Marquette University once again earned a spot among The Princeton Review’s “Best 392 Colleges,” and for the third consecutive year claimed the No. 1 national ranking for community service, reflecting the university’s deep ties to Milwaukee and its ongoing commitment to Jesuit values in action.
Kelsey Otero, senior director of community engagement, cultivates relationships with communities to advance the university’s mission and vision. For her, service is central to Marquette’s identity.
“Community service is an integral part of the Marquette experience, and it is deeply embedded in the university’s Catholic, Jesuit mission,” Otero says. “Authentic community engagement creates a reciprocal relationship [in which students gain] critical perspective, empathy and real-world problem-solving skills [while community partners benefit from] additional support, new ideas and committed volunteers.”
She adds that this work “extends beyond direct service to the community — it includes embeddedness in academic courses, research collaborations and the allocation of resources that are critical to building trust and making a difference in the community.”
Jess Verdejo, director of the Arrupe Center for Community Service and Social Responsibility, echoes that sentiment, noting that Marquette creates different pathways for students to serve on campus and beyond.
“Service is how our students carry the mission values of excellence, faith and leadership into the broader community,” Verdejo says. “They invest their time in service and social advocacy clubs. They use their academic knowledge to build just solutions for Milwaukee and ultimately for the global community. What makes it formative is the reflection we build around it, because that is where students learn to check their assumptions and follow through when the work is unglamorous. Above all, we want our students to be active listeners who walk hand in hand with others.”
By the numbers
- No. 1 national ranking three years in a row for community service by The Princeton Review
- 114,000-plus service hours recorded by Marquette students in the last academic year, a 7.7% increase over the previous year
- 19,846 service hours logged by students through the Arrupe Center for Community Service and Social Responsibility in the 2025-26 academic year
- 1,645 students participated in service learning in AY25 and supported 119 community partners through their academic courses
- 76% of Trinity Fellow alumni work in the nonprofit or public sectors
- 66 out of 72 Wisconsin counties served by Marquette dental clinics, providing more than $16 million in dental services to patients in 2024
- 6,160 clients provided pro bono legal services in 2025, through programs offered by the Marquette University Law School Office of Public Service. 70% of clients are living at or below 125% of the federal poverty level.
Serving Milwaukee
From the classroom to cocurricular activities, Marquette students have numerous opportunities to volunteer and connect with local nonprofit organizations. In the 2025–26 academic year, undergraduate students logged over 53,000 hours of service in the Milwaukee community. One way students got involved was through the Arrupe Center for Community Service and Social Responsibility, which has become a hub for student volunteer engagement, reflection and learning. Signature community service events include Connect + Serve, Make a Difference Day, MLK Connect + Serve, and Marquette Community Day of Service.
Marquette students also have the opportunity to deepen their engagement by participating in several semester-long or yearlong service offerings. The Marquette Volunteer Corps connects students with Next Door and Sea Literacy to support literacy services at these local nonprofits. Other longstanding programs like Midnight Run, Marquette’s largest weekly service organization, brought students to food pantries, shelters and meal programs throughout Milwaukee.
Now in its 32nd year, Marquette’s Service-Learning Program, provides the largest service program on campus bridging classroom academics with hands-on community engagement. In the 2025-26 academic year, over 100 classes provided a service-learning aspect with more than 1750 students participating. Service-learning students contributed a total of 35,360 hours of service.
EmiliAnna Guerra, a junior psychology major, says her service-learning classes have been her favorite. As a freshman, she worked with the Benedict Centers Sisters Program for one semester.
“I think the best advice I have is to keep an open mind and fully embrace this experience,” Guerra says. “It is truly an impactful experience that you will be able to take what you have learned going forward in life.”
The Burke Foundation extended its support for two signature scholarship programs: Burke Scholars and Trinity Fellows. The Burke Scholars Program, which requires undergraduate students to complete 300 hours of service annually, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025.
“The Burke Scholarship Program embodies Marquette’s Jesuit mission in action,” says Dr. Carie Hertzberg, assistant vice president of belonging and student affairs. “Students engage deeply with social justice issues while connecting their service to their academic and professional goals. By graduation, Burke Scholars have developed a profound sense of purpose and a lifelong commitment to service.”
At the graduate level, the Trinity Fellows program provides a unique opportunity for 24 fellows to work on meaningful, substantive projects for a Milwaukee nonprofit over the course of a 21-month study/work program. Fellows provide approximately 22,944 hours of service each year to the Milwaukee community through their placements.
Justice and equity
Several university initiatives furthered Marquette’s mission to promote justice and provide opportunities to underserved people.
Marquette Law School’s Andrew Center for Restorative Justice continued to lead efforts to reduce harm and support healing across the Milwaukee area. Through its collaboration with Sojourner Family Peace Center, the Andrew Center uses carefully designed restorative dialogues in appropriate intimate partner violence cases. And at the Milwaukee Youth Detention Center, young people engage with women who have survived the devastating consequences of reckless driving. Both programs create space for truth, accountability, connection and healing — and demonstrate what restorative justice can bring to our community.
Marquette’s annual Justice in Action conference provided a platform for students to explore the theme, “What Is Justice Without Democracy?” The 2026 event included keynote speaker Dasha Kelly, who is a writer, performance artist and creative change agent. Justice in Action conferences have included storytelling initiatives in partnership with Narrative 4, a global nonprofit that helps participants build empathy through story exchanges.
A $1.25 million grant in 2024 from the Mellon Foundation continues to fund the Educational Preparedness Program and the McNeely Prison Education Consortium, both Center for Urban Research, Teaching and Outreach initiatives. The high-impact program includes traditional campus undergraduate students taking classes and co-learning with justice impacted students. This program continues to create educational pathways to foster dignity, equity and reintegration.
Innovation, sustainability and care
Many programs highlight Marquette’s approach to serving basic needs while advancing sustainability. Iggy’s Market continues to grow fresh lettuce, basil and radishes through hydroponic Flex Farms installed in partnership with Fork Farms. All produce grown supports students with food insecurity through the Backpack Program. Food recovery efforts on campus were bolstered by Move Out for Hunger, an initiative that gathers nonperishable donations during residence hall move-out each spring. In 2025, 3,568 pounds of food was collected during Move Out for Hunger. One-time annual opportunities (Marquette Community Day of Service, Rooted in Service) involve supporting local environmental organizations through trash pickups, weed outs, native plantings and river clean-ups.
Jesuit values in action
Marquette continued to put its mission into practice by hosting programs that invite the Milwaukee community to campus. Project Homeless Connect, a longstanding collaboration with United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, engaged hundreds of students, faculty and staff (along with community volunteers) to provide vital services to Milwaukee’s unhoused population during the Thursday of fall break.
The Haggerty Museum of Art, which is free and open to the public, offers several unique events and exhibits. A $2.4 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. is supporting the creation of an exhibition and educational initiative at the museum that explores religion’s role in society. The project is designed to promote understanding, dialogue and inclusiveness.
