Marquette University ( /mɑrˈkɛt/) is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and currently has a student body of 11,600. Marquette is one of the largest Jesuit universities in the United States, and the largest private university in Wisconsin.^[4]

History[link]

Father Jacques Marquette exploring

Marquette University was founded on August 28, 1881 as Marquette College by John Martin Henni, the first Catholic bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The university was named after 17th century missionary and explorer Father Jacques Marquette, S.J.. The highest priority of the newly established college was to provide an affordable Catholic education to the area's emerging German immigrant population. Marquette College officially became a university in 1907. Marquette University High School, formerly the preparatory department of the university, became a separate institution the same year. Initially an all-male institution, Marquette University became the first coed Catholic university in the world, when it admitted its first female students in 1909.

Marquette University acquired the Wisconsin College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1913, and opened schools of medicine (including nursing), dentistry, and pharmacy. Marquette's School of Medicine separated from Marquette in 1967 to become the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The two largest donations to Marquette University came within the same academic year. The second-largest gift was given by an anonymous couple who have, over time, donated over $50 million to the university. On December 18, 2006, President Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J. announced that the couple donated $25 million to the College of Engineering.^[5] Less than five months later, on May 4, 2007, Marquette announced a $51 million gift from Raymond and Kathryn Eckstein that will directly benefit the Marquette University School of Law. The gift is currently the largest amount ever given to a Wisconsin university.^[6]

Campus[link]

Marquette is located on a 93-acre (38 ha) campus in the near downtown Milwaukee neighborhood of University Hill, on the former Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Lake Michigan is roughly one mile east of the edge of campus. The campus encompasses 9th Street on the east, to 20th Street on the west, and from Wells Street on the north, to Clybourn Street on the south. Wisconsin Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Milwaukee, bisects the campus, placing academic buildings on the south side, and residence halls and other offices and buildings on the north side. Named after the university, the Marquette Interchange is also close to campus.

Major buildings[link]

Gesu Church

• Alumni Memorial Union (AMU, for short), the student union, is at the center of campus. The five-story brick building, completed in 1990, contains a ballroom for 800 guests, offices for student organizations, a coffee shop called "Brew Bayou", the university's information center, a post office, a branch US Bank, a game room, a cafeteria, and the campus gift shop. An adjacent auditorium is connected to the AMU by a covered promenade. Also part of the AMU is the Chapel of the Holy Family, which holds a student Mass each Sunday night.

• Gesu Church, completed in 1894, is considered the spiritual center of the campus, but is not affiliated with the university. The Jesuit parish was designed by architect Henry C. Koch in the Gothic art style.^[7] Student-organized Masses are held each Sunday in Gesu Church, along with the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit, a traditional celebration at many Jesuit education institutions to begin the school year.

• The Patrick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of Art features more than 8,000 works from the old masters to contemporary art works from such artists as Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, Keith Haring and Roberto Matta.

• Eckstein Hall, completed in 2010, is the new home of Marquette's law school. In addition to classrooms and faculty offices, the law school has a four-story "library without borders," two mock court rooms, a cafeteria, a workout facility, a conference center, and a small parking structure.^[8]

• Sensenbrenner Hall previously housed the law school. One of the oldest buildings on campus, it is known for its stained-glass windows and traditional design, especially in the Howard B. Eisenberg Memorial Hall. Marquette's law library, which featured contrasting modern architecture, was located next to Sensenbrenner Hall. In 2010, the Law School moved into Eckstein Hall.

• Johnston Hall houses the J. William & Mary Diederich College of Communications. Built at the turn of the 20th century, the fledgling Marquette College almost went bankrupt to build this until Robert A. Johnston, a local confectioner, donated just over $100,000 to save the project. For a short while, Johnston Hall housed the entire College, including the Jesuit faculty. The now ivy-covered building once featured an observatory for astronomy students. Student Media is located in Johnston Hall.

