1. College of Arts and Sciences dean search committee finalized

President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., and Provost John Pauly have finalized the search committee to recruit a new dean for the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences. The committee will be chaired by longtime faculty member, Dr. Phillip Naylor. Naylor, who is a professor of History, has taught in the Klingler College for the past 20 years and consulted with Pilarz and Pauly on selecting the search committee members. He was named a John P. Raynor, S.J., Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence winner in 1996 and received both his master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees from Marquette University.

In his first year as president, Pilarz has met extensively with Arts and Sciences faculty to gain valuable feedback on the needs and future of the College. The search will follow a new protocol for all university dean searches, which was developed in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences faculty and leadership, University Academic Senate, the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost.

"The Klingler College is central to our academic enterprise and mission. In this search, we see an opportunity to gain an academic leader committed to excellence," Pilarz said. "We will approach this hire in a way that is thoughtful, deliberate and inclusive. We will aggressively recruit candidates who aspire to lead Marquette's liberal arts and sciences, which has been the core of what Jesuit education has been about since the 16th century."

In his presidential address in January of 2012, Pilarz encouraged faculty recommendations. "I urge all of you and especially members of the faculty to identify outstanding candidates to lead this central college and to encourage them to consider this position," he said.

The search committee, the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost will begin by exploring ideas and opinions from many sources to develop and identify the most important characteristics of the ideal candidate. The new dean is expected to start in time for the 2013-14 academic year.

"I want to extend my sincere gratitude to our interim dean, Rev. Philip Rossi, S.J., and our search committee chair, Dr. Phillip Naylor. "Their efforts, combined with our entire volunteer search committee, will lead the university toward this important milestone," Pilarz said. "We have tremendous promise in front of us."

Watch News Briefs for updates on the search. The search committee is as follows:

Dr. Phillip Naylor – Professor of history
Dr. Lori Bergen – Dean of the Diederich College of Communication and University Academic Senate representative
Dr. Roberta Coles - Chair and professor of social and cultural sciences
Dr. Robert Fitts – Chair and professor of biological sciences
Dr. Jeanne Hossenlopp – Vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate School
Dr. Colleen Lawton - Alumna
Rev. Joseph G. Mueller, S. J., – Associate professor of theology
Cherryl T. Thomas – Member, Board of Trustees
Dr. Susan Wood – Chair and professor of theology
Dr. McGee Young – Associate professor of political science

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2. Commencement weekend includes Mass, webcast and free parking

Nearly 1,250 undergraduates and more than 700 graduate and professional students will receive their Marquette degrees at Commencement Sunday, May 20, at 9:30 a.m. at the Bradley Center. The Baccalaureate Mass will be Saturday, May 19, at 4:30 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Tickets are not needed for either event.

The all-university Commencement ceremony will be webcast so that family and friends not in attendance can participate.

Baseball great Hank Aaron will be the Commencement speaker. Aaron will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Marquette, along with Sister Mary Miguel Conway, BVM, co-director of the Working Boys' Center in Quito, Ecuador.

All campus parking lots will be open and free of charge over Commencement weekend, May 18-20. Gates to most lots will open Friday afternoon and will remain open through Sunday evening. Structures will still be staffed with an attendant. For more information, contact Jay Sobota, parking services manager, at 8-6911.

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3. Conference to address future of K-12 education in Wisconsin

The Law School and the College of Education will host a major education conference, "The Challenge and the Opportunity: How Wisconsin Can Meet More Ambitious Goals for Students," which will address the new standards for reading and math proficiency in Wisconsin, Tuesday, May 22, at 8:30 a.m. in Eckstein Hall.

Wisconsin will soon start using standards set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for measuring student achievement in reading and math. With NAEP being a much tougher grader than the state, the proportion of Wisconsin students rated as proficient is likely to fall 40 percentage points or more. David P. Driscoll, chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the NAEP program, will be the keynote speaker and hold an open forum with attendees. Tony Evers, Wisconsin superintendent of public instruction, will also present his response to the NAEP challenge.

The event is free and open to the public; but, because of the volume of registrants, reservations are now being accepted for the live-feed overflow room only. Register online.

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4. Celebration for Julie Tolan will be held May 30

A celebration honoring the contributions of Julie Tolan, vice president for University Advancement, to Marquette, will be held Wednesday, May 30, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Eckstein Hall's Zilber Forum. A program will take place at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Earlier this week, Tolan announced that she will leave her position on June 30 to pursue leadership opportunities outside of Marquette. Her last day on campus will be May 31. Under her leadership, Marquette achieved record-breaking fundraising success, with more than $100 million raised in 2007 and 2008 and $75 million raised in 2010. In total, nearly $650 million in fundraising is credited to Tolan's tenure as vice president, including campaigns for Eckstein Hall and Engineering Hall.

Please RSVP to University Special Events.

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5. Register for next week's Marquette CIRCLES event in Milwaukee

Marquette CIRCLES, an innovative business networking program that connects Marquette alumni, parents and friends, will be held Thursday, May 24, at 5:45 p.m. at the Pfister Hotel, 424 E. Wisconsin Avenue. A "Women in Business" pre-reception will take place before the event, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Several Marquette faculty members will speak at roundtable discussions during the event on topics including: sustainable design, leadership development, brand building and medical innovation, among others. A full list of roundtable topics and speakers is available online.

Register online. For additional information, contact Terrie Bruckbauer, advancement associate, at 8-3353.

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