December 12, 2012

Marquette to celebrate Mid-year Commencement Sunday, Dec. 16

Keynote and student speaker to focus on the importance of service

MILWAUKEE – Nearly 500 Marquette University graduates will be recognized at Mid-year Commencement on Sunday, Dec. 16, at the U.S. Cellular Arena, 400 W. Kilbourn Ave.

The program will begin at 9.30 a.m. and will feature a keynote address by Dr. Lisa Hanson, associate professor of nursing, as well as remarks from Marquette President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., and featured student speaker Meghan Bachtel, who is graduating from the College of Education. Graduation events will also include a Baccalaureate Mass at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, at Church of the Gesu, 1145 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Hanson, whose address is titled “Answering the Call to be Men and Women for Others,” is a certified nurse-midwife who helped establish Marquette’s College of Nursing nurse-midwifery program 20 years ago, the only such program in Wisconsin. Hanson has practiced as a nurse-midwife at the Aurora Sinai Midwifery and Wellness Center for 25 years, a service that she also helped establish. She has published numerous professional articles on a variety of subjects related to her research on normal birth and probiotics. Involved in various professional organizations, including the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care , Hanson completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing at UW-Milwaukee and a has a certificate in nurse-midwifery and doctoral degree nursing from Rush University.

Bachtel, an Ohio native, will graduate with a triple major in secondary education, French and English. One of the key reasons she chose Marquette was the opportunity to serve and volunteer in the community. During her freshman year, she dedicated one night a week to the One On One Mentoring program through the YMCA. The program helps middle and high school students improve their reading and mathematics skills. The experience of mentoring the same teenage girl for three years played a key role in her switching majors from theatre arts and deciding to become a teacher. Her desire is to help students raise their expectations and provide them with a greater world view. Bachtel completed her student teaching at Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha this fall.        

Media who would like to attend graduation should contact Brian Dorrington in the Office of Marketing and Communication at (414) 288-4719 (office) or (414) 333-8995(cell).