Marquette University outlines its Beyond Boundaries plan in order for university projects to become possible. This year’s strategic plan includes five priorities, which are student success, research, enrollment, graduate and online programs and stewardship of resources.
Through this plan, Marquette plans to go ‘Beyond Boundaries’ as a leading university in student/faculty research.
One of the values Marquette has is to “create bold, ambitious plans enacted with agility, authentic accountability and a commitment to the greater good.” In order to accomplish this goal, the Beyond Boundaries effort was created to increase research on campus.
This plan focuses on giving students and faculty a platform to pursue research. In order to allow for this research to become possible, support is given through this goal in multiple different programs. These programs include the “NSF Career Cohort Workshop, NEH Fellowship Cohort Workshops, Clinical and Translational Science Institute and CTSI Pilot Collaborative Program.”
Anita Manogaran, an associate professor in biological sciences, is a past recipient of the NSF research grant. Currently, Manogaran and her team are researching how cells respond to aggregation in their labs in order to improve the world of therapeutics.
Manogaran said that the support that Marquette gave to her and her team is what made these efforts possible in the first place. Manogaran said that the research they are doing is very expensive, so the aid Marquette provides is one hundred percent needed and that the research being done has been “very successful”.
“For me, it’s all about the amazing team I have. Undergrads are who are making this research possible, and our collaborative workspace has proven very effective,” Manogaran said.
Manogaran said that Marquette is leading in innovation because students and faculty are heavily encouraged to work and collaborate together in the lab.
“Our first goal isn’t even the research itself. It is to use research as training opportunities for the real world. This sets students up for success in the future,” Manogaran said.
Through side-by-side research efforts, students are able to push forward research with faculty, which is what Manogaran said sets Marquette’s research apart from others.
Another recipient of research grants is Jacob J. Capin associate professor in the department of physical therapy. Capin earned the National Institute of Health’s Directors Early Inexpedience Award and is currently doing research in The Life After Sport Trajectories, which is the laboratory that is investigating long-term health in athletes.
The support Capin received is also vital for his research efforts.
“The grant provides not only substantial financial assistance critical to conducting the research but also publicity for the Life After Sport Trajectories laboratory and our research program,” Capin said. “I am incredibly grateful for funding from NIH to support my research career and propel my research into the national spotlight.”
Capin provided advice for students who aspire to pursue research efforts like him in the future.
“Follow your passions – our passions inspire us. Embrace what makes you come alive,” Capin said. Through being passionate about Physical Therapy, Capin said he is now doing research he could only dream of.
In a recent Academic Senate meeting, members of the senate further discussed the beyond boundaries effort and their role on Marquette’s campus.
When it comes to research efforts, more goals are being created in order to make Marquette a leading campus in innovation. Kimo Ah Yun, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs described President Lovell’s recent remarks regarding research on campus.
“President Lovell set forth an ambitious goal to double research expenditures,” AhYun said. “We will continue to find research dollars to support our faculty.”
The senate also addressed the other four priorities outlined in the recent beyond boundaries plan that the university plans to strictly follow.
“Expect to see these priorities more on Marquette today and a greater number of people talking about them,” Ah Yun said.
This story was written by Phoebe Goebel. She can be reached at [email protected]
