University Honors Program Staff

Meet the University Honors Program: Left to right, Assistant Director Lindsay Daigle; Director Amelia Zurcher; Administrator Maria Cooper; and Advisor Karalee Surface. 

Amelia Zurcher, Director

Who I am:
Amelia Zurcher, PhD
Director, University Honors Program
Professor, English
(414) 288-3475
Sensenbrenner Hall 002

What I do: I oversee all aspects of the Honors Program, including admissions, curriculum, Honors research, and all our connections with the rest of the University and our alumni. I also do some advising and teach at least one Honors class per year.

What I'm interested in:  I love reading (especially novels, all kinds), cooking, biking, and dogs.

Lindsay Daigle, Assistant Director

Who I am:
Lindsay Daigle, PhD 
Assistant Director
414-288-3344
Sensenbrenner 002C

What I do: As the Assistant Director of the Honors Program, I oversee the Honors Peer Mentor Program, the Honors Media Internship, and Honors advising practices. I plan Honors-affiliated events and extra-/co-curricular opportunities as a way to build community. I also teach HOPR 1955H, our first-year foundational rhetoric course.

What I'm interested in: I love collaborating with students to help them explore their worlds and learn how to best contribute to them. I’m interested in learning as a lifelong, engaged, recursive process. And generally, I like poetry and literature, TV and movies, sports and athletics, social justice, and forward progress. Outside of Marquette, I teach group fitness and creative writing classes around Milwaukee.

Karalee Surface, Honors Advisor

Who I am:
Karalee Surface, PhD
Academic Advisor, University Honors Program and Prestigious Scholarships
414-288-5510
Sensenbrenner Hall 005A

What I do: I support students in all manner of issues—from selecting courses during registration to exploring new majors, connecting with research or extracurricular opportunities, finding internships, and navigating various personal and academic crises as they arise. In addition, I serve as a point person for students interested in pursuing prestigious fellowships and as the primary advisor for the Fulbright U.S. Student program

What I'm interested in: I like storytelling, history, gender equity, and disability. I am an avid reader, and aside from my work at Marquette, I freelance as a copyeditor and developmental editor. Unsurprisingly, I love hearing students’ stories and helping them to develop their stories through transformative experiences here at Marquette.

Maria Cooper, Honors

Maria Cooper 
University Honors Program and the Office of Academic Integrity
414-288-0099
Sensenbrenner Hall 00C

Who I am: I've been employed at Marquette for nearly 20 years.  I worked in the Honors Program from 2006-2020 and returned in 2024. I now split my responsibilities between the Honors Program, the Office of Academic Integrity, and in July I'll also be working with the Marquette Core Curriculum. 

What I do: For honors, among other things I manage the honors curriculum, student records, the budget, facilitating honors funds for research and study abroad, and organizing honors events. I'm a problem solver and love troubleshooting to figure out systems and processes.  

What are you interested in: I love the outdoors, walking, yoga, cooking, and time with family.

And Percy, the Honors dog