Dear Marquette community,
I’m writing to introduce myself as your next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. First, please know what an honor and a privilege it is to join this university — Marquette has an inspirational mission, extraordinary history and strong reputation on which we can continue to build together.
During my visits to campus, I had the opportunity to meet with many of you, and I am looking forward to getting to know many more of you when I begin in my role on March 1. I want to know what you love about Marquette and what makes you proud about being a part of this institution. In time, I want to learn to love this university as much as you all do.
What drew me to Marquette is likely what drew a lot of you here: a mission that emphasizes a holistic approach to learning, care for the whole person and an emphasis on making a positive impact on our world. In my time at other Jesuit universities and through Ignatian formation opportunities, I came to understand and truly appreciate the commitment that these great institutions have to doing good.
I am an educator at heart. I have always loved teaching and working with students in my lab, and that’s the framework I use to discern and make decisions: how will this benefit students? That is the common thread that pulls campus communities together. That is why we are here.
Likewise, I have loved the balance of being a teacher-scholar. As a chemist, I have long been involved with a vibrant research program. I believe that strong universities have strong research programs across all disciplines. I also believe in service to the university. As a faculty member, I felt a deep responsibility toward ensuring that my department was as strong as it could be; that, in turn, makes the university as strong as it can be.
I am eager to take on this new leadership role, so that I can work in collaboration with faculty, staff and other campus leaders to make Marquette as strong as possible.
Leadership, to me, involves collectively examining our greatest strengths and then building on them; amplifying them. When we have shared goals, that’s when the work is a lot of fun. But it comes from listening, understanding and respecting one another and each other’s work.
And that’s where I will start. I want to know what faculty and staff are passionate about and proud of. I want to know what’s important to our students and what drives them.
As I get ready to move to Milwaukee, I’ll leave you with a little about me “off campus.” I have been married to my husband, Sam, a chemist and an intellectual property lawyer, for 34 years. We met as undergraduate students in nuclear chemistry — we are, admittedly, a bit nerdy. We have two adult children, Layla (30), who lives in Chicago and works as a mental health clinician, and Roya (27), a student success coach at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Sam and I are outdoors lovers — you can usually find us traveling, hiking and camping with our dogs. We’ll be relocating to the Milwaukee area this spring and I look forward to hearing your recommendations on where to hike, eat out and enjoy Lake Michigan.
I want to thank the search committee and all those I had the chance to interview with over the past few months — it was truly a warm and welcoming experience. And to President Kimo Ah Yun, thank you for this opportunity. I’m excited to work with you and the leadership team to move Marquette forward.
Lastly, to all of you, I’m eager to meet you soon!
Sincerely,
Dr. Debbie Tahmassebi