• Marquette Hall, built in 1924, is the four-story building that originally served as Marquette's Science Building with offices, classrooms and labs. In 1976, it was renamed Marquette Hall in honor of the University's namesake. One of the most widely-recognized buildings on campus, Marquette Hall was the home to several offices, including Undergraduate Admissions until they moved to their new location in the newly completed Zilber Hall. The four-story building contains three lecture halls with 300 seats each. In the tower of Marquette Hall is the university carillon, a set of 48 bells that are played every Wednesday and for special events.

• Marquette School of Dentistry building houses Wisconsin's only dental school. Completed in 2002, the building holds pre-clinical labs, classrooms, and a community dental clinic.

• The Al McGuire Center, named for the legendary Marquette basketball coach, was opened in 2004 and is home to the women's volleyball and basketball teams and serves as the practice facility and administrative offices for the men's basketball team.

• The John P. Raynor, S.J. Library, completed in 2003, is named for one of Marquette's former presidents. The library contains many of J. R. R. Tolkien's original manuscripts,^[9] and serves as one of the main study areas on campus.^[10]
  • See also Marquette University Special Collections and University Archives

• The St. Joan of Arc Chapel is the only medieval chapel in the Western Hemisphere.^[11] Originally built in France in the 15th century, the Chapel was donated to the university by Mr. and Mrs. Marc Rojtman in 1964. The building was relocated to the U.S., first to New York, then to Milwaukee, where it was reconstructed piece by piece in 1966. Today, the St. Joan of Arc Chapel hosts daily weekday Masses at noon and 10 p.m.

• The Union Sports Annex is a hangout for students, especially during men's basketball season. "The Annex" is almost entirely underground and includes a restaurant, bar, sports court, and bowling lanes. In 2003, ESPN columnist Jim Caple called the Union Sports Annex the "best place to watch a game."^[12]

• Valley Fields, used for men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, and club athletics, is located across the Menomonee River in the Menomonee Valley, just south of the main campus. It is currently undergoing a renovation to add covered bleachers and other facility improvements.

• Zilber Hall is the Student Services building. It stands on the former site of the 1212 Building and Parent's Park and spans the entire 1200 block of West Wisconsin Avenue. Completed in late fall 2009, Zilber Hall houses the Office of Student Financial Aid, the Office of the Bursar, the Office of the Registrar, and the Office of Admissions.^[13]

• Marquette hall.jpg

  Marquette Hall in autumn

• 

  St. Joan of Arc Chapel

• McCormick Hall.jpg

  McCormick Hall

• Marquette Spirescape.jpg

  Marquette University Spirescape

Academics[link]

John P. Raynor, S.J., Library

The university includes 11 schools and colleges: Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Health Sciences, College of Nursing, College of Professional Studies, Graduate School, Marquette University School of Dentistry, and Marquette University Law School. Marquette's largest college is the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences.^[16]

Rankings[link]

In 2011, Marquette ranked 82nd overall among undergraduate programs for national research universities by U.S. News & World Report.^[17] Washington Monthly, another nationally-recognized college ranking source, listed Marquette as 32nd among the country's 258 best universities.^[18] Washington Monthly "ranks colleges and universities on their contributions to society as engines of social mobility, fostering of scientific and humanistic research and promoting among students an ethic of service to country." The Center for College Affordability & Productivity in Washington, D.C. ranked Marquette 69th overall, based on professor reviews, graduation rates, student grants, and the success of graduates in their vocations.^[19] Entrepreneur Magazine also included Marquette in rankings of the top 100 entrepreneurial universities and colleges in 2003, 2004 and 2005.^[20] In the 2010 edition, Princeton Review named Marquette as one of the "Best 371 Colleges in the U.S.," a "College With a Conscience" for continued dedication to service and ethics-based curriculum, and one of the best Midwestern schools. Marquette was named to the 2008 list of institutions on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction. In 2009, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine ranked Marquette 44th in the country for best value among private institutions.^[21] Marquette was also selected as one of 44 schools listed in the 2010 Fiske Guide to Colleges as a "Best Buy School."^[22]

