced.

Not that there isn’t compromise. Some of the outgoing programs were socustomized they didn’t “talk” well to other University systems or even to upgradedversions of themselves. To make sure this doesn’t happen again, the leadershipcommittee’s guiding principle has been to keep solutions simple —“vanilla.” Thisphilosophy can present a challenge for administrators accustomed to streamlinedsolutions.

How will we know when Renovare is finished?

Most of the big changes have been scheduled in a carefully orchestratedtimeline that introduces new systems every few months beginning this year. Thefinal change is scheduled in 2006.

Why the name Renovare?

The project needed a simple name that would be memorable and enduring and onethat would imply that this change, although seemingly a crisis, is also anopportunity. Renovare is Latin for “renewal.” More about the project is online athttp://renovare.nd.edu.

Biggs Kirner BrandtPhotos by Bryce Richter

ND Works Page 6February 12, 2004

TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

WHAT THEY WERE DOING

By Jan Spalding

When Ken Milani’s phone starts ringing in early January,he knows it’s not his students calling. Milani says he enjoyskeeping a foot in the door of the South Bend community,and his longtime involvement as director of the taxassistance program (TAP) helps him keep both feet firmlyplanted there.

“We start getting calls as soon as the W2s come out, people aremaking sure we’re still doing the Tax Assistance Program,” says theprofessor of accountancy.

Milani has spent 33 years overseeing the Vivian Harrington GrayNotre Dame–Saint Mary’s College Tax Assistance Program, whichoperates clinics here on campus and throughout the area to help low-income people prepare their federal and state taxes. By the time taxseason rolls around, he’s already far ahead of his callers, with volunteerCPAs lined up and his class of 80 to 90 students already well into theirtraining.

Program makes taxtime less taxing

Many low-income people inthe community have come tocount on this service, offered freeby Notre Dame and Saint Mary’sjunior, senior, and graduateaccounting students. Over 3,100returns were prepared last year.

“You could call them some ofthe best-trained volunteers inAmerica,” Milani says. “It’s aterrific opportunity for them—thefirst chance for them to dosomething real.”

Students begin their semesterwith a three-week training classthat delves into the types ofsituations they are most likely toencounter with eligibleindividuals whose income is

$35,000 or less. “We take thetraining very seriously,” Milaniinsists.

The 2004 program opensSaturday, Feb. 7, with 10locations throughout the city.“This is what distinguishes us.We go to them. Our focus is togo into the neighborhoods tolocations convenient to wherepeople live, so they feel theyknow where they are going,”Milani says.

Milani has found thatstudents work best in pairs, notonly for quality control, “but fortheir own comfort andconfidence.” Four locations haveCPAs on hand, drawn fromcampus faculty and localaccounting firms, many of whomparticipated in the program asstudents.

Now in its fourth decade,TAP is a community institution.South Bend Tribune stories,posters at local libraries, TV andradio Public ServiceAnnouncements serve to get theword out each year. The effort isfunded by an endowment from1964 graduate Tim Gray, andsupported by supplies from the

2004 Vivian Harrington Gray NotreDame–Saint Mary’s College Tax

Assistance ProgramEligibility: Free income tax preparation service (Federal

and Indiana forms) to individuals whose income is$35,000 or less

Service begins Saturday, Feb. 7 at 10 locations

On-campus service will be Wednesdays in the Centerfor Social Concerns Seminar Room; 2:30 to 5 p.m.

Other dates and sites are:

Northeast Neighborhood Center, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays

Western branch, St. Joseph County Public Library,5:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays

River Park branch, St. Joseph County Public Library,2:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays

Centre Twp. branch, St. Joseph County Public Library,5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays

Saint Mary’s College, 303 Haggar Hall,3 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays

Notre Dame Downtown, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays

LaSalle branch, St. Joseph County Public Library,5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays

Main branch, St. Joseph County Public Library,9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays

(not Feb. 7, March 27 or April 10)

Mishawaka-Penn Public Library,9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays

Eligible taxpayers should bring copies of their federaland state tax returns from 2002 year and all other

relevant documents. Also bring information concerningpossible itemized deductions – such as real estatetaxes, personal property taxes, medical bills and

charitable contributions.

