About Us
Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Rev. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., was elected Vice President for Student Affairs by Notre Dame's Board of Trustees in April 1999. He had served the previous two years in the University's administration as executive assistant to first the executive vice president and then the president.
Father Poorman graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois in 1976. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Notre Dame four years later and was ordained a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1982. He spent the next three years at Notre Dame, serving as rector of Dillon Hall and associate director of Campus Ministry. He began studies in Christian ethics at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and earned his Ph.D. in Theology there in 1990. Father Poorman's teaching and research concern moral theology and its pastoral applications. His undergraduate courses survey contemporary issues in Christian ethics, and his graduate courses are concerned with Christian ethics, Catholic moral teaching and pastoral practice. He directed the Theology Department's Master of Divinity program for many years. Among the subjects on which he has written articles and lectured widely are medical ethics, sexuality, Christian ministry, and Catholic higher education. He is the author of Interactional Morality (Georgetown Press, 1993) and editor of Labors from the Heart (Notre Dame Press, 1996), a collection of essays on mission and ministry at Notre Dame. Father Poorman resides on campus in Keough Hall, an undergraduate residence hall.
Senior Staff
Ms. Ann M. Firth, J.D.
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
Ann Firth received both a Bachelor's degree (1981) and a Juris Doctor (1984) from Notre Dame. After practicing law in Chicago for a year, Ms. Firth returned to Notre Dame in 1985 to join the Division of Student Affairs as the first Director of the newly-created Office of Residence Life, a position she held for 6 years. Under her leadership, the Office of Residence Life began its history of providing essential services in support of the University's residential mission.
Since 1992, Ms. Firth has served as a member of the Student Affairs' Senior Staff. As Associate Vice President, her responsibilities include strategic planning for the divison of Student Affairs, residential life master planning, and various initiatives designed to better integrate academic and student life at Notre Dame. Ms. Firth and her husband, John, reside in Mishawaka with their five children.
Ms. Firth oversees:
Mr. William W. Kirk, J.D.
Associate Vice President for Residence Life
William Kirk was appointed Associate Vice President for Residence Life in 2003. He has served for more than 13 years in Student Affairs. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame in 1984 and for the next four years worked for Price Waterhouse in New York and in Washington, D.C., as a Senior Consultant. Mr. Kirk returned to the Notre Dame Law School in 1988. While studying law, he served in a variety of capacities within the Division of Student Affairs--Assistant Rector of Sorin Hall, Rector of Holy Cross Hall, and Rector of Stanford Hall. In addition, he served on the Faculty Board on Athletics. Mr. Kirk is a Concurrent Assistant Professor in the College of Business, teaching an undergraduate course each semester in Business Law and Contracts. He and his wife Elizabeth reside in South Bend.
Mr. Kirk oversees:
Sr. Susan Dunn, O.P., Ed.D.
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs
Sister Dunn assumed the role of Assistant Vice President in July of 2006, after serving for five years as rector of Lyons Hall. She holds a doctorate in education from Seton Hall University and advanced degrees in counseling and education from Long Island University and Fordham University, respectively. She earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College, in Sparkill, N.Y., and has been a member of the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of the Rosary in Sparkill since 1971.
Before arriving at Notre Dame in 2001, Sister Dunn served for three years as assistant dean of student affairs at St. Thomas Aquinas. She worked for nine years as a counselor, assistant director, and finally as director of student support services at the college, where she taught concurrently in the religious studies department. She also has served as director of communications for her religious community and as assistant to the director of a drug rehabilitation agency, where she counseled women, coordinated all public relations efforts and wrote grants. Sr. Dunn is the co-chair of the Core Council for Gay and Lesbian Students.
Sr. Dunn oversees:
- Career Center
- International Student Services and Activities
- Multicultural Student Programs and Services
Sr. Jean Lenz, O.S.F., M.A.
Special Assistant to Vice President
Sister Jean Lenz, a Franciscan Sister of the Congregation of the Third Order of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, Joliet, Illinois, is originally from Chicago and has worked at the University of Notre Dame since 1973. Sister Jean received her B.A. in English and Journalism from the College of St. Francis in Joliet, and an M.A. in theology from Notre Dame. One of the first women rectors on campus, she headed Farley Hall from 1973 until 1983, when she became the rector and chaplain of Notre Dame’s London Program. Since 1984, Sr. Jean has served as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, and for many of those years she has also served as an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Theology. She has been the recipient of three distinguished University Awards: the President's Award, the Rev. John “Pop” Farley, C.S.C. Award, and the William Reynolds Alumni Award. Sister Jean has returned to the Office of Student Affairs after a sabbatical for the 1999-2000 academic year, during which time she wrote a book of reflections on her ministry at Notre Dame, titled Loyal Sons and Daughters: A Notre Dame Memoir and published in the Fall of 2002.