College and program rankings[link]

College of Arts & Sciences
The biological sciences major was ranked 136th and clinical psychology was ranked 99th in the country by U.S. News & World Report.^[23]

College of Health Sciences
The physical therapy program was ranked 19th in the nation in 2008 by U.S. News & World Report. The physician assistant program was ranked 40th in the nation in 2007. The speech-language pathology program was ranked 72nd in the nation in 2008.^[23]

College of Business Administration
BusinessWeek listed Marquette's College of Business Administration as 53rd among undergraduate business programs in 2008, and 36th overall in the category of "Academic Quality Rank".^[24] Based on data from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, Marquette University students scored in the top ten nationally (for first-time candidates without advanced degrees) for the following sections of the CPA Exam: No. 2 in Auditing, No. 3 in Financial Accounting & Reporting and No. 8 for Business Environment.^[25] The Graduate School of Management's part-time master's degree in business administration program was ranked 16th by U.S. News & World Report for 2008. Princeton Review named Marquette's part-time MBA program one of the top 290 MBA programs for 2008.^[26]

College of Nursing
In 2007, U.S. News listed the College of Nursing graduate program as the 54th best in the country. Its nursing-midwifery program was 18th nationally. The College has one of only five doctorate programs in the U.S. with a "teacher/scholar" focus.^[23]

College of Engineering
The school's biomedical engineering program was ranked 33rd in 2008 by U.S. News & World Report.^[27]

Student life[link]

Marquette's 11,500 students come from all 50 states, various U.S. territories, and represent more than 80 countries. Among these students are traditional-age undergraduates, adult undergraduate learners in the College of Professional Studies, and graduate students pursuing master's degrees and doctorates in the arts, sciences and engineering. Marquette University also has a moderate number of law students and dental students.

The majority of Marquette's students hail from the Midwestern United States, generally from the metropolitan areas surrounding Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, Detroit, and St. Louis. The student body is roughly 55% female. Many students are Catholic. The retention rate for Marquette is high, with about 90% of students returning for their sophomore year.^[30]

Marquette administers an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP),^[31] a federally funded TRIO program that is intended to motivate and enable low-income and first generation students, whose parents do not have a baccalaureate degree, to enter and succeed in higher education. Eligible students, who potential for success and enroll at Marquette, are provided with a pre-enrollment summer program, a network of supportive services, financial aid assistance, academic counseling, specialized courses, seminars, tutoring and educational and career counseling.

Residence halls[link]

Throughout the years, Marquette has absorbed many existing buildings in the area, especially for use as residence halls. Of the nine current student residence halls, only three (O'Donnell Hall, Schroeder Hall and McCormick Hall) were originally built by the university. Some examples of absorbed buildings include Charles Cobeen Hall, a former hotel, and M. Carpenter Tower, an Art Deco building, both constructed in the 1920s on 11th Street that have been converted into undergraduate residence halls. Glenn Humphrey Hall, a student apartment complex that was once the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and David Straz Tower, which was formerly the Downtown Milwaukee YMCA, and is now a residence hall, recreation center and administrative office building. Mashuda Hall, a sophomore dorm, was once the Coach House Motor Inn where The Beatles stayed during their tour in 1964.^[32] Abbottsford Hall served as The Abbottsford Hotel until the university purchased it for use as graduate apartments. It was converted into a freshman residence hall for the 2005–2006 academic year. The university also purchased the Marquette Apartments complex in 2008, and it was remodeled as a sophomore residence hall, renamed McCabe Hall, for the 2009–2010 academic year.^[33]

Athletics[link]

The Golden Eagle is Marquette's mascot and the school colors are Marquette Blue and Marquette Gold,^[3] with powder blue incorporated in the 1970s and late 2000s. Marquette is a Division I member of the NCAA and competes in the Big East Conference. The university has 11 varsity teams: basketball, cross-country, men's golf, soccer, track & field, tennis and women's volleyball. In 2013, Marquette will begin competition in varsity men's and women's lacrosse as a member of the Big East. Football was discontinued by the university after the 1960 season for financial reasons. Since joining the Big East in 2005, the only conference championship won by the Golden Eagles was in 2008 by the men's golf team. Marquette's athletic rivals include Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Wisconsin.

