Dr. Michael Olson, associate professor of philosophy, will finish his first year as the director of the Marquette Core Curriculum on July 1. During his time in the role, Olson has implemented innovative strategies that not only connect students within the classroom but across campus.
As an educator, one of Olson’s guiding beliefs is that education should be designed to support student success in their future careers and as contemplative human beings. This belief is grounded in the Jesuit tradition and is one of the driving forces behind the MCC. Many of the courses required in the MCC have grown into the realm of experiential learning, where students can directly interact with course content through hands-on activities and reflective practices.
Olson has recently instructed the culminating course of the MCC, “CORE 4929: Service of Faith and Promotion of Justice.” In teaching this course, he constantly asks how he can better connect students to campus and the world around them.
“Students appreciate education when they feel connected, and I’m always thinking about how we can connect students in the classroom to campus,” Olson says.
With a plethora of unique resources, courses in the MCC have found across-campus connection to places such as the Haggerty Museum of Art, the Raynor Library, Marquette Central and more. Olson also promotes the connection to campus events in MCC courses, from guest lecturers to dinner discussions to colloquia.
Extracurriculars such as the Civic Dialogue Program and events such as the 2025 Père Marquette Lecture in Theology help continue learning outside the classroom with firsthand participation. The Jesuit tradition of learning for professional and personal growth is a value reflected in many aspects of the MCC as it aims to create moral and ethical citizens that act with purpose.
Another value of Olson’s that aligns with the goals of the MCC is orientation to integration-building themes that connect across a variety of courses and disciplines. Olson believes this value best lives out through the five Discovery Tiers. Every Marquette student must take four courses in one of the Discovery Tier themes, and Olson has updated these categories to build guiding questions relevant to any discipline. Each Discovery Tier theme asks questions important in day-to-day life and offers students the chance to answer these questions through the lens of many different disciplines. Students must take at least one course in humanities, natural science and mathematics, and social sciences, to see the unique approaches professionals take to solve problems that most affect the world and their discipline.
As an associate professor of philosophy, Olson has experience in critically approaching questions that have shaped the present and will continue to shape the future. In his own philosophy courses, Olson guides course content to help students learn and find connection to content from other courses. This approach helps students solve global problems with the cross-disciplinary skills they develop, allowing students to promote equity and justice across contexts.
While the MCC focuses on strengthening the skills of education while at Marquette, transferrable skills after graduation are just as important. Through Olson’s leadership, he continues to foster the MCC’s purpose of being essential for transformation. Olson believes that transformation happens everywhere throughout education, and the MCC should best guide student development to grow confidence and leadership in students’ respective discipline. The MCC provides both the time and tools for students to evaluate not just what they want to do after graduation, but who they want to become.
“I never used to think that my own education was primarily career-oriented, but Marquette has shown me that we act as a foundation for professionals,” Olson says.
Olson’s own experience with philosophy guides him to reflect on cura personalis, the practices of education to care for the whole person. Through connecting themes and hands-on experiences, the MCC allows students to reflect on the values that orient them to become leaders in their field. Olson reminds us that “professionals are not just technically proficient but also have to think about problems in a holistic way.” Olson continues to design the MCC to help students grow as human beings throughout their Marquette education, creating responsible and ethical leaders of the future.
Olson expresses gratitude to everyone who has helped him in his role as director of the Marquette Core Curriculum, especially the MCC Committee, acting provost Dr. Sarah Feldner and the University Academic Senate. “As I continue this position, I hope to always increase the appreciation students have for campus through their engagement and education,” Olson says.
Click here for more information on the Marquette Core Curriculum.
