Finance
An educational environment defined by collaboration
The environment of some of the top-ranked finance departments in the country can be ultra-competitive. Not so at Mendoza. Many finance students cite the close relationships they form with classmates as one of the most valuable components of their Notre Dame experience. In addition to benefiting from the diverse perspectives your peers bring to the classroom, you’ll graduate with a built-in professional network that looks out for one another.
A curriculum as wide as it is deep
By studying everything from mergers and acquisitions to corporate financial analysis and reporting, you will be equipped to ethically address any challenge you and your company face.
Don’t just learn finance, experience it
And don’t just experience finance—experience it in London. Through Emerging Markets Investing, you can travel to London to analyze emerging market economies, and economies in transition. Or you can spend your spring break earning credit through the International Portfolio Management Practicum, which gives you the opportunity to spend an intensive week of real-world interaction with a leading investment management firm.
Department Administration
Richard R. Mendenhall
William and Cassie Daley Professor and Department Chair
Contact: (574) 631-6076 or rmendenh@nd.edu
Rick Mendenhall studies the role of public information in setting stock prices. For example, he has studied the impact on stock prices of earnings announcements, securities analysts’ forecasts, and firms being added to or deleted from the S&P 500 Index. His studies have been featured and discussed in many media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Business Week, Forbes, CNN Headline News, and National Public Radio. In addition to his research, he remains current by maintaining professional contacts primarily with money managers and consultants. Mendenhall graduated from United States Naval Academy and served as an officer in the navy for five years. During that time he graduated from the Naval Nuclear Power School and served aboard a nuclear submarine. He later earned MBA and PhD degrees in finance from Indiana University. He has been a visiting faculty member at Indiana University and New York University.
James Leady
Assistant Department Chair and Assistant Teaching Professor
Contact: (574) 631-5540 or jleady@nd.edu
Jim Leady brings expertise in the areas of agent-based simulations and experimental economics to the economics courses he teaches to both undergraduate and graduate students. He advises the undergraduate Finance Club and mentors through programs at Notre Dame and South Bend schools. He also serves as Question Leader and exam developer for the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Microeconomics examination.
Prior to joining Mendoza in 2006, Leady taught courses in public finance, labor economics, game theory, intermediate microeconomics, and principles of economics at Centre College in Danville, KY and at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, MI. Leady earned a PhD in Economics at the University of Michigan as well as an MA in Economics and a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Complex Systems. He graduated with a BS in Economics from West Point.
Major Leady continues to serve in the US Army Reserve as the commander of the 690th Quartermaster Petroleum Liaison Team. His most recent deployment was to Kuwait in 2015-2016.
Marlene Wasikowski
Administrative Assistant
Contact: (574) 631-6370 or mwasikow@nd.edu