A message from Dr. Sarah Feldner, dean of the Diederich College of Communication

I am incredibly excited to be back in my former role as dean of the Diederich College of Communication. It's fantastic to be surrounded by familiar faces in Johnston Hall, and I look forward to seeing the familiar faces among our alumni as well. (I encourage you to come to our upcoming reunion weekend on the morning of Saturday, May 30!)

I am so grateful for the support, strategic direction and energy that Dr. Kati Berg brought to the interim dean role during my time as provost. She will return to the role of associate dean for academic affairs and professor of strategic communication. I know students are looking forward to working with her again!

When President Kimo Ah Yun asked me to serve as the university's acting provost, I had to think long and hard about spending time away from this college. You are a big part of what made that calculation so difficult. Seeing how much passion our alumni have for this institution, watching them selflessly give their time and expertise to current students, getting a front row seat to all the cool places they've gone and things they've done - it is one of my favorite parts of being dean. I missed it during my time in the provost's office.

The College of Communication has been busy in my absence, and you will read about some of the things we've done recently in this newsletter. Specifically, you'll learn about the Comm Coaches, a group of students who are there to help first-year students transition to college. Student success is one of our biggest priorities: it's why our first-year retention rate clears 90 percent. The Comm Coaches are a crucial part of the human infrastructure that makes a figure like that possible. Their impact has been a point of pride for all of us.

You'll also read about the sign language talents of Tracey Sturgal, the chair of our communication studies and strategic communication department who interprets the national anthem before every Marquette men's basketball home game. Finally, you'll hear from Coreen Dicus-Johnson, a college alumna and the CEO of Network Health, one of the highest-rated health plan providers in the country.

Dr. Debbie Tahmassebi started as our new provost in March, and I look forward to giving her my full support. I also am looking forward to spending a full year back in the dean's chair during the 2026-27 academic year. Although the provost and dean role are very different, my fundamental job is the same: remove obstacles to others' success. You have always been fantastic partners in doing that. I can't wait to resume that partnership.

Sincerely,
Dr. Sarah Feldner
Dean of the Diederich College of Communication