In 1936, Marquette University made nursing history as the first university in Wisconsin to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree program. The School of Nursing opened its doors in September of that year and, although Marquette had been teaching nurses for nearly two decades to that point, the new program represented a substantially greater investment in the profession.
It has been just over 90 years since the first students walked through the doors at St. Joseph’s Hall, which initially housed the school, then those in Emory T. Clark Hall, and now the recently renovated David A. Straz, Jr. Hall. More than 10,000 living alumni have received a Marquette Nursing education since, making their mark on both the university and the profession. This would not have been possible without exceptional educators and administrators who dedicated their professional lives to the formation of outstanding nurses.
“As I have learned about the history of the college, it is clear to me that every era has had its own nurse leaders: outstanding faculty and staff who put the welfare of our students above all else,” says Dr. Jill Guttormson, dean of the College of Nursing. “From my predecessor, Dr. Janet Krejci, all the way back to our first dean, Sister Berenice Beck, we have been defined by leaders who have faced the challenges and opportunities of operating a nursing college head-on.”
We spoke to several of those nurses, both past and present, who reflected on some of the highlights of their time at Marquette.
Dr. Christine Shaw, Clinical Associate Professor
I graduated from Marquette’s College of Nursing in 1972 and returned as faculty in 1976, retiring in 2021. So basically, my entire adult life has been strongly tied to the College of Nursing.
In 1976, we were still located at St. Joseph’s and I taught on the oncology unit there. I was there in June 1982 when we made our momentous journey to campus into Emory Clark Hall. Sister Rosalie Klein was the reason that we received the Emory Clark Family Foundation grant to build the building. She cared for that building like it was her own. I remember her following me with a vacuum cleaner as my baby’s stroller left salt trails on the carpeting. (That baby, Dr. Leslie Warczak, is now faculty at the college.)
My favorite memories are the development of the Advanced Practice Nurse programs in the mid-1990s. I was assigned the task of developing the Adult NP and Acute Care NP curricula. NP practice was required for national certification, so Dr. Mary Ann Lough and I started a free clinic: the Marquette Clinic for Women and Children. For over 20 years, the clinic gave high-quality care to patients and served as a place of learning for undergraduate community health students and graduate NP students.
I taught at Marquette for 43 years and I hope I gave my students as much as they gave me.
Dr. Margaret Bull: Professor and director of the Ph.D. program emerita
My fondest memories are seeing students graduate, hearing about their post-graduation accomplishments, and seeing pictures of their happy families.
Dr. Richard Fehring, Professor Emeritus
I have been involved with the College of Nursing for over 48 years as a student, faculty and now as an emeritus professor. I had offices in three different college buildings and one overflow building. I am proud of the growth of the college in providing advanced practice degrees, a direct entry master’s program and a Ph.D. program.
We have grown in terms of the number of students, our research output, and now have a beautiful, state-of-the-art nursing building. I am also proud that we have an endowed institute of natural family planning , which I was involved with developing since 1985 and have directed. Our NFP program received an Edge Runner award in 2022 from the American Academy of Nursing for improving the quality of maternal health care.
Dr. Darlene Weis, Professor Emerita
My association with Marquette began in 1955 as a student and has continued ever since —as an alumna, parent, board member, officer of many Marquette associations, donor, faculty member, and now emerita faculty member.
I have many wonderful memories, but the most meaningful is what I call the Peru Project for Community Health Nursing. It began during my early retirement, when I was participating in my local parish mission trips to an extremely poor parish, Sacramento Santissimo, in Piura, Peru. The dean asked if I would open my work there to nursing students. In 2008, the one-month Community Health Practicum for Marquette students began. As the students became immersed in the culture, poverty, and health care needs of the community, they were, in their own words, transformed.
From 2008 to 2016, I loved every minute of this community health program and my time with the students and the Peruvian people.
Dr. Margaret Faut Callahan, Professor and Dean Emerita
As I reflect on what the College of Nursing accomplished together during my tenure as dean from 2008 to 2015, one word keeps coming to mind: journey. We took incredibly meaningful steps forward on our college’s journey toward reimagining and achieving new excellence in nursing education.
During my time as dean, we made a $4 million investment into clinical simulation facilities in Emory T. Clark Hall, our college’s home at the time. Combined with our reimagined pre-licensure curriculum, which placed a greater emphasis on nursing in the Jesuit tradition, I am confident we positioned our students for success as care providers and leaders in a variety of health care settings. We also significantly increased the local, regional and national presence of the college.
Finally, I was proud to have revived the “Commitment to the Profession” ceremony in 2009, a tradition that has endured in the nearly two decades since and I hope stays around for many more years to come.
I loved being a part of the College of Nursing and am very proud of all my former students who went on to make a difference in the lives of their patients.
Dr. Madeline Wake, dean emerita, has published a comprehensive history of the college titled “Marquette Nursing: History and Reflections.” The book sets the stage to continue to capture stories of those that shape the Marquette College of Nursing in the college’s past, present, and future.