In 1962, Marquette was the first college in the U.S. to sign a Hispanic to play basketball on the college level.^{[citation needed]} In 2009, because of Marquette, Milwaukee was named by CNN as one of America's great college basketball towns.^[34]

Mascot and nickname[link]

Marquette's intercollegiate athletic teams were the "Warriors" from May 1954 to July 1994 when the nickname was changed to the "Golden Eagles". Prior to 1962 Marquette football was known as "Golden Avalanche" and other teams were known as "Warriors," "Blue and Gold," and "Hilltoppers". The Marquette Warriors (the nickname that preceded Golden Eagles) won the NCAA basketball championship in 1977. In 2004, Marquette began to consider changing the name back to Warriors, and conducted a poll that showed 92 percent of alumni and 62 percent of students "identified" with that nickname. However, the Board of Trustees ignored the results of the poll on the grounds that previous logos had been disrespectful to Native Americans, and changed the nickname to simply "Gold". An intensely negative reaction by students, faculty, alumni, and fans led to yet another series of votes, which eventually pitted "Golden Eagles" against "Hilltoppers". Respondents were told in advance that write-in votes for "Warriors" would not be tabulated, although those results were later released, and "Golden Eagles" was restored in June 2006.

Clubs and organizations[link]

The university has more than 230 student organizations in various fields of interest. This includes Phi Beta Kappa, an academic honors society for arts and sciences students; Alpha Sigma Nu, an international Jesuit honor society, founded at Marquette in 1915; and Psi Chi. Marquette has over 20 student organizations dedicated to community service and/or social awareness. Some of these include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Gay Straight Alliance, Engineers Without Borders, and Empowerment.^[35] Marquette's on-campus security is composed of the Department of Public Safety and Student Safety Program employees.^[36][37] Students on campus use services provided by the two organizations, including the LIMO program, an entirely student staffed transportation service, which is the first of its kind in the country.^[38]

Greek life[link]

Marquette University is host to 23 Greek organizations and, as of 2009, 10% of the total undergraduate student body is active in Greek life.^[39] Sororities are slightly more popular than fraternities, with 11.7% of the female student population involved in Greek life, compared to 7.45% of men.^[40] Alpha Xi Delta is the largest sorority with 88 members, and Kappa Sigma is Marquette's largest fraternity with 64 members.^[40] Currently, the all-Greek grade point average is higher than the all-university average, and members of Marquette Greek organizations contributed over 11,000 hours of volunteer service to the community during the 2007–2008 academic year.^[41]

The international engineering sorority Alpha Omega Epsilon was founded at Marquette on November 13, 1983.^[42]

Interfraternity Council (IFC)

• Delta Chi
• Delta Sigma Pi, a coeducational fraternity with a focus on business education^[43]
• Kappa Sigma, the Largest Fraternity on Campus
• Omega Delta, a multicultural, professional and service oriented fraternity^[44]
• Sigma Chi
• Sigma Lambda Beta, a primarily Latin-American social fraternity^[45]
• Sigma Phi Delta, an engineering fraternity^[46]
• Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Triangle Fraternity, an engineering, science and architecture fraternity^[47]

National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)

All member fraternities and sororities of NPHC nationwide, including those at Marquette University, are historically made up primarily of African-American students.^[48]

Panhellenic Association (NPC)

