JUNE 20, 2011

IN THIS ISSUE

1. Scholarship donations in honor of Father Wild top $43 million

Future generations of Marquette students will benefit from donations totaling $43,692,623 for endowed scholarships given in honor of President Robert A. Wild, S.J., who will retire July 31. The scholarship amount was announced last week at a dinner honoring Father Wild that was attended by nearly 800 faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community leaders.
 
Julie Tolan, vice president for advancement, said current and past trustees of the university gave or pledged $31.4 million of the total and more than 2,300 individuals contributed. “The generosity of our benefactors will provide — in years to come — more than $2 million of annual financial assistance for Marquette students,” she said.

Tolan said Father Wild made increasing the university’s endowment for scholarships a priority during the past three years. In addition to the funds for endowed scholarships, she said the university also raised $9,359,429 in the past 18 months to address the immediate needs of Marquette students. “These funds helped us address the needs of our students the past two years, as the financial circumstances of families changed,” she said.
  
In the past 15 years Wild has raised more than $800 million for the university, including more than $200 million for scholarships and several eight-figure gifts that have accelerated campus construction projects, including new law (Eckstein Hall) and engineering buildings. In total, the university will have completed more than $375 million of construction, renovation and beautification projects during Wild’s presidency; those projects, including the Al McGuire Center, Raynor Library, School of Dentistry and Zilber Hall, also spurred economic development in the university’s near west side neighborhood.
 
During Wild’s tenure, undergraduate applications to Marquette increased fourfold, from approximately 5,000 applications in 1996 to nearly 22,000 for fall 2011. More than 90 percent of the university’s undergraduates receive financial aid.
 
Wild said he will take a year’s sabbatical following his retirement. He has a trip to Antarctica planned and will spend the spring 2012 semester in San Antonio participating in a theological, spiritual renewal program. After that, his plans are uncertain, although he assures those who ask that, “There’s no such thing as unemployment in the world of Jesuits.”

Back to Top

2. Registration deadline for Buzz’s BBQ is Wednesday

The registration deadline for the Texas-style BBQ hosted by Men’s Head Basketball Coach Buzz Williams is Wednesday, June 22. The event is Wednesday, June 29, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Central Mall. Cost is $10 per person for attendees age 5 and older.

Entering its fourth summer, the annual event features Williams and current and former Marquette players, games and a Texas-style BBQ dinner.

Register online.

Back to Top

3. 18th Street now two-way between Wisconsin and State

18th Street from Wisconsin Avenue to State Street has been converted to a two-way street after the Marquette University Student Government and Marquette University asked the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works to explore such a conversion. The change was made to improve traffic circulation and safety according to Clark Wantoch, Milwaukee Department of Public Works administration and transportation design manager, and in anticipation of the opening of Norris Park this fall, according to Rana Altenburg, vice president of public affairs.

Wantoch and Milwaukee 4th District alderman Robert Bauman met with MUSG in April to discuss traffic issues. For several years MUSG, in conjunction with the Office of Public Affairs, has worked to improve traffic conditions for drivers and pedestrians on the west end of campus.

Back to Top

4. Gesu hosting blood drive next week

Church of the Gesu is holding a blood drive Monday, June 27, from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Father Herian Hall, in the lower level of Gesu Parish Center.

Online registration is available, but walk-ins are also welcome. For more information, e-mail Marcia Isherwood, Aurora parish nurse, or call 8-5288.

Back to Top