For more information, call 631-7863 or visitwww.nd.edu/~taptax.

IRS and the Indiana Departmentof Revenue.

No doubt communitymembers who take advantage ofthe service are grateful. Butappreciation also comes from thestudents in no small quantity, asnoted in their comments andletters and embodied by the factthat 40 alumni groups haveestablished TAP operations intheir communities.

You might suppose thatMilani’s annual foray into thereal world meets his fix and fillshis time, but no. Just for fun,Milani teams up with SaintMary’s accounting colleagueClaude Renshaw to write the TaxTalk column for the South BendTribune, addressing e-mailedquestions from readers asking fortax advice or planning strategies.

Though he can speakvolumes, Milani has some quicktax tips for ‘03: When itemizing,don’t overlook the personalproperty portion of Indianalicense plates on federal taxreturns, and don’t forget rentersor property deductions on Indianastate tax forms.

Ken Milani, professor of accountancy, prepares for another tax season in hisMendoza College of Business office. File photo

Baseball coach Paul Mainieri welcomes best-selling author John Grisham to the annual BaseballOpening Night Dinner in the Joyce Center. About 1,300 fans attended the dinner Feb. 5. Photo by Mike Bennett

SINGULAR THOUGHTS

FFYYII

ND Works Page 7February 12, 2004

With Valentine’s Day upon us,who better than Kevin Hart, NotreDame professor of English, to turnto for advice on putting somegenuine romanticism into the day?

Hart has published seven books of poetry.In his most recent book, “Flame Tree”(Bloodaxe Books), a sequenced poem called“Nineteen Songs” is a primer on parlayingordinary observations into heartfelt emotion.He, his wife, Rita, and their two daughterscame to Notre Dame from Australia in fall2002.

Q. You’ve written love poems yourself. What reactions do they get?

A. One of the best known of them, “Come Back,” has been on the Web forsome years now. I don’t think my sequence “Nineteen Songs” is on the Web—my publisher would be furious! — but I get e-mail about it each and every

Non-degree programsgearing up for ExecEd...

The Executive Educationprogram of the Mendoza College ofBusiness offers two non-degreedevelopment programs, and discountsits tuition for Notre Dame faculty andstaff. The Certificate in ExecutiveManagement program is formanagers, department heads, anddirectors who want a foundation orrefresher course in core businessmanagement. It meets Mondayevenings for 10 weeks in the springand 10 weeks in the fall. The programstarts March 8.

The Supervisory DevelopmentProgram is a two-day program forsupervisors, managers and teamleaders who want to learn practicalskills for dealing with day-to-daymanagement challenges. It will beoffered March 17 and 18.

Information is available athttp://www.nd.edu/~execprog/ or bycontacting Chris Cushman inExecutive Education at 631-5285 orcushman.1@nd.edu.

ND research supportsmarriage, families...

The Bush Administration’s recentproposal to promote marriage amonglow-income families is not the federalgovernment’s first foray in that area.Using federal grants, Notre Dameresearchers including E. MarkCummings, professor of psychologyand co-author of “Children andMarital Conflict,” have brokenground in determining how maritalconflict negatively influences achild’s development.

“We have been developing aprogram at Notre Dame for severalyears that aims to support marriageby educating parents about how tohandle conflicts better for the sake ofthe children,” Cummings says.“Difficulties in handling maritalconflict are a primary reason whymarriages fail, and are linked withmental health problems in childrenand parents.”

Cummings and his colleagues arein the final stages of developing acommunity program to help parentsbetter handle marital differences forthe sake of their children.Recruitment for participating familiesmay begin as early as this summer.

In contributing to knowledgeabout everyday conflicts and theirimplications for children, Cummingsand his staff have found a hopefulmessage. “We know a lot more aboutthe distinction between constructiveand destructive conflict from thechildren’s perspective, and haveshown that constructive conflict mayeven have beneficial implications forchildren’s functioning.”

Our fondest memoriesnow on display...