• Alpha Chi Omega
• Alpha Omega Epsilon, an engineering sorority founded at Marquette
• Alpha Phi
• Alpha Xi Delta,
• Delta Xi Phi, a sorority dedicated to multicultural awareness^[49]
• Pi Beta Phi
• Sigma Kappa
• Sigma Lambda Gamma, a historically Latina-based sorority.^[50] Sigma Lambda Gamma had Marquette's highest average GPA for all Greek organizations, both sororities and fraternities.^[51]

Former Greek Life

• Kappa Beta Gamma, The first Sorority at Marquette and was Founded at Marquette in 1917 still exists as a international Sorority.
• Sigma Sigma Sigma
• Gamma Phi Beta
• Alpha Kappa Psi

Student government[link]

• Marquette University Student Government (MUSG) serves as the official voice of the student body to university administration, promotes and sponsors campus events, and supports other student organizations.^[52] MUSG was formerly known as the Associated Students of Marquette University (ASMU).

Performing arts[link]

• The Studio 013 Refugees: Marquette's longest running and only improv comedy group. The Refugees perform anywhere from 8 to 9 free shows throughout the year, including a 12 hour performance outside the AMU in the Fall. They also provide improv workshops in the fall semester.

• The Marquette University Players Society (MUPS for short), a platform for student-produced theater.

• Dance Groups: Pure Dance is a lyrical and jazz performance group that helps members pursue their interests in dance and choreography in a collegial setting. Dance Inc. is a group that allows its members to perform in semester showcases. Styles are dependent on the choreographers and the member tryouts. And lastly HyPerformance Dance company is primarily a hip-hop organization that helps to cultivate an interest in hip-hop and has progressed to include some more contemporary and jazz styling into its performances since its beginning at Marquette.

• Vocal Groups: The Marquette University Chorus; the longest standing choral organization on campus, is a mixed choir of fifty to sixty men and women who share their time, talents, and passion for music with others at Marquette and throughout the community.^[53] There are also Men's Choir, Women's Choir, or Chamber Choir. Marquette also has a Gospel Choir, and Liturgical Choir, which sings weekly at mass at Gesu. There are two selective a cappella groups that interested students may try out for: The Gold 'n Blues (men and women) and The Naturals (an all male group composed of 10 students). Although the a cappella groups are not affiliated with the Marquette University Music Department, the groups do on and off campus concerts.

• The Marquette University Orchestra provides members with an opportunity to develop and share musical talents through participation in a large-group setting.

• Bands: There are four ensembles that students may join. There are two Jazz Bands, meeting at 7 o'clock and 8 o'clock. The Symphonic Band is a group designed for students who wish to continue to make music at the collegiate level, but in a relaxed setting. There is also the newly established Wind Ensemble, a band which performs high-level wind band repertoire. It is designed for those students who are seeking a high-level music-making experience. All bands are open to all students, and auditions are necessary for chair placement.

• Students who are registered and participate actively in the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble have the opportunity to participate in the MU Pep Band. Although open to all students in band, the pep band splits mainly into two core bands, Blue and Gold, which consist of 29 students each. These core bands are a staple at all Men's and Women's basketball home games, continuing on during tournament season, when the bands travel with the basketball teams.

• All instrumental groups, as well as many choirs, offer 0 or 1 credit per semester. Instruments and lockers, located in the Varsity Theater, are available for rent, free of charge.

Student media[link]

• The student newspaper, The Marquette Tribune,^[54] founded in 1916, is the official campus newspaper. It is published in print on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. The paper has won dozens of regional and national awards for excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists.^[55][56] While most of the 40-person staff are journalism majors, students from all fields of study write for the paper.

• In the Spring of 2005, a group of students formed The Warrior,^[57] an independent conservative newspaper, named for Marquette's former nickname.

• Marquette Radio and MUTV, the student radio and television stations, were launched in the late-1960s to mid-1970s. MUTV airs student-produced programs, including newscasts, sports shows, and entertainment shows. Marquette Radio also airs student-produced shows with focuses on music, sports, news, and talk.

