Dean's Updates

The start of this calendar year and a new academic semester while we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic certainly poses a host of challenges—some unique, and some that we’ve been living with for about two years now. I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the difficulties that many in our community have been navigating, whether it has been the illness or loss of loved ones or dealing with the stresses of social isolation and different modes of teaching and learning. The situation for parents of young children has been particularly stressful. Please reach out if you need help. Marquette provides resource sites for faculty and staff wellness and for student counseling services and tips for coping with social distancing. We are all here to support one another as a community.

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Both our Fall semester and an eventful year—filled with opportunities as well as challenges—are drawing to a close. Your outstanding work this year has spanned groundbreaking research, transformational teaching and significant community engagement. You have garnered prestigious grants, fellowships and awards. Thank you for your dedication. I hope you will pause to reflect upon all that we have achieved together.

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For what and for whom are you thankful? The month of Thanksgiving is a time to reflect upon reasons for gratitude. I am thankful to work alongside such a talented group of researchers across the College. Our Celebration of Research on November 9, featuring over 75 posters that filled a ballroom in the Alumni Memorial Union, was a powerful testament to your insight and creativity. Additional reasons for gratitude are highlighted in our just-released 2021 issue of A&S magazine. It amply demonstrates the excellence and impact of your research, teaching and community engagement. Thank you! The magazine, including a downloadable .pdf, is available on the college’s website.

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Midsemester has arrived! This point in the academic year can bring extra stress and new obligations, making it all the more important to find space and time for reflection. You may enjoy this short video created by Marquette’s Faber Center for Ignatian Spirituality, which offers a midterm Examen in light of the Ignatian Year. 

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I hope your Fall semester is off to a wonderful start! This is my second academic year at Marquette, yet in some ways it feels like the first. This year has brought my first opportunity to participate in the Convocation for New Students and other events like our Orientation Open House for New Undergraduates and various meet-and-greets with incoming graduate students. What a joy it is to encounter students just embarking upon their academic journey. The energy across campus with students attending in-person classes underscores the vibrancy of Marquette’s educational enterprise.

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Welcome to a new academic year!

This month began with a special opportunity to reflect upon new beginnings, as masses at the Church of the Gesu celebrated the Feast of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits. Throughout 2021–22 we will celebrate the Ignatian Year, commemorating the 500^th anniversary of Ignatius’s “cannonball moment” that changed the course of his life as well as the 400^th anniversary of his canonization. I invite you to explore ways to deepen your engagement with Ignatius through the many activities that will be part of the Ignatian Year celebration. 

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The Ignatian Year that we are celebrating in 2021–22 provides an impetus to consider our understanding of self and world and to foster practices and habits that express this understanding. A few weeks ago I participated in recording an episode of the Marquette in Milwaukee podcast devoted to the Ignatian Year. This summer I have continued to meet with a variety of alumni and benefactors as well as business leaders and other community members. As these conversations have reminded me, something I love about Marquette is our engagement with the broader Milwaukee community and the ways in which we live out our mission—in thought and in practice—to promote human flourishing across campus and far beyond.

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Here on campus, our College faculty and staff remain ever alert to the call of needs on the part of students and the world. This summer, students are engaged in a wide variety of high-impact experiences that distinguish an Arts & Sciences education at Marquette.  Many students are conducting research under the guidance of faculty mentors across the natural and computational sciences, humanities and social sciences.

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As this challenging academic year draws to a close, I am reminded of the admonition in Gaudium et spes to remain attentive to “signs of the times.” Published some sixty-five years ago, the advice remains crucial and timely. This document urges us to “respond to the perennial questions” of our age, to pay attention to the “profound and rapid changes” all around us and to remain rooted in “permanent values” even as we adjust to changing circumstances. In other words, as we “search for a better world,” we must seek and develop “a corresponding spiritual advancement.”

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This is the third of three related messages on the themes of heart, hands and head. These themes speak to the formation of the whole human person, a central tenet of Marquette’s educational mission. Having focused previously on heart and hands, this month we turn to the head. 

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This is the second of three planned Dean’s messages on the themes of heart, hands and head. These three themes speak to the formation of the whole human person, a central tenet of Marquette’s educational mission. Last month’s message focused on the heart, and this month we turn to the hands. 

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During this month of Valentine’s Day, it is perhaps unsurprising that one’s thoughts turn to the heart. And in fact, February's message is the first of three planned Dean’s messages on the interrelated themes of heart, hands and head. These three themes speak to the formation of the whole human person, a central tenet of Marquette’s educational mission.  

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My December message included a look toward the future: Which of the many possible paths will we pursue? With that question in mind, earlier this month over 70 faculty and staff members from Arts & Sciences gathered for a half-day virtual New Year Workshop. Aiming to foster community and a strong start to the New Year, the workshop was designed with two intended outcomes. We explored the identity and distinctiveness of A&S now and in the future. We also reflected upon integration as well as the “and” of “Arts and Sciences.” This “and” signifies that we strive to be not simply a collection of individuals but an integrated community.

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Both our Fall 2020 semester and a most unusual and challenging year are drawing to a close. The past months have compelled us to face a pandemic, racial injustice and economic hardship. This triple crisis has rippled across the globe and affected us right here in Milwaukee and at Marquette. We will hopefully never again experience a year like 2020. 

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"Each of my monthly messages this fall highlights a different area of the College of Arts & Sciences. This month’s focus is the humanities. This area of the College encompasses English; History; Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Philosophy; and Theology. A number of humanities faculty members have won awards for their advising, mentoring, teaching or research. Our degree programs and other offerings in the humanities disciplines are a crucial part of the excellence of Arts & Sciences."

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"As we work to sharpen the College’s identity, offer programs that meet the needs of students and the world and secure support for the College, I continue to be amazed by how many wonderful things all of you are doing. We will thrive in part by raising awareness about the breadth and depth of our activities and contributions. And so, in my monthly messages this fall, I am highlighting different areas of the College of Arts & Sciences."

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"Leaves are turning, temperatures are cooling and the Fall 2020 semester is off and running. After months of primarily remote work, what a joy to see students, faculty and staff back on campus! This has been a challenging time for everyone. I deeply appreciate how you all are taking care of yourselves, one another and our broader community..."

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"Welcome to a new academic year! The Klingler College of Arts and Sciences is the heart of Marquette University. Our faculty members are dedicated teacher-scholars who focus on student success. We work across disciplines to create an integrated experience—in classes and beyond—for all members of our community. We strive to foster diversity, inclusion and a sense of belonging. And we prepare students for a life well lived..."

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"Recently I had the good fortune to speak with Dr. Jenny Thomas, a pediatrician and graduate of our college (English ’89), who highlighted for me the important work to which we are called. Echoing the cover story of our 2020 A&S Magazine, Dr. Thomas credits her Arts and Sciences education with preparing her to thrive in career and life..."

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"During the coming year, the college will continue to pursue three goals: to sharpen our identity, to provide programs that meet the needs of students and the world and to garner support for the college. None of these pursuits is possible without embracing diversity, equity and inclusion."

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"Greetings! I am delighted and honored to serve as your Dean. What drew me to Marquette are the purpose, the people and the place. I look forward to working with all of you to fulfill Marquette’s Catholic, Jesuit mission..."

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