Feb. 4, 2025
MILWAUKEE 鈥� Diane Foley, president of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, will serve as 糖心logo's 2025 undergraduate Commencement speaker, and Dr. Anne Basting, emerita professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and founder of the award-winning nonprofit TimeSlips.org, will speak at the Graduate School and Graduate School of Management ceremony. As part of the university鈥檚 Commencement ceremonies, Foley will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree and Basting will receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree.
Marquette鈥檚 Commencement ceremonies will take place on either Saturday, May 10, or Sunday, May 11, at Fiserv Forum, pending the Milwaukee Bucks鈥� playoff schedule. The final date will be .
鈥淒iane Foley embodies the values central to our Catholic, Jesuit mission, and is an inspiring speaker with a compelling story of hope and compassion,鈥� said Marquette President Kimo Ah Yun. 鈥淭he legacy of James Foley and his moral courage lives on at Marquette, and Diane shepherds her son's legacy. Her courage and resilience in the face of immense loss is inspiring, as is the forgiveness she has demonstrated in the years since. I look forward to hearing her speak at Commencement and I know our graduates will find inspiration as they leave Marquette to write their own stories.鈥�
Foley鈥檚 son Jim, a 1996 Marquette alumnus, was a freelance journalist captured and beheaded by ISIS in 2014. She became a national leader in hostage advocacy and founded the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation to advocate for freedom for innocent Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad and for journalist safety. She has raised awareness about international hostage taking through her government advocacy, the documentary, 鈥淛im: the James Foley Story,鈥� and opinion pieces in The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today.
Foley鈥檚 story of perseverance and forgiveness was chronicled in Colum McCann鈥檚 鈥淎merican Mother,鈥� a 2024 book that shares the heart-rending story of a mother who, in the course of confronting her son鈥檚 killer, gets to the elemental heart of violence and forgiveness. Seven years after Jim鈥檚 murder, Foley got the chance to spend three days with the murderer of her son in a Virginia courthouse, inspiring her to tell her life story. What unfolds is one of the most compelling narratives in recent literary history, channeled into searing reality by McCann, who takes readers on a journey of strength, resilience and radical empathy.
Foley received a Marquette alumni award on behalf of Jim, who was honored posthumously with the university鈥檚 Service Award alongside the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation in memoriam of the 10th anniversary of his murder. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, Dr. John W. Foley, and is the mother of four other children and seven grandchildren.
Anne Basting
Basting is a writer, artist and advocate for the power of creativity to transform our lives. Her award-winning nonprofit TimeSlips.org inspires and supports the infusion of creativity and meaning-making into health and social care systems. A native of Wisconsin, Basting received a master鈥檚 degree in theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. in theatre from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She taught in the arts and humanities for 25 years at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Basting鈥檚 writing and large-scale public performances have helped shape an international movement to extend creative and meaningful expression from childhood, where it is expected, through to late life, where it has been too long withheld. She is author of several books including 鈥�,鈥� 鈥�,鈥� and 鈥�.鈥�
Internationally recognized for her inspiring speaking and innovative work, Basting is the recipient of a MacArthur 鈥淕enius鈥� Fellowship, and numerous major awards and grants. She believes that creativity is an innate human capacity that can and should be infused into every care system. She has trained/consulted with Meals on Wheels, libraries, home care companies, senior centers, memory cafes, museums, adult day programs and every level of long-term care.
Basting is currently writing new essays on her , and is at work on multiple projects including an effort to sustainably grow the memory cafe infrastructure from 900 to 9,000 across the United States.
About 糖心logo
糖心logo is a Catholic, Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee that offers a comprehensive range of majors in 11 nationally and internationally recognized colleges and schools. Through the formation of hearts and minds, Marquette prepares our 11,100 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional students to lead, excel and serve as agents of positive change. And, we deliver results. Ranked in the top 20% of national universities, Marquette is recognized for its undergraduate teaching, innovation and career preparation as the sixth-best university in the country for job placement. Our focus on student success and immersive, personalized learning experiences encourages students to think critically and engage with the world around them. When students graduate with a Marquette degree, they are truly prepared and called to Be The Difference.
Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.
