Dear Alumni and Friends of Marquette Engineering,
I am excited to share the first digital issue of Marquette Engineer, a new opportunity to tell the inspirational stories of our Marquette engineering students, faculty, staff, alumni and collaborators. This special digest of stories will come every few months to showcase how our Marquette engineers ignite curiosity and creativity to lead bold change.
As you know, I enjoy celebrating the value of engineers and championing the gifts that our disciplines bring to the world. Yet I also strive to encourage all engineers to recognize that our best work comes from embracing the and of our identities and by resisting the or. For example, I am an engineer and a dancer and a mother and so much more. At times in our studies and careers, we are led to believe that there ought to be an or that separates our important engineering work from our other passions, skills, values, identities and commitments. This sense of “engineer or” stifles our creativity, limits the skills we can draw upon, diminishes our authentic selves, and separates us from the humanity that can be our greatest motivator. Instead, “engineer and” opens doors to what we can do, how we can lead, who we can become, and most importantly, who can be an engineer.
I am proud to be a part of our Marquette engineering community in which individuals can be engineers and artists, musicians, historians, parents, athletes, educators, entrepreneurs, gamers, chefs, gardeners, worshippers, writers and more. This allows Marquette engineers to think differently and explore their work through a variety of lenses. It also connects us to the people, passions and beauty that can compel an engineer to deliver their best solutions.
By embracing the “engineer and” in ourselves, we can expand who we connect with as meaningful collaborators. The possibilities are endless, and I am thrilled to see a few examples in our latest engineering stories. An engineer and an artist can inspire a community. An engineer and a supply chain expert can create new ways to learn. An engineer and pediatric therapists can change a child’s life.
At Marquette and other Jesuit institutions around the world, we foster the Ignatian principle of cura personalis, or “care for the whole person.” It reminds us that the entirety of a person is worthy, valuable and deserving of attention. I encourage us all to consider how we care for our whole selves and how we nurture a diverse set of passions that allow us to Be The Difference for our communities.
With gratitude,
Dr. Kristina Ropella
Opus Dean
Opus College of Engineering
