College of Education Award Recipients

Friends of the College Award

Kathleen M. Roller and Paul J. Roller, Bus Ad ’60
Elm Grove, Wis.

Passionate about education, Kathleen and Paul have devoted time, effort and resources to help improve educational outcomes in Milwaukee, promote literacy and preschool education, and support future educators coming out of Marquette.

“Education is vitally important to the success and happiness of every individual,” says Paul. “It is also one of the most important investments that society can make in its future.”

Paul is the retired chairman of Miller Brands-Milwaukee LLC, a former major beer distributor in Milwaukee. This position capped a career of more than four decades in the beer industry, split between the corporate and distributor sides.

Much of Paul’s community involvement has been directed to urban education. As a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee’s Education Committee, he served in 2007 on their Accountability and Support Group, a community board appointed to monitor progress on the strategic plan of Milwaukee Public Schools. Through this work, Paul met and befriended Dr. William Henk, dean of the College of Education. As a board member of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Paul also served on their Education Committee for several years.

Together, the Rollers have long supported and volunteered with the Next Door Foundation, which focuses on improving literacy and school readiness for Milwaukee preschoolers.

In 2013 Paul and Kathleen created the Roller Family Endowed Scholarship within the College of Education to support future educators. “Through our endowed family scholarship at Marquette, Kathleen and I support students in the College of Education not only to help with their own educational journeys,” Paul says, “but also for the impact they will have as teachers on the lives of future generations.”

Fun fact: In addition to education, another of Paul’s passions is vintage race cars. When Paul was still in a travel mode, he frequently attended major vintage car events in the U.S. and Europe.