Well, here we are, the last Marquette Journal issue of the school year. I imagined having to write this final editor’s note, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon.
The year went by quickly (although at some points it seemed as if we were working on the same issue for forever). It was a year of excitement and firsts and we have come a long way.
This year marked the 110th anniversary of the magazine and the first year the Journal became online only.
We were faced with many challenges: how to transform the magazine from print to online, how to reach a larger audience and how to keep readers beyond the boundaries of Marquette’s campus interested in our stories.
Those challenges were accepted by the Wire staff and taken head-on. Stories like “110 Things for 110 years of the Marquette Journal” in our November issue caught the attention of many nostalgic alumni, eager to revisit Marquette memories. Our sports desk published monthly features that were often shared by Marquette athletes and their teammates. Entertaining stories like “Professors’ Playlists,” from our March issue, included President Lovell’s running playlist and was shared by university social media accounts, students and even Lovell himself.
From October to April we published six issues with a total of 55 stories, spread onto 419 pages. Our magazine was read 4,884 times by readers in 36 different countries so far.
Our April issue is our last song and a great wrap-up to all the content published this year. On page 18, the Projects desk looks at the tobacco culture on campus. The Sports desk takes a look at the progress the Big East and Marquette has made in recent years on page 32. Arts & Entertainment reviewed and gave out awards to campus dining halls on page 24. The Opinions desk takes a look at the Mental Health stigma on campus on page 40.
It’s been a crazy ride—a big thank you to everyone who joined me on it.
Special thanks to Wire Executive Director, Joe Kaiser, who skipped meals and lost sleep to listen to not only my complaints, but also those of our 60 plus staff.
A thanks to Professor Herb Lowe who pushed me to apply for Journal editor and ultimately gave me the confidence to believe that I am good at this.
A big thanks to Student Media Advisor Barbara Volbrecht, Student Media Business Manager Kimberly Zawada, as well as all the student media board members, all of the Wire staff and everyone else involved in producing the six issues of the Marquette Journal.
I am proud of all that we have accomplished this year and I hope to see the Journal continue to grow and prosper in the upcoming years. Good luck to next year’s Journal editor Matthew Kulling as he takes the reins.
– A. Martina Ibáñez-Baldor