1. Dr. Paul Farmer, social inequality activist, to keynote Mission Week

Dr. Paul Farmer, a medical anthropologist and physician, will speak at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, in the Varsity Theatre for the Mission Week 2011 keynote address, “Imagine a More Just World: Partnering with the Poor.” Farmer is founding director of Partners In Health, an international non-profit organization that provides direct health care services and has undertaken research and advocacy activities on behalf of those who are sick and living in poverty.

Farmer and colleagues in the United States, Haiti, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho and Malawi have pioneered novel community-based treatment strategies that demonstrate the delivery of high-quality health care in resource-poor settings. Farmer has written extensively on health, human rights and the consequences of social inequality. His most recent book is Partner to the Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader. He is also the subject of Tracy Kidder’s book, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Could Cure the World.

Mission Week 2011 will be held Feb. 6-11. For more information or to assist with Mission Week 2011, contact the Office of Mission and Ministry at 8-1881.

2. Father Wild bobblehead given away at appreciation night basketball game

In recognition of the career of Marquette President Robert A. Wild, S.J., the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will hold a ceremony in his honor during the Saturday, Feb. 19, men’s basketball game.

All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative bobblehead of him at the game, 8 p.m. vs. Seton Hall at the Bradley Center. Tickets are available online and by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Father Wild, an avid basketball fan, championed Marquette’s membership in the BIG EAST Conference in 2005. Fans can catch a glimpse of him at home basketball games, where he is known for establishing the Marquette gold sweater vest as preferred fan apparel.

The university will have completed more than $375 million of construction, renovation and beautification projects during the presidency of Father Wild, who will retire next summer. Those projects include the Al McGuire Center, Raynor Library, School of Dentistry, Zilber Hall and Eckstein Hall.

3. Free holiday concerts begin tomorrow

A variety of Marquette music groups will perform holiday concerts, beginning with Lessons and Carols on Friday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Gesu. The concert will feature performances by the Liturgical Choir, Marquette Chorus, Gospel Choir and Faculty Choir.

The Music Area Holiday Concert, featuring performances by the Jazz Ensemble, Gospel Choir, Marquette Chorus, Orchestra, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, will be Sunday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. in the Varsity Theater.

The Marquette Faculty and Staff Chorale will perform its second annual Christmas Concert on Tuesday, Dec. 7, and Thursday, Dec. 9, at 11:30 a.m. in the Varsity Theatre. The choir will sing traditional carols, as well as carols from Poland, France and the Czech Republic.

The Naturals, Marquette’s all-men a cappella group, will perform a collection of traditional holiday songs and seasonal favorites at their annual Christmas concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, in the Weasler Auditorium.

Carillonneur Mark Konewko will present Silver Bells, It’s Christmas Time in the City concert series. At noon each of the first three Sundays in December, Konewko will play traditional and ethnic Christmas songs. The approximately 45-minute performances can be heard throughout the Marquette campus.

All concerts are free and open to the public.

4. Deadline for free Business Plan Competition entries is Monday

The Center for Entrepreneurship is accepting submissions for its 2011 Business Plan Competition. The application, which requires completing an entry form and answering three questions, is due Monday, Jan. 10, 2011. Applications received by Monday, Dec. 6, are free. Cost for those applying after Dec. 6 is $50. At least one member of a team must be a Marquette student, faculty or staff member or an alumnus/a.

The fully developed plans will be reviewed by a panel of judges who will select semi-finalists to participate in oral presentations. The winners, who will be announced at the Marquette Business Plan Competition Banquet April 13, 2011, will receive services, such as legal, accounting and public relations assistance. Winners also will be invited to participate in the Governor’s Business Plan Competition.

5. Applications for Metcalfe Chair and diversity grants available

The Office of the Provost is accepting applications for the Ralph H. Metcalfe Chair and the Marquette Excellence in Diversity Grants.

