Notre Dame MBA’s ‘Grow Irish’ Program Goes Irish

What could be more fitting than “Grow Irish” teams going Irish? 

During the first week of March, 21 University of Notre Dame MBA students will travel to Ireland to collaborate with organizations in Galway on projects designed to deliver real-world impact. 

The immersion is part of Grow Irish, the Notre Dame MBA’s experiential learning program that pairs students with mission-driven organizations for intensive, weeklong consulting engagements. 

Through Grow Irish, MBA students from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business work on high-impact projects that allow them to apply core business skills — including strategy, analysis, communication and implementation planning — to organizational challenges. These immersive experiences provide students with hands-on learning opportunities while delivering actionable insights. 

“The Galway engagement reflects Notre Dame’s commitment to ethical leadership, global learning and mutually beneficial collaboration,” said Lara Brian, associate director of Business Development, Experiential & Global Learning at Mendoza College of Business. “Now in its second year in Galway, the initiative continues to strengthen connections across the region while providing students with hands-on experience and delivering focused, decision-oriented insights to participating organizations.” 

The Galway engagement builds on successful collaborations over the past two years and reflects the Notre Dame MBA’s continued commitment to meaningful, project-based learning. During their time in Ireland, student teams will work on the following projects:

• Galway Chamber – Membership Strategy and Operating Model: Students will engage with the leadership of the Galway Chamber, an economic development organization representing more than 500 businesses, to refine the member journey and translate strategic priorities into practical operating frameworks.
• COPE Galway – Impact Measurement Project: COPE Galway provides services and support to vulnerable populations in Galway, including the elderly and people experiencing homelessness or domestic abuse. One Notre Dame MBA team will support COPE Galway’s efforts to become a more data-informed learning organization by assessing impact measurement needs, ethical data collection practices and systems that enable evidence-based decision making across services.
• COPE Galway – Retail Strategy Project: A second Notre Dame MBA team will analyze charity shop performance and customer trends to inform retail strategy, campaign planning and community engagement, strengthening COPE Galway’s social enterprise activities.
• Aztec Medical – Market Expansion and Sales Strategy: An MBA team will evaluate market opportunities, customer segmentation and sales processes to support the next phase for the company, which provides regulatory, design assurance and clinical consulting services to the medical device industry.

"What drew me to COPE Galway was the opportunity to tackle a real-life business challenge in a unique international context,” said Patricio Ortiz, a first-year Notre Dame MBA student who will be working with the retail strategy team. “This Grow Irish project allows me to adapt the financial analysis and market research frameworks I've mastered in class to a nonprofit setting, directly contributing to Mendoza's ‘Grow the Good in Business’ mission." 

The collaboration with Galway was made possible through the leadership and relationship-building efforts of Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI) and its Galway Committee, one of Chicago’s 28 active sister city committees. These efforts facilitated connections between the Mendoza College of Business and organizations in Galway. 

Chicago and Galway have been sister cities since March 1997, fostering strong cultural, economic and educational connections and exchanges between the two cities. Chicago and Galway will be celebrating 30 years as sister cities in 2027. 

Previous Grow Irish engagements in Galway have already delivered measurable impact. 

"The student group examined the costs and benefits of COPE Galway's volunteer program and calculated that the program delivers a benefit to COPE Galway and cost savings to the state of over half a million euros a year,” Sharon Fitzpatrick, head of development for COPE Galway.  “We will be using this data in our annual report and in future discussions with State and philanthropic funders.” 

The Galway Chamber has played a central role as a coordinating and communications hub, sharing Grow Irish opportunities with its membership and broader local network and helping build the trusted relationships essential to successful collaboration. 

“Our collaboration with the University of Notre Dame represents exactly the kind of globally connected, forward-looking partnership that underpins Galway Chamber’s strategy,” said Karen Ronan, CEO of the Galway Chamber. “By working with a world-class institution, we are strengthening our strategic thinking, deepening our international relationships and ensuring that Galway’s business community is positioned to compete confidently on a global stage. This partnership brings fresh insight, research excellence and international perspective, all of which support our ambition to make Galway the most innovative, internationally connected regional economy in Ireland.” 

For more information about the Notre Dame MBA, visit mba.nd.edu or email mba.business@nd.edu.