Former naval officer will head Notre Dame business undergrad program

Dale Nees, formerly a professor of Naval Science at the University of Notre Dame, will become the senior director of Undergraduate Studies at the Mendoza College of Business as of July 1.

"I am very excited to be joining the Mendoza team,” said Nees. “During my past four years at Notre Dame, I've come to know many of the faculty, staff and students in the College of Business and have always been impressed with their dedication, professionalism, academic excellence and outstanding accomplishments. I'm humbled to be joining such a distinguished group and I am equally committed to do my part in supporting all of them in being the premier business school in the country."

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Nees earned a Master of Science degree in Management (Financial and Material Logistics) at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and a master’s degree in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He was also a 2005-2006 MIT Seminar XXI Fellow on Foreign Politics and International Relations.

Previous to joining the University, Nees served with the U.S. Department of Defense for more than 30 years. In 1981, he completed the Navy’s nuclear power training program and entered the submarine force, serving on three different submarines before commanding the nuclear attack submarine, USS HOUSTON, from 1995-1998.

He then went on to serve as the Commander of Submarine Development Squadron Five, where he was responsible for U.S. Submarine Rescue Forces, the Navy’s Deep Submergence Program, and oversaw operations of the Navy’s Research and Development Submarines. Nees also acted as the senior aide to the Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe in Naples, Italy, and was directly involved with the UN humanitarian relief efforts in the Former Yugoslavia Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina. He also served in several key financial management positions to include the Assistant Director of Navy Budget Office, Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Director of Navy Appropriation Matters with the U.S. Congress.

“The Undergraduate Advising Office plays a vital role in helping our students make decisions that can set the course of their lifetime,” said Carolyn Y. Woo, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College. “In Dale, we’re confident that we have found a person who has not only excellent leadership skills, but the compassion and experience necessary to provide guidance to young lives.”

Samuel Gaglio, assistant dean of Undergraduate Advising, will continue to lead the department until his retirement at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year. Gaglio has served for more than 21 years in the College of Business in a number of roles. During his tenure, the Mendoza College earned the No. 1 ranking for its undergraduate program by Bloomberg Businessweek for 2010 and 2011, as well as ranking in the survey’s top-10 rankings in 10 of 14 business specialty categories. The results included a first-place ranking in ethics, a No. 2 spot in sustainability, and fifth-place rankings in both accounting and calculus.

In 2010-2011, the College enrolled 1,759 undergraduate students in four departments: accountancy, finance, management and marketing. After completing the University’s innovative First Year of Studies program, Notre Dame business majors enter the Mendoza College in their sophomore year.

The Mendoza College also offers graduate degree programs – including a Master of Business Administration, Executive Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accountancy, and Master of Nonprofit Administration – as well as non-degree executive education and nonprofit professional development programs.

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