Marquette University In the News

University announces action plan to address financial realities amid COVID-19 pandemic
The university released an action plan with both short- and long-term changes to address the financial realities presented by the coronavirus pandemic. Plans include leadership salary reductions, decreasing discretionary spending, pausing nonessential hiring and more. The university lost about $15 million in fiscal year 2020 because of the pandemic and has up to $25 million of known financial risks looking ahead to 2021.

Dr. Howard Fuller, distinguished professor of education and founder/director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning, announced his retirement from Marquette at the end of June 2020. An outspoken advocate and activist for educational opportunities, he initially joined the university over 40 years ago as associate director for the Educational Opportunity Program from 1979-83 and later founded the ITL in 1995. Throughout his career, Fuller has been a staunch promoter of school choice and a passionate champion for the equitable education of Black children.

Dr. Kevin Thomas, assistant professor of multicultural branding in the Diederich College of Communication, discussed the use of racial stereotypes in marketing. “I think the key issue with Mrs. Butterworth is her physical shape, which strongly resembles the mammy caricature,” Thomas said. “So while she’s been personified as an elderly white woman, mainly through vocal affect, her physique and style of dress bear a striking resemblance to that of the mammy.” Thomas added he hopes the current push for change will lead to a substantial overhaul in the marketing world.

Dr. William Smiley, professor emeritus of economics in the College of Business Administration, helped fact check President Trump’s recent statements about economic policies in the late 1920s. President Trump said during a May 8 meeting with Republican members of congress that both interest rates and federal income taxes were raised in 1928. "Federal personal income tax rates were cut across the board in 1925 and remained there through 1928,” Smiley said. “In 1929, there was a one percent reduction in federal personal income tax rates at all income levels.”

Dr. Robert Smith, Harry G. John Professor of History in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, discussed the history of Juneteenth. “Juneteenth is really the initial sort of grounding in the immediate aftermath of the abolition of slavery in 1865,” Smith said. “By June 1865, somewhere around June 19, folks in some parts of Texas, probably near and around Galveston, are made aware the institution of slavery is over. That then begins a long-term set of celebrations recognizing the end of slavery." Smith added Juneteenth is probably “the most important holiday in the African American experience in that it’s critical in the way that African Americans began to act and anchor their identities as free people."

Prof. Lisa Grabert, visiting research professor in the College of Nursing, discussed health care processes in a story on a patient’s high hospital bill despite having health insurance. Grabert said health care providers need to be more forthcoming with patients about procedures and the costs. “This is exactly what everyone is talking about on the national policy stage,” Grabert said. “You are supposed to put the patient first. You were neglectful in not educating the patient in that they should do this someplace else.”

Grabert also cowrote a June 17 opinion piece for Modern Healthcare about basing providers' COVID payments on the actual cost of care.

Dr. Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette University Law School Poll, discussed party breakdown in Wisconsin and how votes for Republicans are coming from the northern part of the state rather than Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties. "That’s how we end up with Gov. Evers winning by just over one percentage point in 2018, but also how we get Donald Trump winning by just under one percentage point," Franklin said. “The balance is pretty much the same.”

Dr. Kristie Rogers, assistant professor of management in the College of Business Administration, was cited in a roundup of the 20 best books on leadership for managers looking to boost their confidence for her study on the role respect plays in employee loyalty. Rogers’ study — which found that employees who feel respected in the workplace are more loyal to their companies and perform better overall — was mentioned in the section describing the No. 1 book on the list "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson.

Dr. Michael Schläppi, professor of biological sciences in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, and volunteers were featured for planting six-week old germinated rice seedlings on land owned by the Mequon Nature Preserve — the only rice paddy field in Wisconsin. This rice will be sold at local farmers markets and Outpost Natural Foods.

Dr. David Clark, professor of economics and executive associate dean in the College of Business Administration, commented on May home sales numbers amid the pandemic. "May is typically a month in which we sell an awful lot of homes," Clark said. "We still sold some — we sold about 6,400 homes in total — just far less than is usually the case in the month of May." Clark added the pandemic will continue to have an impact on real estate for the next few months, but that even though the economy is in a recession, May is still considered to be peak homebuying season.

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Marquette in the news