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Beyond our mission of teaching, research and service, the college endeavors to be present to our local community, all in the interest of social justice. In short, we aspire to Be The Difference.
No kidding, not a day passes that I’m anything but proud and grateful to be dean of Marquette University’s College of Education. Even with the occasional setback, however challenging, my professional life is simply blessed. It’s one that affords me the chance to work with wonderful members of our academic community — students, professors, staff, administrators and alumni — not to mention all of our partners and friends in the metropolitan Milwaukee region. I can honestly say that the work we do together is not only meaningful and gratifying to me, but, far more important, it’s impactful to the place we call home. In this issue of Education Magazine, you’ll have the opportunity to read about some of this exciting work and two important anniversaries. Beyond our day-to-day mission of teaching, research and service, the college endeavors to be present to our local community, all in the interest of social justice. Whether our commitment to serve manifests itself in supporting K-12 Catholic education, helping at-risk readers for the past two decades in our Hartman Literacy and Learning Center or rescuing families whose children exhibit serious emotional issues at our Behavior Clinic during the past 10 years, our aim is always the same: to make the world a better place starting right here. How, you ask? Well, among many other efforts, we’ve taken a leadership role in Milwaukee Succeeds, the large community partnership aimed at improving education in our area that is being led by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and several other key executive partners. We contribute significantly to the Greater Milwaukee Catholic Education Consortium to help our Catholic schools in the Archdiocese with professional development, faith formation and organizational effectiveness. We work with the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District in the areas of school counseling and mathematics education. We enlighten, engage and entertain thousands of readers each week with our Marquette Educator blog. We partner with the Milwaukee Public Schools’ Hopkins Lloyd Community School and put our Marquette stamp of quality on Teach For America corps members in our region. We’re even conducting a feasibility study for a Cristo Rey high school in Milwaukee, a unique Jesuit school that would make a college-preparatory curriculum and a corporate work-study program an option for children and families who otherwise could not afford the opportunity. In short, the College of Education aspires to BE THE DIFFERENCE. After reading more about just a portion of our work, I hope you’ll agree that WE ARE. Sincerely, Bill Henk Dean of the College of Education Marquette University