— October 23, 2006 —

Contents

  1. Liberian president says additional help is needed
  2. Counseling Center receives grant for suicide prevention
  3. All Souls service planned
  4. Lecture to examine mysteries of faith
  5. The Haggerty Museum of Art presents: Art and Conflict in Central Asia
  6. Florida chemist to speak at colloquium
  7. Flu shots will be available here
  8. Enjoy some face-to-face time with Provost, Senior Vice President
  9. Manresa plans women's spirituality discussion
  10. Encourage students to sign up for Job Search Boot Camp
  11. True Life: I was on death row
  12. Orientation publications win award
  13. Fall and winter movies announced for the Varsity Theatre
  14. Interchange Highlights for the week of Oct. 23
  15. University Events

1. Liberian president says additional help is needed

To support the efforts of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and form a strategic partnership between Marquette University and Liberia, Provost Madeline Wake announced Monday that the university would grant a four-year, full-tuition scholarship beginning in fall 2007 to a Liberian woman of the president’s choosing.

The announcement came at the conclusion of a ceremony at which Marquette President Robert A. Wild, S.J., conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on Johnson Sirleaf, noting her commitment to “ethical reform for the people of Liberia.”

Focusing on what has been accomplished in the 10 months since she took office but acknowledging that her country has a long way to go, Johnson Sirleaf told a crowd of more than 700 students, faculty and community members that her African nation needs additional assistance to “build a new Liberia from the ashes of an old and turbulent past to a future of hope and promise.”

“The challenges are so daunting and the needs and expectations of our people are so massive that the Government of Liberia cannot satisfactorily respond by itself,” she said, citing the country’s high poverty rate, huge external debt and infrastructure needs. She said 75 percent of Liberians live below the poverty rate of $1 per day, with the majority of people unemployed or employed “in the informal sector.”

Johnson Sirleaf said that poverty reduction strategies in Liberia focus on “four pillars of reconstruction and development:” enhancing security and consolidating the peace; revitalizing the economy; improving democratic governance; and improving the country’s social and physical infrastructure.

Johnson Sirleaf, the first democratically elected female head of state in Africa, said her government had begun recruiting and training a new army and was restructuring the police force to prepare for the withdrawal of U.N. forces. Decrying the corruption that preceded her administration, the president said the judicial system is being reformed and a legal and regulatory framework is being developed. “We are working towards decentralized decision-making and allocating appropriate resources to county and municipal governments to support identified projects,” she said. “We are placing emphasis on empowering the people, especially the poor and vulnerable, to become active participants in the development process.”

To rebuild the Liberian economy Johnson Sirleaf is concentrating on the nation’s natural resources, including forestry and mining, and agricultural crops such as rubber. She advocates full universal primary education and adult literacy programs, noting that, “Education is central to renewal and revitalization.” She also called for improving Liberia’s health facilities; only 10 percent of the population has access to health care. She said roads, water and sanitation facilities and electrical systems all require improvement.

“We need to work together with both strong planning and rapid and effective implementation to ensure that we take advantage of this critical moment in Liberia’s history to put the conflict to rest and speed the process of reconstruction and development,” Johnson Sirleaf said.

Johnson Sirleaf’s visit to Marquette was made possible through the Honorable David A. Straz, Jr., Ambassador at Large to Central America, Honorary Consul of the Repubhlic of Liberia and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Honduras. Straz has been a member of the university’s Board of Trustees since 1985.

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2. Counseling Center receives grant for suicide prevention

The Counseling Center has received a three-year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services for a suicide prevention project.  Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students and the most preventable one.

The $155,724 grant from DHHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will fund programming across campus using a gatekeeper approach. A gatekeeper is any person that can act as a link between an individual in a suicidal crisis and an appropriate health or mental health provider. 

The Link for Life project utilizes a nationally recognized suicide prevention program - Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) - that is designed to save lives through increasing awareness about suicide risk factors and warning signs.  QPR teaches participants how to talk to someone about suicide and educates participants on how to facilitate appropriate health or mental health referrals. 

