[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 58 (Tuesday, May 3, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING REV. ROBERT A. WILD, S.J.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 2011

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., 
President of Marquette University in Milwaukee, whose leadership has 
resulted in groundbreaking new educational and research facilities, 
innovative academic programs, increased donor support, and strong 
relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community.
  Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., began his duties as president of Marquette 
University in Milwaukee on June 17, 1996, and will retire on July 31, 
2011. During his tenure, Father Wild has built upon the university's 
core strengths of an academically rigorous, values-centered curriculum; 
solid, practical preparation of students for work in a world of 
increasing complexity and diversity; and formation of individuals as 
ethical and informed leaders in their religious, cultural, 
professional, and civic communities. Father Wild has also promoted the 
Catholic, Jesuit identity of Marquette by inspiring its mission of the 
search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering 
of personal and professional excellence, the promotion of a life of 
faith, and the development of leadership expressed in service to 
others, all for the greater glory of God and the common benefit of the 
human community.
  Father Wild has committed Marquette to making a higher education 
accessible to all students, regardless of financial means, such that 
more than 20 percent of the student body is now comprised of first-
generation students. He has been a tireless supporter of student 
financial aid and academic support, including the Educational 
Opportunity Program, which enables low-income and first-generation 
students to enter and succeed in higher education via four Federal TRIO 
Programs.
  Father Wild has inspired the formation of diverse leaders at an 
institution that was the first Catholic university in the world to 
admit women to be educated alongside men in its regular undergraduate 
programs in 1909. Marquette now receives more than 20,000 undergraduate 
applications each year to continue to provide a transformative 
experience for our nation's young men and women.
  Numerous faculty and staff have provided their time and talent to 
serving the city of Milwaukee under Father Wild's leadership including 
three dental clinics operated by the School of Dentistry that provide 
oral health care particularly to underserved residents. Father Wild's 
leadership of the Near West Side of Milwaukee recognizes that the 
university's success and that of the community are one and that it is 
important to invest Marquette's work, wisdom and wealth in neighborhood 
goals. His community involvement has spurred neighborhood investment by 
numerous others, making a more vibrant and safer community the lasting 
result. Father Wild has also been a champion for the Milwaukee 
community through the Milwaukee Water Council, where he serves on the 
board, and service to the Greater Milwaukee Committee and the 
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
  Under Father Wild's leadership, Marquette became the first university 
in the country to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for 
full-tuition scholarships; offered the first online master's degree 
program in Wisconsin; established its first endowed deanship; and 
received its first eight-figure contribution from an individual. He led 
Marquette's entry into the BIG EAST Conference in 2005, where 
intercollegiate athletes vie with the most competitive teams in the 
country. In the 15 years of Father Wild's tenure, Marquette completed 
the most successful comprehensive campaign in its history, raising a 
total of nearly $800 million. More than 36,000 individuals have 
received a Marquette degree during Father Wild's tenure, individuals 
rooted in the university's pillars of excellence, faith, leadership and 
service.
  I extend my thanks to Father Wild upon his retirement from Marquette 
University for his unparalleled leadership in transforming not only the 
university and its students, but Milwaukee and Wisconsin in so many 
ways that will have lasting impact for decades to come.

                          ____________________