1. From Marquette President Robert A. Wild, S.J.:

Each year Marquette University celebrates its values and commitment to excellence by awarding honorary degrees and including in its graduating class a number of outstanding individuals recognized for their scholarship and exceptional achievements. I am asking for your help in identifying future honorary degree recipients.

Because the great majority of honorary degrees are awarded to individuals nominated by you, the Marquette community, I ask you to thoughtfully consider an individual we might so recognize. That person may have demonstrated leadership in a profession or provided exemplary service to society. In all cases there must be an appropriateness of the nominees to the distinctive mission and values of Marquette University. Since honorary degrees are not awarded in absentia or posthumously, it is also helpful to know that if an invitation is offered, this nominee will be likely to accept Marquette’s invitation.

Nominations will be considered by the Committee on University Honors. Should you make a nomination, it should take the form of a letter or e-mail of support explaining why it would be appropriate for Marquette to honor this particular person. It should include some basic biographical information, a short account of the individual’s principal accomplishments, and a clear rationale for recognition by Marquette University. Please direct your questions and nomination, which may be submitted by e-mail, to Chad Oldfather, chair of the Committee on University Honors and associate professor of law, by Tuesday, June 1.

Individuals whom the Board of Trustees approves for an honorary degree may, for a variety of reasons, not be able to accept it with the next graduating class. Once approved by the trustees, an offer may be extended at some point over a five-year period that is mutually agreeable to both the individual and Marquette.

You may find it helpful to review the names of previous honorary degree recipients. The 2010 honorary degree recipients are:

• Wendy Kopp, founder and chief executive of Teach For America

• Joan Biskupic, Jour '78, author and Supreme Court correspondent for USA Today

• Anne M. Burke, Illinois Supreme Court Justice and founder of the Chicago Special Olympics

• Janice McLaughlin, M.M., Arts '69, author and president of the Maryknoll Sisters

Thank you for your help in identifying potential honorary degree recipients. The quality of your nominations allows us to showcase in a very public way the embodiment of excellence, faith, leadership and service that are the hallmarks of our mission statement.

2. Alumni National Awards Weekend begins today

University Engagement is hosting Alumni National Awards Weekend April 22-24. Mary Ellen Bolger Stanek, Arts ’78, will be among 55 Marquette alumni and friends to be honored on campus during at the All-University Awards dinner. Visit the Alumni National Awards site to learn more about the 55 recipients.

3. Zilber Hall to be dedicated May 5

Joseph and Vera Zilber Hall, Marquette’s new student services and administration building, will be dedicated Wednesday, May 5. The gathering will begin outside at 4 p.m., with the dedication by President Robert A. Wild, S.J., on the north side of the building. A reception and self-guided tours will follow.

RSVP to University Special Events at 8-7431 by Wednesday, April 28.

The four-story, 130,000-square-foot building opened in November 2009, bringing together the offices of the Bursar, Registrar and Student Financial Aid in a common service center, Marquette Central, on the first floor, along with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Administrative offices occupy the upper floors, with the offices of the President, Provost and Senior Vice President on the fourth floor.

Just in time for Earth Day, the Renewal Task Force has posted a summary of Zilber Hall’s eco-friendly initiatives, including features that saved money during construction and others that continue to conserve energy and resources daily.

4. Students begin online course evaluations Monday

Spring 2010 course evaluations will be available for students to complete online from Monday, April 26, through Sunday, May 9. The Marquette Online Course Evaluations System will be used to administer the evaluations online.

Students will receive an e-mail to their eMarq e-mail account Monday, April 26, with login information and instructions about how to complete the evaluations online. Students can also access the MOCES system directly.

Results will be made available to faculty after all final grades for all classes have been submitted to the Office of the Registrar, which is expected to be Thursday, May 27. Instructors, department chairs and deans will receive an e-mail around May 27 with login information and instructions about how to access the online results.

Additional information, including a sample in-class announcement, the course evaluation schedule and a sample evaluation form, are available online.

