March, 2022
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences,
To foster awareness about the extraordinary work happening across the College, I’ve
decided to feature some of our outstanding A&S Centers. Last month’s message focused
on the Center for Urban Teaching, Research and Outreach (CURTO) and this month we
turn to the Center for the Advancement of the Humanities (CfAH). Its mission is to cultivate and enhance knowledge in pursuit of human flourishing
and a culture of healing.
Etymologically, healing means making whole and thus relates to integrating and creating
community. These values are central to CfAH, as explained by its director, Dr. Drew
Kim, associate professor of theology. The Center advances the humanities through partnership
and dialogue with other disciplines and community partners. CfAH strives to be outward
looking and to move beyond a transactional model of education to, in Dr. Kim’s words,
“a transformational experience where students can explore their ideas creatively and
passionately.” Its success rests upon the collaborative nature of all of its programs,
with many faculty members serving in leadership roles.
Points of pride for the Center include three programs. The first is the Humanities Research Colloquium, which cultivates innovative research to address a variety of humanistic issues,
builds intellectual community and facilitates applications for grant funding. The
Showcasing the Humanities series, launched this spring, demonstrates the public-facing
nature of this work.
The second is the Humanities Without Walls (HWW) consortium funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and including 16 universities,
with a dual focus on career discernment for graduate students and projects to address
grand challenges. The Humanities and Career Diversity Alumni Breakfast is an excellent
example of extending the spirit of HWW for the benefit of our graduate students.
The third is the Story Experience Program, a collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Center for 21st Century Studies. It offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to
work with a Milwaukee-based organization to facilitate story-sharing in a range of
forms. Partners have the opportunity to explore, express and share the stories important
to their organizations. They also build relationships with future stakeholders.
All of these programs are rooted in social justice and deep connections. Dr. Kim’s
interdisciplinary research in the theology of addiction and recovery prepares him
well to lead the Center. As he notes, “human beings need stability and a sense of
community in order to thrive.” Rooted in the idea of integral ecology, emphasized
by Pope Francis in his influential encyclical Laudato Si’, the work of CfAH emphasizes how different fields interrelate. Dr. Kim remarks: “Our
Catholic, Jesuit mission is at the forefront, and we exemplify it by being contemplatives
in action who cultivate knowledge to inform our values while letting our values guide
our pursuit of knowledge.”
It is this integrated approach that allows Arts & Sciences to Be The Difference. The
month of March has presented many opportunities to share our distinctive excellence.
We hosted the first in-person College Leadership Council (CLC) since I became dean.
The CLC is a dedicated group of volunteers who strengthen alumni connections for A&S,
support our work philanthropically and serve as ambassadors for the College. I’ve
continued to meet other alumni and donors across the city, region and country. A highlight
this month was traveling to New York during the Big East men’s basketball tournament.
The alumni I met there were eager to learn more about our priorities including support
for faculty and staff and for high-impact experiences for students, including research,
internships and study away. The Big East Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium featured
excellent faculty-mentored projects by Marquette A&S students.
Other remarkable events this month included an A&S messaging architecture workshop
hosted by the Office of Marketing and Communication. Drawing upon all of the visioning
we’ve done in the College over the past two years, in addition to surveys that each
department was invited to complete, a small group of faculty and staff came together
to create our new A&S theme: “The difference is in the ‘and.’” More information about
this theme and supporting messages will be available soon. On March 23 and 24, the
International Affairs program in the Department of Political Science hosted two outstanding
panels on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with estimated attendance over 200 for each
session. The panels illustrated the global reach of Arts & Sciences and our engagement
with critical contemporary topics. Thanks to all of you for everything you do to pursue
Marquette’s mission and transform our communities.
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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