Friend of the College Award

Scott W. Kilrea, Bus Ad ’82
Hilton Head, S.C.

When Scott Kilrea looks back on his years at Marquette, he thinks fondly of the process of getting to know fellow students. “I was together for the first time with people from various backgrounds who were different than me, talking with them about their customs, experiences, and opinions,” he recalls.

So it’s fitting that Scott has chosen to support the Marquette University Civic Dialogues program. Created by Heidi Bostic, dean of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education, the program gives students structured opportunities to talk with one another about pressing issues, bridging differences in politics and lived experience.

Given that it’s increasingly rare for people with differing views and backgrounds to engage in respectful dialogue, Scott appreciates Dean Bostic’s foresight. “She had the vision to see that Marquette students would benefit from structured discussion around sensitive topics,” he says.

After the sale of his financial services company in 2005, Scott used proceeds to start a charitable foundation. He is currently enjoying a brand-new role: as grandfather to three grandchildren under age 2, with another grandchild on the way.

He is clearly committed to helping young people engage with one another. “Discussions on uncomfortable topics occurred organically when I was a student in the 70s and early 80s,” he notes. He aims for today’s Marquette students to have similar experiences.

“I hope that this program helps students to disagree without being disagreeable,” he says.

Fun Facts:

Name someone (past or present) with whom you'd like to have dinner.

John D. Rockefeller or any industrialist of the Gilded Age.

Why did you choose to attend Marquette?

My father got transferred from New Jersey to the Chicago area just before my senior year of high school. I had to choose a school that was closer to my new home. Marquette won the NCAA basketball championship that year. I saw the students celebrating and decided they looked like fun.