MILWAUKEE — Marquette University officially has a new seal after the Board of Trustees approved its design on Monday.
The process of updating the seal began in 2020 when President Michael Lovell formed the university seal committee, comprised of experts from across the university.
The goal of the committee was to update the seal to reflect Marquette's history, tradition, and Catholic, Jesuit tradition. The biggest goal, however, was to more accurately depict the role of the Indigenous nations that guided Father Marquette on his journey.
Before the change, the seal showed Father Marquette in a boat being rowed by an indigenous man. Now, the seal does not feature Father Marquette or anyone else for that matter.
"We likewise sought to create a seal with a sense of history, purpose, pride, and healing that supports the efforts of institutional change, progress, and reconciliation. The updated university seal is a beautiful reflection of who we are and what we stand for,” said President Lovell.
According to Marquette Today, the seal is used on official and presidential documents and events. It is also embedded into an outdoor archway on campus and several buildings.
“Seeing the progress that the Office of Marketing and Communication, in conjunction with Kristelle Ulrich, has made on Marquette’s seal really inspired me when I first saw it last week,” says Alex Liberato, a 2021 alumnus and former leader of the Native American Student Association. “The narrative style’s connection to our Indigenous history, along with the classic Jesuit imagery, tells a story of a combined but independent history of our Indigenous nations and the Jesuit travelers.”