Contact Gary Levy, associate vice provost for institutional research and assessment, at 8-7906, or Laura MacBride, research analyst, at 8-6931, for more information.

5. Dorothy Day’s granddaughter to speak about discipleship

Martha Hennessy, Dorothy Day’s granddaughter, will present “The Mystery of Faith: Discipleship to Dorothy Day and Jesus,” tomorrow, April 23, at noon in Raynor Beaumier Suites BC. A free, simple soup lunch will be served.

The event is co-sponsored by the Manresa Project, Raynor Memorial Libraries, the Center for Peacemaking, Campus Ministry, the Department of Theology and the Faber Center for Ignatian Spirituality.

6. Jazz Ensemble, choruses, MUsical Staff performing spring concerts

The Marquette Jazz Ensemble will perform their annual spring concert today, April 22, at 7 p.m. in the Varsity Theatre. The concert will include a variety of jazz works by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Gordon Goodwin and many other jazz legends.

The Marquette Chorus concert will feature the men’s, women’s and chamber choirs Saturday, April 24, at 3 p.m. in the Varsity Theatre. Performers will sing a range of pieces from sacred selections, spirituals, waltzes and culturally inspired songs from Australia and Africa.

MUsical Staff, the faculty and staff choir, will present a free, spring concert Tuesday, April 27, at 11:15 a.m. and Thursday, April 29, at 12:15 p.m. in the Varsity Theatre. The choir will cover several genres, including madrigals, folk songs, modern and classical, and choral music such as Mozart’s Regina Coeli and Rutter’s For the Beauty of the Earth.

7. Panelists to discuss educational inequality in Milwaukee

The College of Education will host “Separate and Unequal: Educational Inequality in Milwaukee” Monday, April 26, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the AMU Lunda Room. Panelists who will discuss the nature of educational inequality in Milwaukee include:

• Garrett Bucks, Milwaukee director of Teach for America
• Martha Elson, Teach for America corps member
• Dr. Francesca Lopez, assistant professor of educational policy and leadership
• Sean Roberts, Milwaukee Teaching Fellows site director

8. Computing power on display at Cyberinfrastructure Open House

The university’s recently expanded computing power that benefits research campus-wide will be featured at a Cyberinfrastructure Open House on Wednesday, April 28, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the second floor of Cudahy Hall. The program includes a short presentation at 4:15 p.m., tours and poster sessions. The event is hosted by Dr. John Pauly, provost, and the Marquette Research Computing Task Force.

Through university support and external grants, including a $560,000 National Science Foundation grant, the improvements made to Marquette’s cyberinfrastructure, known as the MUGrid, allow Marquette researchers to tackle increasingly challenging and complicated research.

RSVP to University Special Events at 8-7431 by Monday, April 26.

9. Homeless Law Project founder to deliver law lecture

Laurene Heybach, Arts ’74 and Law ’78, a civil rights and poverty law attorney, will present “Bending toward justice: Reflecting on how our lives as 21st-century lawyers can make a difference” Friday, April 30, at 4:30 p.m. in Sensenbrenner Hall, third floor. Her address is the Law School Pro Bono Society’s Posner Pro Bono Lecture. Following the presentation will be the induction of members into the Pro Bono Society. A reception will conclude the event at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Heybach founded the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless Law Project after working as a supervisory attorney for the Homeless Advocacy Project at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.

10. Marquette night at the symphony is April 30

Marquette University and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra are offering reduced price tickets at MU Night at the Symphony, Friday, April 30, at 8 p.m. at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St.

The orchestra will perform Brahms’ Requiem under the direction of Edo de Waart, conductor. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Chorus and the Milwaukee Children’s Choir will also perform Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and Brahms’ A German Requiem with the symphony.

Employees can purchase advance tickets online for 25 percent off by entering source code 14097.

All seats are subject to availability and are non-refundable. For more information contact Erin Yanes, business development and events manager at MSO, at 414-226-7811.

