CAMPUS HAPPENINGS

NOVEMBER 2011

Freedom-related projects, Metcalfe nominations soughtThe Office of Diversity is accepting proposals for Metcalfe chairs and symposia, exhibits, discussion series and other programming as part of the university’s Freedom Project, a year-long commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War. Metcalfe chair nominations should include a letter from an academic department or college detailing the recipient’s scholarly contributions and relationship to the theme of the Freedom Project; a curriculum vita or bio sketch; budget summary; and tentative plan for the recipient’s visit. Nominations for grants of up to $2,500 for other programming related to the Freedom Project should include a two-page narrative with timetable, CVs of the participants and a detailed budget. Nominations are due Feb. 15, 2012. For more information, visit bit.ly/MUMetcalfe2012.

Integrating teaching and research to be discussedDr. Abir Bekhet, assistant professor of nursing, will present “The Best Practices of Integrating Teaching and Research in Undergraduate Classrooms: How can you keep a large class engaged for three hours?” Friday, Nov.18, from noon to 1 p.m. in Raynor 320H. The program is presented by Manresa for Faculty as part of its Faculty Spotlight series, which features best practices and creative methods being used in Marquette classrooms. Register by emailing Mary Grant, office assistant, at mary.grant@marquette.edu.

Benefits enrollment period runs through Nov. 11The benefits enrollment period runs through Friday, Nov. 11. Everyone choosing a medical plan, even if previously enrolled, must re-enroll at myjob.mu.edu. Those participating in a flexible spending account must also re-enroll. On-campus biometric screenings for the two-part health risk assessment are available through Nov. 18 to all employees, whether or not they enroll in the Marquette health plan. Call 1-877-765-3213 and press “1” to schedule an appointment. Employees who complete the two-part health risk assessment receive a 10-percent discount on the employee portion of their 2012 medical premium, an increase from the 5-percent discount that was previously offered.

Apply for phased faculty retirement benefit by Dec. 1The deadline for tenured faculty to apply for the phased retirement benefit is 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, for the 2012–13 academic year. This new, phased retirement option is being offered in addition to the existing retirement benefit, which has the same application deadline. To be eligible for phased retire-ment benefits, a tenured faculty member must be eligible for retirement under University Policy and Procedure 4-18, including being at least 55 years of age and having a combined total age and years of full-time service with the university that equals at least 70. See bit.ly/MUphasedretirement for more information.

MARQUETTE

C O NT I N U E D O N PAG E 4

Sowing seeds of student successStudent Educational Services bolsters support for at-risk studentsBy Tim Olsen

At first glance, “helping students help

themselves” may sound like little more than a

quaint cliché. For Student Educational Services,

however, it’s a mission-based concept embedded

in the services provided to Marquette students —

now more so than ever with a recent expansion

of services.

“Not all students who seek tutoring are

struggling students, if you look at GPA,” said

Anne Deahl, associate vice provost for academic

support programs and retention. “Many are

doing very well, but part of the reason they’re

doing well is that they seek help and learn skills

to help themselves. We don’t do it for them, but

teach them the skills to do it.”

SES assistance can come in the form of

addressing study skills, test-taking, time manage-

ment, note-taking, stress management, tutoring

or referral to other campus services, such as

counseling. SES also includes the Office of

Disability Services, the Urban Scholars program

and the grant-funded MARQ Your Path program.

Because of the key role that first-year success

plays in overall progress to complete a degree,

SES is introducing initiatives this year to work

with student populations that may be at highest

risk or might not otherwise seek out such

services on their own, according to Deahl.

“Retention research at Marquette has shown

that, overall, Marquette does an excellent job

graduating the students it admits,” said Karen

Desotelle, director of SES. According to US News

and World Report, for example, Marquette’s

“expected” graduation rate for 2010 was 73

percent, compared with its actual rate of 81

percent. “Some groups within the whole,

however, do not fare as well,” said Desotelle.

“Certain demographic characteristics cluster

around these sub-groups with graduation rates

below the institutional average.” Indicators

typically involve combina-

tions of lower high school

test scores and grade point

averages, low-income, first-

generation and commuter.

Based on factors such

as those, the Office of

Institutional Research and

Assessment and SES devel-

oped a predictive model

over the summer to serve

as an early alert system

for at-risk students. SES is

piloting an outreach effort

to 50 of these students

who might need additional

assistance this semester

and hopes to expand

those efforts.

In another new develop-

ment, when students were

informed last spring of

being on academic proba-

tion, many were referred

to SES to discuss their chal-

lenges and get the individual-

ized support they need.

