Building the Future of Business at Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business began a dramatic transformation in February 2025 as construction launched on a 21,000-square-foot expansion that will significantly extend both the College’s footprint and its mission.

The North Addition reimagines the building’s original “H” shape into an “A” by enclosing the north end, creating new space dedicated primarily to undergraduate education. The addition will feature collaborative areas, lounges, new classrooms and, most notably, an auditorium honoring the College’s founding dean, John Cardinal O’Hara, C.S.C.

“We chose this name to honor Cardinal O’Hara, who exemplifies the servant leadership qualities we aim to develop in today’s students,” said Martijn Cremers, dean of the Mendoza College of Business.

For more than a century, O’Hara’s guiding words, “The primary function of commerce is service to mankind,” have guided the College’s identity and mission.

Scheduled to open in fall 2026, the North Addition will also include offices for faculty and Ph.D. students, additional study spaces and an open-air terrace on the third floor.

This project is one of several launched during the 2024–25 academic year under the theme “Building the Good in Business,” reflecting the College’s imperative to Grow the Good in Business™. Among these efforts is the new Trading Room, a 1,200-square-foot, industry-standard learning environment that opened in August. Located in the northeast corner of the atrium, the space features a glass-front entry, wall-to-wall video display, and racetrack-style stock tickers to create an immersive financial markets lab.

The College also opened the Mendoza Behavioral Lab, a dedicated research facility designed to study human behavior in business contexts. Outfitted with multiple research rooms, virtual reality capabilities and biometric tools, the lab enables faculty to conduct innovative trials and experiments that generate primary data.