Students, faculty and alumni applaud Michael Lovell (center) at the beginning of his inauguration ceremony as the 24th president of Marquette University on Friday at the Al McGuire Center. Credit: Rick Wood

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Marquette University President Michael Lovell used his inaugural ceremony address Friday to set a dramatic course for the school that includes reaching out to neighbors, forging new partnerships and adding property for future growth.

Lovell announced that Marquette had purchased about 7 acres in the 800 block of W. Michigan St., and called the deal that expands the school's footprint to the east, a "once in a lifetime opportunity" for Marquette and Milwaukee.

Lovell announced that "at the end of this month we'll be closing on this property," and said he looked forward to working with the wider campus community to develop the best uses for the land.

"This is a new day for Marquette University," Lovell said during the event at the Al McGuire Center.

Lovell, the first lay president in the Jesuit school's 133-year history, offered a blueprint that tied together many of the diverse strands of his career, as both an engineer and past chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Stepping away from the podium, Lovell delivered his inaugural address in a presentation style that reflected how he seeks to lead the university — conversationally and without barriers.

He announced Marquette will move into the sixth floor of the $22 million Global Water Center in the Fifth Ward, joining other universities and water-related companies at the research facility. Opened in September 2013, the center is where water-related academic research and industry research and development can come together. UWM occupies an entire floor of the building.

Lovell said Marquette is exploring options for a presence at the Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa, the public-private research park he championed while at UWM. Marquette will also launch a joint bioengineering department with the Medical College of Wisconsin, Lovell said.

Major donations announced

Lovell revealed several major donations that will drive work in the humanities and in business.

He announced a planned gift to create a future Center for Advancement of the Humanities. The multimillion dollar commitment from an unnamed donor was made by a Marquette graduate who is a research scholar. Lovell said the center will help establish Marquette as the "epicenter in the Midwest for humanities studies."

Lovell announced a $5 million strategic innovation fund. Among those who donated to the project, he said, were the Kern Family Foundation and Donna O'Rourke, whose late husband, Jerry, was a longtime Marquette trustee.

The strategic innovation fund was described as being similar to a venture capital fund, providing seed money to students, faculty and staff to kick-start projects. Proposals will be reviewed in the spring with funding beginning July 1, 2015.

Lovell also announced a neighborhood partnership on safety. Lovell said he and Harley-Davidson CEO Keith Wandell will partner with "neighborhood anchor institutions" in a safety initiative in the Avenues West neighborhood.

"The real solution to solving safety on this campus is developing a neighborhood that becomes a destination where people want to live and work," Lovell said.

"It's a step in the right direction," said Keith Stanley, executive director of the Avenues West Business Improvement District, which includes the Marquette campus.

"If you talk to any of our businesses — the ones that have been around for a couple decades —things are always getting better," Stanley said in an interview. "We see momentum."

Campus safety concern

Safety is a key concern on the Marquette campus.

Marquette's Department of Public Safety already has texted and emailed five public safety alerts to students, faculty and staff since Aug. 23, the weekend before classes started. Two of the alerts were sent last weekend. The alerts described a total of five robberies, three of them armed.

Legislation signed into law last spring will help clear the way for Marquette to create its own police department with private university officers who have the same powers as City of Milwaukee police to enforce the law, as well as Marquette rules.

To establish the department, Marquette would still need to reach an agreement with Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. That agreement also would be subject to review by the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission.

The inauguration ceremony combined traditional pomp and circumstance, videos and a PowerPoint presentation. The event opened with a video of Lovell, a noted runner, jogging by various sites. Later, Lovell spoke as images flashed of his family.

"Amy and I have been blessed to have four beautiful children," he said. "But don't get me wrong, they're not always easy but they all bring me joy in unique ways."

The flourishes underlined the fact that this is truly a new leader for Marquette.

"Being an engineer, I know you'll work hard to build your house on a firm foundation," Archbishop Jerome Listecki said.

Lovell was lauded by Gov. Scott Walker, a former Marquette student whose oldest son attends the school. Walker said Lovell "lives a life of faith that is steady and profound."

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said of Lovell and Marquette's community, "no matter how audacious a goal he has for you, I wouldn't bet against him."

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said "Marquette has absolutely chosen the right person to lead this university in the right direction."

Lovell thanked friends, family and colleagues. He remembered his deceased parents for instilling in him values that still carry him through life. And he recalled slain journalist James Foley, a Marquette graduate and vowed that the school would continue to focus on nurturing students who give back to their communities.

The speech, both in its tone and substance, appealed to the crowd.

"He's had a lot more communication with students than others before him," said Salma Jamal, a Marquette junior.

There was loud applause at the announcement of the humanities center as well as some of the other projects.

"So many people think humanities research is locking yourself into a room, but some of the most interesting ideas come from interaction," Marquette theology professor Father Philip Rossi said.

"The water center shows how much he cares about the community," said Danielle Schiestle, a Marquette junior in the College of Health Sciences. "It's going to help so many of us science and engineering students."

Added Marquette sophomore Karleen Wojczak, "Lovell gets things done."