1. December Commencement is this weekend

Five hundred and sixty-two graduates from 23 states and 11 countries will be recognized at Marquette's Mid-year Commencement on Sunday, Dec. 20, at the U.S. Cellular Arena, 400 W. Kilbourn Ave. The program will include individual recognition of the candidates and remarks by Marquette President Robert A. Wild, S.J.; Janine Geske, distinguished professor of law; and Scott Passolt, a graduating senior from the College of Business Administration.

The Baccalaureate Mass will be Saturday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Gesu, celebrated by Father Wild and other members of the Marquette Jesuit community.

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2. College of Nursing receives $1.8 million gift

Marquette University’s College of Nursing has received a $1.8 million gift from Vivian Ann Hotuiz, who graduated from the college in 1953. The gift is the largest donation in the history of the college, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, during the 2010-11 academic year. Hotuiz, who passed away Sept. 14, 2009, at age 94 in Tulsa, Okla., designated her gift to be used for scholarship aid for Marquette nursing students.

“As with the rest of the university, the Marquette College of Nursing’s fund-raising priority is for scholarship aid for our students,” said Dr. Margaret Faut Callahan, dean of nursing. “This wonderful gift, from a very generous, visionary alumna, will help us provide substantial financial aid to our nursing students.”

Hotuiz worked at the Wood Veterans Hospital (now the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center) when she enrolled at Marquette to earn her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She served in World War II as a Navy nurse and continued in the medical profession throughout her career.

The last surviving member of her family, Hotuiz named the Marquette College of Nursing as the sole beneficiary of her estate — a gift she designated 15 years prior to her death.

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3. Provost’s office announces staff changes

Provost John Pauly has announced that Dr. William Wiener, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for research, and Dr. Margaret Bloom, vice provost for undergraduate programs and teaching, will step down from their positions at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year.

“I want to recognize and thank both Bill and Peggy for their service to Marquette in their current positions,” said Pauly. “Both have made significant contributions to the university in key academic areas. In different ways, each has laid an important foundation for Marquette’s future academic success.”

Since coming to Marquette in 2005, Wiener has helped to dramatically increase the university’s federal funding for research, which is expected to exceed $25 million this year. Pauly said under Wiener’s leadership Marquette also made significant strides in areas such as research compliance and technology transfer, including the successful licensing earlier this year of Promentis Pharmaceuticals. Pauly also credited Wiener for his strong commitment to the welfare and well-being of Marquette’s graduate students; he cited initiatives such as the expansion of graduate student health care, the creation of the Graduate Student Organization and increased dissertation and doctoral student support.

Appointed to her position in 2004, Bloom successfully led the establishment of comprehensive learning assessment at Marquette and the university’s preparation for the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission’s 2009 focused visit on assessment. Pauly praised Bloom for creating the campus-wide assessment system designed to strengthen teaching and improve student learning and for implementing numerous other efforts to improve the experience of undergraduate students, including Marquette’s participation in the Foundations for Excellence First Year Experience self-study. “Dr. Bloom has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to using data and technology to improve and inform all aspects of student learning and engagement,” he said.

Following a one-year sabbatical, both Wiener and Bloom will return to their respective areas of teaching and research interests in the College of Education. Wiener’s research focuses on disability services for the blind and visually impaired; he has a doctorate in counselor education and master’s degrees in blind rehabilitation and speech pathology and audiology. Bloom will continue her involvement with Harvard’s Higher Education Institute Program on Performance Assessment in Higher Education. Bloom earned her Ph.D. in counseling psychology (education) from Arizona State University in Tempe; she also holds certificates in management and leadership in education from Harvard University.

Pauly said Dr. Jeanne Hossenlopp, currently interim dean of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, will become dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for research, effective Aug. 15, 2010, and Dr. Gary Meyer, associate dean of the Diederich College of Communication, will become vice provost for undergraduate programs and teaching, effective Aug. 1, 2010.

“Both Dr. Hossenlopp and Dr. Meyer have demonstrated their leadership capabilities, their commitment to teaching and research and their understanding of our opportunities and challenges,” Pauly said. “I look forward to working with them to enhance our undergraduate and graduate programs, to recruit outstanding faculty and to partner with our deans and university administrators in further advancing the reputation of Marquette University.”

Hossenlopp is a professor of chemistry and served as chair of the Department of Chemistry from 2004 to 2008. She received her B.A. degree in chemistry from Colgate University, M.A. degree in education from Siena Heights College, and Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from Syracuse University in 1987. From 1987 to 1989 she was a postdoctoral research associate at Columbia University. She joined the faculty at Marquette University in 1989. In 1989 she received a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation New Faculty Award, a national award given to 10 new faculty in chemistry, biochemistry or chemical engineering departments annually. She received Marquette’s John P. Raynor, S.J., Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence in 2003. Hossenlopp’s research interests are in the area of nanomaterials, and she is currently completing work on a National Science Foundation grant.


