The Marquette Office of Undergraduate Admissions team works tirelessly to enroll future generations of Golden Eagles by identifying and cultivating relationships with prospective students, hosting engaging recruitment events, and making meaningful visits to high schools.
One admissions team member heads up those efforts on a national level. Patrick Correia-Harker, assistant director of national recruitment, supervises a team of admissions counselors who travel across the country to in-person recruitment events, as well as attend and host virtual college fair circuits and panels.
Here in a Q&A, Patrick discusses his role at Marquette in bringing an inclusive and welcoming environment to Marquette.
In your position, how do you take part in Marquette’s mission to create a diverse and inclusive environment for all students on campus?
I work with the mindset of cura personalis and respect for each student throughout the recruitment cycle. From my first interaction with a student, to reviewing their application for admission, and then helping them make the decision to join the Marquette family — this work is laying the foundation for their experience on campus. I approach my work with a student first mentality and what is best for them in our policies and the ways we recruit. Our Office of Admissions is critical in helping achieve the universities’ goals in creating a more diverse campus community. Last year, I advocated for and worked with our senior leadership team to implement pronouns on our email signatures, nametags and business cards. This is a small example of how I work to create a more inclusive environment for our prospective students and thus impacted how they view Marquette.
In your opinion, how important do you view your role in promoting a diverse and inclusive environment on Marquette’s campus?
Marquette’s mission to create a diverse and inclusive environment for all students is top of mind when working with our prospective students and families. For me, creating an inclusive environment means that students can be their authentic selves on campus while feeling welcomed, valued and respected. Typically, students’ first impressions of the university are from an admissions counselor, so building authentic relationships while providing accurate and transparent information about Marquette’s diversity and inclusion efforts is particularly important. Our team works extremely hard to ensure students see themselves as part of the Marquette family and how they can positively contribute to our campus environment.
What do you hope to accomplish regarding diversity, equity and inclusion as an admissions counselor?
I love being an admissions counselor and recruiting students to Marquette because I believe in the value of a Marquette education. I am committed to the collective effort of helping Marquette be more diverse through efforts such as becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution in the years to come. In my role, I help make decisions about where we travel, and I’m intentional about following the data and demographic trends happening in Wisconsin as well as across the country to recruit a diverse range of students. I believe a more diverse campus community leads to stronger educational experience for all students. I am inspired by so many colleagues within our office and across campus to keep putting in the work to growing our diversity and inclusion efforts on campus and making Marquette a more inclusive place for all.
Are there any DEI-related challenges you experience?
In general, the cost of a four-year college degree continues to be a barrier for students and their families. For so many students, Marquette is their number one choice, but they find a better financial fit with another institution. The challenge we face is having enough scholarships to help students close that financial gap.
What do you see in Marquette’s future toward being a more diverse and inclusive campus?
I believe Marquette has a bright future in the national landscape of higher education and within the state of Wisconsin because we are thinking about and planning for changes in high school student demographic changes and how we can position ourselves in the market. I would love to see us achieve becoming an HSI, but that will take a full campus effort with the right resources and continued commitment to students. I will be here to continue putting in the work to help Marquette become a more diverse and inclusive institution in the years ahead.