Twenty-one Marquette faculty, staff and administrators were educated to be QPR trainers.  These individuals have started training other Marquette employees and students, such as Residence Life staff, who are in positions in which they are likely to have first contact with students in a suicidal crisis.  Once these first responders are trained as gatekeepers, QPR will be offered to the general campus community. 

Marquette’s commitment to this grant over the next three years reflects their understanding of the profound impact that suicide has on individual and a community and underscores the university’s commitment to the well-being of their students and employees.  If you have questions about the grant or are interested in receiving training, please contact Bridgette Hensley, grant coordinator, in the Counseling Center at 8-7172, or visit Marquette’s QPR Web site. When away from Marquette, faculty can request QPR training for their classes.

3. All Souls service planned

All members of the Marquette community who have lost a family member in the past year are invited to attend a prayer service on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 4 p.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family on the second floor of the Alumni Memorial Union.

This ecumenical prayer service of remembrance will involve hymns, readings and an opportunity for quiet prayer and reflection. All faculty, staff, administrators and students who lost a loved one in the past year are welcome to attend, as well as their spouses, family members and friends.

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Krenz in the Office of Mission and Identity at 8-1794 or e-mail her.

4. Lecture to examine mysteries of faith

Rev. Robert Doran, S.J., will present "Being in Love with God: A Source of Analogies for Theological Understanding" Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m. in room 105 of David A. Straz, Jr. Hall.

Doran, professor and Emmett Doerr Chair in Catholic Systematic Theology, will argue that analogies from within the order of grace as well as analogies from nature can provide helpful clues to the meaning of some of the mysteries of faith. 

The lecture is presented by the department of Theology and is free and open to the public.

5. The Haggerty Museum of Art presents: Art and Conflict in Central Asia

Arts and Conflicts in Central Asia features provocative, contemporary art from a new generation of Central Asian artists.  The exhibition focuses on issues of conflict in areas that have been “hot spots” of political unrest since the divide of the former Soviet Union into European and Eastern States.

Sponsored by the Milwaukee Arts Board and the College of Arts and Sciences Andrew W. Mellon Fund, the exhibit is free and open to the public.  It will run through Jan. 21, 2007.  The museum is open Mondays through Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

For more information, call 8-1669 or visit the museum Web site.

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6. Florida chemist to speak at colloquium

Professor Slava Kokoouline from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Central Florida is the featured speaker for the Chemistry Department’s Fall Colloquium this week.

The lecture will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27, in room 121 of the Todd Wehr Chemistry Building. Refreshments will be served beginning at 3:40 p.m.

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7. Flu shots will be available here

Marquette faculty and staff can get flu and pneumonia shots on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 30 and 31, on the first floor of the AMU.

The flu shot is $25. Employees pay on site but can receive reimbursement from their health plans by recording their name and Social Security number or insurance ID number. Retain your receipt. EPO members will be reimbursed 100 percent, PPO will be reimbursed $20. Reimbursement takes 60 to 90 days for processing.

There is no reimbursement for the pneumonia shot, which costs $40.

Medicare-part B and Medicaid cards also accepted.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call Student Health Service at 8-7184 or the Center for Health Education and Promotion at 8-5217. 

8. Enjoy some face-to-face time with Provost, Senior Vice President

All administrators are invited to a question and answer session with Provost Madeline Wake and Greg Kliebhan, senior vice president, on Monday, Nov. 13.

The session, sponsored by the Committee on Administrators, will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in room 163 of the Alumni Memorial Union. Cookies and coffee will be served.

Please RSVP by Friday, Nov. 3, by e-mail or call 8-5279. Room capacity necessitates limiting the attendance to first 100 who respond.

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9. Manresa plans women's spirituality discussion

Several women have expressed a desire to have a discussion group among women on campus about issues of spirituality. 

The Manresa Project invites you to attend the first opportunity to do this on Friday, Oct. 27, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Raynor Library Conference Room. You are welcome to bring your lunch.  Beverages will be provided.

Please read the article "Measure of Success” by Dorothy Bass and Mark Schwehn in the June 27, 2006, edition of Christian Century for our topic of discussion.  You may access the article through the library or online. The library will also assist you if the link is not consistent in connecting you.
 
