1. Marquette partners with Teach For America

Teach For America will expand to Milwaukee next year, with Marquette as one of its university partners.


Teach For America places recent college graduates with strong academic and leadership records in school districts nationwide with the highest needs. The program will bring 30 corps members to Milwaukee each year for the next three years as part of a national growth plan.


“There was never a moment in my household when I wasn't aware that public education was tied to the future of democracy,” said Provost John Pauly, whose father was a shopteacher and assistant principal in Chicago's public schools. “In its principles and actions, Teach For America reflects our own long-held Jesuit ideals of excellence, social justice and the dignity of others.”


Pauly spoke at Friday’s press conference at Westside Academy along with Mayor Tom Barrett, Congresswoman and Marquette alumna Gwendolynne Moore, Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent William Andrekopoulos and others.


Corps members teaching in secondary and elementary programs will begin their training at Marquette in fall 2009, while those in special education, early childhood education, or bilingual education will take coursework at Cardinal Stritch University. They will complete the requirements for Wisconsin teacher licensure and have the opportunity to obtain a master’s degree in education.

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2. Student chapter a finalist for national engineering award

The Marquette chapter of Engineers Without Borders, in partnership with the Wisconsin Professional Partners chapter of the organization, is one of six finalists for the prestigious National Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award for construction of a bridge in Guatemala.


The Guatemala project involved building a 67-foot concrete bridge across the Motagua River, replacing a pedestrian bridge that made transportation difficult during the rainy reason in the city of La Garrucha. The new bridge provides residents on both sides of the river with access to schools, medical facilities and other programs via buses and other forms of transportation.


Mollie Bednarowski, James Ritter, Paul Silva and Andy Thoreson, 2005 graduates, designed the bridge as part of their senior design project, working with mentor Mike Paddock, Dr. Dan Zitomer, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and other professional engineers from CH2M Hill and GRAEFF, two engineering firms. Financial support came from CH2M Hill, Marquette College of Engineering and the Southminster Presbyterian Church in Waukesha, Wis.


La Garrucha has remained a focus for the College of Engineering. Students have planned and constructed a potable water system for the community, including a sand filter, spring boxes, distribution tanks and break pressure tanks.


The annual, national award from the American Society of Engineers recognizes outstanding infrastructure and public service projects from among 10 different categories. The Quadracci Pavilion of the Milwaukee Art Museum, created by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, won the OCEA Award in 2003. Projects are judged based on their contribution to the well-being of people and communities; resourcefulness in planning and solving design challenges; pioneering in use of materials and methods; innovations in construction; and impact on the physical environment.


The 2009 OCEA Award will be presented April 23 in Arlington, Va.

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3. Workshop to help faculty teach about Islam

Marquette faculty are invited to the free workshop, "Teaching About Islam: Pedagogical Resources and Perspectives," Thursday, March 19, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the AMU ballrooms. The Office of Mission and Identity’s Simmons Trust and Georgetown University will host Susan Douglass, education consultant for the education outreach program of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, to lead the workshop. Register online by Thursday, March 5.

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4. Lecture to address Luther studies in a Catholic context

Dr. Markus Wriedt, distinguished professor of historical theology and a Reformation historian, will present “‘We’ve said nothing new!’ Luther on Tradition and Innovation,” Thursday, March 5, at 4 p.m. in Straz Hall 105. A discussion will follow. The event is free and open to the public.


Wriedt takes Luther’s claim, that he had not said anything new, as the leading principle of his theology and his attempts to reform the Church. Wriedt will discuss why the Church was divided even though Luther was both conservative and Catholic.

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5. Biological sciences, philosophy and chemistry holding colloquiums

The Department of Biological Sciences will hold a colloquium Friday, March 6, at 3:15 p.m. in Wehr Life Sciences 111. Dr. Margaret Wong-Riley, professor of cell biology, neurobiology and anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin, will present "Bigenomic Regulation of Cytochrome c Oxidase in Neurons."


Dr. Nelson Maldonado-Torres, associate professor of ethnic studies at the University of California-Berkeley, will present “Reconsidering Race, Class and Gender in Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks” at the Philosophy Department colloquium Friday, March 6, at 3:30 p.m. in Raynor Library Beaumier Suite A.


The Department of Chemistry colloquium Friday, March 6, at 4:15 p.m. in Todd Wehr Chemistry 121 will feature Dr. Claudio Verani, associate professor of chemistry at Wayne State University. Verani will present "Metal-containing Soft Materials as Precursors for Molecular Electronics.”

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6. Law School to hold information session

The Law School will host an information session for prospective students Friday, March 6, at 11:45 a.m. in Sensenbrenner Hall. The session will provide information about admissions and financial aid, curriculum and intellectual and student life. A brief tour of the Law School will be led by a current law student. No registration is necessary.

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7. Ombuds annual report now available online

The Office of the Ombuds annual report is now posted online and available from campus computers. The 2007-08 report describes the history and function of the Office of the Ombuds, the number of men and women who visited the office; the number of faculty, staff and administrator visitors; and types of issues brought to the office. No individuals are identified by the report.


For more information, contact Dr. Kerry Egdorf, ombuds, at 8-7041.

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8. Gesu starting Young Adult Ministry program

Young adults between the ages of 22 and 35 are invited to a listening session at the Gesu Parish Center to discuss developing a Young Adult Ministry at the parish. The session is Wednesday, March 4, at 7 p.m.

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