Resources are everywhere for students who walk into the new Lemonis Center for Student Success in the heart of campus.
They include academic support, career services, diversity and belonging resources, a commuter lounge and collaborative rooms for meetings with study groups, tutors or professors — all within a massive space that previously housed the bookstacks of the former Memorial Library.
So, where should someone begin? The “Ask Me Desk” makes it easy. “Our goal is for students to not be afraid of asking questions,” says Marilyn Jones, Arts ’03, Grad ’05, the inaugural director of the center that opened this fall.
This desk and its friendly sign beckon students and help them get exactly what they need. That’s in perfect sync with the university’s broader Student Success Initiative, which aims to support students from their first day at Marquette through their first destination after graduation. As students improve at navigating challenges, Marquette expects to retain more of them and to help them flourish.
“It’s about holistic student success support but also compassion in how we serve our students.”
Marilyn Jones
“Our vision is to create a hub where students from diverse backgrounds can come together, connect with mentors, network with peers, and leverage available resources to sharpen their skills and achieve success in their chosen paths,” say Camping World Chairman and CEO and television star Marcus Lemonis, Arts ’95, and his wife, Bobbi, who donated $15 million to create the center. “Giving back to Marquette University through the Lemonis Center is a true honor for us.”
The center’s supportive infrastructure, along with curricular and peer mentorship offerings campuswide, is particularly valuable for students who are the first in their families to attend college. That means a lot to Jones, who arrived in the United States from Costa Rica at age 12 and graduated as a first-generation student. “It’s about holistic student success support but also compassion in how we serve our students,” she says.
