CATCHING UP WITH ROSE RICHARD
By Herbert Lowe Lowe, Jour ’84, is the Diederich College’s journalism professional in residence.
Rose Richard spent nearly three decades helping students and left a distinguished legacy as a beloved assistant dean in the Diederich College. Before retiring from Marquette in 2009, Richard earned the 2003 Barry Bingham Sr. Fellowship, a national award from the National Conference of Editorial Writers given to a journalism educator committed to preparing students of color for successful careers in the industry. The Business Journal of Milwaukee honored her as a 2009 Woman of Influence. While at Marquette, Richard directed the Urban Journalism Workshop each summer for 25 years. The program inspired nearly 400 high school students to consider journalism as a profession and created a partnership between the college and Milwaukee’s Messmer High School. That partnership led to new opportunities for her. Richard is now the academic success coordinator at Messmer Catholic Schools, where she uses her vast university experience to help high school students prepare for college and navigate the admissions process. “For the most part, I identify and encourage students to take advantage of Messmer and community resources,” she says. “I also push pre-college programs heavily.” Richard also is promoting efforts to provide students with tutoring and mentoring — and even volunteered during the summer to tutor a child in English and basic grammar. “I could not be happier with this new direction,” she says. “I had only planned to do it for a short while — but I don’t think I can stop now.”
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in the field
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