Kimo Ah Yun is being inaugurated as Marquette’s 25th university president April 29. He’ll move into the presidency with promises for the kind of university he wants to create — similarly to dozens of university leaders before him.
But where do those promises go? And which ones are remembered? This article will break down the late President Michael Lovell’s presidential promises and where they stand.
Lovell was inaugurated Sept. 19, 2014. His presidency lasted 10 years, until his passing last June after a three-year battle with sarcoma. Even though his presidency was cut short, nearly all of his inaugural promises were fulfilled.
$5 million strategic innovation fund
Lovell announced a $5 million strategic innovation fund, later changed to The Marquette Impact Challenge. Since its introduction, it’s awarded more than $7 million to 70 students and faculty around campus for their projects.
The explorer challenge gives Marquette students, faculty and staff the opportunity to submit proposals that can earn up to $25,000 for innovative projects.
Land on the 800 block of W. Michigan St.
At the 2014 inauguration, Lovell said Marquette bought a 7.5-acre tract of land on the 800 block of W. Michigan St. and called it a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for the university. At the time of the announcement, the university didn’t have plans for the land.
But in May of 2022, the university announced it sold the land to Bear Development, who plans to turn the land into the Iron District — a stadium for a professional soccer team that will also be used as a concert venue. Since its introduction nearly three years ago, construction hasn’t started.
However, the project is supposed to be back on track to be completed in 2026 and Marquette’s men’s and women’s lacrosse and soccer teams will play there.
Marquette’s own police department
In the spring of 2014, legislation to create Marquette’s own police department was passed, and the university was shifting from having a Department of Public Safety to Marquette University Police Department.
Since then, MUPD has implemented a Behavioral Health Unit that works with repeat offenders to find them the help they need. The unit includes police officers, but also a trained civilian crisis worker. The unit was introduced in 2023 and was a biproduct of Lovell’s safety task force.
Innovation campus and bioengineering department
Lovell was the chancellor at UW-Milwaukee before coming to Marquette and said during his inauguration that he wanted the university to have presence with UWM’s Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa. The campus works on research in the engineering, health sciences and biotechnology fields, but Marquette doesn’t have involvement now, and wasn’t ever a part of this initiative.
However, Lovell also announced launching a bioengineering department with the Medical College of Wisconsin, which was made official in 2016 and is still operational today.
Near West Side Partners and Global Water Center Involvement
Included in Lovell’s inaugural promises were two other initiatives: Creating a presence in the Global Water Center in the Fifth Ward — an organization that facilitates water-related research — and a partnership with Near West Side — a non-profit organization that’s aimed at “development and revitalization” for the neighborhoods surrounding Marquette.
As of 2021, Marquette still has a presence on the sixth floor of the Global Water Center and has partnered with Near West Side on a number of initiatives since 2015.
Some partnerships with Near West Side worked on projects to reduce crime, scholarship programs and create summer job opportunities.
Moving forward into Ah Yun’s presidency, inaugural promises are sure to be made. And as he continues through his years at Marquette, his progress will be followed closely, not just in the policies alone, but the way he embodies Marquette’s values.
This story was written by Sophia Tiedge. She can be reached at [email protected].
