Marquette University Marquette University ( ) is a private , coeducational , Jesuit , Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee , Wisconsin . Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881 , the school 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 and currently has a student body of 11 , 600 . Marquette is one of the largest Jesuit universities in the United States , and the largest private university in Wisconsin . History . Marquette University was founded on August 28 , 1881 as Marquette College by John Martin Henni , the first Catholic bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee . The university was named after 17th century missionary and explorer Father Jacques Marquette , S . J . . The highest priority of the newly established college was to provide an affordable Catholic education to the area ' s emerging German immigrant population . Marquette College officially became a university in 1907 . Marquette University High School , formerly the preparatory department of the university , became a separate institution the same year . Initially an all - male institution , Marquette University became the first coed Catholic university in the world , when it admitted its first female students in 1909 . Marquette University acquired the Wisconsin College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1913 , and opened schools of medicine ( including nursing ) , dentistry , and pharmacy . Marquette ' s School of Medicine separated from Marquette in 1967 to become the Medical College of Wisconsin . The two largest donations to Marquette University came within the same academic year . The second - largest gift was given by an anonymous couple who have , over time , donated over $ 50 million to the university . On December 18 , 2006 , President Rev . Robert A . Wild , S . J . announced that the couple donated $ 25 million to the College of Engineering . Less than five months later , on May 4 , 2007 , Marquette announced a $ 51 million gift from Raymond and Kathryn Eckstein that will directly benefit the Marquette University School of Law . The gift is currently the largest amount ever given to a Wisconsin university . Campus . Marquette is located on a 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 , placing academic buildings on the south side , and residence halls and other offices and buildings on the north side . Named after the university , the Marquette Interchange is also close to campus . Academics . The university includes 11 schools and colleges : Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences , College of Business Administration , J . William and Mary Diederich College of Communication , College of Education , College of Engineering , College of Health Sciences , College of Nursing , College of Professional Studies , Graduate School , Marquette University School of Dentistry , and Marquette University Law School . Marquette ' s largest college is the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences . Rankings . In 2013 , Marquette ranked 83rd overall among undergraduate programs for national research universities by " U . S . News & World Report " . " Washington Monthly " , another nationally - recognized college ranking source , listed Marquette as 97th among the country ' s best universities . The " Center for College Affordability & Productivity " in Washington , D . C . ranked Marquette 69th overall , based on professor reviews , graduation rates , student grants , and the success of graduates in their vocations . In its 2013 edition , " Princeton Review " named Marquette as one of the " Best 376 Colleges in the U . S . " and one of the best Midwestern schools . Marquette was named to the 2012 list of institutions on the President ’ s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction . In 2009 , " Kiplinger ' s Personal Finance " magazine ranked Marquette 44th in the country for best value among private institutions . Marquette was also selected as one of 49 schools listed in the 2013 " Fiske Guide to Colleges " as a " Best Buy School . " College and program rankings . College of Arts & Sciences The biological sciences major was ranked 136th and clinical psychology was ranked 99th in the country by " U . S . News & World Report " . College of Business Administration and Graduate School of Management Overall , Marquette ' s undergraduate program ranked 77th in " BusinessWeek " ' s 2013 rankings . " U . S . News " listed Marquette ' s undergraduate majors in supply chain management as 16th , finance as 17th , accounting as 23rd and the entrepreneurship program as 24th nationwide . " U . S . News " put Marquette ' s graduate international business program at 22nd overall in 2013 and the executive MBA program ranked 15th . The part - time MBA program was ranked 65th . College of Nursing In 2012 , " U . S . News " listed the College of Nursing graduate program as the 44th best in the country , while its nursing - midwifery program was 19th nationally . The College has one of only five doctorate