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December 2022
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences,
Congratulations on another excellent semester! We have so much to celebrate. Our new
and existing initiatives to promote student success have yielded great results this
semester. We continue to excel in research, with numerous grants, awards and publications.
We are reaching out to prospective students and ensuring we offer rigorous, relevant
programs that will draw and support the next generation of Marquette alumni. Our graduate
and online programs are strong. We are demonstrating the sustainability of valuable
resources through finances as well as integral ecology, or care for our common home.
In sum, we are pursuing and accomplishing all five University priorities. Our research, teaching and community impact illustrate that for our college, the
difference is in the and. We support one another and innovate at the intersection of disciplines. We prepare
students for life and work. And we remain ever mindful that, in the words of theologian
Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J.: “Love of God is the only total integration of human existence”
(“Theology of Freedom”).
This month I was invited to share a reflection at the annual Advent Luncheon of the
Association of Marquette University Women (AMUW). My theme was the three A’s: AMUW,
Advent, And. I focused on a challenging question that came immediately to my heart
and to my mind when I was asked to prepare the reflection: how might we best respond
to injustice from the perspective of our Catholic, Jesuit mission? I talked about
how the AMUW has fostered equity on campus and how we as Advent people are called
to promote justice. I emphasized how the And means we must pursue a community that is both inclusive and integrated—in the spirit
of the Jesuit principle of magis. How do we work together to create a sense of belonging for all? To ensure a context
in which all may flourish? I am particularly mindful of the need to respond to racial
injustice and to do so by centering the principles of Catholic Social Thought (here is a brief summary): the dignity of the human person, subsidiarity, solidarity and
the common good. A&S alumnus Fr. Bryan Massingale reminds us that the work of “racial
reconciliation” is not just personal, but rather “structural and institutional” (Racial Justice and the Catholic Church, 95).
Throughout the coming year, let’s continue to explore how we, called to be Advent
people, might best collaborate in the promotion of justice and care for our common
home. We do so through our research, teaching and service. We fulfill these aims by
fostering a culture of encounter (Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti). As Fr. Rahner reminds us, “Advent demands that we look to the future; we are people of expectation and hope” (The Great Church Year, 9).
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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