“Each of our programs and services is designed

around our understanding of student learning,”

said Desotelle. “We provide novice college

students opportunities to reflect upon and prac-

tice strategies and habits of mind that will lead to

not only better grades, their initial goal, but also

result in greater independence and success in

their approach to disciplinary learning.”

To better serve students, SES recently added

three new team members:

• DJ Todd, formerly with the Office of

Student Affairs, has taken the newly created

position (funded by the Greater Milwaukee

Foundation) of Urban Scholars’ adviser. Todd

works with the Urban Scholars (students from

Milwaukee-area high schools and Cristo Rey

High School in Chicago with full-tuition scholar-

ships) on issues ranging from transition to

college to study skills, time management, choice

of an academic major, access to engaged learning

experiences and career development.

• JohnRae Stowers, former director of the

WAICU College Readiness 21 program, is the

academic services specialist, serving as the

DJ Todd joined Student Educational Services in July, largely to serve Urban Scholar students such as Jose Rosas and Isabel González. Urban Scholars have expressed the need for a counselor to work with them in their transition to college as first-generation students and to help keep them on track during the four years of their funding.

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MARQUETTE MATTERS

“Take Five” is a brief list concerning an inter-esting aspect of Marquette life. Email your list suggestions to marquettematters@marquette.edu.

TAKE

During the Inauguration of Rev. Scott R.

Pilarz, S.J., as Marquette president, the campus

community was invited to renew its commitment

to service in betterment of our world. The Call to

Service asks Marquette family members to sign

the pledge, at marquette.edu/inauguration/call-

to-service-form.php, indicating a commitment

to give service hours in the year ahead. Nearly

600 Marquette employees, alumni, students and

friends had signed the pledge as of mid-October.

Sally Doyle, director of academic business

affairs in the College of Business Administration,

shared her motivation for the Call to Service with

Marquette Matters.

I’ve been doing this since 2007 and to be

honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue

the effort. When I attended Father Pilarz’s

Inauguration, however, and he gave the call for

service, I knew this was something that I had

to continue. The children need it!

I became involved with the Allen-Field

Elementary School when a friend witnessed a

boy walking to school on a cold December day

in 2007. His coat was worn and not nearly warm

enough for the cold outdoor temperature, so his

mother had a towel wrapped around him. I was

incredibly touched by this story (to this day, I can

hardly tell it without tears), so I decided to focus

my personal efforts on making hats, scarves and

mittens for children who attend this school.

I became acquainted with Ms. Meg Kitzke

Strasser, a third grade teacher at Allen-Field.

She graciously accepted my offer to make warm

items for the children, indicating that “every

single day, she finds children who do not have

the proper clothing to be outdoors in winter.”

I collect items that others make all year,

knowing that another winter will come, and

the children will again need warm things. I

shop clearance and rummage sales. I collect

the unclaimed lost-and-found winter items from

the COBA at the end of winter. I take the items

home and wash them, and then save them for

winter. I knit and crochet when I have time.

Last November I had some additional dona-

tions, and a friend dropped them off at Allen-

Field. As she waited for Meg, a boy came into the

office and asked the assistant if there were any

hats left. My friend called me in tears. It was a

sign to both of us that we were doing God’s will.

This winter, the holiday drive for the COBA

and Graduate School of Management will be

for hats, scarves and mittens for the children

at Allen-Field.

Why I serveBy Sally Doyle

5The five most retweeted messages from the Marquette Twitter account since it launched in October 2008, according to the Office of Marketing and Communication:

1) “Retweet this photo if you love fall on campus http://twitpic.com/6vien3,” Oct. 5, 2011 — 87 retweets.

2) “MARQUETTE! Let’s pick up more new followers than @UWMadison before Saturday’s tip-off. Please RT! #beat-bucky #mubb @muathletics,” Dec. 9, 2010 — 66 retweets.

3) “Follow us and retweet this message to be entered for #mubb prizes when we hit 10K followers. GO MARQUETTE! http://bit.ly/ringoutahoya,” March 18, 2011 — 65 retweets.

4) “The announcement you’ve been waiting for. Classes canceled at 4 pm today and the university closed tomorrow. Check email for info. #mkesnow,” Feb. 1, 2011 — 50 retweets.

5) “WE ARE! (clap clap) MARQUETTE! WE ARE! (clap clap) ...” March 20, 2011 (Marquette vs. Syracuse men’s basketball tournament game) — 45 retweets.