11. Tell us about interesting May graduates

The Office of Marketing and Communication is seeking stories about May 2010 graduates for possible use with area media. May graduates with unusual backgrounds; who overcame substantial obstacles in getting their degree; who will be doing something unusual after graduation; with recent national-level exclusive awards, academic recognition, publications or scholarship; etc. are some ideas that would be appropriate.

What graduates do you know who have fascinating stories to tell? E-mail their names and plenty of details by Monday, May 3.

12. Library reserve requests can be placed for summer and fall courses

Instructors teaching a summer or fall class should begin placing library reserve requests via the Ares system. Contact the Reserve Desk at 8-7253 for more information.

13. Committee on Staff election runs through April 29

The Committee on Staff election begins today, Thursday, April 22. All eligible support staff will receive e-mailed election ballots and information about this year’s nominees today, April 22. The response deadline is 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29.

For more information, contact Kristina Fisher, vice chair of COS, at 8-7431.

14. Math department and neuroscience center hosting seminars

The Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science will hold a colloquium tomorrow, April 23, at 4 p.m. in Cudahy 401. Dr. Sarah Merz, professor of mathematics at the University of the Pacific, will present “The competition graph and a generalization.”

The Integrative Neuroscience Center will host Dr. Daniel Corcos, professor of kinesiology and nutrition at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Corcos will present “Effects of exercise in Parkinsonian patients” Tuesday, April 27, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Schroeder Complex 256.

15. Digital repository covered at two workshops

Raynor Memorial Libraries will host two workshops about e-publications@Marquette, the university’s online digital repository for faculty scholarship, next week. The workshops, which are identical, will be held Tuesday, April 27, from noon to 1 p.m. and Wednesday, April 28, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Raynor Conference Center, Beaumier Suite A.

The workshops will cover how to make sure your work (past, present and future) is included and the supporting services the libraries provide, including publisher permissions and deposit.

For more information contact Ann Hanlon, digital projects librarian, at 8-1675.

16. Relaxation workshop hosted by Manresa team

The Manresa Outreach Team will host "Embrace Your Inner Child," a relaxation workshop, Wednesday April 28, at 8 p.m. in the AMU Henke Lounge. Refreshments will be provided.

17. $2 fitness classes offered tomorrow

The Department of Recreational Sports will offer $2 fitness classes tomorrow, April 23. Classes are free to members and cost $2 for nonmembers on a first-come, first-served basis:

• Cardio Party, 4 p.m., Rec Center
• Dance Aerobics, 3 p.m., Rec Plex
• Spin, 4 p.m., Rec Center

18. Prevent bicycle theft by following safety tips

With several recent incidents of bicycle theft on- and off-campus involving the cutting of cable locks, the Department of Public Safety reminds bicycle owners of several safety tips:

• Always secure your bicycle with an effective locking device. High security U-shaped locks are available for $20 from the Parking Services office.

• Secure bicycles to fixed objects, such as permanent bicycle racks that are cemented or anchored to the ground. Do not secure bicycles to trees or other objects that can be removed or broken. On campus, bicycle parking is allowed in designated areas only.

• The City of Milwaukee requires that all bicycles be licensed. Free licensing decals can be obtained from the Parking Services office. Licensing also assists in identifying the owners of recovered bicycles.

• Secure bicycles in well-traveled, well-lit areas.

Bicycle racks should be used only for short-term parking. Those in need of long-term or overnight bicycle storage should use secured bike corrals in the 16th Street and Wells Street Parking Structures. Bicycles must be registered with Parking Services prior to accessing the bike corrals.

For more information, contact DPS at 8-6800.

19. Take shelter during severe weather

Members of the Marquette community are reminded to take shelter immediately when the local emergency sirens sound for severe weather. A tornado warning means that a tornado is in the area and everyone should take immediate shelter, preferably in a basement or below-ground location.

A tornado watch means that conditions are right for a tornado. Continue normal activities but monitor the situation.

For more information, see the Emergency Procedures Guide.