Sr. Lenz oversees:
- Rector Recruitment & Evaluations
Dr. G. David Moss, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs
Dr. G. David Moss joined the Office of Student Affairs in 1998. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Florida State University in 1983. He then served for four years as Music Director for John Carroll High School in Ft. Pierce, Florida, where he was honored as Teacher of the Year in 1986. David returned to Florida State University to receive a Masters in Counseling and Human Systems in 1989. He then served as an Admissions Coordinator for Florida State University. While a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Notre Dame, he served as an Intern at the University Counseling Center and as an instructor in the “Psychology of Healthy Lifestyles” course at the University. In 1998, David received the Distinguished Graduate Student Award from the Notre Dame Alumni Association. He earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Notre Dame in 2001. David resides in South Bend with his wife, Tammy, and their six children.
Dr. Moss oversees:
- Office of Alcohol and Drug Education
- University Counseling Center
- University Health Center
- Notre Dame Bands
- Diversity Education Program
Mr. M. Brian Coughlin, M.A.
Assistant Vice President for Student Activities
M. Brian Coughlin joined the Senior Staff of Student Affairs in 2007. Brian had served as the Director of Student Activities since 2001 and has led the Student Activities Office through a period of substantial growth. Before becoming the Director of Student Activities, Brian served as the rector of Carroll Hall for three years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in government and theology from Notre Dame in 1995 and a master’s degree in educational leadership from West Virginia University in 1997. While pursuing his graduate degree, he held two different graduate assistant positions and worked as the coordinator of residence life and student leadership development at Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia. He also spent a year at Boston College, where he served as director for four residential halls and a host of programs and events.
Mr. Coughlin oversees:
Ms. Jennifer A. Monahan, M.A.
Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs
Ms. Jennifer Monahan joined the staff of the Office of Student Affairs in June of 2000, after working as a teacher in Catholic schools for four years. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1996, majoring in English and minoring in Theology. After graduation, Ms. Monahan joined the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), an Americorps-affiliated national service program. Through ACE, she taught middle school English and religion in Charlotte, North Carolina. She earned a Master's degree from the University of Portland in 1998. After moving to South Bend in 1998, Ms. Monahan taught middle school English at St. Anthony de Padua School for two years, where she was voted Teacher of the Year for 1999-2000. As Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs, Ms. Monahan works to implement the programs, priorities, and projects of the Vice President. She has also been a concurrent instructor in the First Year Writing Program. Ms. Monahan lives in South Bend with her husband, Kevin, and their three children.
Administrative Staff
Ms. Carole Coffin, B.S.
Officer Assistant
Ms. Carole Coffin received a B.S. in elementary education from Ball State University. She has worked at Notre Dame since 1988 where she has been a staff member of the Department of Theology, Office of the Executive Vice President, and Office of the President. She has been with the Office of Student Affairs since 1999 and has served as Fr. Poorman's assistant since 1990. Carole is married and the mother of two children.
Ms. Trudy Diamond, M.A.
Senior Adminstrative Assistant
Ms. Trudy Diamond received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1971 and a Master of Arts degree in 1973 at Western Michigan University. She worked as a high school Business Education teacher in Edwardsburg, Michigan, for 30 years until she retired in 2001. She began work in the Office of Student Affairs in July 2001 where she serves as an assistant to Ann Firth and William Kirk. She and her husband, Glenn, have two sons and live in Niles, Michigan.
Ms. Marci Ullery
Administrative Assistant
madams3@nd.eduMs. Marci Ullery spent 11 years at the University of California, Irvine, as the Administrative Assistant to the Senior Associate Dean of the Medical School, then as the Residency Coordinator for Anesthesiology Residents. She moved to South Bend five years ago, and started working as a Development Associate for the Priests of Holy Cross. For the last four years Marci has been at Notre Dame, working in Development as the Administrative Assistant for the AVP and Director of National Programs; she also supported Arts and Athletics Advancement. She is married and the mother of two cats.