James Marten, professor and chair of the Department of History has been named as the acting director of the Marquette University Core Curriculum.
Marten has been a member of the Department of History since 1986 and department chair since 2004. Winner of the 2008 Haggerty Award for Excellence in Research, his university service includes chairing the implementation committee for the First Year Reading, acting as a faculty mentor, serving on the Faculty Council, and advising pre-majors, Burke Scholars, Metcalfe scholars, and honors students.
Marten is one of the founding members of the university’s Core Curriculum Committee. “I look forward to the challenge of building on the fine work of former director Sarah Feldner in implementing the MCC in ways sensitive to the needs of students, faculty and departments,” he said.
Marten replaces Sarah Feldner, who has transitioned to the role of acting dean of the Diederich College of Communication. Feldner describes Marten as “well-positioned to keep building on the MCC successes to date and moving the implementation process forward.” A campus wide search process for the permanent director is scheduled for spring 2019.
The director of the Marquette Core Curriculum is charged with overseeing the implementation of the new Core, and working with faculty from across the undergraduate colleges to develop transformative education experiences for students. The director reports to the vice provost for academic affairs, John Su. “Jim is perfect for the role,” Su said. “He is an experienced faculty administrator and a great mentor for faculty and students. Jim is a champion of the liberal arts, which are foundational to Catholic, Jesuit education.”