beyond boundaries
An update on Beyond Boundaries, Marquette's strategic plan
SPOTLIGHT ON A CULTURE OF INCLUSION
Grounded by our Guiding Values and inextricably tied to the university’s mission and vision, Beyond Boundaries sets in motion a clear strategy for Marquette’s future — where we want to be, how we will get there and what we can do to go further, to Be The Difference for our students. Beyond Boundaries sets the course for Marquette to be recognized among the most innovative and accomplished Catholic, Jesuit universities in the world and is built around six strategic goal themes - including A Culture of Inclusion.
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EXCELLENCE
Nursing master's student defies the odds after growing up in 11 different foster homes
One of the nursing students at Marquette's Pleasant Prairie satellite campus has more than 22,000 comments and likes on her personal LinkedIn post. "I was in eleven different foster homes," said Lisa Koycar. "Here I am after all the tears. I'm set to graduate in less than three weeks."
She says her life turned around with the love she received from her last foster family. Now 37, she hopes her nursing master's degree from Marquette will help her to heal others in honor of the foster parents that believed in her.
Watch the video from WTMJ-TV Milwaukee and read Lisa's moving reflection, which went viral on LinkedIn.
BONUS CONTENT
Marquette's 2019 Commencement is set for May 19; learn more about speaker David Brooks, New York Times best-selling author and political commentator.
Say 'farewell' to McCormick Hall with a commemorative gift
After 52 years, Marquette's McCormick Hall is set for demolition starting this summer. Relive the memories and celebrate McCormick's history at the farewell event on campus or with a gift to Marquette's Backpack Program.
Marquette Magazine: McNair's legacy
The McNair Scholars, named for the African American astronaut and physicist who died in the Challenger explosion, has helped hundreds of Marquette students
Each McNair scholar is paired with a faculty mentor, who helps guide them through the application and research processes. They also receive funds to attend scholarly conferences, visit prospective graduate schools, and buy the supplies and equipment necessary to conduct research. In three decades at Marquette, the program has produced 33 students who went on to earn doctorates.
Read the inspiring journeys of Marquette McNair scholars like Jerrell Lovett, who plans to work toward a doctorate in cardiac physiology.
FAITH
Blessed Virgin Mary Grotto serves as new sacred space on campus
The grotto, located behind the St. Joan of Arc Chapel, was an idea from Marquette President Michael R. Lovell. The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary faces south and is nestled into a land form, designed to offer a sheltered space for the statue and place for prayerful contemplation.
“When we take time for reflection, Mary teaches us so much about simplicity, grace and strength,” President Lovell said. “My hope is that this grotto will serve as a special and sacred place of devotion, inspiration and prayer for Marquette students, faculty, alumni and staff for decades to come.”
Read more about the grotto and see photos from the dedication event on May 1.
May reflection: Upon dedication of the new Blessed Virgin Mary Grotto, thank your mothers
By Rev. Frederick Zagone, S.J., Acting Vice President for Mission and Ministry and National Alumni Association Chaplain
We began the month of May on the Marquette campus with the dedication of the beautiful new statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Grotto near the St. Joan of Arc Chapel. It is appropriate that we do so not only in May, the month of Mary, but also the time we celebrate our Mothers on Mother’s Day.
On this Mother’s Day, take the opportunity to thank your mothers, living or deceased, for the most precious gift possible. We pray for our mothers. We pray to our mothers. And remember those who have been like a mother to you. They deserve this recognition, too.
Also in May we look forward to graduation. For years students have worked and studied, played and partied, volunteered and served. Whether they were involved in everything or nothing, they have been a part of something bigger than themselves. Amid the excitement of completion, there is sadness in saying good bye to people, places, and experiences that have been part of everyday life for 4 or more years. But we also refer to graduation as commencement, which marks the new beginning for our Marquette graduates as they venture new roads.
tte alumni. They are a part of a group where some have done important things everyone knows about. And others have done simple things that only touched the lives of a few. Please join me in praying for all the new graduates this spring. May they go forth with passion in their hearts and souls to “Be the Difference.”
Amid all of this we have May flowers, weddings, baptisms, and all kinds of other things to celebrate. Let us remember that God is good.
Happy Mother’s Day
Congratulations to the 2019 Graduates
A reflection on the call to reconciliation and justice
By Kathleen Coffey-Guenther, Ph.D., Arts '85, Grad '88, '98, Senior Mission and Ignatian Leadership Specialist
“The university as a source of a reconciled life” was the title of the July 2018 keynote address given by Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., the Superior General of the Society of Jesus at the world meeting of universities entrusted to the Society of Jesus in Duesto, Spain, last summer.
