June 9, 2024

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Dear members of the Marquette community:  

It is with deep sadness that we write to share the difficult news that Marquette University President Michael R. Lovell passed away today following a three-year battle with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.  

Together, we pray for President Lovell’s family, especially his wife Amy, his children, and his friends, as well as for all members of our Marquette and Milwaukee communities, as we grieve this immeasurable loss. 

President Lovell and Amy were in Rome with members of the Society of Jesus and the Board of Trustees on a Jesuit formation pilgrimage when President Lovell fell ill and was taken to a hospital in Rome.

President Lovell’s decade of leadership at Marquette was marked by a deep commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship, and community renewal and development — consistent with the university’s Catholic, Jesuit mission that animated him. An entrepreneur at heart, President Lovell pushed Marquette and Milwaukee to ask what could be rather than settling for the status quo. Throughout his presidency, he attended hundreds of campus events each year and continued to teach undergraduate students in his product realization class, saying that he gained great energy from his interactions with students, faculty and staff.  

A fixture of the Milwaukee community, President Lovell served on multiple local boards and national higher ed consortiums, where his peers valued his collaborative spirit, humility and ability to advance complex ideas. Together, President Lovell and Amy were trailblazers in directly addressing our region’s mental health issues. His contributions to Marquette will be remembered forever, just as his loss echoes throughout our community.  

Support and resources are available for the campus community through Campus Ministry, the Faber Center, the Counseling Center and the Employee Assistance Program, which is available 24/7. A campus prayer vigil is being planned and funeral arrangements will be shared in Marquette Today when they are available. 

The days ahead will be full of heartbreak. In this time of grief and sadness, let us come together as a community linked by faith and love.  

Sincerely,  

Todd Adams 
Chair, Marquette University Board of Trustees  

Dr. Kimo Ah Yun 
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs 

Joel Pogodzinski  
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer  

Prayer for Community Loss 

God of Wisdom, 
We are grieving beyond measure 
and struggling to make sense of such a profound loss 
for our entire Marquette community. 
We commend to you our hurt and unknowing, 
trusting in your all-embracing love. 

Bring us into the hope and light of your Son’s resurrection. 
Help us to rely on you, as we support one another in these difficult days, 
and keep us ever mindful that you are near – to love and comfort all who mourn. 
All of this we pray in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns forever and ever. 

Amen 

As the Marquette community grieves, the university wants all who are coping with this loss to know that there are spiritual and mental health resources available to help.