Depth of Thought, Depth of Imagination: Challenging Superficiality

In conjunction with the Presidential

Inauguration, three Marquette educators

and guest presenter Rev. Michael Zampelli,

S.J., take up the challenge of the “global-

ization of superficiality” at 4 p.m. Monday,

Nov. 14, in the Eckstein Hall Appellate

Courtroom. The discussion at “Depth of

Thought, Depth of Imagination: Challenging

Superficiality” will be based on an address

that Rev. Adolfo Nicolas, S.J., superior

general of the Society of Jesus, presented

to Jesuit university leaders in April 2010 in

Mexico City.

Father Zampelli, the Paul Locatelli, S.J.,

Professor of Theatre and Dance at Santa

Clara University, will give the keynote

address. Commentary will be provided by

Steve Blaha, assistant director of campus

ministry; Dr. Margaret Callahan, dean

of nursing; and Dr. John Su, associate

professor of English. Dr. John Pustejovsky,

chair and associate professor of foreign

languages and literatures, will moderate

the 90-minute event. A reception will

follow. See marquette.edu/inauguration/

academic-events.php for more information.

She helped amputate the limbs of soldiers as

a Civil War nurse. She was a professional actress

who may have worked under a different name.

And she wrote pulp fiction tales about pros-

titutes, spies and murderers. There’s a lot you

don’t know about Louisa May Alcott.

Indeed, the woman behind Little Women was

deeper than Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy. And thanks

to a grant from the National Endowment for the

Humanities and American Library Association,

the Marquette and Milwaukee communities are

exploring just how much so. “Louisa May Alcott:

The woman behind Little Women” is a five-

event series sponsored by Marquette University

Libraries and the Milwaukee Public Library. The

first three events occurred Sept. 19, Oct. 6 and

Oct. 25 and included speakers, a screening of

the 2008 American Masters documentary Louisa

May Alcott: The woman behind Little Women and

selected scenes from the 1994 film Little Women.

Drs. Angela Sorby and Sarah Wadsworth, asso-

ciate professors of English, also led discussions

about Alcott and her works.

“We’ve been able to showcase Alcott as a

witness to the Civil War, a crusader for women’s

rights and the abolition of slavery, and a savvy

author of thrillers demanded by the marketplace,”

said Susan Hopwood, outreach librarian, who

received the grant with Sorby and Wadsworth.

Louisa May Alcott (left) was influenced by 19th-century transcendentalists, including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (right).

This “love fall on campus” photo has been the most retweeted of Marquette’s Twitter messages.

Not-so-little womanCampus gets closer look at Louisa May AlcottBy Becky Dubin Jenkins

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“What motivates me to continue this effort year after year is simple: a donation of a single item can positively impact the life of a child. It isn’t often that our outreach efforts can have such an immediate and profound impact. A small thing — one pair of mittens — is all it takes to make a difference in the life of a child.” — Sally Doyle.

The series concludes this month. On Nov. 10

at the Raynor Memorial Libraries, Wadsworth

will present “Louisa May Alcott: Literary phenom-

enon and social reformer,” and on Nov. 29 at the

Milwaukee Public Library, attendees can view

the second half of the Alcott documentary and

participate in a discussion led by the professors.

“One of the highlights so far has been seeing

how the series is bringing together people of

different communities, professions, interests

and stages of life,” Wadsworth said. “Alcott’s

career had so many different facets to it, and in

some ways the diversity of the audience reflects

Alcott’s range as a writer.”

For more information, including a resource

guide with books and websites about the author,

go to marquette.edu/alcott.

Todd Vicker’s favorite part of being the executive director of Alumni Memorial Union and Auxiliary Enterprises is super-vising more than 400 student workers. It isn’t surprising then that his favorite aspect of serving as president of the FC Milwaukee soccer club is overseeing 500 youth soccer players.

“I enjoy my job at Marquette because the AMU is the center of campus life,” said Vicker. “I enjoy volunteering for FC Milwaukee because the league is dedicated to the development of youth. It can be a transformational experience, just like a Marquette education.”

As president, Vicker leads a team of employees and volunteers, directs busi-ness operations, and develops partnerships and strategic plans to set FC Milwaukee apart from other state soccer programs.

All three of Vicker’s daughters played for FC Milwaukee and now attend Marquette. Mady and Sam play soccer, and Kenzie participates in track and field. Mady was a captain of the FC Milwaukee U-18 girls team that won a National Youth Soccer Championship in July, the only youth team from Wisconsin to ever do so. “My kids learned more than just soccer,” said Vicker. “They learned the power of hard work, the importance of prioritizing, and how to compete and be a teammate.

