1. $1.5 million HRSA grant awarded to Marquette Neighborhood Health Center

The Marquette Neighborhood Health Center has been awarded a five-year, $1,477,828 grant to implement a nurse-midwife practice and develop a breast-feeding support program for underserved, urban, largely at-risk African American women. The MNHC is a nurse-managed community health center run by the College of Nursing that provides primary care to the Marquette community and vulnerable populations of mostly Medicare and Medicaid patients, and serves as a clinical education site for nursing students.

The project, “Marquette University – ‘Improving Maternal and Infant Outcomes’” was funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions, Division of Nursing. Martty Berner serves as project director.

To provide underserved, pregnant women with access to prenatal care, the MNHC will hire two certified full-time midwives by early January and a third midwife in the third year of the grant. According to 2008 data from the Wisconsin Public Health and Policy Institute, the infant mortality rate for women who have no prenatal care is approximately seven times higher than for women who have adequate prenatal care. The infant mortality rate for black infants in Milwaukee is equal to or worse than that of many developing countries, such as Botswana, Jamaica, Jordan and Bahrain, according to researchers.

The second component of the grant is to develop a breast-feeding support program to increase breast-feeding initiation and continuation rates among African American pregnant women. Since research has shown that breast-feeding is nutritionally, immunologically, psychologically, socially and economically beneficial, the expectant mothers will receive breast-feeding support and education from peer breast-feeding counselors.

“This grant will help reduce health disparities for minority women in Milwaukee and enable more women to give birth to healthy babies,” said Dr. Margaret Faut Callahan, dean of nursing. “In addition to expanding prenatal and OB/GYN services at the Marquette Neighborhood Health Center, we estimate that the midwifery practice will provide more than 100 clinical rotations for student nurse midwives over five years.”

2. $1 million grant awarded to Marquette and four other universities

Marquette University is one of the five regional universities — Marquette, Milwaukee School of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Parkside and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater — to form the Southeastern Wisconsin Center for Economic Development, which was recently awarded a $1 million grant for water technology and entrepreneurship. This new center will play a key role in building a regional economic ecosystem, primarily focusing on supporting commercialization efforts within the southeastern Wisconsin region.

Marquette offers several capabilities and assets to support and advance technology commercialization. Of particular interest to SWCED are:

• Kohler Center of Entrepreneurship
• Golden Angels Network
• The Water Quality Center
• The Marquette University Law School

The Kohler Center provides educational support and development programs for entrepreneurs and an active network of mentors to support and develop entrepreneurs' capacity for success. They have been engaged in this work for 10 years.

The Golden Angels Network, 65 members in all, is very interested in providing expertise and funding for startups in renewable energy. It has a track record of successful investment in renewable energy/clean tech companies and has considerable expertise. Active involvement is anticipated in matching entrepreneurs with experienced mentors who are entrepreneurs themselves and who have a track record of success as a way to aid in the development of the people who would use this program.

The Water Quality Center brings together researchers, government, private foundations, industry and others to solve problems related to lake, river and groundwater quality. These problems often involve municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater, stormwater runoff and drinking water. Research is often multidisciplinary and is performed by experts from engineering, biological sciences, mathematics, statistics and computer science and other disciplines. The center maintains a 3,700-square-foot laboratory facility that includes instrumentation (gas chromatographs, high-pressure liquid chromatographs, ICP-MS, total organic carbon analyzers, etc.) and space for testing and research.

The Marquette University Law School has several distinctive programs. Of particular interest to SWCED is the Intellectual Property and Technology Program, which is overseen by three full-time faculty, all of whom are engaged in scholarship and real-world practical experience in intellectual property and technology law, and is supported by adjunct faculty members consisting of attorneys who are experts in their field.

3. Community Campaign kicks off this week

Marquette’s annual Community Campaign begins this week and runs through Friday, Oct. 14, with goals of 100 percent participation among university employees and $300,000 total dollars raised.

