Marquette parent and donor Daniel S. Jaffee, left, and Marquette University President Kimo Ah Yun unveil the newly endowed Selig-Jaffee Marquette Mentors program. (Submitted photo)
A major gift from a Marquette University parent will help ensure the future of one of the university’s signature student programs for generations to come.
Daniel S. Jaffee made a gift to permanently endow the university’s nationally recognized Marquette Mentors program. In recognition, the initiative will be renamed the Selig-Jaffee Marquette Mentors program.
Operated through the Marquette University Alumni Association, the program connects students with experienced professionals across the country and abroad, providing guidance, career advice and personal support throughout the academic year.
Since its founding, Marquette Mentors has served more than 1,600 students and has earned national recognition from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, which described it as a “gold standard” for mentoring initiatives.
Jaffee said he was inspired to support the program because of its impact on students and its alignment with Marquette’s Jesuit mission. Two of his children graduated from Marquette and participated in the mentoring program, and Jaffee currently serves as a mentor himself. He also credited former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and his father, Dick Jaffee, as influential mentors in his own life.
Marquette President Kimo Ah Yun said alumni mentors help students become independent, engaged and purpose-driven professionals while strengthening the university’s commitment to forming graduates who lead lives of service and purpose.
The program is led by Dan DeWeerdt, the Robert H. Radtke Endowed Director of Marquette Mentors, and includes alumni mentors from approximately 30 states and several European countries.
