Videos

The Inauguration of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as Marquette's 23rd president took place Sept. 23, 2011, and included a full range of opportunities to reflect and celebrate with the Marquette community.

How exactly does a university welcome a new president into office? Find out in this behind-the-scenes video that documented campus events and preparations in the weeks leading up to Father Pilarz's Inauguration.

What I Have Learned So Far by Mary Oliver — revered American poet and a favorite of Father Pilarz — is a poem that charges us to be passionate about the just, the ideal, the sublime and the holy. Marquette students recite the poem as inspiration to all of us to act — on campus, in the community and around the world.

In April 2010, Darren Jackson, chair of the Marquette Board of Trustees, introduced Father Pilarz as the 23rd president of Marquette University. Father Pilarz assumed the university's top leadership position on Aug. 1, 2011, succeeding Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., who retired after 15 years as president.

Shortly after being named president-elect, Father Pilarz discussed the enduring value of Catholic, Jesuit education; the importance of teaching; his impressions of Marquette and Milwaukee; his beloved dog, Jack; and his passion for 16th-century poetry and the music of Bruce Springsteen.