Rev. John Thiede, S.J., associate vice provost at Marquette University, has been named acting vice president for mission and ministry, President Michael R. Lovell announced today. Father Thiede, who will begin in his new role effective immediately, succeeds Rev. James Voiss, S.J., who resigned from the position last month and who has remained in the role before moving on to his next apostolic assignment.
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Father Thiede during my entire tenure at Marquette. I got to know him well in 2016 when he led the immersion experience for my Ignatian Colleagues Program in Santiago, Chile. Over the past year, I have been blessed to work closely with him as he moved into a leadership position in the Provost’s Office. I look forward to witnessing his continued growth in this acting role,” President Lovell said. “He is thoughtful in his decision-making and truly cares about advancing Marquette in meaningful ways. His respected leadership and student-centered approach will be invaluable to the Marquette community.”
“I thank President Lovell for this opportunity,” Father Thiede said. “I am excited for the chance to work with the many faculty, staff and students who already do so much to infuse our Jesuit and Catholic mission here at Marquette, and hope to continue in Marquette’s proud tradition to ensure that our students embody these core values as men and women for and with others.”
Working in the Provost’s Office, Father Thiede has been traveling with President Lovell on fundraising visits, assisting Provost Kimo Ah Yun with Jesuit high school enrollment strategies, and working closely with Dr. John Su, vice provost for academic affairs and student success on the university’s Student Success Initiative. Father Thiede also recently participated in a new AJCU leadership development program where he was placed within the president’s office of Rockhurst University to learn the complexities of leading at a Jesuit higher education institution.
An associate professor of theology at Marquette, Father Thiede is currently working on a co-authored book on politics, religion and democracy in Latin America with Rev. Matthew Carnes, S.J., of Georgetown University, and his own book on Saint Oscar Romero and his theological influences for Fortress Press.
Father Thiede earned his Ph.D. in systematic theology at the University of Notre Dame and published his first book with Lexington Books, a division of Rowman and Littlefield, titled: “Remembering Oscar Romero and the Martyrs of El Salvador: A Cloud of Witnesses.” He specializes in Christology and Latin American theology, and currently serves on the board of trustees at Xavier University and on the board of directors at Marquette University High School.
