SAN ANTONIO, TX, September 05, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Last fall, the Leadership Institute for Military Spouses by MSAN announced a new partnership with the University of Notre Dame to offer two online courses for military spouses.
The first, launched in July, focuses on mental wellness and is in line with the University's broader commitment to fighting the nation's mental health crisis. The course was developed and is presented by faculty from Notre Dame's William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families and Veldman Family Psychology Clinic, who worked with Notre Dame Learning's Office of Digital Learning (ODL) on the design of effective online content.
September marks the launch of the second course in the Notre Dame-MSAN partnership, and like the first, it represents a collaboration between the ODL and Notre Dame faculty, this time from the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership (NDDCEL) at the Mendoza College of Business.
Titled Ethical Leadership with Notre Dame, the new offering reflects NDDCEL's mission to inform, equip, and inspire values-based leadership and covers topics such as conflict management, voicing values at work, and honesty and empathy in decision-making. The aim is to support military spouses in becoming leaders who foster resilient and flourishing communities.
Both of these non-credit courses are delivered as a mix of asynchronous (i.e., on-demand) content and live sessions, and the impact of the mental wellness course is already evident.
"The course material has been incredibly well-received," said the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic's Donna Armentrout, the course's instructor. "The military spouse learners have had the opportunity to practice having mental health conversations and receive in-the-moment feedback from clinical psychology doctoral students under the supervision of Notre Dame faculty and staff. Overall, it has been an enriching, meaningful experience for both the learners and facilitators."
Jessica McManus Warnell, Rex and Alice A. Martin Faculty Director of the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership, and Kristen Collett-Schmitt, associate dean for undergraduate and specialized master's programs in the Mendoza College of Business, expect to see similar results with the ethical leadership course.
"NDDCEL is proud to partner with MSAN on this important opportunity to support military families," McManus Warnell said. "We developed a custom curriculum for military spouses to enhance career readiness and leadership in their organizations and communities. Featuring insights from a dynamic group of faculty experts, including several who are veterans and spouses, our course provides strategies for participants to be powerful agents for positive change."
McManus Warnell and Collett-Schmitt serve as the instructors of the ethical leadership course, which also includes contributions from Notre Dame faculty members Paul Blaschko, Jim Leady, Drew Marcantonio, and Jim O'Rourke as well as military community members Rose Boyle, Pat Gibbons, Jen Heckel, Amy Spangler, and Erin Stevens.
Admiral Christopher W. Grady, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shared a testimonial for the course, and his wife, Christine, is featured in the introductory videos for both it and the mental wellness course.
The Notre Dame-MSAN partnership is a multidisciplinary campus project involving faculty and staff from 10 organizations. The project is spearheaded and resourced by Notre Dame Research with the support of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, the College of Arts and Letters, the Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame Learning's Office of Digital Learning, the Office of Public Affairs and Communications, the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership, the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic, and the Mental Health Initiative.
"I have been incredibly proud to welcome Notre Dame to the MSAN family," said Verenice Castillo, founder, CEO, and president of MSAN. "Their commitment to our military community will empower these dedicated individuals to continue making a profound difference in their lives and communities. Together, we are building an army of strong community leaders, mentors, and advocates."
About Leadership Institute for Military Spouses by MSAN
The Leadership Institute for Military Spouses (LIMS) empowers and equips military spouses to become influential community leaders and change-makers. We strive to cultivate strength, enhance leadership skills, and inspire collaboration. Through dedicated training and support, we envision an alumni network of engaged military spouses who drive positive change in their communities, fostering a culture of leadership, service, mentorship, and advocacy.
Military Spouse Advocacy Network (MSAN) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to create stronger military families through education, empowerment, and support. MSAN's collaborations with official military installations, Department of Defense (DoD) resources, and trusted partner organizations provide a structured and personal approach through a one-of-a-kind peer-to-peer mentorship experience, building long-term connections to local and national resources and expanding the military family sense of community.
For more information on LIMS and its programs, visit www.leadershipinstituteformilitaryspouses.org. Follow LIMS on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin
About the University of Notre Dame
Founded in 1842, the University of Notre Dame is the leading, global, Catholic research university for the 21st century, providing a distinctive voice in higher education that is at once rigorously intellectual, boldly moral in orientation, and firmly embracing of a service ethos.
Rated among the top 20 of all U.S. institutions of higher learning and a member of the Association of American Universities, Notre Dame ranks among the top 10 nationally in the percentage of students who study abroad and has seen research funding more than double in the past decade. The University is organized into four undergraduate colleges — Arts and Letters, Science, Engineering, and the Mendoza College of Business — the School of Architecture, the Keough School of Global Affairs, the Law School, and the Graduate School. It is located adjacent to the city of South Bend, Indiana, in a region with a population of more than 320,000, and is widely known for its scholarly excellence, Catholic character, legendary athletics programs, and the beauty of its campus, including the Golden Dome of the Main Building, the world's most recognized university landmark.
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