“The Notre Dame MBA made a total difference in my career. It really opened my horizons. Because of that, I have a strong sense of giving back to the university,” says Lynette Mischel (MBA ’82), the College’s new director of Graduate Alumni Relations.

Mischel is proud of the program that gave her the tools to succeed in two decades of corporate management and nonprofit administration. Returning to her alma mater in August 2004, Mischel is full of ideas for programs and services to keep alumni connected to the university and to enhance their lives. “The Notre Dame experience doesn’t stop at graduation,” says Mischel. “There are ongoing opportunities for learning, for building social and professional relationships, and for helping the College achieve even greater success.”

Like many alums, Mischel was a student long before the new building was constructed. “Times have definitely changed at the College,” she notes. “It’s incredible how many advancements have been made and how much these investments have helped raise the scholarship and stature of the business school.”

Among Mischel’s top goals is to bring more attention to the John Cardinal O’Hara Society, which channels members’ contributions to needs and initiatives that enhance the reputation of the MBA programs. Mischel points to the O’Hara Society’s unique ability to impact the College’s future, by providing crucial funds for student fellowships, enrichment programs for alumni, recruitment and retention efforts for outstanding faculty, and other innovative projects.

She is also leading a strategic planning process to identify ways the College can better assist graduate alumni, especially in terms of career services and lifelong learning. Drawing on her experience in information technology, Mischel hopes to leverage technology to improve communication. A redesigned website, more live video streaming of speakers, and greater access to online business data are some of the resources she wants to make available to alumni.

Mischel’s plans are ambitious, but her message to alumni is simple. “If you haven’t been connected to the College of Business all these years,” she says, “you have no idea what you’ve been missing in terms of staying abreast of business thinking, networking with other alumni, and using the awesome resources of the university to enhance your lives.”

—Elizabeth Station and Kelley Herrera