‘Steady Hand’ of Notre Dame Finances to Retire

Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe University of Notre Dame’s longtime chief financial officer is retiring. John Affleck-Graves has served as executive vice president since 2004 and the university says during his tenure its annual operating budget has more than doubled to $1.5 billion and its endowment has more than tripled to $11.8 billion. In a new release, the university referred to Affleck-Graves as a "steady hand" that guided fiscal operations through some often challenging economic times.
In addition to the budget, his responsibilities also included overseeing endowment, finance, information technology, human resource, campus safety, event management, construction, building service, landscaping, food service and auxiliary operation functions.
President Father John Jenkins says "the University has benefited immeasurably from John’s intelligence, good judgment, leadership ability, tireless work ethic and, above all, his devotion to Notre Dame and its mission. It has been a personal privilege to work with him as a colleague and a friend for 18 years."
Affleck-Graves’ career at Notre Dame extended beyond the EVP and CFO roles. He arrived in South Bend in 1986 and served 14 years in roles including chair of the Department of Finance and Business Economics. After a year at Florida State University, he came back to Notre Dame in 2001 to serve as vice president and associate provost and Notre Dame Chair in Finance.
"It has been a privilege to work with Father John, Provost Tom Burish and the Board of Trustees for these 15 years," Affleck-Graves said. "I have been blessed to have a tremendous team of leaders in the EVP Division and am especially grateful for the commitment and dedication of all the staff who deliver such exceptional service to our campus community on a daily basis."
Outside the campus, Affleck-Graves has also been involved with economic development in Michiana, including serving as chair of the Regional Development Authority in north central Indiana that was formed as part of a successful, $42 million Regional Cities Initiative effort.