The cost of a pair of Notre Damefootball game tickets today wouldalmost have covered one year’stuition under the Dome in 1844. The$100 fee (not including $65 for roomand board) is what the five membersof the student body paid when classesbegan that fall 160 years ago. Theseand other details are chronicled in“Notre Dame: A Place in History,”an exhibition in the Ernestine M.Raclin Gallery of Notre Dame Historyat the Northern Indiana Center forHistory at 808 W. Washington St. inSouth Bend.

The exhibit was researched anddesigned by staff from theUniversity’s archives and the Centerfor History. The Center for History isopen Tuesdays through Saturdaysfrom 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundaysnoon to 5 p.m.

New opportunitiesfrom HR…

The Professional Developmentand Learning specialists in the Officeof Human Resources (HR) areintroducing two new certificateprograms in their spring catalogue:one on Leadership Skills and one onBusiness Professional Skills. Coursesin the leadership certificate programwill examine such issues as strategicplanning, creative thinking, managingchange and the role of negativity inthe workforce. The first course,“Developing Yourself as a Leader,”is March 2. Register soon athttp://iLearn.nd.edu.

The Business Skills CertificateProgram begins later in the spring.Complete information aboutcertificate programs is availableonline on the Human Resources Website at http://www.nd.edu/~hr/.Programs range from multi-coursecertificate programs to health andwellbeing initiatives such as a BloodDrive Feb. 19 and 20 and a workshop

for parents on child guidance anddiscipline on Feb. 21. HR’sProfessional Development andLearning staff also sponsors thePopular Supervisor’s Roundtableseries, which meets Feb. 18 for apresentation about the University’smaster architectural plan and detailsabout neighborhood revitalizationprojects in nearby neighborhoods.University Architect Doug Marshand Director of Community RelationsJackie Rucker will present. Registerat http://iLearn.nd.edu.

It’s always a goodyear to think aboutmonkeys…

As the Chinese celebrate the Yearof the Monkey, it’s worth noting thatWestern culture, too, has itsattachment to simians. The primate’spresence in our cultural history goeswell beyond the beloved CuriousGeorge (actually a chimpanzee, not amonkey), according to anthropologistAgustin Fuentes.

For example, the bones ofmonkeys were found among humanbones at Pompeii, which wasdestroyed by a volcanic eruptionalmost 2,000 years ago. The samespecies found in Pompeii has livedon the Rock of Gibraltar for hundredsof years and is nowoccasionally used as aguard animal in Paris,France.

Monkeys haveserved a vast numberof cultural purposes.In Medieval times andduring theRenaissance, monkeysappeared in art andliterature as human’sdarker and naughtierside, Fuentes says.

The primate’simage has softened inrecent decades, thanksto influences such asHollywood, whoseKing Kong helped ussee a kinder side ofprimates. “They’restill portrayed asalmost human, butthey may be seen ascloser to our ‘good’side,” Fuentes notes.Primates remain top

Poet’s advice for Valentine’s: Yourown words are the best words

week. Almost all of the mail is fromwomen. I get a lot from girls whocomplain that their boyfriends don’twrite them poems like those, andonce I got an e-mail from a woman inher 80s who was delighted with them.I’ve had some e-mails from men whohave confessed that they’ve“borrowed” a poem from thesequence.

Q. How would the world bedifferent without love poems?

A. Without love there wouldn’tbe a world, and without love poemswe wouldn’t be able to talk aboutlove. René Char wrote, “The poem isthe realized love of desire that hasremained desire.” Each strong poemis a distillation of desire; but at the

same time it keeps within it an acheand a longing. A memorable lovepoem is not only an exploration of aparticular desire, it also offers itself asa guide or a warning or a diagnosis ofthe love that you too will experience,if you are fortunate.

Q. Among the options for gifts onValentine’s Day, the love poem seemsunderrepresented. Would you agree?

A. We live in a culture thatcontinually whispers to us, “Why livewhen you can let professionals livefor you?” I say that life is foramateurs.

Q. We don’t want to discourageanyone from buying a nice card, butwould you make a case for writingyour own thoughts as opposed toletting Hallmark do it?