The Community Campaign gives faculty and staff the opportunity to make donations that support three priorities: Marquette itself (such as the College of Nursing’s new Center for Clinical Simulation, the School of Dentistry’s building expansion and Engineering Hall); the United Performing Arts Fund, which assists performing arts organizations in southeastern Wisconsin; and United Way of Greater Milwaukee, which supports local health and human service programs. Donors have the opportunity to select any fund of their choosing in their support of Marquette.

“At Marquette, we exist in partnership with the community,” said Rana Altenburg, Arts ’88, vice president for public affairs and campaign co-chair. “Whether you choose to support one organization or all three, your gift, regardless of amount, will make an impact.”

“Thanks to the increasing generosity of Marquette faculty, staff and administrators, Community Campaign contributions have raised more than $1.4 million since 2003,” said Dr. William Cullinan, PT ’81, dean of health sciences and campaign co-chair. “Last year alone, we raised $275,400 for the three campaign priorities.”

For more information or to donate, go online. Employees can select which priority they wish to support, as well as payment options such as payroll deductions.

4. Les Aspin Center to honor Durbin and Kaberia

The Marquette University Les Aspin Center for Government will present the center’s Democracy Award to U.S. Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., the assistant majority leader in the U.S. Senate, and the center’s Founder’s Award to Kirimi P. Kaberia, Kenyan ambassador to Brazil. They will be honored at a luncheon in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Oct. 6.

“Sen. Durbin has a long record of distinguished public service, both in the State of Illinois and nationally,” said Rev. Tim O’Brien, director of the Les Aspin Center. “He has demonstrated a particular interest in access to higher education, through his ongoing support of the Pell Grant program and his sponsorship of the Dream Act.” O’Brien also cited Durbin’s commitment to the Les Aspin Center, including providing internships in his office for students studying at the center.

Durbin sits on the Senate Judiciary, Appropriations, Foreign Relations and Rules Committees. He is chairman of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights and the Appropriations Committee's Financial Services and General Government subcommittee. He is serving his third term as U.S. senator, having been first elected in 1996.

Kaberia spent his early career as the assistant director for international programming at the center and O’Brien said he was instrumental in the founding of a training program for East and West African leaders. The program, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, has educated more than 400 government officials and nongovernmental organization executives from Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Mali and Nigeria since 1995.

5. Anonymous hotline expanded for reporting misconduct

Marquette University values its obligation to students, faculty, staff and the public to maintain the highest ethical standards. To help maintain those standards, the university has expanded the scope of EthicsPoint, the anonymous hotline for reporting activities that may constitute misconduct.

Originally established in 2006 as a resource for reporting financial misconduct, EthicsPoint can now also receive reports of misconduct about a variety of subjects, including academic integrity and ethics, athletics, human resource and personnel issues, information technology and medical, risk and safety matters, along with financial areas. The scope was expanded to implement an industry best practice that provides the university a way in which to be better informed about possible misconduct and compliance issues.

Marquette contracts with EthicsPoint to provide a secure server and toll-free hotline that are not operated by Marquette. This resource may be especially important for members of our community who feel uncomfortable discussing suspected misconduct with their colleagues or supervisors.

Individuals can report activities online or by calling 1-800-445-7068.

6. Student elected chair of March of Dimes National Youth Council

Taylor Trovillion, a senior in the Diederich College of Communication, has been named chair of the March of Dimes National Youth Council, a select group of 19 college students across the country who devote a significant amount of time to the March of Dimes on a regional and national level. Trovillion has been involved with the March of Dimes in a leadership capacity for the past six years, this being her fourth year serving on the National Youth Council.

Locally, Trovillion volunteers with the Milwaukee chapter of the March of Dimes, serves as a member on the Wisconsin board for the March of Dimes and sits on the March of Dimes Wisconsin Chapter’s Public Affairs Committee. She spends about 15 hours a week doing March of Dimes-related work.