Named for Marquette alumnus Ralph H. Metcalfe, the Metcalfe Chair is a non-residential chair that brings an African American, Latina/o, or Native American scholar from any academic discipline taught at Marquette to campus for a three- to four-day visit. Chair holders are expected to give public lectures and interact with students and faculty. While proposals from all academic disciplines will be considered, applications for 2011/12 are particularly encouraged from the humanities, sciences and engineering. Two chairs are awarded each year. Proposals may request up to $5,000 per chair.

Up to six Marquette Excellence in Diversity Grants will be awarded to support diversity in the academic life of the university during the 2011-2012 academic year. Grants support a lecture or public presentation by diverse scholars, writers and visual or performing artists for the Marquette community. The purpose of the program is to disseminate knowledge of diverse cultures and communities through lectures, workshops, symposia and other forms of presentation within the university community. Priority will be given to projects that are multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary, planned through faculty/student collaborations, and engage faculty and students at Marquette over several days. Up to $2,500 may be requested in each proposal.

Proposals must be received in the Provost’s Office of Diversity (Zilber 454) by March 1, 2011.

6. Nominate students for scholarships

Several alumni groups have scholarship awards for which they are seeking nominations. Faculty and staff who know students who qualify for any of these awards are encouraged to nominate them or, for the scholarships that do not require nominations, to encourage students to apply. Students receiving tuition remission or full-tuition scholarships are not eligible for these awards.

The Association of Marquette University Women Scholarship — $2,500 for junior (60-99 credits) women beginning their senior year in fall 2011 who are enrolled full-time with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 and demonstrate financial need. Application deadline is Feb. 4, 2011.

Ralph H. Metcalfe, Sr., Scholarship — Three awards of up to $2,000 each for Marquette students of color who are enrolled full-time with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and who demonstrate financial need. At least one award will go to an Educational Opportunity Program student and one to a non-EOP student. Sponsored by the Ethnic Alumni Association. Application deadline is Feb. 11, 2011.

AMUW Ignatian Leadership Award — $1,000 award for a senior woman (graduating in 2011) enrolled full-time who excels academically and demonstrates leadership and service to the Marquette and Milwaukee (or her hometown) communities and strives to live out the Ignatian ideals. Faculty/staff nomination is required along with student application. Deadline is Feb. 18, 2011.

Pedro Arrupe Award — $2,500 for a junior in good standing and enrolled full-time who emulates the values and ideals of Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1961 to 1984, and is involved in service in and beyond the Marquette community. Faculty/staff nomination is required along with student application and essay. Deadline is March 25, 2011.

7. Advent Reconciliation and Immaculate Conception services next week

Campus Ministry will offer an Advent Reconciliation Service and Masses for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception next week.

The Advent Reconciliation Service, “What are your hearts thinking?,” will be a communal reconciliation service followed by the opportunity for individual reconciliation. Rev. Doug Leonhardt, S.J., associate vice president of mission and ministry, will preside, Monday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the AMU Chapel of the Holy Family. Emily Schumacher-Novak, assistant director in campus ministry, will offer the reflection.

Masses for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Catholic holy day of obligation, will be Wednesday, Dec. 8, at noon, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. in the AMU Chapel of the Holy Family.

8. Student chapter of black journalists to be honored

The Diederich College of Communication, Milwaukee Press Club and Wisconsin Black Media Association will co-host a reception to welcome and honor the National Association of Black Journalists at Marquette University on Tuesday, Dec. 7, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Newsroom Pub, 137 E. Wells Street, Milwaukee.

NABJ-MU is the state’s only student chapter of NABJ, the nation’s oldest and largest organization for journalists of color. Dr. Lori Bergen, dean of communication, and former NABJ President Herbert Lowe, NABJ-MU’s faculty adviser, will be on hand to help honor the student chapter.

The event is held as part of the series of activities to celebrate the Centennial of Journalism at Marquette.

No registration is required for the event, which is open to the public.

