College of Nursing Award Recipients
Alumna in Service to Nursing Award
DR. MADELINE MUSANTE WAKE,
NURS '68, GRAD '71
Milwaukee
Madeline’s distinguished career at Marquette included serving as professor, dean of the College of Nursing and university provost. These days, she’s as busy as ever. Madeline is board chair for Youthaiti, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization that improves sanitation, hygiene and agriculture in rural Haiti and provides service work in Ethiopia.
Madeline and a group of volunteers have made several trips to Ethiopia to provide workshops for Catholic school system teachers and administrators, focusing on teaching English literacy and health concepts, with the ultimate goal of empowering girls and reducing harmful traditional practices.
“Marquette’s values, mission, mentors and colleagues have definitely shaped my life,” she says.
Madeline began shaping Marquette years ago. She began her career here in 1977 as a nursing professor. From 1993–2002, she served as dean of the College of Nursing and, from 2002–07, provost of the university. She then held the Rev. John P. Raynor, S.J., Endowed Chair as university professor from 2007–11.
Developments during Madeline’s deanship included a faculty practice model; initiation of nurse practitioner, nurse-midwifery, direct-entry M.S.N. and advanced nurse-scholar programs; training programs in Kenya and the Republic of Georgia; and the center for end-of-life care education. As provost, she advanced faculty shared-governance, student learning assessment and global education.
Madeline has held several noteworthy positions, including as president of the Wisconsin Diabetes Association; program chair of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses’ national and international conferences; board member and treasurer of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing; and board chair of Trinity Memorial Hospital and the Aurora Visiting Nurse Association.
She also spent nine years as a member of the core team that developed the International Classification for Nursing Practice for the Geneva, Switzerland–based International Council of Nurses. The ICNP is now included in the official classifications of the World Health Organization.
“I like to bring people together to improve lives,” says Madeline, who was selected as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. “Success is in the process, as well as the product.”
Fun Facts
Hometown: Bridgeport, Conn.
Favorite book: “A Religion of One’s Own by Thomas Moore.”
Marquette legacy: “My daughter and son attended Marquette. My grandchildren are too young for college but are strong Marquette basketball fans.”
Most influential Marquette faculty: “Two nursing faculty mentors stand out, Professor Agnes Reinders and Dr. Audrey McLane.”