“Marquette’s mission is all about inspiring people to go out in the world and make a difference,” said Vicker. “I believe in the value of team sports and the impact participation can have on youth development.”

Marquette Matters is published monthly, except June, July and August and a combined issue for December/January, for Marquette University’s faculty and staff. Submit information to: Marquette Matters – Zilber Hall, 235; Phone: 8-7448; Fax: 8-7197Email: marquettematters@marquette.eduEditor: Tim OlsenGraphic design:Nick Schroeder

Copyright © 2011 Marquette University

On the SideTodd Vicker – President of FC Milwaukee

By Anne Spindler

“On the Side” offers a glimpse of faculty and staff interests outside of Marquette. Email your story suggestions to marquettematters@marquette.edu.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst

of times.” “There was a boy called Eustace

Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”

“Call me Ishmael.”

If everyone could put words to paper as

eloquently and consistently as Charles Dickens,

C.S. Lewis and Herman Melville, there may be

little need for writing assistance. But even the

best writers struggle from time to time and can

improve their own writing by discussing it with

others. At Marquette, the Ott Memorial Writing

Center in Raynor Library provides such assistance.

“We’ll help any writer on any project in any

stage of writing,” said Dr. Rebecca Nowacek,

director of the writing center and associate

professor of English. “We’re not just for students

with a paper in trouble.”

In fact, although the writing center is set

up primarily to provide writing assistance to

students from all academic areas of the univer-

sity, its services are available to faculty and staff,

as well, according to Nowacek. The writing

project could be academic, Marquette-related,

or not. This could be particularly helpful if

employees get involved in writing projects that

need assistance as they respond to the year-long

Call to Service initiative.

Nowacek was appointed director of the center

in June by Rev. Philip Rossi, S.J., interim dean of

the Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences.

She has written grants for “writing across the

curriculum” workshops, conducted research

about writing centers and

co-taught the four-credit

course students are required

to take before they can

become writing tutors.

As director of the writing

center, Nowacek is looking

forward to working with

faculty to incorporate writing

into their courses. “Teaching

with writing is not an

add-on, but a way to achieve

course goals and engage

students’ time and mental

energy outside of class,”

she said. She’s interested

in speaking to academic

departments about how to

incorporate teaching writing

into their curriculum, and to

departments and individual

classes about how the center

can assist students.

Other priorities include:

• Assisting faculty

who are designing assignments for teaching

with writing;

• Holding faculty workshops;

• Learning the creative ways in which faculty

are already teaching with writing assignments; and

• Developing growth opportunities for tutors,

such as having them develop workshops.

“I like writing center work because it’s fun

to have moments when students move forward

on a project — whether by clarifying an idea or

helping their text come together,” said Nowacek.

“Intellectually, I learn a lot because I get to read

about what kind of work is being done from all

over the university.”

Words to live byWriting center director envisions partnering with facultyby Tim Olsen

Todd Vicker serves as president of FC Milwaukee, with which his daughter Mady won a National Youth Soccer Championship in July, before coming to Marquette.

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Signs like this are being posted on campus buildings, including academic and office facilities and residence halls, indicating that weapons are not allowed. Such signs are required by state law to enforce the university’s no-weapons policy to the extent allowable under Wisconsin’s new concealed carry law. University policies, as well as student and employee handbooks, have been revised to reflect exactly what is and is not permissible. More information is available at marquette.edu/weapons-policy.

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The Ott Memorial Writing Center is served by eight undergraduate tutors (such as Emily Shackleton, left) and four graduate tutors (such as Bryan Gast), plus Dr. Rebecca Nowacek, director (right).

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MARQUETTE HAPPENINGS

MARQUETTE MATTERS

University of Wisconsin law dean to present Boden LectureMargaret Raymond, Fred W. and Vi Miller Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin, will present the Law School’s Robert F. Boden Lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 4:30 p.m. at Eckstein Hall. In his speech, ‘“The Report of My Death Was an Exaggeration’ — Delaying the Postmortem on American Law Practice,” Raymond will discuss some of the social changes that are likely to affect the practice of law and the ways lawyers can be prepared to respond. Register online at bit.ly/MUBoden2011.

