Article By: Grace Arrigoni
Wendi Marshall, instructor of public relations, retires at the end of this semester. With a career filled with various roles throughout her time at Northwestern, Marshall is grateful for her experiences here and is joyfully walking into this new season of life.
While finishing up her master’s degree at the University of St. Thomas in July of 1997, Marshall was hired as a community liaison for Northwestern’s public relations department. While in that role, she tended to many areas, one of them being assisting residents formerly associated with Northwestern who lived at Eagle Crest, a senior living community.
In the early 2000s, Marshall transitioned into management of the public relations department and then onto the director role where her team created and produced over 600 print projects per year for Northwestern. In 2008, she became an adjunct professor and was eventually hired on to teach full-time.
As a professor, Marshall has a heart for her students. While in college herself, she often felt anxious and lost. She is passionate about connecting with students to share God’s love with them, so they don’t go through the same things she did. It has been important to her to witness to her students and encourage them in Christ throughout her career. Her biggest piece of advice for students is that “feelings change, but God’s Word does not. You cannot live by feelings – live by the most important unchanging message we have – God’s Word.”
Marshall’s commitment to Christ shows in her classes and professor-student relationships. Public Relations minor Shelby Greven says “Marshall is more than a professor to me. Not only does she care about my work in class, but she genuinely cares about my life and the lives of all her students outside of class. She pushes us all to live more like Jesus; Marshall has blessed my life and will be missed next year.”
Marshall is leaving with a legacy of intentional care and loving motivation. Although she will miss Northwestern, she is excited to see where God will lead her next. But she secretly aspires to become such an awesome housewife that her husband, Alan, doesn’t ever want her to go back to work again!
