Marquette University's newly-installed business dean Joe Daniels was struck by a vehicle on campus and died Tuesday night.
President Michael Lovell informed the Marquette community in a letter Wednesday morning.
Daniels, 60,
was named the university's James H. Keyes Dean of Business Administration in January, after serving as acting dean since May 2019. He had been a professor at MU since 1990.
“Joe was a campus fixture for more than 30 years, and I was honored to call him my friend,” Lovell said in a letter to the community. “He inspired students his entire career as a mentor and educator and made an indelible impact on the field of economics as a master scholar. Ultimately, Joe helped take Marquette Business to new heights. He was instrumental in inspiring a new vision for the college, which we will carry forward in his memory.”
Milwaukee Police reported on Twitter that the accident occurred
around 8 p.m. at the intersection of 1000 W. Wisconsin Ave. According to police, Daniels was crossing the intersection from east to west on the south side of the intersection when a 20-year-old woman was driving north through the intersection at a "high rate of speed" and struck him.
Daniels was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, according to police.
The driver stayed on the scene and was arrested for operating a vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant, according to police.
It's one of two fatal incidents involving pedestrians and suspected intoxicated drivers in Milwaukee Tuesday night. At around 6:30 p.m., another pedestrian, a 37-year-old man, was struck and killed near the intersection of West Clybourn and North 25th streets, according to Milwaukee Police. The man was standing on the median on the south side of the intersection when a 47-year-old male driver backed into him and ran him over.
All College of Business Administration classes will be cancelled today, Lovell said.
A campus-wide prayer service will be held in the Chapel of the Holy Family in the Alumni Memorial Union today at 2 p.m. Support and resources are also being offered on campus, Lovell said.
“As a Marquette community, we struggle for comfort as we each feel the impact of this loss in different ways,” Lovell said. “We are a family and need to support each other the most during times of immense sorrow.”
Daniels was a professor and formerly chaired the school’s economics department. He taught international currency markets and international trade, and served as a media expert at G7 and G8 economics summits.
He was also previously co-director of the Center for Applied Economics at Marquette and served on the University Financial Planning and Review Committee, the Dean’s Executive Council for the College of Business Administration and the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences.
