August, 2021
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences,
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 500th anniversary of Ignatius’s “cannonball moment” that changed the course of his life
as well as the 400th 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.
Like Ignatius recovering from his battlefield injury, we continue to reflect upon
the past year, as we confronted the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice and economic
challenges across our nation and the world. Together, we can care for ourselves and
one another. Our community will emerge stronger and more resilient if we become more
adept at fostering connections across differences.
Now as always, the College of Arts & Sciences serves as the foundation of Marquette
University. Our faculty members are dedicated teacher-scholars who focus on student
success. We work to create an integrated, interdisciplinary 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.
This year, I am particularly excited about the visioning work that we are doing in
the College. Earlier this month Arts & Sciences department Chairs and senior staff
spent a retreat day together to envision the future and discern how we might move
toward that vision. What is our vivid mental image of what success will look like
a year from now? How about five years from now? What do you envision for your life
in each of those timeframes? What do you feel called to do? Whom do you feel called
to be?
Such discernment requires paying attention. Easier to say than to do, paying attention
yields incredible insight. With the waning days of summer, I invite you to reread
and contemplate the wonderful question at the end of Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer Day”: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do // with your one wild and precious life?”
Please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns or suggestions. I appreciate hearing from you and exploring
ways we can all work together for the common good.
Sincerely,
Dr. Heidi Bostic Dean, Klingler College of Arts and Sciences
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