Hoeveler recognized with international gothic criticism award Dr. Diane Long Hoeveler, professor of English, has been awarded the Allan Lloyd Smith Memorial Prize, an international prize for gothic criticism, for Gothic Riffs: Secularizing the Uncanny in the European Imaginary, 1780-1820, which was published by Ohio State University Press in 2010. The winner of the prize was determined by a panel of past presidents of the International Gothic Association, an organization of more than 200 researchers from 25 countries.

Holy Days to be performed at Helfaer TheatreThe Department of Performing and Media Arts will present Holy Days, chroni-cling family life in the Dust Bowl, Nov. 10-20 in the Helfaer Theatre. In 1936, the Great Plains of Kansas were plagued with drought and decay in the wake of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Holy Days is the story of how one family remained rooted to its barren farm, haunted by loss and the memories of a once-prosperous life while so many Americans migrated to find work. Ticket prices for the public range from $16 to $20. Discounts are offered to senior citizens, Marquette students, employees and alumni. Contact the theatre box office at 8-7505 for tickets and show times.

2011-12 enrollment up over last yearMarquette enrolled 2,056 full-time, first-time freshmen for 2011, compared to 1,928 last year. Total enrollment, including part-time students, is up slightly to 12,002, compared to 11,806 last year. Undergraduate students number 8,387 (8,113 last year), while graduate and professional students total 3,615 (3,693 last year).

As Wisconsin’s only dental school, the

Marquette University School of Dentistry continues

to lead the way as an innovator in providing

dental education and oral health care as well as

producing the majority of Wisconsin’s dentists.

The state has committed $8 million in the

2011–2013 biennial budget toward the $16

million needed for a 40,000-square-foot expan-

sion to the Wisconsin Avenue facility, creating

additional clinical, lab and classroom space.

Among the many benefits of the expansion,

chief among them will be a larger faculty practice

area and greater research space — both designed

with recruitment and retention of faculty in mind.

“With the ability to recruit and retain an

excellent faculty comes the opportunity to excel

as a dental school,” said Dr. William Lobb, dean

of the School of Dentistry.

The school hopes to break ground for

the planned expansion in late spring 2012.

Additional operatories will provide increased

service for the nearly 800 Marquette employees

and their family members who took advantage

of the faculty practice clinic in the past year.

The expansion also includes space for faculty

and student translational and clinical research.

Capacity of the simulation lab where students

develop motor skills and practice clinical

procedures on state-of-the-art simulation units

will be expanded to accommodate an increase

in enrollment.

“The simulation lab and the classroom space

will allow us to integrate technology and design

features that we can use to be innovative and

progressive in our pre-clinical teaching as well

as enable us to offer continuing dental education

for our graduates,” said Lobb.

When the expansion is complete, the school

will be able to accommodate classes of 100

students each year, up 20 from the current class

size, for an annual enrollment of 400 students.

Increased class sizes will help meet an anticipated

demand for dentists — especially in underserved

areas. A Wisconsin Dental Association workforce

study recently found that, while the state has

enough dentists to meet the demand until 2020,

Dental school expansion groundbreaking as early as spring 2012By Kate Venne

more than half of Wisconsin’s professionally

active dentists are between the ages of 50 and 64.

Central to the School of Dentistry’s innovative

curriculum is a clinic-centered approach that

allows students to work directly with patients

early in their educational experience. The

expansion will allow patient care clinics at

the school to increase by an additional 24

operatories, which will allow the dental school

to serve more patients.

Because the state dollars are contingent upon

matching funds, the school recently launched a

capital campaign — “Building for the Future” —

to raise the additional $8 million.

“‘Building for the Future’ exemplifies

why Wisconsin has counted on the Marquette

University School of Dentistry to meet the needs

for excellent dental education and high quality

clinical care for more than 100 years,” said Lobb.

“This expansion of our outstanding existing

facility is critical to meeting those needs long

into the future.”

The expansion of the School of Dentistry will allow the school to increase entering classes from 80 to 100 students.

first point of contact for colleges needing assis-

tance in determining what help students need,

as well as directly providing academic support

services to at-risk students.

• Tina Rodriguez, administrative assistant,

has relocated from the Office of the Provost to

SES to provide overall staff support for the unit.

The tutoring service of SES will maintain its

presence on the third floor of Alumni Memorial

Union for the 2011–2012 academic year. Space

on the fourth floor, formerly occupied by the

Office of International Education, accommodates

the new staff, a graduate assistant and Desotelle.

The Office of Disability Services and MARQ Your

Path remain in the lower level of Marquette Hall,

but plans for permanent space to create a unified

“Student Success” unit are underway.

SES C O NT I N U E D F R O M PAG E 1