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January 2024
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences,
Happy New Year! I hope that 2024 is off to a great start for you.
With the New Year many of us set new intentions for what we’d like to achieve in the
coming months. A resource to that end, Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, was recommended by an alum who visited my class last semester. The author suggests
motivating good habits by giving yourself some small reward, like a short chat with
a colleague. Rewards need not be large to be meaningful. Duhigg’s insights recall
Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics and the social context of virtue formation. It is through community that we form
habits crucial to a flourishing life.
These points informed our fourth annual virtual New Year workshop for faculty and
staff on January 12, which focused on practices to foster student success from first
campus visit through first year of studies and first destination after graduation.
The event began with brief presentations by three colleagues beyond Arts & Sciences:
Lindsay Barbeau, Senior Admissions Counselor; Erik Albinson, Director of Student Educational
Services; and Marilyn Jones, Director of the Lemonis Center for Student Success. Lindsay
shared that Marquette’s applicant pool is up and outlined our many opportunities to
welcome prospective students. Erik noted that students often benefit from help with
time management, study skills and wellness, the latter of which includes healthy eating
and sleeping habits as well as forming high-quality relationships with others. Marilyn
shared the vision and design for the Lemonis Center, set to open in Fall 2024 in Memorial
Library, including an “Ask Me Desk,” a one-stop resource for students. Gabe Velez
from the College of Education led a reflection inspired by the book Relationship-Rich Education, co-authored by A&S alum Peter Felten. The reflection prompt was to consider how
we might foster deeper relationships with students. Three subsequent breakout groups
focused on first visit, first year and first destination. Remember that Marquette’s
student success website includes links to many campus resources, including a referral form for the CARE team,
a place to direct any serious concerns about students. Thanks to all of you who attended
this workshop. I came away inspired by the commitment of our colleagues to student
success.
That commitment will be crucial to carrying out Marquette’s new strategic plan. I encourage you to review the plan and to make note of how central Arts & Sciences
will need to be in its implementation. To fulfill the plan’s themes of Thriving students,
Healthy campus and Care for the world, we will continue to engage the strong support
of our alumni. Our alumni also continue to illustrate the power of an Arts & Science
education. I hope you saw this wonderful article that appeared this month in Marquette Today highlighting the successful career paths of our students.
Speaking of notable alumni, this month marks a major milestone in the history of our
College: the retirement on January 31 of our incredibly talented and deeply knowledgeable
colleague Mary Dunnwald, Associate Dean for Academic Business Affairs. A double alumna
(A&S ’80 and Grad ’04), Mary has devoted her talents to Marquette in a career spanning
42 years. In the College office she has worked with nine different deans. We celebrated
Mary with a reception on January 18. Although it’s hard to imagine the College without
her, we wish Mary well in this new chapter and are confident her retirement will bring
continued adventures.
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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