9. Pedestrian crosswalk enhancement added on 16th Street

Additional signage designating the pedestrian crosswalk on N. 16th Street between Wisconsin Avenue and Clybourn Street was recently added to better inform drivers and create safer crossing for pedestrians. This improvement is one of several already employed around campus intersections. Although these improvements are aimed at creating safer travel around campus, drivers and pedestrians are urged to familiarize themselves with rules and laws relating to crosswalks and pedestrian travel.

According to Wisconsin law, drivers must yield to pedestrians at controlled and uncontrolled intersections, as well as marked pedestrian crosswalks. Once a pedestrian moves to properly step into a crosswalk, vehicles must come to a stop prior to the crosswalk lines.

Pedestrians have a duty to exercise caution prior to crossing, checking traffic both ways before stepping into a crosswalk. At an uncontrolled crossing, pedestrians must watch and wait for traffic to clear before crossing. Pedestrians are required to abide by pedestrian crossing signals at controlled intersections and may not walk against the light, even when no traffic is approaching.

The signage was added through the efforts of the Office of Public Affairs, Department of Public Safety and many campus employees and students.

10. Free group fitness classes offered tomorrow

The Department of Recreational Sports is offering free group fitness classes tomorrow, Dec. 3.

The classes are free to members. The cost is $2 for faculty and staff who are non-members to enter the facility and participate in the classes:

• Spin at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Rec Center
• Zumba at 1 p.m. at the Rec Center and 3 p.m. at the Rec Plex
• Jazz Dance at 4 p.m. at the Rec Center

Call 8-6979 for more information.

11. $1 million grant and Fulbright scholars featured in Marquette Matters

The December 2010/January 2011 issue of Marquette Matters, the printed monthly employee newsletter, features articles about a $1 million grant to assist students registered with the Disability Services office, profiles of Marquette’s new EOP director and two spring Fulbright scholars, technology use in the Speech and Hearing Clinic and Project Night Night. This issue will arrive in employee mailboxes within the next few days.

12. Hype Marquette to perform free hip-hop dance show

The student organization Hype Marquette will present its free, fall hip-hop dance showcase, “Atten-HYPE,” Saturday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. in the AMU ballrooms. The show will feature hip-hop dance performances by the Marquette team and other local dance groups, including Dance Inc. and PURE.

For more information e-mail Hype Dance.

13. Committee on Administrators ballots due Monday

Ballots for the Committee on Administrators annual membership election are due Monday, Dec. 6. COA ballots are for one at-large representative and two area representatives — Office of Finance/Office of the President/General Counsel/Senior Vice President area representative and the Office of Student Affairs/Intercollegiate Athletics area representative.

Ballots were mailed to all administrators and can be sent to Mary Minson, chair of the COA Committee on Nominations, Appointments and Elections. Election results will be announced in January.

14. Monitor university communications for weather closings

In the event of a weather-related closing, students, faculty and staff will be notified by e-mail and, for those registered, by text messaging and Twitter. Local media will be notified of any closing, and Marquette.edu would also post information.

All faculty and staff with university-owned cell phones have been automatically enrolled for text messages. Faculty and staff may also register their personal cell phone numbers in the “Personal Information” section of MyJob.

15. Follow Marquette updates online

Marquette community members can get information and stay up-to-date with Marquette happenings through multimedia and social networks. Connect with Marquette through:

• Marquette on Twitter – in 140 characters or less.

• Marquette’s Facebook page, as well as many Marquette departmental pages. Nearly 12,800 fans follow Marquette’s Facebook page.

• Marquette on foursquare to discover tips about places on campus, including historical trivia and campus activities.

• Marquette News Center — RSS subscription available to receive university news announcements.

• Marquette’s YouTube channel, where viewers can watch, rate and comment on videos about Marquette.

• Videos of key thought leaders speaking on campus on the Difference Network.

• Marquette photos on Flickr.

16. Easy Pass deadline is Dec. 15

The deadline to participate in the Easy Pass payroll deduction program is Wednesday, Dec. 15. 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 costs $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 AMU Union Station for passes that will be good during January, February and March. Those who wish to drop must also do so in Union Station by Dec. 15.