Nationwide search of route 30 bus line lands new Marquette president

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported UWM's Michael Lovell tapped to lead Marquette University.

"Lovell, who couldn't be reached, is a devout Catholic."

That phrase gets tossed around a lot. Here's what the reporter Karen Herzog cites.

"He and his wife of 20 years were college sweethearts at the University of Pittsburgh. Their first date was at the campus Catholic Newman Club.

In an interview before he was inaugurated at UWM, Amy Lovell described her husband as a man of faith and a proud Catholic.

"'He prays a lot for the university and for the wisdom to lead,' she said."

Ms. Herzog examines further in a follow-up article, Faith drives UWM's Michael Lovell to become Marquette's president.

"Lovell said he consulted his longtime spiritual adviser, who told him God was calling him to this decision.

"'It became clear to me I was called to Milwaukee six years ago to become Marquette's president,' he said."

It happens that during Mr. Lovell's time as chancellor, I've been taking some courses at UW-M. I will now know more about a Marquette president's faith life than I did about Fr. John Raynor's when I was an undergraduate at MU.

Update: Chancellor Lovell's March 26, 2014 email to the UW-M community included

"My decision to step down as Chancellor of UW-Milwaukee has been the most difficult one of my professional career. I know that many of you will be surprised by my decision. Those closest to me, however, know how important my Catholic faith is in my life, and having the ability to integrate my religious life with my professional life is something that I always wanted to do in my career.

"When I accepted the full-time position of Chancellor in 2011, I never anticipated leaving UWM for a position at another university in Wisconsin. Several months ago, when I was approached by Marquette about its presidency, I declined because I could not imagine leaving UWM at that time. But in recent weeks, as several people asked me to keep an open mind, I began to hear a calling to serve at an institution where I could more openly share my Catholic faith."

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel background article is headlined Michael Lovell's spirituality played role in choice to lead Marquette, though it goes on to report

"Lovell said Wednesday that he is still learning about the Jesuits and their Ignatian spirituality."

This is immediately followed by

"But Lovell's Catholic faith is central to who he is, says Summers [Father Bryan Summers who met the Lovells while chaplain at Pitt], who described Lovell's views as 'in sync with (dogma and doctrine of) the church.' Lovell has voiced admiration for the late Pope John Paul II, who is widely seen as moving the church to the right during his 27-year papacy."

That characterization of John Paul presumably being the reporter's, not Chancellor Lovell's. Other possible pigeonholing material includes

"The Lovells, who have four children, are active at Holy Family Catholic Church in Whitefish Bay. Both take part in the Eucharistic adoration, an ancient devotional practice in which the faithful venerate the consecrated host seen by Catholics as the body of Christ."

Update 2: For you out-of-towners, here's a map of the route 30 bus line. MU is at the bottom [4], UW-M at the upper right [7]. It's about a 21 minute ride.