Message from the Dean
February 2021
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
During this month of Valentine’s Day, it is perhaps unsurprising that one’s thoughts
turn to the heart. And in fact, this 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.
The heart is relevant in at least two ways. First is the position of the College of
Arts & Sciences as the heart of Marquette. Second is the personal experience of a
Catholic, Jesuit education in our College, which awakens hearts.
Why, for instance, is the Marquette Core Curriculum so deeply rooted and grounded
in Arts & Sciences? Because the work we do lies at the heart of a Catholic, Jesuit
education. Our College is distinctive thanks to our dedicated teacher-scholars, our
interdisciplinary strengths and the transformational difference we make in the world.
Two of our English department faculty members were recognized as “Difference Makers”
during this month’s Presidential Address. On a national stage, our outstanding MS in Computing program was just ranked 6th by US News. Behind the scenes, and never more so than during this difficult era of the COVID-19
pandemic, our faculty and staff care for one another and for our students. We know
that, as Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, SJ emphasizes, the measure of our College is who our
students become.
Which brings us to the second dimension of “heart.” Consider this beautiful query
from Fr. Kolvenbach: “A legitimate question, even if it does not sound academic, is
for each professor to ask, ‘When researching and teaching, where and with whom is
my heart?’” I think this is a wonderful reflection for all of us: Are our hearts centered
in the mission of what we are doing? Pedro Arrupe, SJ puts it this way: “[G]ifted
with conscience, intelligence and power each of us is indeed a center. But a center
called to go out of ourselves, to give ourselves to others in love—love, which is
our definitive and all-embracing dimension, that which gives meaning to all our other
dimensions. Only the one who loves fully realizes himself or herself as a person.”
February is also Black History Month. Fr. Bryan Massingale (Arts ‘79) brought this
openness and care for others to bear on racial injustice during his Marquette Mission
Week virtual forum presentation on February 9. He challenges all of us to study the links between politics and racism
and to examine these difficult topics with open hearts. His talk beautifully illustrated
this year’s Mission Week theme “Open to Hope.” Our hearts may be hurting or even broken.
Yet if we have faith, hope and love our hearts remain open. This indeed is what we
are called to do (glossing Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB): to stand before our life with
an open heart.
As always, 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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