• A quarterly student produced magazine, the Marquette Journal, focuses on student life, though formerly the Journal was the school's student literary magazine. In 2004, the magazine was a runner up for the Society of Professional Journalists "Mark of Excellence" award for Best Student Magazine Published More than Once a Year.^[58]

• Hilltop was Marquette's university-wide yearbook from 1915 to 1999. The publication, in its 84 years of existence, totaled over 30,000 pages in 82 volumes. Students' color-plate sketches were often highly detailed, humorous or dramatic, and appropriate examples of contemporary artwork. In April 2006, Marquette's librarians completed a digitally-archived collection of Hilltop.^[59]

School songs[link]

The school songs, "The Marquette University Anthem" and the "Marquette University Fight Song," are generally sung by students and alumni during basketball games, accompanied by the pep band. However, the former is often played using the carillon bells of the Marquette Hall bell tower.^[60] "The Marquette University Anthem," as it was originally known, is now referred to almost exclusively as "Hail Alma Mater." The tune was written by Liborius Semmann, a music teacher from Wisconsin. The Fight Song is more commonly referred to as "Ring Out Ahoya," although the actual meaning of the word "Ahoya" is open to a great deal of debate. One leading theory is that the call of "Ahoya" was often made by sailors on the Potomac river while passing Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., hence Georgetown getting its nickname of "Hoyas." The cheer was then relayed from priests and professors moving between the two Jesuit universities. The lur horn or long tuba of the modern pep band sounds a traditional ship's signal during the "Ring Out Ahoya".

People[link]

Faculty[link]

The following is a list of notable faculty past and present.

Les Aspin, first Secretary of Defense in the Clinton Administration

• Les Aspin, professor of political science, 1969–1971; MU Center for Government renamed in his honor
• Michel René Barnes, associate professor of historical theology
• Daniel D. Blinka, law professor and historian^[61]
• Virgil Blum, professor of political science
• Chris Bury, journalism instructor (1979–80), Nightline correspondent^[62]
• Margaret Callahan, Dean of the College of Nursing
• Tom Colbert, Assistant Dean of the Marquette Law School (1982–1984), Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court (2004 – present)
• Richard Dickson Cudahy, Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals
• John A. Decker, Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals
• Paddy Driscoll, NFL player and head coach, MLB player
• Arpad Elo, professor of physics, author of The Rating of Chessplayers, Past and Present
• Janine P. Geske, Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
• Arthur Guepe, head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers and Vanderbilt Commodores football teams, Commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference
• Jack Harbaugh, associate athletic director
• Joseph D. Kearney, Dean of the Law School
• Alice Beck Kehoe, professor emeritus of anthropology
• Joan F. Kessler, Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals
• Timothy R. Lannon, President of Creighton University
• Frank Lazarus, President of the University of Dallas
• William Markowitz, professor of physics (1966–1972)
• John C. McAdams, associate professor of political science
• David Merkow, golfer and golf coach
• Frank Murray, member of the College Football Hall of Fame
• George New, artist
• Andrei Orlov, associate professor of Christian origins
• Benjamin Percy, visiting assistant professor, author (2004–2007)
• Joseph Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
• Michael Phayer, historian
• Francis Paul Prucha, professor emeritus of history
• George Reedy, former Dean of the Journalism School
• James Robb, professor of philosophy
• John P. Schlegel, President of Creighton University
• Charles B. Schudson, Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals
• Thomas E. Stidham, NFL assistant coach
• Athan G. Theoharis, professor emeritus of history
• Barbara Ulichny, Wisconsin State Senator
• Francis Wade, professor of philosophy
• Benjamin Wiker, ethicist
• Alexander Golitzin, professor of theology, Bishop-elect of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese (OCA)

Alumni[link]

This section requires expansion.

References[link]