On Monday afternoon, hundreds of faculty, staff and students gathered virtually for a Campus Town Hall. The event provided updates on COVID-19 mitigation procedures and context on university economics. The event was recorded and is available via YouTube.
Dr. Xavier Cole, vice president for student affairs, moderated the event. Rev. Jim Voiss, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, offered an invocation.
President Michael R. Lovell shared opening remarks in which he recognized a few honorable Marquette U.S. News and World Report rankings. He attributed these accomplishments directly to the hard work of faculty and staff, and thanked them for their commitment to Marquette especially during these past few months.
President Lovell also addressed the challenges Marquette is facing and will continue to face in the future, “The pandemic, the demographic shifts, the economic pressures and the racial justice crisis are all hitting us at the same time,” he said.
President Lovell went on to discuss Marquette’s future and how, in order to ensure the university’s long-term success, we must make significant structural changes. “Making structural changes for any organization is hard,” President Lovell said. “It requires undertaking a comprehensive review of all areas of an institution. As you will hear in today’s Town Hall, this review process has begun at Marquette and will ultimately end with our campus making difficult decisions about our future. We all need to remember that the end goal is to ensure that our university is best positioned to thrive and attract future generations of outstanding students, faculty and staff.”
Various members of the COVID Response Team then offered updates. Dr. Keli Wolmer offered an overview of the COVID-19 dashboard, Executive Director of Residence Life Mary Janz shared an update on the Schroeder Hall and Cobeen Hall quarantines, and finally Dr. John Su, vice provost for academic affairs, provided an update on academic planning as it relates to online learning.
Lastly, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joel Pogodzinski and Provost Kimo Ah Yun offered further context on the university’s economics and academic future, respectively.
At the end, presenters took some time to answer questions.
The Marquette community is encouraged to visit the university’s dedicated coronavirus website for frequent updates and FAQs. Responses to COVID-related questions that were asked during the town hall will also be shared on the COVID FAQs page. Faculty, staff and students with additional questions should complete the online form on the COVID website or contact the appropriate COVID-19 Response Team lead, listed on the university’s coronavirus website.
Watch Marquette Today for future town hall dates.
