MkeCH: For Marquette President, Faith Comes First

Amy Lovell was asked to be part of the committee planning her husband, Michael Lovell’s inauguration as the 24th president of Marquette University.

Probably her biggest contribution, she estimated, was the suggestion that the wording of the theme be changed to “Ignited in Faith. Alive in Inquiry. Forward in Service.”

“Mike being such an active, intense person – people use that word a lot to describe him – they were thinking of using action words,” said Amy. “So I asked them to reverse them and highlight faith, because faith was such a huge part of the decision. … Originally they were going to have alive, forward and ignited and I thought they should reverse it because faith, especially, is what drove this decision,” she explained.

It was a “simple, but significant suggestion,” agreed Brian Dorrington, director of university communication, that more accurately defines the first layman to lead the 133-year-old Jesuit institution.

Their Catholic faith is the heart of their lives and it was ultimately the factor that led Lovell to leave his position as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and become the president of Marquette. He will be formally installed on Friday.

continue at Milwaukee Catholic Herald