As past Superior Generals of the Society of Jesus have offered before him, Fr. Sosa used this address to speak to his vision and call to the mission and life of the contemporary Catholic and Jesuit university serving in the world today. Fr. Sosa spoke to the unique space and origins of our mission field, the university, as found in the context and foundations of the Gospel and The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, rooting our work and vocation in developing transformational leaders who will impact and influence their communities- and indeed the world- with strategic, wise and compassionate contributions to increasing the common good and diminishing the suffering and inequity of the human experience.
Fr. Sosa named ways that this challenging mission will be accomplished via the alignment of our purpose, the emphasis on relationship and collaboration as our way of proceeding, and via the grounding of the intellectual life and apostolic work of the university in the larger quest for wisdom- an embodying of the search for truth and knowledge in all disciplines within the larger questions of life’s meaning, purpose and beingness while seeking God, and the resulting gifts of human flourishing that can be revealed in God, in all things via discernment, presence and reflection.
Fr. Sosa also situated this call within our unique role of “global citizenship”, the sense that our international cadre of Jesuit universities stemming from the same founders and rooted in the same guiding traditions and principles today employ a particular way of proceeding with a lens of service to and with the whole human community. Fr. Sosa emphasizes that our particular identity as Catholic and Jesuit universities and institutions ensures that our responses to the most pressing needs of our day will be uniquely met through the Ignatian Charism as lived through our educational and leadership formation work on our campuses. Fr. Sosa, to this end, speaks to the Magis call to the mission of the universities as joined to the Constitutional Call of the Society of Jesus in Congregation 36 to “promote a culture of safeguarding vulnerable people.”
Fr. Sosa goes on to elaborate that:
This may be the most complex mandate given by the 36th to the Apostolic body of the Society of Jesus. Causing a cultural change to the extent necessary to create a safe and healthy environment for each and every human being is a long-term endeavour that requires careful discernment and profound reflection on the best that we can do by using our charism and our abilities. Promoting this cultural change entails touching on the unjust 9
structures of current societies, with all the risks involved. A safeguarding culture is particularly epitomised by respect for Human Rights. Universities promote cultural changes. This challenge provides an opportunity to engage in specific and long-term work towards expanding the important dimension of reconciliation and justice and a full life.
Fr. Sosa visions that all included in the mission of the Jesuit university, meaning all members of the university community, including graduates and friends and parents of the university, are called and responsible for assisting in this sacred work as well.
Over these next months, we will be sharing with you a number of ways that members of the Marquette University community are contributing to the work and vision that Fr. Sosa set forth last summer. The work of inclusion, equity and justice for a university like Marquette, located in a community suffering from significant social and structural complexities and inequities, allow for our experiences of living our mission to translate into dynamic and real-time learning and training opportunities for our students, and innovative teaching and research experiences for our faculty members. All of these mission efforts and experiences are tied to General Sosa’s call to collaborate in relationship and with true wisdom and openness to meeting God, in God’s full human need and flourishing, in God’s beloved beauty and sorrowing neighborhoods and meeting spaces.
As many of us have learned in our own faith journeys, studying Jesus of the Gospels and praying with Jesus of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius will ultimately invite us to follow as contemporary disciples of Christ. Fr. Sosa, in this address, is reminding us of the larger-Magis-call to see Jesuit higher education as a call to serve the needs of the larger human community and global world, as a means of using our education and formation of our students in the service of justice and reconciling work in all of our disciplines and professional educational training programs.
Fr. Sosa issued this invitation and call to serve this mission, at this time, both in our own communities, Churches, alumni and parent groups as well as related to campus efforts to live, educate, innovate and form students for leadership in addressing and solving the significant and complex problems of our time. Each of us, regardless of our own unique connection to the Marquette University has a call, and a responsibility, to use all that we have to serve for the betterment of God’s human and global family.
We look forward to sharing more of your stories and ours as we endeavor to serve and be present in the many ways that we are open to seeing and meeting and knowing our God in all things!
LEADERSHIP
New Athletic and Human Performance Research Center facility unveiled
The 46,000-square-foot Athletic and Human Performance Research Center includes space for interdisciplinary athletic and human performance research, long-unavailable locker space for 90-plus athletes on the lacrosse and golf teams, and strength and conditioning spaces.
