Dr. Michael R. Lovell is Marquette University’s 24th president, serving since 2014. Under his guidance, Marquette focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship, and community renewal and development — all consistent with the university’s Catholic, Jesuit mission.
President Lovell and his leadership team are navigating Marquette through a pivotal time for higher education. Serving as a foundation for Marquette’s future is its strategic plan, Beyond Boundaries, the implementation of which is being led by President Lovell. The university has transformed the Strategic Innovation Fund, unveiled by President Lovell in 2014, into the two-track Marquette Impact Challenge. It continues to cultivate and fund innovative ideas from students, faculty and staff with a desire to involve community organizations. It has further expanded the President’s Challenge track to encourage community-focused responses to timely, pressing issues.
Working with business and community leaders in Marquette’s neighborhood, President Lovell helped create the Near West Side Partners, a nonprofit focused on strengthening economic development, housing, neighborhood identity and safety. Together with First Lady Amy Lovell, President Lovell co-founded Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM), a community-wide effort addressing the impacts of generational trauma. He also played a key role in launching several other important initiatives in Milwaukee, including the Midwest Energy Research Consortium, The Commons, Scale-Up Milwaukee, The Water Council and the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute.
Currently, President Lovell serves on the boards of The Water Council, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars. He is a member of the executive committees of the Higher Education Regional Alliance, the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and the Big East Conference and co-chairs the Council on Competitiveness’s University Leadership Forum and the Wisconsin Chapter of CEOs Against Cancer.
Prior to Marquette, President Lovell served the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee as chancellor and, earlier, dean of its engineering college. He previously held academic and research leadership positions at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Kentucky.
President Lovell holds three mechanical engineering degrees including a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. He has received awards from the National Science Foundation, Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and numerous other organizations; is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and National Academy of Inventors; and holds U.S. and global patents.
