Notre Dame fills business job
Former aviation executive hired for economic role
The University of Notre Dame has filled a new position that's designed to turn research on campus into more jobs for the South Bend area.
Jack Curran, former vice president of mergers and acquisitions at Textron, will join Notre Dame in the newly created role of associate vice president of new business development. He will be charged with working on strategic partnerships that lead to the creation of new businesses and draw more investment to this area.
Notre Dame officials announced in July 2014 that the university was creating the new position. It was considered a priority in Notre Dame's refreshed strategic plan and part of the university's desire to help grow the area's economy.
The university currently has employees who work in business development, but none of them is assigned to work full time on that task.
Curran, whose hiring was announced Friday, will interact with campus employees involved in research and commercialization ventures. He'll also inventory the assets of the region and the university, and examine Notre Dame's alumni base to see where graduates have businesses that might tie in with research on campus or resources in the community.
"We are fortunate to have Jack serve in this crucial position, and I am confident he will quickly make a positive impact on the university and in our community," John Affleck-Graves, the university's executive vice president, said in a statement. "Jack brings with him a broad set of skills in strategic planning and business development, and he also has extensive experience in identifying and creating business opportunities that foster growth."
Curran spent more than 20 years with Textron, a Fortune 500 company that's headquartered in Providence, R.I., and includes brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft and Beechcraft. He was Textron's vice president of mergers and acquisitions from 1998 to 2014.
Notre Dame, with more than 5,700 people on its payroll, already is the largest single employer in St. Joseph County. But the university has taken major steps in recent years to contribute to the development of new businesses as well.
The university spent $182 million on research during the 2014 fiscal year — that was up from $110 million in fiscal 2010. That research has helped spur dozens of startup companies at Innovation Park at Notre Dame, and some of those businesses — such as Data Realty and F Cubed — have moved on to their own locations in South Bend.
One recent example of a successful partnership that grew out of university research is the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory — a $36 million facility being developed with General Electric and other partners at Ignition Park in South Bend.
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