The space merges many of its functions. For example, equipment built into the strength and conditioning area would allow researchers to take measurements on site, like a "living lab of its own," said Lora Strigens, Marquette's vice president for planning and facilities management.
Read the full story and see more photos from Devi Shastri, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Marquette receives $2.5 million gift to support Innovation Alley leadership initiatives, men's basketball program
Chuck and Karen Swoboda, an alumni couple, have committed a $2.5 million gift to Marquette University. The gift will support the men’s basketball program and Innovation Alley leadership development initiatives, a key academic priority that aligns with the university’s strategic plan, Beyond Boundaries.
“This significant gift toward Innovation Alley programming will inspire us to reimagine education in the classroom as well as in the workplace and extend far beyond our campus and across our region,” President Lovell said.
Read more about the Swoboda's transformational gift and plans for Innovation Alley and men's basketball.
Career advice: How to advance your career -- write a thank-you note
By Monica Oliver, Sp '81
Leadership Consultant and Certified Executive Coach
When you’ve landed a new opportunity, remember to thank those who helped you along the way. Not only does it make them feel good about their efforts, but it helps to build your network.
Read the full article from the Marquette Career Experts Pool.
SERVICE
Alumni carry on Marquette Hunger Clean-up tradition
Hunger Clean-up is Marquette’s largest and longest-running day of service. Since its beginning in 1989, over 34,000 students, faculty, staff and alumni have volunteered. Each year, nearly 1,500 students, staff and alumni serve at 45–50 nonprofit work sites, such as food banks, homeless shelters and other organizations.
Thank you to alumni groups who organized service projects around the country in honor of Hunger Clean-up: Marquette LGBT+ Alumni Council, MU Club of Colorado, MU Club of Northeast Ohio, MU Club of Southern California and MU Club of Washington, D.C.
UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS
Join alumni and friends in Louisville for a brewery tour and networking to celebrate the launch of the MU Club of Louisville. Register today.
Join fellow young alumni for the networking happy hour and calendar of events planning session.. Register today.
The Marquette Neuro Recovery Clinic is a full-service outpatient clinic offering physical, occupational, and speech therapy, intensive therapy programs, and fitness and wellness services to optimize movement and health in individuals with neurologic conditions. Register today.
Reminisce about your McCormick experience with opportunities to capture a final photo memory and explore pictures from throughout McCormick’s history. Music will be provided by Rev. Andy Thon, S.J. (aka "SJDJ"). Register today.
Head to the ballpark with the MU Club of San Diego for the annual Padres outing! Join Marquette alumni, parents, friends and fans at Petco Park when the Padres take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Register today.
Join fellow Marquette alumni, parents and friends for a family-friendly barbeque lunch and winery tour. Register today.
Join Marquette and fellow Jesuit schools alumni for a day a the ball park! A pregame meetup features drink specials. Register online.
Join fellow alumni, parents and friends in St. Louis for the eighth annual MU Club of St. Louis regional golf tournament and reception. The day will include a golf scramble, lunch, course games and a dinner program. This event benefits the Marquette Club of St. Louis Endowed Scholarship Fund. Register online.
Join Dr. Jeanne Hossenlopp, vice president for research and innovation at Marquette, along with fellow alumni, parents and friends for an evening of networking and discussion. Help inform the work of the university’s new Institute for Women’s Leadership through this all-inclusive and important equality discussion. Register today.
See more upcoming alumni events.
Alumni Spotlight
 Gloria Gutierrez-Soto, Prof St ‘15, joined Cargill’s Protein Business Operations and Supply Chain team as a regional training specialist for the northern region. She is a member of Prospanica, the Association for Hispanic Professionals, and holds a local chapter board role as vice president of membership experience. She lives in Milwaukee.
 Dr. Charles Alexander, Grad ’88, associate vice provost for student diversity, UCLA, was selected by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research as a contributor for the 2020 Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health. Dr. Alexander has long been a champion for pipeline programs and increasing diversity in dental schools. He lives in the Los Angeles area.
 Julie Geyer, Bus Ad ’93, served as an alumna voice for Hunger Clean-up in a recent "Marquette in Milwaukee" podcast. Julie was active in Hunger Clean-up as a Marquette student and continues her involvement now as a member of the Marquette LGBT+ Alumni Council. She lives in Milwaukee.
Tell the Marquette community what you've been up to lately. Send in a class note today!
Publication of the achievements of our alumni does not constitute endorsement by Marquette University.
Guess the year
Educational Opportunity Program students gather to study together.
a. 1975
b. 1977
c. 1980
d. 1983
Answer: a. 1975
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