Dean’s Vision

Illustration of a collage of images important to the Dean including the dome, the Japanese wave artwork, compass, roses, ship, and the Basilica.

Martijn Cremers

Bernard J. Hank Professor of Finance

Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business

“As a business school guided by the University of Notre Dame’s Catholic identity, the Mendoza College of Business recognizes the inherent dignity of every human person. We are committed to building a community of belonging and inclusion based on respect for each and every individual as foundational to both shared and individual flourishing.”

About

Martijn Cremers is the Martin J. Gillen Dean and Bernard J. Hank Professor of Finance at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. He has served as dean since 2019 and was reappointed in 2024 for a second term through 2029.

During his tenure, Mendoza has expanded its research activities, launched Ph.D. programs in Management and Analytics, and broadened undergraduate access to business education across Notre Dame. His research and teaching focus on investment management, corporate finance, corporate governance, corporate law, business ethics and Catholic social thought.

Cremers joined Notre Dame in 2012 after 10 years on the faculty of the Yale School of Management. He is the founder of Active Share, a measure of active portfolio management widely used in the financial industry. A native of the Netherlands, he earned his master’s degree from the Free University Amsterdam and his Ph.D. from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

The Three C’s of Business

As part of his vision for the Mendoza College of Business, Dean Martijn Cremers is committed to advancing the College’s distinctive mission as a Catholic business school that seeks to produce top academic research and educate business leaders who contribute to human flourishing, cooperate in solidarity and compete with excellence. He describes these “Three C’s” of business — three principles necessary for business seeking to be a force for shared good for all stakeholders:

Collage illustration of the golden dome over a textured green circle with graphic elements such as grid lines, plus sign, circles and arrows.

CONTRIBUTE

to human flourishing, serving others in response to all the gifts we have received, through which we ourselves flourish.

Collage illustration of a cmpass, jagged line, and the famous Japanese wave print.

COOPERATE

in solidarity through teamwork as part of a community, and prioritize those with the greatest needs.

Collage illustration of the intersection of business and Catholic values made up of Wall St. and Vatican images with roses and chart graphs.

COMPETE

externally in the marketplace and internally toward the best version of oneself, by the grace of God and with the help of others.

More about the Dean's vision for the College

Essays, Articles & Speeches

Notre Dame Business Dean’s Letter

Notre Dame Business, Fall 2026
Dean Martijn Cremers reflects on how the opening of the new John Francis Cardinal O'Hara, C.S.C., Commons celebrates the founding dean’s vision that commerce, when guided by ethical principles and integrated with the liberal arts, serves human flourishing and advances civilization.

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‘Both-And’ Leadership In The Age Of AI: Notre Dame’s Dean On The Future Of The MBA

Poets&Quants, August 7, 2026
Business education is moving quickly. Artificial intelligence is reshaping decision-making, employers are recalibrating expectations, and MBA programs are under pressure to prove their value in new ways.

For Martijn Cremers, dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, the response begins with a question that has not changed: What kind of leaders are business schools trying to form?

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Why Notre Dame Is Shrinking Its MBA — And Betting On A More Personal Experience

Poets&Quants, Updated: August 31, 2026
Over the past several admissions cycles, Mendoza has reduced the size of its MBA program while increasing the resources dedicated to each student — particularly in career services and employer engagement. Dean Martijn Cremers describes the move plainly.

“As we recently clarified the direction of the Notre Dame MBA program, we spent time asking hard questions about who we are and who we want to serve,” says Cremers. “That reflection led to a deliberate decision: to temporarily reduce the size of the program in the near term so we can substantially strengthen the program and its long-term trajectory.”

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Faith, Finance and Flourishing

Notre Dame Business, Fall 2019
Martijn Cremers came to Notre Dame with his family in 2012 out of a desire to integrate his Catholic faith with serving as a faculty member. As the Martin J. Gillen Dean, Cremers' vision for Mendoza centers on his conviction that faith is a critical element to help finance contribute to human flourishing.

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