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Dear Diederich College of Communication Alumni and Friends:

If there’s one thing that unites Marquette – its students, its faculty, its staff and its alumni – it’s sports. I talk to people representing all those groups, and Marquette athletics is never far from anyone’s mind. You can mark your calendar by the first soccer match at Valley Fields, the Marquette-Wisconsin game and the BIG EAST Tournament, just as surely as you can mark it by the holidays or the changing of the seasons.  

The Diederich College is leveraging this passion, along with our own technical resources and faculty expertise, to launch the Sports Communication major. Students in this program learn about all facets of the industry, including but not limited to on-camera reporting, public relations, marketing, television production and sales. Students in this major will also think critically about the role of sport in culture and how it can be used as a force for social change. Through applied learning, holistic education and ethical discernment, we aim to make Marquette one of the country's premier higher education institutions for sports communicators. 

In this edition of Diederich 101, you will meet three of the people who embody this mission. The first is one of our students, Raquel Ruiz. Raquel won this year’s Axthelm Scholarship, given each year to someone who shows keen interest and ability in sports communication. The second is assistant professor Dr. Lilly Feder, one of the driving forces behind our new major. The third is John Paquette, who is the former senior associate commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference and a proud Marquette alum. 

Our goal is for this college to be a place where driven young people like Raquel are taught by highly skilled professors like Lilly to become engaged, successful professionals like John. Alumni have a key role to play in that journey as mentors, advocates and supporters for our students. I’m consistently blown away by how consistently our alumni show up for us. Know that I am always grateful for it. 

Sincerely, 
Dr. Kati Berg 
Acting Dean, Diederich College of Communication