In addition to serving as associate dean in the Diederich College of Communication since 2003, Meyer is a professor in the college’s Department of Communication Studies and director of the college's corporate communication major. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his master’s and Ph.D. in communication theory at Michigan State University. Meyer was awarded the Outstanding New Teacher Award from the Central States Communication Association in 1999. He received the John P. Raynor, S.J., Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence at Marquette in 2002 and the college’s Dean's Award for Research Excellence in 2005. Meyer’s research interests focus on applied communication theory, particularly in the areas of social influence and diffusion of innovations.

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4. Office of Marketing and Communication moving to Zilber Hall today

The Office of Marketing and Communication is beginning its move to Zilber Hall today, Dec. 17. Staff are monitoring phone and e-mail messages. The office will resume limited operations Friday, Dec. 18, in Zilber 235, and full operations Monday, Dec. 21.

The Office of the President will move next, Jan. 5.

Current locations (and contact information) for employees and offices are listed in the online directory, which is updated with each Zilber move. The printed campus directory will be published at the beginning of second semester, when all the moves have been completed.

Watch News Briefs for more information as the moves take place.

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5. Office of Mission and Identity changing its name

The Office of Mission and Identity will change its name to the Office of Mission and Ministry effective Jan. 1, 2010. The change has been made to better reflect the office’s work in the areas of institutional mission and the pastoral care of students, faculty and staff.

With the name change to the Office of Mission and Ministry, the department will also become a vice presidential area. Stephanie Russell’s title will change from executive director of mission and identity to vice president of mission and ministry. She will continue to report directly to Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., president.

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6. Grades due Dec. 22

Grades for undergraduate sessions 1 and 4; graduate sessions 1, 2 and 4; dental sessions 1 and 3; and health sciences professional sessions 1 and 3 are due at noon Tuesday, Dec. 22.

Instructions to scan exams are available online. To ensure a quick turn-around, be certain exams are turned in to the IT Services Help Desk, Cudahy second floor, for scanning as soon as possible after the end of the exam.

The Office of the Registrar is available to help with grading questions. Contact Kerry Grosse, associate registrar, at 8-6320, or Vicki Trautschold, associate registrar, at 8-6313, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After business hours, contact the IT Services Help Desk at 8-7799.

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7. Way Klingler Faculty Development funds available

Applications for the Way Klingler Faculty Development Program grants are available. The program provides awards to advance research and scholarship that were made possible through an $18 million donation by Helen Way Klingler in May 2004.


Way Klingler Fellowships are for full-time regular faculty at the associate or full professor rank who have potential for significant scholarship. Faculty will be nominated by academic deans or self-nominated with dean endorsement. Fellowships will be awarded in “science” and “humanities” categories. Science applicants are those with a track record of strong research funding whose research requires higher expense items such as equipment, supplies and research staff. Humanities applicants are those with national recognition for scholarship whose critical research requirements may be time, access to information and travel.


Two Way Klingler fellowships will be awarded in 2010, one each in science and humanities. The science fellow will receive $50,000 annually for three years, and the humanities fellow will receive $20,000 annually for three years. The application deadline for submission by the deans is Jan. 19, 2010.


Way Klingler Young Scholar Awards support promising young scholars in critical stages of their careers. Up to four awards will be given for 2010-11 to full-time regular junior faculty in the three years following their third-year review. The awards of up to $32,000 are intended to fund $2,000 in operating costs and to cover up to 50 percent of annual salary to afford the recipient a one-semester sabbatical. The application deadline is Jan. 11, 2010.

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8. Easy Pass deadline is Dec. 18

The deadline to participate in the Easy Pass payroll deduction program is tomorrow, Dec. 18. The Easy Pass offers unlimited Milwaukee County bus rides, including Freeway Flyers and special event shuttles, to the Bradley Center, Miller Park and other locations.

The program cost has increased to $210 per quarter and can be deducted before taxes to save money. Sign up between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in Union Station, AMU, for passes that will be good during January, February and March. Those who wish to drop must also do so in Union Station by Friday, Sept. 25.

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9. Oral History Project documenting experiences of women at Marquette

As part of its Centennial Celebration of Women, Marquette is gathering first-person accounts that will document the experiences of women at Marquette with an Oral History Project. Marquette community members are invited to share recollections of campus life, female faculty and staff, women’s athletics, AMUW and women religious.

The university is also looking for stories from female pioneers who enrolled in academic programs that historically served male students, such as the Law School, College of Engineering and School of Dentistry. Forms can be completed online.

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10. News Briefs newsletter begins weekly schedule

Beginning next week, News Briefs will not be distributed on Thursdays during the semester break. News Briefs will run only on Mondays until resuming Thursday publication Jan. 14.

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