| Dear alumni, parents and friends: It is a privilege to write to you as Marquette's 24th president. I'm humbled to be leading this wonderful university at such a historic time. Since my election by the Board of Trustees in March, I've been overwhelmed by the warm welcome I've received from alumni, parents, business leaders and members of the Milwaukee community. Through my initial experiences meeting our faculty, participating in Preview for members of the Class of 2017 and attending Mass at St. Joan of Arc Chapel, I already feel at home at Marquette. Since our Marquette family extends far beyond the boundaries of campus, I'm especially looking forward to getting to know you in my travels across the country during the coming year. From New York and Washington, D.C., to the Midwest and California, I'll be meeting Marquette alumni and friends across the nation. Please watch for additional information, and consider attending an event in your region. As I assume the role of president, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., for his outstanding leadership during a remarkable 16-year tenure as Marquette's president. It's been a pleasure working with Father Wild during the transition as he helped bring me up to speed on the many opportunities and challenges facing our university. I look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role within University Advancement. As we head into what is sure to be an exciting academic year, I'd like to highlight a number of initiatives that will be priorities on campus during the next several months. As a Catholic, Jesuit university committed to education that transforms students' lives, the leadership of our academic division is vitally important. To that end, the search for a permanent provost will resume in August. I look forward to meeting with the search committee, and I plan to work closely with them to identify a permanent provost, who will be Marquette's No. 2 leader. The search for permanent deans of the College of Business Administration and the College of Engineering will trail the provost search by about a month so that the permanent provost can be involved in the hiring of the deans. Marquette has a proud history of academic and athletic excellence, and we need permanent leadership of our Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. The search for a vice president and director of athletics is already under way, with the hope that an individual will be in place this fall to lead our 16 Division I athletics programs to success both on and off the field. In addition to these leadership searches, I look forward to working with senior leaders, faculty, staff, students and the broader campus community to implement our strategic plan and to renew our commitment to innovation across campus. Working together, we will begin to prioritize initiatives that fulfill our vision of being recognized among the most innovative and accomplished Catholic, Jesuit universities in the world. One of my central priorities is to enhance an already-strong student experience and tradition of inquiry and service, which have allowed Marquette to make a profound impact on the lives of others for more than 130 years. Finally, I invite you to join me for Inauguration events this fall, particularly the Inaugural Mass on September 18 and the Inauguration Ceremony on September 19, at which I will pledge my service to Marquette. I look forward to doing so in the presence of our Marquette community on campus and our more than 110,000 alumni around the world, who can watch the Inauguration Ceremony via a live webcast on the Inauguration website. And for those coming home to Marquette for Alumni Reunion Weekend, July 24–27, I encourage you to introduce yourself. I will be attending events throughout the weekend and look forward to hearing about your Marquette memories and experiences. As I take on this new role, I'm indebted to the great Jesuit leaders who came before me and the spirit of discovery that infused their dreams for this fine institution. I want to ask you all, whatever your faith may be, to pray for me that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out my duties and that I may faithfully serve God and Marquette. Sincerely, Michael R. Lovell President Marquette University |
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