MILWAUKEE — Kimberly West Eck and Robert J. Eck were honored as Marquette University’s Alumni of the Year during its annual Alumni National Awards at the end of May.
At first glance, Kim’s and Bob’s Marquette journeys look very different. Bob’s followed a more traditional path, launching a global business career and decades of leadership. Kim’s took an unexpected detour, marked by an interruption that inspired her return many years later. What unites their stories is a shared belief that the full influence of a Marquette education often emerges long after graduation to shape how alumni choose to serve others.
Kim’s Marquette story is one of determination and perseverance. She entered Marquette in 1976 and was on track to graduate in December 1980. On the night before finals of her last semester, she suffered an epileptic seizure. She returned home to seek medical care and left Marquette without the degree she had worked so diligently toward.
Kim then built a successful career in advertising, working in account services at several Chicago agencies before stepping away from full-time work to raise two sons. But Marquette never stopped calling. “Around 2010, I knew I had to finish my degree, no matter how I did it,” Kim says.
She earned her degree in May 2013 and almost immediately looked for ways to give back. Marquette Mentors became a natural extension of her own journey.
As CEO of Anixter International from 2008 to 2018, and later as chair of the Marquette University Board of Trustees from 2020 to 2023, Bob demonstrated leadership grounded in accountability, care and dignity.
“Marquette’s impact is hard to appreciate while you’re there,” Bob says. “You’re so caught up in classes that you don’t notice what’s changing inside you. But the experience manifests itself later and causes you to be a person for others.”
That instinct has shaped Bob’s commitment to leadership and philanthropy through community-based initiatives focused on education, mental health research and poverty alleviation.
Over time, Kim’s and Bob’s individual commitments converged into a shared philanthropic vision. Through the Eck Family Foundation, they’ve supported causes ranging from Marquette University to the American and International Red Cross, CARE and Habitat for Humanity. Most recently, they’ve supported Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College in Hayward, Wisconsin, helping establish scholarships for the trade school to serve Native and non-Native students in a region facing systemic underinvestment.
- Read more about Kim and Bob’s story
The pair were honored alongside other All-University award winners Ambassador John Rakolta, Jr., the recipient of the Professional Achievement Award; Kristina Arriaga de Bucholz, the recipient of the Service Award; and the Spirit of Marquette Award winner, which recognizes achievement before age 40, Dr. Timothy M. Kummer.
About Marquette University
Marquette University 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.