The March of Dimes is a leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health; its purpose is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

7. 2011 directory of foundations available from libraries

Raynor Memorial Libraries have released the 2011 edition of Foundations in Wisconsin, now in its 30th year. The annual print directory and its companion subscription database assist grant-seekers in locating private, corporate and community foundations registered in Wisconsin.

The new edition includes a record-high 1,324 foundations, including 67 new foundations, with more than $6.2 billion in assets and combined annual grants of $458 million. Both formats are available for purchase, but current members of the Marquette community have free access to the online directory.

The Libraries’ Funding Information Center serves the research needs of Marquette, Milwaukee and Wisconsin grant-seekers. Orientations to the collections and to the grants process are held regularly. For more information, contact Mary Frenn, funding information librarian, at 8-1995.

8. Letters of intent for international poster session due Monday

Letters of “Intent to Participate” in the Marquette International Research Poster Session are due at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3.

The purpose of the Nov. 29 poster session is to support promising forward thinking and international research, and encourage and showcase research among faculty members and students from all disciplines. Participants may also enter their poster or colloquy to be judged and considered for the Office of Research and Sponsored Program’s $1,000 "Jump Start" grant or the Office of International Education’s $1,500 International Research Award.

Abstracts and grant applications are due at 4 p.m. Nov. 1.

For more information contact Erin LeMoine, OIE international communication and marketing coordinator at 8-5762, or Katherine Durben, ORSP director of project planning and development, at 8-5470.

9. Marquette chapter of American Association of University Professors restarting

Dr. Irene Mulvey, professor of mathematics and computer science at Fairfield University, will speak as a representative of the American Association of University Professors on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 5:30 p.m. in David Straz 250. She will address the goals and challenges of the organization as it approaches its upcoming centennial. The Marquette chapter will hold a discussion about the chapter’s future following her talk. Membership information will be available. For more information, contact Dr. Kristy Nielson, president of the Marquette chapter and professor of psychology.

10. Faculty and local artists to hold panel discussion

In conjunction with the Current Tendencies II exhibition at the Haggerty Museum of Art, a panel will be held to discuss connections with philosophy, theology, political science and communications Thursday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. at the Haggerty. The event is free and open to the public.

Each artist in the exhibition was paired with a Marquette faculty member who wrote a reflection of the artist’s work based on the professor’s area of expertise, creating dialogue between artist and scholar. Panelists include:

• Dr. Bonnie Brennen, Nieman professor of journalism at Marquette

• Jessica Meuninck-Ganger, artist and print and narrative forms area head in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

• Will Pergl, artist and associate professor of fine arts at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design

• Dr. Melissa Shew, visiting associate professor of philosophy at Marquette

• Dr. Nathaniel Stern, artist and assistant professor of art and design at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

11. Corliss to discuss Internet protocols in skits, songs and poems

Dr. George Corliss, professor of electrical and computer engineering, will present “Students in Computer Operating Systems Present Internet Protocols in Skits, Songs and Poems” Friday, Oct. 7. This Manresa for Faculty program will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in Raynor 320h as part of a series of faculty best practices and creative methods being used in Marquette classrooms.

Manresa for Faculty in the Center for Teaching and Learning provides programs and workshops that highlight faculty development and the vocation of the teacher/scholar in a Catholic Jesuit institution.

12. Cultures of China and the West to be explored at conference

The Department of Philosophy will host a conference, “Unsettled Boundaries: Philosophy, Art, and Ethics East/West: A Meeting of Chinese and Western Scholars” Oct. 12-14. The conference will explore common ground between the cultures of China and the West with a focus on their respective philosophies and arts, including traditional and contemporary views. The conference is free and open to the public.

For more information contact Dr. Curtis Carter, professor of philosophy, at 8-6962. Advanced registration is requested by email.

