Dear Marquette colleagues:
Yesterday morning, more than 450 faculty, staff and students participated in “Think Different, Act Different to Move Marquette Beyond Boundaries” in the AMU, Monaghan Ballroom. The purpose of this campus conversation was to discuss how our strategic plan, Beyond Boundaries — and by extension, our departments, units, colleges and each of us — can respond to address the headwinds facing higher education. We would like to sincerely thank everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to be part of this important conversation about Marquette’s future. We should all be proud of the collaborative engagement of those in attendance, and the number of free-flowing ideas that were shared to lead our campus forward.
Campus conversation
Rev. Jeff LaBelle, S.J., associate professor of educational policy and leadership in the College of Education, set the stage for the two-hour forum with excerpts from a letter written by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus titled, “Jesuit Schools: A Living Tradition in the 21st Century.” The letter calls for Jesuit universities to “explore new models and creative and imaginative ways to offer our spiritual vision and educational experience to our students and their families.”
We then discussed how Marquette has the unique opportunity to define its future rather than having it be dictated by market forces. Thanks to the efforts of individuals across campus who have been implementing Beyond Boundaries during the past three years, our university is addressing the headwinds from a position of strength. To maintain this position, however, our strategic plan must continue to evolve.
The majority of yesterday’s event was spent in tabletop discussions about how our Beyond Boundaries strategic plan themes should be advanced. Hundreds of ideas were generated to address the challenges in higher education and provide potential actions steps for the university moving forward. The tabletop conversations also explored connections between the strategic plan themes and the need to strategically prioritize to effectively implement the best new ideas that will serve our current and future needs. It is only through this kind of inclusive dialogue that we will adapt to the changing landscape and stay true to our Catholic, Jesuit mission.
Call to action
Marquette’s future success is everyone’s responsibility, and we need all members of the campus community to share ideas and engage in the conversation. A new Ideas Portal was unveiled to allow any member of the campus community to share ideas — big and small — on how to think and act differently amid turbulence in higher education. Ideas submitted via the portal should be connected to one or more of the strategic plan themes and will be reviewed by a new Ideation Review Council that will be led by Dr. Jeanne Hossenlopp. The university will provide seed funding or other resources for ideas that demonstrate the most potential to help address our challenges.
Next steps
Ideas generated at yesterday’s event and submitted via the Ideas Portal will be shared with the Ideation Review Council, theme leaders and the University Leadership Council. Watch Marquette Today for more information on the next Beyond Boundaries event.
Thank you for sharing your time and talents yesterday. Beyond Boundaries, along with our Catholic, Jesuit mission, will continue to be our guideposts as we move forward.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael R. Lovell
President
Dr. Jeanne Hossenlopp
Vice President for Research and Innovation
Beyond Boundaries Steering Committee Co-chair
Lora Strigens
Vice President for Planning and Facilities Management
Beyond Boundaries Steering Committee Co-chair