Dear Marquette Nursing community,
I hope you all had a pleasant summer with opportunities to rest and enjoy the company of friends and family. I’m very excited to welcome students back on campus for the 2025-26 academic year. Classes started just a day or two ago and I can already tell it’s going to be a great year.
At the beginning of each year, I like to think about the end. What kind of people are we preparing our graduates to become? I hope they will leave their time at Marquette empowered, capable of using their voice and their skills to make a difference. Dr. Sheri Carson-Beauto exemplifies that ideal. A proud alumna of Marquette Nursing, Dr. Carson-Beauto implemented comprehensive child abuse screening in the emergency department of her local children’s hospital in Tucson, Arizona, protecting dozens of minors. When Dr. Carson-Beauto recognized a problem, she acted decisively and courageously, in much the same way we hope all our students would.
We also have advocates in our own building. I’m particularly impressed by Kaila Mabus, a sophomore in the college who has committed herself to raising money and awareness for Castleman disease, a rare lymphatic condition. Kaila battled Castleman disease herself during childhood and chose her future career path because of the caring, attentive nurses who treated her when she needed it. I’m awed by Kaila’s courage, poise and care for others.
You will also read about our Disciplinary Honors program, which allows undergraduates to gain research experience that is normally reserved for graduate-level students. I’ve gone to conferences alongside these students and seen their meticulous, high-quality work firsthand. It never fails to impress me. I think it will impress you too.
If you have not visited campus recently or toured our new building, I welcome you to do so. I have high hopes for our students and for the coming year of nursing education at Marquette. Thank you for your continued support of this journey as we prepare our future nurses.
Sincerely,
Jill Guttormson
College of Nursing Dean