13. Sorby to discuss "Louisa May Alcott Wrote That?"

Raynor Memorial Libraries’ will present “Louisa May Alcott Wrote That? Alcott and the Civil War,” by Dr. Angela Sorby, associate professor of English, at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, in the Raynor Library Beaumier Suites.

The program is the second event in this fall’s Alcott series and will address Alcott’s role as a Civil War nurse, two Alcott texts with readings and music from the era, and how the war challenged Alcott’s (and the nation’s) most deeply held convictions and assumptions. The grant-funded series focuses on the woman behind Little Women.

14. PostSecret creator to speak

Marquette University Student Government will host Frank Warren, creator of PostSecret, at the Varsity Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. PostSecret is an ongoing project allowing people to anonymously send in homemade postcards describing or illustrating a secret they have never revealed before.

The postcards address a wide variety of topics, including hopes, regrets, eating disorders, drug addictions, sexual assaults, embarrassing memories and love affairs. More than 500,000 PostSecret cards have been received and read. Warren tours the country sharing these stories to create awareness about the issues addressed in the postcards and helping others realize they are not in situations alone.

Free tickets are available in the AMU Brooks Lounge, limit one per person.

15. Cortes-Velez to hold book signing and presentation

Dr. Dinorah Cortes-Velez, assistant professor of Spanish, will hold a book presentation and signing for her new novel, El arca de la memoria, Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Raynor Library Beaumier Suite A. Cortes-Velez will read from her novel and Dr. Armando Gónzalez Pérez, professor of Spanish, will provide commentary.

16. Monthly sessions to address social media strategy at Marquette

A new group, “Social Media @MarquetteU,” will offer monthly training and guidance for faculty, staff and administrators whose duties involve using social media to communicate with prospective students, current students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Sponsored by Grow With Marquette, the sessions will take place 11 a.m. to noon the first Thursday of every month, starting Oct. 6 in AMU 157.

Those who want to learn more about how Marquette uses social media are also welcome to join and discuss social media trends and strategy, ask questions and brainstorm ideas.

Sessions will be moderated by Communication Specialist Tim Cigelske, whose responsibilities include managing Marquette's social media presence in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Light refreshments will be served.

To register, email Grow With Marquette. For more information contact Tim Cigelske at 9-4864.

17. CPS to hold adult undergraduate degree information session

The College of Professional Studies will hold an adult undergraduate degree information session for prospective students Saturday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. in Cudahy 414. Information to be presented will include accelerated eight-week-session bachelor's degree programs (leadership and organizations, professional communication, criminology and law studies, psychology); Saturday, weeknight, blended on-campus and online, and fully online course offerings; the application process; and financial aid opportunities. Register online or by calling 8-3153.

18. Speaker to discuss principles of community organizing

Midnight Run is hosting Kathleen Scott, community organizer from Southeast Wisconsin Common Ground, who will talk about community organizing. Scott will share the basic principles of community organizing and provide updates about Common Ground campaigns Monday, Oct. 3, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in AMU 252.

19. Free zumba class offered tomorrow and next week

The Department of Recreational Sports is offering free group fitness classes tomorrow, Sept. 30.

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
• Total body blast at 1 p.m. at the Rec Center
• Zumba at 3 p.m. at the Rec Plex
• Ab blast at 4 p.m. at the Rec Center
• Dance fitness at 4 p.m. at the Rec Plex

For more information call the group fitness office at 8-6979 or contact Shannon Bustillos, assistant director of recreational sports, at 8-7778.

20. Photo exhibit promotes nonviolence in India

A photo exhibit, Ahimsa India: Nonviolence Today, featuring the work of Leah Todd, a senior in the Diederich College of Communication, is on display in the AMU first floor lobby through tomorrow, Sept. 30, at 5 p.m. "Ahimsa" is a Hindi word meaning nonviolence; the exhibit depicts inter-religious unity and peacemaking. The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Center for Peacemaking and the Indian Student Association.