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CV NEWS FEED // Micheal R. Lovell, the beloved president of Marquette University, passed away while on a Jesuit formation pilgrimage in Rome.
“It is with deep sadness that we write to share the difficult news that Marquette University President Michael R. Lovell passed away today following a three-year battle with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer,” the Catholic Jesuit University in Milwaukee announced in a June 9 news release.
President Lovell and his wife, Amy, had been in Rome for the pilgrimage with members of the Society of Jesus and the board of trustees when the 57-year-old fell sick and had to be transported to a hospital, according to the University.
“President Lovell’s decade of leadership at Marquette was marked by a deep commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship, and community renewal and development — consistent with the university’s Catholic, Jesuit mission that animated him,” the news release said. “ An entrepreneur at heart, President Lovell pushed Marquette and Milwaukee to ask what could be rather than settling for the status quo.”
According to local reports, Milwaukee community members flooded social media sites with condolences in reaction to Lovell’s passing.
“I had great respect for Mike,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers wrote on X. “He cared deeply about Milwaukee and the students and faculty he led, and I was always uplifted by his positive and professional manner. Truly a loss.
The University stated in the release it would host a campus prayer vigil and announce details soon regarding funeral arrangements, adding: “The days ahead will be full of heartbreak. In this time of grief and sadness, let us come together as a community linked by faith and love.”
