Message from the Dean

July 28, 2020

Dear Colleagues in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences,

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. She is a passionate advocate for the liberal arts, which she describes as “the creative force behind finding new approaches to problems.” That spirit infuses the work of our faculty, staff and students today. 

We are called to seek wisdom and to pursue integration—that is, to understand how seemingly disparate concerns are related and to work together effectively across disciplines. Arts and Sciences faculty are key participants in the interdisciplinary COVID-19 Research Initiative at Marquette, which brings together researchers from across campus to address the consequences of the pandemic. Two of the President’s Challenge for COVID-19 Awards went to A&S principal investigators: Patrick Kennelly, director of the Marquette Center for Peacemaking and Walter Bialkowski, visiting assistant professor of computer science. Please join me in congratulating these colleagues.

Our college continues to advance initiatives to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion at Marquette and beyond. Many of you are working to infuse such study into the curriculum. This effort draws upon the wide-ranging scholarship and expertise of A&S faculty in these and related areas. Excellence requires diversity and inclusion.

We have had a number of conversations about strengthening civil discourse, already an area of focus for many faculty members in Arts and Sciences. In light of Marquette’s mission, our goal of strengthening civil discourse calls upon us not merely to foster politeness or tolerance but to endeavor to bring forth a more just, caring and loving society. The Klingler College of Arts and Sciences can serve as a healing force in our hurting world. We can work to make whole our fragmented and divided communities.  

Such perspectives are all the more important in an era of significant challenges. My profound gratitude goes to faculty and staff in Arts and Sciences as well as colleagues across campus who are working diligently to plan for the coming academic year. Thanks to a pilot program during fall 2020, we will continue to help students explore connections between classroom study and professional formation. If you’d like to learn more, please contact Associate Dean Andrew Kunz. In the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, we prepare students for a variety of paths after graduation, rather than seeking a 1:1 correlation between major and career. We must continue to promote this feature as a strength of the college.

Some of you may wonder what you can do to help communicate the great things happening in the college. Please help us get the word out, particularly to prospective students. That effort may take the form of participating in virtual Admissions events. It also includes sharing news of your research, public engagement and other activities. Please notify our Communication and Engagement specialist, Enrique Torruco, about your accomplishments, whether large or small. A&S is already the leader, by a wide margin, in media placements for Marquette. As we move forward, it will become increasingly important to share our story with the world. Don’t hide your light under a basket. Let it shine!

I continue to enjoy the opportunity to talk with many of you during our weekly virtual coffee hours. As always, please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns or suggestions. I appreciate hearing about your work and exploring ways we can all work together for the greater good.

Sincerely,

Dr. Heidi Bostic
Dean, Klingler College of Arts and Sciences