When the proquest appears, click on "Jump to text".  Library staff can assist you if you have difficulty.

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10. Encourage students to sign up for Job Search Boot Camp

The Career Services Center is offering a Job Search Boot Camp to assist students in jump starting their job search.  Students will have the opportunity to learn about writing a perfect resume and cover letter, researching employers, networking, and interviewing. 

Please encourage students to attend this informative, one-day event. The camp is being held on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Career Services Center offices, located on the first floor of Holthusen Hall.

Students may register online.

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11. True Life: I was on death row

Marquette University Student Government, the Diversity Commission and Schroeder Hall are sponsoring a True Life presentation: “I was on death row”, in Schroeder Hall’s multipurpose room at 7:30 pm on Thursday, Oct. 26. There is no cost or need to sign up.

The True Life series offers students the opportunity to hear first-hand about the real-life situations that happen around them from the people who have lived them.

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12. Orientation publications win award

The National Orientation Directors Association has awarded Marquette's 2006 orientation program publications with a Publications and Media Showcase Award.  The award, in the "Best Overall Use of Theme" category, honors consistency and originality in the use of a theme in orientation publications and programs. Duane Bruce, assistant dean for new student programs, and Jennifer Reid, student affairs communication director, prepared the materials.

The Publication and Media Showcase recognizes outstanding achievement and professional accomplishment in the creation of marketing materials and publications for New Student Orientation programs. Marquette's publications will be showcased throughout the association's annual conference in Salt Lake City later this month.

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13. Fall and winter movies announced for the Varsity Theatre

Marquette University Student Government offers a wide variety of popular movies at the Varsity Theatre throughout the school year. This season’s films are as follows:

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Oct. 27 and 28
World Trade Center: Nov. 3 and 4
Talladega Nights: Nov. 10 and 11
You, Me and Dupree: Friday, Nov.17, ONLY
Miami Vice: Dec. 1 and 2

The cost is $2 with a MUID card and $3 without. Concessions are available at showings for $1 each. Each movie will play on Friday night at 8 p.m. and Saturday night at 8 and 11 p.m.

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14. Interchange highlights for the week of Oct. 23

1. The last plywood form-work will be removed from the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge deck overnight on Monday, Oct. 23.

2.  Demolition work south of Tory Hill/Clybourn will begin this week.  Most of the work will be daytime, but there will be overnight work in October.  This will continue for the next several weeks.

3. No pile driving is scheduled this week!

4. Sidewalks on the south side of Wisconsin Avenue have been removed from 8th to 10th Streets. Gravel pedestrian walkways/crossings will be available for the next couple of weeks while new sidewalks are poured.

5. Improvements will be made to the Tory hill walkway this week to eliminate the mud and water flow at the low point.

6. Paving is restricting traffic to the west side of 12th Street from Highland to Vliet.

7.  Ninth Street from Wisconsin Avenue to Wells is temporarily one-way northbound due to work on the Streetscaping project.

8. The third northbound lane of the High Rise Bridge will reopen at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

9. The lanes will be shifted slightly both north- and southbound on the High Rise Bridge and both east and westbound on I-94 at 25th/26th Streets this week.

10.  All three southbound lanes of I-43 are now open and fully functional between North Avenue and Wells Street.  The only remaining work north of Wells Street is the opening of the Kilbourn and  Highland on-ramps, scheduled for later this year.

11.  There will be various closures on all of the freeways in all directions.  Please see the DOT Web site for details.

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15. University Events

Visit the all-university online Calendar of Events for a complete listing of all upcoming events in the next week.

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News Briefs is published Mondays and Thursdays, except in summer when only the Monday edition is published, and as news warrants by the Office of Marketing and Communication for Marquette faculty and staff. The deadline for the Monday edition is noon Friday. The deadline for the Thursday edition is noon Wednesday.

Comments? Questions? Is there news you would like to share? E-mail, call 8-7448, fax 8-7197 or send your note in campus mail to News Briefs, Office of Marketing and Communication.