Marquette University’s internationally recognized Marquette Mentors program has received a gift that will ensure its future in perpetuity thanks to a Marquette parent. Daniel S. Jaffee, who currently serves as a Marquette mentor, has had two of his three children graduate from Marquette and serve in the program.
“I’ve always had a kinship with Marquette and its Midwestern, Jesuit values,” Jaffee said. “The Marquette Mentors program is truly distinctive and makes Marquette University unique. I’ve yet to see a program like this anywhere else.”
In honor of Jaffee’s gift, the university will rename the program the Selig – Jaffee Marquette Mentors program. Jaffee credited Major League Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig and his father, Dick Jaffee for serving as his most influential mentors.
Led by Robert H. Radtke Endowed Director of Marquette Mentors Dan DeWeerdt, the program matches students with one-on-one opportunities to learn from Marquette alumni mentors in approximately 30 states and Europe who have similar majors or career interests.
An initiative run through the Marquette University Alumni Association, mentees receive professional and career insights throughout the academic year. Recognized as “the gold standard for mentoring initiatives” by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Marquette Mentors program has positively impacted more than 1,600 student mentees and 300 mentors since the program’s founding.
“Marquette students thrive when they have the opportunity to connect with passionate alumni who model what it means to be independent, engaged and purpose-driven professionals,” President Kimo Ah Yun said. “We are grateful to Dan Jaffee for generously giving back both through his time as a mentor and through this meaningful gift.”
‘You can’t quit now’
Mr. Jaffee, who serves as Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Oil-Dri Corporation of America in Chicago, described how one phone call in 2001 with then Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig changed his trajectory and turned his company around.
“I picked up the phone and called Bud, and I told him I was failing and that I was quitting my role as the leader of the company,” Jaffee said. “He dropped everything that day. He told me, ‘You can’t quit now or you will always be defined as a failure.’ He talked me through needed adjustments and the importance of embracing mission. He is absolutely on my personal Mount Rushmore right next to my father.”
Under Jaffee’s leadership Oil-Dri pivoted and emerged as a market leader. Today, Jaffee shares similar lessons with Marquette students, especially those who are the first in their family to attend college. “First generation students especially need access, and I find working with them particularly gratifying,” Jaffee said. “I tell students that life can drive you to your knees. But, that is when the learning sets in. That is when you have to tighten up your belt and try something different. As Bud told me so many years ago, the only thing that separates winners from losers is the winners get back up.”
Jaffee’s gift adds to the university’s continued fundraising momentum. Fiscal Year 2026 marks the fifth consecutive year Marquette University has surpassed $100 million in fundraising commitments. “This gift is a reflection of one of the most generous, engaged and connected communities in higher education,” Vice President for University Advancement Tim McMahon said. “We appreciate Dan Jaffee’s leadership to ensure we continue to position Marquette as a national model for mentorship and high-impact education.”
