Marquette University

Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States of America. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It currently has a student body of 11,500, making it one of the largest Jesuit universities in the United States, and the largest private university in the state of Wisconsin. The largest college within the university is the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts & Sciences. Athletics programs at Marquette compete in the Big East Conference.

Marquette has also risen in stature and prestige academically in the past decade, along with increasingly selective admissions policies. This has culminated in Marquette being ranked 82^nd among National Universities in U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges 2008."

Campus

Marquette is located on an 80-acre (320,000 m²) campus in the near downtown Milwaukee neighborhood of University Hill, on the former Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Lake Michigan is roughly one mile east of the edge 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, bisects the campus. The university is positioned adjacent northwest and partially northeast of the Marquette Interchange, which was named so because of its proximity to the campus.

Major buildings

• Sensenbrenner Hall currently houses the Marquette University Law School. One of the oldest buildings on campus, Sensenbrenner Hall is known for its stained-glass windows and traditional design, especially in the Howard B. Eisenberg Memorial Hall. Attached to it is the Law Library, which has contrasting, modern architecture. By 2010, the School of Law will be moved into a new facility south of the current one, and while it will not be demolished, the future use of Sensenbrenner Hall is uncertain.
• Robert A. Johnston Hall, which houses the J. William & Mary Diederich College of Communications. Built at the turn of the 20th century, the fledgling Marquette College almost went bankrupt to build this until Robert A. Johnston, a local confectioner, donated just over $100,000 to save the project. For a short while, Johnston Hall housed the entire College, including the Jesuit faculty. The now ivy-covered building once featured an observatory for astronomy students. MUTV, the student-run television station, MUR, the student-run radio station, and the Marquette Tribune, the student-produced newspaper, are produced in Johnston Hall.
• Gesu Church, completed in 1894, is considered the spiritual center of the campus, although it is not technically affiliated with the university. The Jesuit parish was designed by architect Henry Koch in the French Gothic style. It is said to be a scaled-down version of Chartres Cathedral in France. Student-organized masses are held each Sunday in Gesu Church, along with the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit, a traditional celebration at many Jesuit universities to begin the school year.
• Marquette Hall, built in 1924, is the four-story building that originally served as Marquette's Science Building with offices, classrooms and labs. In 1976, it was renamed Marquette Hall in honor of the University's namesake, Jesuit missionary-explorer Father Jacques Marquette, S.J. One of the most widely-recognized buildings on campus, Marquette Hall is home to several offices, including Undergraduate Admissions on the first floor. The four-story building features three lecture halls with 300 seats each. In the tower of Marquette Hall is the university carillon, a set of 48 bells. The bells are played every Wednesday and for special events.
• The John P. Raynor, S.J. Library, completed in 2003 at a cost of almost $60 million, is named for one of Marquette's former presidents. It contains many of J. R. R. Tolkien's original manuscripts, and serves as one of the main study areas on campus. In addition to the Raynor Library, Marquette also features a law library associated with its law school as well as the university's longstanding library, Memorial Library, which was built in the early 1950s.
• Alumni Memorial Union (AMU, for short), the student union, is at the center of campus. The five-story brick building was completed in 1990 and features a ballroom for 800 guests, numerous offices for student organizations, a coffee shop called "Brew Bayou", the university's information center, a post office, US Bank branch, game room, cafeteria, and the campus gift shop. An adjacent auditorium, named for alumnus Tony Weasler and his wife, Lucille, is connected to the AMU by a covered promenade. Also part of the AMU is the Chapel of the Holy Family which holds a popular, standing-room-only student mass each Sunday night.
• St. Joan of Arc Chapel, the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere still used for its original purpose, is also located at Marquette (although it originated in France and was relocated to the U.S., first to New York, then to Milwaukee). Originally built in France in the 15th century, the Chapel was donated to the university by Mr. and Mrs. Marc Rojtman in 1964 and reconstructed piece by piece in 1966. Today, the St. Joan of Arc Chapel hosts daily weekday masses at noon and 10pm.
• The Union Sports Annex is a popular hangout for students, especially during men's basketball season. "The Annex," as it is called, is almost entirely underground and features a restaurant, bar, sport court, and bowling lanes. In 2003 ESPN columnist Jim Caple called it the "best place to watch a game."
• The Al McGuire Center, named for the legendary Marquette basketball coach, was opened in 2004 and is home to the women's volleyball and basketball teams and serves as the practice facility and administrative offices for the men's basketball team.
• The School of Dentistry building holds Wisconsin's only dental school. Completed in 2002, the building boasts pre-clinical labs, classrooms and even a community dental clinic.
• Valley Fields, used for men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, and various club athletics, is located across the Menomonee River in the Menomonee Valley, just south of the main campus. It is currently undergoing a $5 million renovation to add covered bleachers and other facility improvements.
• The well-renowned Patrick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of Art is also an important and impressive fixture at the university. The museum now features more than 8,000 works from the old masters to contemporary art works from such artists as Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, Keith Haring and Roberto Matta.

Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States of America. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It currently has a student body of 11,500, making it one of the largest Jesuit universities in the United States, and the largest private university in the state of Wisconsin. The largest college within the university is the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts & Sciences. Athletics programs at Marquette compete in the Big East Conference.