Marquette received a $15 million gift in February from alumnus and television star Marcus Lemonis to create the Lemonis Center for Student Success, which will provide wraparound services for students across all majors, academic abilities, and backgrounds to enrich and expand student opportunities.
Lemonis, star of HGTV’s The Renovator and CNBC’s The Profit, and chairman and CEO of Camping World, graduated in 1995 from Marquette’s Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences.
Marquette will rename its Memorial Library to the Lemonis Center for Student Success and house the new center in the highly visible, centrally located space on campus. The center will build on Marquette’s Catholic, Jesuit tradition, helping students engage in thoughtful discernment infused in Ignatian education. Further, it will connect students with a network of advisers, mentors, and resources from day one through graduation.
The Lemonis Center will employ innovative technology and research to support students as they develop the skills and resilience to overcome challenges, from lack of connection and mental health crises to academic or financial setbacks.
“It is always important for (my wife) Bobbi and me to create a clear path to success for every individual, no matter where they are from or what they are studying,” Lemonis said. “As an alumnus who got the most out of my experience, it was paramount for me to highlight the things that worked and to strengthen the things that could get better. This initial gift is the start of building the road for others.”
Provost Kimo Ah Yun said, “We are sincerely grateful for this generous gift from Marcus, which will dramatically elevate the student experience. The Lemonis Center for Student Success will be a major step forward to help ensure that all students thrive beyond initial access and scholarship support.”