Dear Marquette colleagues,

Welcome to our 138th academic year and thank you for committing yourself to our students.

Today we welcomed the largest first-year class in our history. In addition to the record number of students, we also have 73 new full-time faculty members on campus this fall. We believe that this is the largest new faculty cohort in the university’s history. Please warmly welcome all of our new colleagues.

I’m sure you can see change is all around us. From the final touches being made at Wild Commons to the new gathering space that is North Common, and from the new Marquette Core Curriculum to the several new majors accepting their first students this fall, we are transforming as a campus. Watch this fall as work continues on the Athletic and Human Performance Research Center, Physician Assistant Building and shrine to the Virgin Mary being built behind the St. Joan of Arc Chapel.

This fall we’re continuing to move forward with our work with our community. I encourage you to take part in the 2018-19 Marquette Forum, Democracy in Troubled Times, and our Community Engagement Symposium on Nov. 13. Several of us on campus will be working this year to address the effects of generational trauma in our community. I would like to personally invite anyone interested in getting involved in this effort to attend the Healing Trauma, Healthy Communities Conference on Sept. 26-28. The event on the night of Sept. 26 is free and will be held at the Fiserv Forum—the new home of the Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette Men’s Basketball.

I also want you to know that I will be starting a new tradition this academic year. Each month I will be hosting dinners on the fifth floor of the AMU with 12 colleagues from across campus. The dinners will have no set agenda and will provide a venue to have collegial conversations about our campus community and build a stronger sense of community. Look for a message later this week on how to sign up for the dinners.

Finally, I want to thank all of you for being so dedicated to our students and our community. All your work provides a transformational experience for our students. You are what make Marquette a great university. You make me proud to be leading this university at this very important time in its history.

Best,

Dr. Michael R. Lovell