Over the past decade Marquette has grown significantly. As an institution it was ranked 77th, among the top national universities, in the 2009 edition of America’s Best Colleges, released by U.S. News & World Report. Both the quality of the students and the endowment has risen, and Marquette appears to be progressing in the right direction. In order to maintain this progression Marquette must continue to reassess and improve itself.
Marquette’s goal should be to become the best Catholic university in the country. This will not happen overnight but it is certainly possible. In order for this to happen Marquette needs to have input from students, alumni and faculty. The Warrior plans to provide this feedback through its various news pieces which will hold the university accountable, articles that expose inefficiency and waste and finally through suggestions from opinion columnists such as myself.
Hopefully these articles will encourage others to look for ways in which Marquette can improve itself and become a better institution. My first suggestion deals with the campus. For the most part this campus is beautiful, especially when there isn’t three feet of snow on the ground. But there are a few buildings, one in particular, that need to be removed. This building is none other than the white, egg-windowed beauty that is Lalumiere Hall. Dedicated in 1970, this structure is impressively hideous to look upon. Unfortunately it is strategically located along Clybourn, poorly representing Marquette University to all the drivers and potential students who are traveling by.
This location is an excellent place to build an impressive structure which could draw in individuals driving through Milwaukee to Marquette. Hopefully the future Law School will be able to capture some attention and take some responsibility in attracting future students. However, the university is missing out on an extremely valuable opportunity by leaving this building in place. Improving the image of Marquette goes a long way towards recruiting and being accepted as a top institution. This campus has certainly improved significantly over the years, but much more can and needs to be done.
Facts and figures:
1. The Foreign Language department and the department of Social and Cultural Sciences are housed in Lalumiere.
2. The oval windows which form a honeycomb measure 11 feet high and 7 feet wide, and are made of concrete and quartz panels.
3. Dedicated in 1970, the building is named after Rev. Stanislaus Lalumiere, S.J., who was Marquette’s fourth president.
Popularity: 10% [?]
September 11th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
The word on the street is that they originally forgot to design in windows for this building and then just decided to make some of the panels windows.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:32 am
I agree, the building is very ugly, inside and out. I have spent the majority of my time here at Marquette taking classes in LL Hall. They really should knock it all down and build a new structure.
October 4th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Anybody given any serious consideration to what it would cost to knock down the language center? And where the money to replace it would come from?
Look, the building is classic 1970s period architecture. Go to a number of cities throughout the United States and will will see structures in the same genre. Much of the 1960s and 1970s Marquette is, well, gone. If you accept the aestetic argument about the language center, then the Wehr buildings should be knocked down too.
Leave it up and accept it for what it is — a time capsule from a distant past.
January 12th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
I agree. Lalumiere is ugly…and while we’re at it, take out McCormick too.