February 2023
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences,
February is always a lively month filled with wonderful events and crucial deadlines;
this year has been no exception! Amidst the swirl of responsibilities, recall the
consoling line from Julian of Norwich: “all shall be well, and all shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well.” Remember too that this passage appears in
her work entitled Revelations of Divine Love. During this month of St. Valentine’s Day, signs of love are all around.
Such signs were present in the many campus and community events to commemorate Black
History Month. They were likewise present during Marquette’s Mission Week, with the
themes “live with your whole heart” and “act with kindness.” A wonderful exemplar
of these imperatives is A&S student Viviana Bojorquez, recipient of the Marquette
University Alumni Association (MUAA) National Board of Directors 2023 Pedro Arrupe
Award. Her mentor Wendy Volz-Daniels, this year’s faculty recipient of the Arrupe
award, also attended the February celebration to honor Viviana. A first-generation
college student studying psychology and social welfare and justice, Viviana has undertaken
extensive community service through organizations like the Benedict Center and Brady
East Clinic that pursue the Universal Apostolic Preference of the Society of Jesus
to “walk with the excluded.” So many of you across our college are likewise deeply
engaged in such work. Thank you for exemplifying the best of Marquette. Your efforts
call to mind a powerful statement by Grace Lee Boggs, an activist for racial justice,
who recommended that when we seek social change we should focus on “the power that
we have within us to create new loving relationships” (The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century, 67).
February is also the season for faculty annual reviews, and working with our excellent
department Chairs I have had the opportunity to learn more about the achievements
of faculty colleagues during the past year. Without exaggeration, I am astonished
and humbled by your accomplishments across research, teaching and service. Something
I love about Arts & Sciences at Marquette is that our faculty are committed in equal
measure to scholarship and to students. We can offer an excellent education to students
because our faculty are so outstanding. This month, too, brought news of our faculty
promotions. A total of 30 colleagues were promoted to Associate Professor with tenure,
Professor, Teaching Assistant Professor, Teaching Associate Professor, Associate Professor
of Practice or Teaching Professor. We will celebrate these achievements at our Spring
A&S faculty meeting later this semester. I appreciate the diligent work that colleagues
devote to preparing the promotion dossiers and extend my congratulations to the newly
promoted faculty. Your interdisciplinary excellence, like that of our students and
staff, illustrates that for Arts & Sciences, “the difference is in the and.”
The outstanding achievements across our college give me plenty to talk about as I
meet with alumni and benefactors. We continue to seek and secure support for student
success programs and for our outstanding faculty. Your excellence means it is easy
to make the case!
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.
Dr. Heidi Bostic Dean, Klingler College of Arts and Sciences
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