Simmons Religious Commitment Fund
Established in memory of Edward D. Simmons, this fund, administered by the Office of Mission and Ministry, provides support to projects designed to advance the mission of Marquette University. It does so through Targeted Grants and through Faculty Mission Integration Fellowships.
Faculty Mission Integration Fellowships (FMIFs)
Faculty Mission Integration Fellowships (FMIFs) enable faculty to deepen their understanding of mission at Marquette by means of a stipend so that they can develop programming to advance mission integration in a particular area of interest. By providing stipends of $1500 per semester, or $3000 per year, the fellowship enables faculty to explore how, by drawing on the resources of our Ignatian heritage, we might integrate the mission more deeply into Marquette University.
Accepted proposals from recent years included the following:
1. Drs. Lilly Campbell and Jenna Green - Associate Professor; Teaching Assistant Professor and Direstor of Foundations Instruction, Department of English
Developing a model for situating considerations of race within a larger mission context in English 1001.
2. Dr. Dinorah Cortes-Velez - Professor of Spanish, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Culture
Developing an Ignatian anti-racist pedagogy in Foundations-level language courses.
3. Dr. Enaya Othman - Associate Professor of Arabic, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Culture
Organizing a second conference at MU on mission-based approaches to disability.
4. Dr. Louise Cainkar - Professor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies program, Department of Sociology and Social Welfare and Justice
Implementing community-based trainings in restorative practices for Afghan refugee women.
5. Dr. Alexandra Crampton - Associate Professor, Department of Social and Cultural Sciences
Practicing restorative justice and reconciliation within the Marquette Community.
6. Dr. Elizabeth Angeli - Associate Professor, Department of English
Preparing faculty to teach and advise students in career diversity and discernment.
7. Dr. Sylvia Peña - Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing
Measuring and fostering a sense of belonging among undergraduate Marquette nursing students, especially those from underrepresented racial and ethnic communities.
8. Dr. Linda Piacentine - Associate Professor, Department of Nursing
Updating and strengthening the use of Ignatian pedagogy in Nursing, as well as surveying current faculty understanding of Jesuit education at Marquette.
9. Dr. Michael Olson - Teaching Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy
Developing and running a Mission in Foundations of Philosophy workshop for graduate student Teaching Assistants in the Department of Philosophy preparing to teach Foundations in Philosophy (PHIL 1001).
10. Dr. Chris Stockdale - Assistant Department Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Physics
Creating a seminar series for faculty to engage with and explore the place of Ignatian philosophies in their lives as faculty members at Marquette.
FMIFs will require that faculty participate in a bi-weekly study group with other FMIF faculty and one or more Jesuits. These study groups will provide a forum for discussing readings related to Jesuit mission, the relevance of Jesuit sources to their projects, and refinement of the program(s)/event(s) prior to launch. Projects will produce (a) program(s)/event(s) to be executed within the time of the fellowship. The program(s) or event(s) will then become available for use or adaptation by the Office of Mission and Ministry and/or other members of the Marquette University community to further integrate mission into the life of the university.
Submissions for the group for the 2026-27 academic year are due Friday, February 27. For proposal guidelines, please contact Fr. Jim Pribek, S.J., at james.pribek@marquette.edu.
Targeted Grants (TG)
Targeted Grants (TG) up to $2000 are available for programs or events which deepen the Catholic, Jesuit identity of Marquette University. Because the grants are relatively small, it is essential that the funds be clearly targeted toward faith, excellence, leadership, and service. Proposals that are interdisciplinary, interdepartmental, promote diversity, or focus on formation of hears and minds will receive special consideration. No more than two TG proposals from any given department may be submitted per semester.
