Dear Marquette community,
The Jesuit tenet of cura personalis — or care for the whole person — is central to what we do at Marquette and has been since our founding in 1881. Now that the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility has been open for almost a year, I wanted to visit and learn how the offerings and, more importantly, the staff and students are bringing cura personalis to life.
During my Campus Connections visit, I met with Luis de Zengotita, the university’s first chief wellness officer, and four students who work in campus recreation and the LOVELLSTRONG Center for Student Well-Being. I was impressed by our students’ commitment to implementing creative ways to make the facility feel welcoming for all members of our community. Since the building opened earlier this year, we have recorded 400,000 swipe-ins and seen large increases in visits to health clinics and participation in group fitness classes.
It’s exciting to see how the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional needs of our community are being supported through Wellness + Helfaer Recreation. Another exciting opportunity is that faculty and staff can access the facility (and the Rec Plex) through a day pass or a monthly membership. Campus Recreation staff are also hoping to expand faculty/staff leagues beyond the popular pickleball that was launched this fall.
We have seen an improvement in student retention rates after centralizing student support services in the Lemonis Center for Student Success. I’m confident we will see similar positive well-being outcomes thanks to the good work that is happening at the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility.
A striking rendering of the late President Michael Lovell graces the gathering area in the LOVELLSTRONG Center for Student Well-Being. That image serves as a powerful reminder of his and Amy Lovell’s tremendous leadership, vision and commitment to the success and well-being of our students and to addressing mental health across Milwaukee and the region.
I hope you have a chance to visit the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility soon. Maybe I will see you there and we can walk a lap around the track together.
If you have an idea for a future edition of Campus Connections, please send it to president@marquette.edu.
President Kimo
