Marquette University was founded in 1881 by John Martin Henni, the first Catholic bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It was named after the 17th century missionary and explorer Father Jacques Marquette, S.J., and its mission was to provide an affordable Catholic education to the area's booming German immigrant population. The school attained its status as a university in 1907 and changed its name from Marquette College to Marquette University. Marquette University High School became a separate institution the same year.
In 1912, Marquette became the first Jesuit university to admit women. The university acquired the Wisconsin College of Physicians and Surgeons a year later, and opened schools of medicine including nursing, dentistry, and pharmacy. IN 1967, the School of Medicine separated from Marquette to become the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Marquette is located on a 93-acre campus in the Milwaukee neighborhood of University Hill, on the former Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Lake Michigan is roughly one mile east of campus. The campus encompasses 9th Street on the east, to 20th Street on the west, and from Wells Street on the north, to Clybourn Street on the south. Wisconsin Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Milwaukee, runs right through campus. Academic buildings are on the south side on Wisconsin Avenue, and residence halls and other miscellaneous offices and buildings are on the north side. Many of the halls and chapels on campus are beautifully constructed in traditional European styles. The oldest of these, St. Joan of Arc Chapel, was originally built in France in the 15th century and donated to the university by Mr. and Mrs. Marc Rojtman in 1964.
Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin, with a population of about 600,000. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. Milwaukee is also the main cultural and economic center of the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Metropolitan Area, which has a population of 1,964,744.
Milwaukee was once known almost exclusively as a brewing and manufacturing powerhouse, but it has undergone a lot of change in the last 15 years. New additions to the city have included the Milwaukee Riverwalk, the Midwest Airlines Center, Miller Park, an internationally renowned addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum, and Pier Wisconsin, as well as major renovations to the Milwaukee Auditorium.
A plethora of museums, restaurants, and theatres can be found around town, and Milwaukee is enjoying an increasingly vibrant music scene.
The Marquette University school songs, "The Marquette University Anthem" and the "Marquette University Fight Song" are traditionally sung by students and alumni during basketball games, accompanied by the school’s pep band. “The Marquette University Anthem” is also played using the carillon bells of the Marquette Hall bell tower during the afternoon.
Gail Collins - Author, reporter and former the New York Times editorial page editor
Anthony Crivello - Tony Award winning actor and screenwriter
Pat Donohue - Acclaimed acoustic guitarist.
Chris Farley - Comedian and Saturday Night Live star.
Len Kasper - Chicago Cubs broadcaster for WGN-TV
Greg Kot - Pop music critic for the Chicago Tribune and co-host of NPR's Sound Opinions
Richard A. Burke - Co-founder and chairman, Trek Bicycle Corporation
Patrick Eugene Haggerty - Co-founder of Texas Instruments
Kathleen Hall Jamieson - Dean, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Rudolf "Rudy" Perpich - Governor of Minnesota, Democrat
Joseph McCarthy - U.S. Senator from Wisconsin known for his anti-Communist policies
Dwyane Wade - NBA All-Star guard with the Miami Heat, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP, captain of the 2006 USA national basketball team
The school's colors are navy blue and gold and their mascot is the Golden Eagle. Marquette competes in NCAA Division I sports, in the Big East Conference. The university has 11 varsity teams: men’s and women’s basketball, cross-country, men's golf, men’s and women’ soccer, track & field, men’s and women’s tennis, and women's volleyball.
Marquette's athletic rivals include Cincinnati, DePaul, Pittsburgh, Louisville, UW-Milwaukee, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin.
The school is well-known for its men's basketball team. Marquette Basketball is 9th in the NCAA for postseason appearances all-time (40), including 26 NCAA Tournament appearances (17th all time). The Warriors, coached by Al McGuire, won the 1977 NCAA Tournament and were runners-up in 1974.
In 2003 Marquette, led by Dwyane Wade, Robert Jackson, Steve Novak, and Travis Diener, defeated top-ranked Kentucky to reach the Final Four. In that game, Wade became one of only four players in NCAA Men's Tournament history to record a triple-double. Wade was named an AP All-American two years in a row and won Conference USA Player of the Year while at Marquette.
"The Marquette University Anthem" and the "Marquette University Fight Song" are sung at most basketball games.
Hilltop was Marquette's yearbook from 1915 to 1999. The publication, spanning 84 years, totaled over 30,000 pages in 82 volumes.
Marquette’s Motto is Numen Flumenque, meaning "God and the River."
Marquette is one of 28 Jesuit Colleges in the United States.
Chris Farley, the comedian and Saturday Night Live star, was a Marquette alum and wore his Marquette Rugby jacket during a college scene in Tommy Boy. Rev. Matt Foley, another alum, was a Rugby mate of Chris Farley and served as inspiration for Farley's motivational speaker character of the same name.
There are 11 sororities and 10 fraternities on campus, and about 10% of the student body is pledged.
Over the years, Marquette has absorbed many existing buildings in the area and turned them into residence halls. Of the eight current student residence halls, only three (O'Donnell Hall, Schroeder Hall and McCormick Hall) were built by the university. Some examples of purchased buildings include Charles Cobeen Hall and M. Carpenter Tower, both Art Deco buildings built in the 1920s on 11th. Glenn Humphrey Hall was once the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin (it is now apartments), and David Straz Tower, which used to be the Downtown Milwaukee YMCA, is now a residence hall, recreation center and administrative office building. The sophomore dorm Mashuda Hall was once the Coach House Motor Inn, where The Beatles stayed during their tour in 1964. Abbottsford Hall—now a freshman residence—used to be The Abbottsford Hotel.
In addition to more traditional residences, there are also a number of University Apartments on campus, which are often favored by upperclassmen.