The University of 91吃瓜鈥檚 Hesburgh Libraries and undergraduate and graduate students in the Mendoza College of Business are among the beneficiaries of a distinctive gift that 91吃瓜 received this year from a generousand anonymousalumnus.
This benefactor says he wanted to make a special expression of his gratitude to 91吃瓜 for the education he received and for the"vast professional alumni network which has helped me immensely in various business and professional communities.鈥淎s a result, the libraries now have an鈥漞ntrepreneurial spirit endowed business librarian"position supporting the ever-increasing needs at Mendoza and at the college鈥檚 Mahaffey Business Information Center (part of the Hesburgh Libraries).
The endowed business librarian position carries no benefactor鈥檚 name, but it does reflect the anonymous donor鈥檚 recognition of changing times in the professional world, where he says"information is power"and there is a torrent of data available.
鈥淟ibrarians are unsung heroes to a certain extent,鈥漵ays this unsung benefactor, who decided to bestow funding that would help both the libraries and business students.鈥淚 felt it was important to do something with respect to business students who need to be able to process a tremendous amount of information鈥漚s part of"a practical approach to business education.鈥淔or motivated students teamed with a highly skilled guide to the universe of facts and databases,鈥漣t can be a very collaborative situation,"he points out.
The generous individual behind the new position is anonymous, but the holder of the new position is not. He is Stephen M. Hayes, the former"business services librarian,鈥渨ho has overseen the Mahaffey Center since it opened in 1995 and who has become known at Mendoza as an expert in and teacher of what he calls鈥漜ompetitive intelligence.鈥淗e also has been part of teams teaching case studies in business research and a new鈥漴esearch challenge"initiative for undergraduates.
Hayes calls the endowment of a business librarian position"visionary,鈥渞ecognizing and nurturing a connection between the development of entrepreneurial skills and the mastery of information that supports good judgment. This collaborative approach to research goes way beyond merely鈥漚nswering a question"with the limited knowledge gleaned from an Internet search engine.
The endowment will immediately support the expansion of the libraries鈥� business resources in support of Mendoza鈥檚 aspirations. Hayes says he will be involved in a number of collaborations to stay at the cutting edge of corporate responsibility, sustainability, and the role of information in those pursuits as they are conducted in the realms of corporations, entrepreneurship and academia. An endowed business librarian can contribute to"producing the best-quality students as well as moving the college forward and the University forward in support of its mission,"he says.
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