programs in the U . S . with a " teacher / scholar " focus . College of Education The College of Education ' s graduate degree was most recently ranked 79th overall by " U . S . News " . College of Engineering The school ' s graduate biomedical engineering program was ranked 53rd in 2013 by " U . S . News & World Report " . College of Health Sciences The physical therapy program was ranked 12th in the nation in 2013 by " U . S . News & World Report " , and the physician assistant program was ranked 42nd . The speech - language pathology program was ranked 62nd in the nation in 2013 as well . Law School The Marquette Law School ranked among the top 100 schools , according to " U . S . News " , with its dispute resolution program ranking 7th and its part - time law degree ranking 19th . The legal writing program was 22nd overall . Student life . Marquette ' s 11 , 500 students come from all 50 states , various U . S . territories , and represent more than 80 countries . Among these students are traditional - age undergraduates , adult undergraduate learners in the College of Professional Studies , and graduate students pursuing master ' s degrees and doctorates in the arts , sciences and engineering . Marquette University also has a moderate number of law students and dental students . About 61 % of the student population hails from out of state . The majority of Marquette ' s students come from the Midwestern United States , generally from the metropolitan area s surrounding Chicago , Milwaukee , Madison , Minneapolis , Detroit , and St . Louis . The student body is roughly 51 % female . Many students are Catholic . The retention rate for Marquette is high , with about 90 % of students returning for their sophomore year . Marquette administers an Educational Opportunity Program ( EOP ) , a federally funded TRIO program that is intended to motivate and enable low - income and first generation students , whose parents do not have a baccalaureate degree , to enter and succeed in higher education . Eligible students , who potential for success and enroll at Marquette , are provided with a pre - enrollment summer program , a network of supportive services , financial aid assistance , academic counseling , specialized courses , seminars , tutoring and educational and career counseling . Residence halls . Throughout the years , Marquette has absorbed many existing buildings in the area , especially for use as residence halls . Of the nine current student residence halls , only three ( O ' Donnell Hall , Schroeder Hall and McCormick Hall ) were originally built by the university . Some examples of absorbed buildings include Charles Cobeen Hall , a former hotel , and M . Carpenter Tower , an Art Deco building , both constructed in the 1920s on 11th Street that have been converted into undergraduate residence halls . Glenn Humphrey Hall , a student apartment complex that was once the Children ’ s Hospital of Wisconsin , and David Straz Tower , which was formerly the Downtown Milwaukee YMCA , and is now a residence hall , recreation center and administrative office building . Mashuda Hall , a sophomore dorm , was once the Coach House Motor Inn where The Beatles stayed during their tour in 1964 . Abbottsford Hall served as The Abbottsford Hotel until the university purchased it for use as graduate apartments . It was converted into a freshman residence hall for the 2005 – 2006 academic year . The university also purchased the Marquette Apartments complex in 2008 , and it was remodeled as a sophomore residence hall , renamed McCabe Hall , for the 2009 – 2010 academic year . Athletics . The Golden Eagle is Marquette ' s mascot and the school colors are Marquette Blue and Marquette Gold , with powder blue incorporated in the 1970s and late 2000s . Marquette is a Division I member of the NCAA and competes in the Big East Conference . The university has 11 varsity teams : basketball , cross - country , men ' s golf , soccer , track & field , tennis and women ' s volleyball . In 2013 , Marquette will begin competition in varsity men ' s and women ' s lacrosse as a member of the Big East . Football was discontinued by the university after the 1960 season for financial reasons . Since joining the Big East in 2005 , the Golden Eagles have won conference championships in men ' s golf and women ' s soccer . Marquette ' s athletic rivals include Syracuse , Cincinnati , DePaul , Louisville , Notre Dame , Pittsburgh , and Wisconsin . In 1962 , Marquette was the first college in the U . S . to sign a Hispanic to play basketball on the college level . In 2009 , because of Marquette , Milwaukee was named by CNN as one of America ' s great college basketball towns . Mascot and nickname . Marquette ' s intercollegiate athletic teams were the " Warriors " from May 1954 to July 1994 when the nickname was changed to the " Golden Eagles " . Prior to 1962 Marquette football was known as " Golden Avalanche " and other teams were known as " Warriors , " " Blue and Gold , " and " Hilltoppers " . The Marquette