A. Why go to very bad verse? It’sbetter to look for a poem that touchesyou and that will touch the one youlove. Then write out that poem or aline or two from it. Think of PabloNeruda, “I want to do with you/WhatSpring does with the cherry tree.”

Q. So once someone is convincedto express their own thoughts inwriting, what guidelines make it apoem?

A. The words will be a poem ifany rearrangement of them diminishesit.

Q. Valentine’s Day is almost here,so aspiring poets will have to movequickly. Are there surefire rules tofollow, or classically wrong moves toavoid?

A. Make sure the emotion isgenuine. Don’t strive for effect. Don’tbe afraid of humor.

draws at zoos, and Fuentes certainlyunderstands the attraction. “We canlearn a lot about ourselves fromwatching the other primates,” hesays. It’s also easy to understandFuentes’ attraction to his fieldresearch: Bali and Gibraltar areamong the locations he studies.

Ethics Week startsFeb. 16…

One wonders how he narrowedthe field! Accounting Professor KenMilani had a wealth of ethicalmeltdowns to choose from as heinvited local members from the fieldsof accounting, law and banking topresent during the annual EthicsWeek. Four discussions will takeplace from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.Monday through Thursday (Feb. 16-19) in the Giovanini Commons of theMendoza College of Business.

Day One leads with a paneldiscussion on Enron. Discussions onthe ethical dimensions of corporategovernment Tuesday and ethics froma multinational perspectiveWednesday will be followed by anexamination Thursday of the troubleexperienced by South Bend’sSobieski Bank.

Admissions videoreceives additionalhonors…

Adding to its list of accolades,“Nowhere Else but Notre Dame,” astudent recruitment video producedfor the University of Notre Dame bySouth Bend-based NewGroup Media,has been recognized in the 2003Aurora Awards with the PlatinumBest of Show Award, thecompetition’s highest honor.

Honored in the externalcommunications/public relationscategory, the video was produced incooperation with UndergraduateAdmissions. The production alsoreceived a 2003 Telly Finalist Award,which recognizes outstanding non-network and cable televisioncommercials, films and videos.

An international competitiondesigned to recognize excellence inthe film and video industries, theAurora Awards focus on non-nationalcommercials, regional or specialinterest entertainment and corporate-sponsored film and video.

Hart

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The late entertainer Bob Hope accepts The Patriot Award on President's Day,1962 from then President Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. and senior classpresident Earl Linehan. Photo provided by Charles Lamb, University Archives

ND Works Page 8February 12, 2004

BACK STORY

NDSurplus circulates recycledequipment and goodwill

It’s Christmas every week at NDSurplus, an initiative of ProcurementServices that gives new life to discontinued Notre Dame property.Departments across campus are picking up desks, computers, chairs, bookcases and numerous other items—at no cost.

NDSurplus also opens its doors to the community’s non-profitagencies, whose administrators can find items for little or no cost, and toNotre Dame employees who want reasonably priced equipment for theirpersonal use.

NDSurplus is located at 925 Eddy St., next to the RobinsonCommunity Learning Center. But you don’t have to brave the cold to findout what they have. A complete list of their inventory is on theProcurement Services Web site at http://buy.nd.edu. Central Receivingarranges delivery. Under many circumstances, they charge no fee fordelivering items on campus. Photos by Lou Sabo

You can eyeball the chair of your dreams in the Eddy Street facility, or you can shoponline at http://buy.nd.edu.

Jack Woolley, left, and Rick Anderson load purchases for an on-campus delivery.Deliveries are free under many circumstances.

Rows of monitors stand at attention as Bethany Cockburn reviews their features.Cockburn is a project assistant in the Laboratory for Social Research.

Above: With assistance from NDSurplus assistant Kathy Hoffman, in background,Gladys Muhammad scouts computer equipment on behalf of the Charles Martin YouthCenter.

Right: Dee Schlotfeldt reacquaints herself with an anachronism—an electric typewriter.Schlotfeldt is a recent retiree from the Department of Computer Science andEngineering.