Law school graduations were something of a family project for the DeGuire family. Frank presided over the ceremony from the stage as dean of the Marquette Law School, while Andrew and his siblings were extra sets of hands for setup and cleanup.
“We would go into the Pabst Theater and do a lot of simple things: bring in plants for the stage, hand out programs, make sure the hoods are stocked; anything to make sure it was a memorable event,” Andrew says.
Andrew, the Keyes Dean of Business Administration, is now following the family path first set by Frank, dean emeritus of the Law School.
“Becoming a college dean was never in my career plan,” Andrew says. “My primary focus has always been on making a positive impact within the organizations I’ve been involved with. However, I suspect that decades ago, I also saw the significant beneficial influence a dean can have on an institution…and that stuck with me.”
Thirty years after his deanship ended, Frank still regularly returns to campus to check in on his former college and to have coffee with his son.
On Andrew becoming the new business dean:
FRANK: My first reaction was just “congratulations.” Andrew had confided in me that he was under consideration, and I just shared a few words of advice with him.
ANDREW: The benefit of having good parents is you have a great example. I would come into Sensenbrenner Hall and get to see my dad in action: how he treated people, what the priorities were and what he would focus on. It was a great model both for being a dean and for life.
On the DeGuire family’s long affiliation with Marquette:
ANDREW: Marquette was always a part of everything my family did — it was just a clear choice for me.
Having Frank here gave me the opportunity to experience it in a way deeper than just a weekend visit. I had the tools to make a really informed choice.
FRANK: There was no problem having my kids go to the same university where I worked. The problem is when one of the children said they were going someplace else!
On both coming to the dean role with an industry background:
FRANK: I came to Milwaukee following my service in the Navy. I was stationed on the U.S.S. Cowell, first out of Norfolk, Virginia, and then in the Pacific Fleet where we were stationed just off South Korea during the Korean War.
Following my Juris Doctor at Marquete Law School, I practiced law in Milwaukee, both in a firm and at a few different corporations. I saw what the needs were in the profession, and I came back to the Law School to implement what I saw in practice. I thought my experience positioned me to contribute in the Law School to satisfy the needs of the students.
ANDREW: One thing I’ve seen everywhere I’ve gone is the power of the “and.” When organizations look at one thing or another — like industry practice or research — they are rarely successful.
We are served best by using the collective resources of what our faculty researchers bring and combining them with what our instructors of practice and adjuncts can bring. We’re stronger, more thoughtful and more capable together, and organizing those pieces in the right way will take Marquette Business to a new level.
On navigating change in higher ed:
FRANK: I think the important thing is to look forward and really anticipate the changes so that when they come about, you’re ready to go.
ANDREW: He’s taking all my answers.
*laughs*
Well, his answers are my answers because he taught me. It’s the same pieces of being able to plan ahead, make the necessary decisions, align the resources and communicate all through whatever those changes are. As long as the team stays focused and aligned, we can do great things.
On leadership philosophy:
ANDREW: My outlook is simple and it’s what I was taught growing up: leave a place better than you found it. That gets to what the challenges and opportunities of an organization are. We have a near-term need for accreditation, so that’s the first thing to work on. Long term, the face of higher education is changing, and we need to think about how we stay successful for another 150 years.
FRANK: Do everything you can to understand what the faculty members need.
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At the conclusion of the interview, Frank pulled out of his coat pocket a “Dean DeGuire” nameplate that had adorned his office in Sensenbrenner Hall during his time as dean. He proudly passed it over to the new Dean DeGuire.