Warriors ( the nickname that preceded Golden Eagles ) won the NCAA basketball championship in 1977 . In 2004 , Marquette began to consider changing the name back to Warriors , and conducted a poll that showed 92 percent of alumni and 62 percent of students " identified " with that nickname . However , the Board of Trustees ignored the results of the poll on the grounds that previous logos had been disrespectful to Native Americans , and changed the nickname to simply " Gold " . An intensely negative reaction by students , faculty , alumni , and fans led to yet another series of votes , which eventually pitted " Golden Eagles " against " Hilltoppers " . Respondents were told in advance that write - in votes for " Warriors " would not be tabulated , although those results were later released , and " Golden Eagles " was restored in June 2005 . Clubs and organizations . The university has more than 230 student organizations in various fields of interest . This includes Phi Beta Kappa , an academic honors society for arts and sciences students ; Alpha Sigma Nu , an international Jesuit honor society , founded at Marquette in 1915 ; and Psi Chi . Marquette has over 20 student organizations dedicated to community service and / or social awareness . Some of these include Big Brothers Big Sisters , Gay Straight Alliance , Engineers Without Borders , and Empowerment . Marquette ' s on - campus security is composed of the Department of Public Safety and Student Safety Program employees . Students on campus use services provided by the two organizations , including the LIMO program , an entirely student staffed transportation service , which is the first of its kind in the country . Greek life . Marquette University is host to 23 Greek organizations and , as of 2009 , 10 % of the total undergraduate student body is active in Greek life . Sororities are slightly more popular than fraternities , with 11 . 7 % of the female student population involved in Greek life , compared to 7 . 45 % of men . As of 2011 , Alpha Xi Delta was Marquette ' s largest sorority and Kappa Sigma the largest fraternity . Currently , the all - Greek grade point average is higher than the all - university average , and members of Marquette Greek organizations contributed over 11 , 000 hours of volunteer service to the community during the 2007 – 2008 academic year . The international engineering sorority Alpha Omega Epsilon was founded at Marquette on November 13 , 1983 . Interfraternity Council ( IFC ) National Pan - Hellenic Council ( NPHC ) Fraternities : Sororities : All member fraternities and sororities of NPHC nationwide , including those at Marquette University , are historically made up primarily of African - American students . Panhellenic Association ( NPC ) Former Greek Life School songs . The school song s , " The Marquette University Anthem " and the " Marquette University Fight Song , " are generally sung by students and alumni during basketball games , accompanied by the pep band . However , the former is often played using the carillon bells of the Marquette Hall bell tower . " The Marquette University Anthem , " as it was originally known , is now referred to almost exclusively as " Hail Alma Mater . " The tune was written by Liborius Semmann , a music teacher from Wisconsin . The Fight Song is more commonly referred to as " Ring Out Ahoya , " although the actual meaning of the word " Ahoya " is open to a great deal of debate . One leading theory is that the call of " Ahoya " was often made by sailors on the Potomac river while passing Georgetown University in Washington , D . C . , hence Georgetown getting its nickname of " Hoyas . " The cheer was then relayed from priests and professors moving between the two Jesuit universities . The lur horn or long tuba of the modern pep band sounds a traditional ship ' s signal during the " Ring Out Ahoya " . People . University Presidents . 1881 - 1882 Rev . Joseph Rigge , S . J . 1882 - 1884 Rev . Isidore J . Boudreaux , S . J . 1884 - 1887 Rev . Thomas S . Fitzgerald , S . J . 1887 - 1889 Rev . Stanislaus P . La Lumiere , S . J . 1889 - 1891 Rev . Joseph Grimmelsman , S . J . 1891 - 1892 Rev . Rudolph J . Meyer , S . J . 1892 - 1893 Rev . Victor Plutten , S . J . 1893 - 1898 Rev . Leopold Bushard , S . J . 1898 - 1900 Rev . William B . Rogers , S . J . 1900 - 1908 Rev . Alexander J . Burrowes , S . J . 1908 - 1911 Rev . James McCabe , S . J . 1911 - 1915 Rev . Joseph Grimmelsman S . J . 1915 - 1922 Rev . Herbert C . Noonan , S . J . 1922 - 1928 Rev . Albert C . Fox , S . J . 1928 - 1936 Rev . William M . Magee , S . J . 1935 - 1944 Rev . Raphael C . McCarthy , S . J . 1944 - 1948 Rev . Peter A . Brooks , S . J . 1948 - 1962 Rev . Edward J . O ' Donnell , S . J 1962 - 1965 Rev . William F . Kelley , S . J . 1965 - 1990 Rev . John P . Raynor , S . J . 1990 - 1996 Rev . Albert J . DiUlio , S . J . 1996 - 2011 Rev . Robert A . Wild , S . J . 2011 - present Rev . Scott R . Pilarz , S . J . Faculty . The following is a list of notable faculty past and present .