1. Nominations for 2013-14 Metcalfe Chair due April 1

Nominations are now open for two Ralph H. Metcalfe Chair positions for the 2013-14 academic year. Named for Marquette alumnus Ralph Metcalfe, the Metcalfe Chair is a non-residential chair that brings an African American, Latina/o or Native American scholar from any academic discipline to campus. Since 1982, the Metcalfe Chair has enriched the university with a roster of notable scholars.

The deadline for nominations is Monday, April 1. Nominating departments will be notified by Monday, April 15, if they are selected. The nominating department will also receive financial support for an honorarium and travel expenses for the chair.

Metcalfe Chair holders are ordinarily nominated by faculty and hosted by an academic department over a 3-4 day visit. Metcalfe Chairs are expected to give public lectures and interact with students and faculty during their visits to campus, and in some instances, visit local high schools or middle schools.

For more information, contact Dr. William Welburn, associate provost for diversity and inclusion, at 8-8028.

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2. Conference to present multidisciplinary perspectives on engaging Islam and Muslims

A Middle East and North Africa Studies conference, "Engaging Islam and Muslims: Multidisciplinary Perspectives," will take place Tuesday, March 19, and Wednesday, March 20, in the Raynor Memorial Libraries' Beaumier Suites, B/C. This is an interdisciplinary conference involving faculty and students from five departments: history, foreign languages and literatures, philosophy, social and cultural sciences, and theology.

Dr. John P. Entelis, professor of political sciences and director of the Middle East Studies Program at Fordham University, will deliver the opening plenary, "A Comparative Assessment of Political Islam in Contemporary Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco," Tuesday, March 19, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Provost John Pauly will deliver the welcome and Dr. Phillip Naylor, professor of history, will serve as the chair. A reception will follow this free event.

Conference presentations will be held Wednesday, March 20, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The full conference schedule is online. The conference is funded through a grant from the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences.

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3. RSVP for Distinguished Scholars Reception by March 19

The annual Distinguished Scholars Reception will be held Tuesday, March 26, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Eckstein Hall, fourth floor conference center. Recipients of the Lawrence G. Haggerty Award for Research Excellence, Way Klingler Young Scholar Awards and the Way Klingler Fellowship Award will be announced at the reception. President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., and Dr. Jeanne Hossenlopp, vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate School, will host the event with the Committee on Research.

RSVP to University Special Events at 8-7431 by Tuesday, March 19.

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4. Halo Project Interfaith Summit is March 22

The College of Business Administration and the Center for Teaching and Learning will host the Halo Project Interfaith Summit Friday, March 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the AMU, 227. This summit will bring faith community leaders together with faculty and students to create dialogue about faith traditions and social justice in Milwaukee. A panel featuring Muslim, Jewish, Protestant and Roman Catholic representatives will begin the event, followed by table conversations to further explore partnerships for research, service learning and internships.

Breakfast is included. Space is limited; registration can be completed online. This event is supported with a grant from the Simmons Religious Commitment Fund. For additional information, contact Dr. Noreen Lephardt, adjunct associate professor of economics, at 8-7411, or Dr. Susan Mountin, director of Manresa for Faculty in the Center for Teaching and Learning, at 8-3693.

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5. Faculty invited to Annual Service Learning Community and Faculty Roundtable

The Center for Teaching and Learning, with support from the Institute for Urban Life, the College of Education and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, will host the Annual Service Learning Community and Faculty Roundtable Wednesday, March 27, from noon to 2 p.m. in the AMU, 163. "Choreographing our Steps: Eliminating Educational Inequality Through Campus-Community Partnerships," will feature faculty from a variety of disciplines and Milwaukee community partners, who will explore how to positively impact the city's educational systems.

Each roundtable at the event will focus on a specific topic affecting Milwaukee education, including childhood literacy, adult education, violence, school policy and reform, college readiness, and college access. There will also be a discussion of new funding resources available to teams of faculty and community partners interested in collaborating on meaningful projects. Register online.

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6. Attend panel discussion on role of individual freedoms in modern America

The Department of History and the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences Mellon Fund will host "Challenging Freedom: The FBI, U.S. Intelligence Services and Individual Freedoms in Modern America," Thursday, March 21, at 4:30 p.m. in Raynor Memorial Libraries' Beaumier Suites. Dr. Athan Theoharis, professor emeritus of history; Robert Donnelly of Gozaga University; Ken O'Reilly of the University of Alaska and MATC; and Aaron Stockham of the Waterford School will debate and discuss the FBI, U.S. Intelligence Services and individual freedoms in modern America.

This event is part of the Freedom Project, a year-long commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War that explores the many meanings and histories of emancipation and freedom in the United States and beyond.

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7. Registration deadline extended to March 15 for ImpactNext business model challenge

ImpactNext, a new venture contest that has replaced the Business Plan Competition, is open to undergraduate and graduate students, alumni and staff. The competition is sponsored by the Kohler Center for Entrepreneurship. Applicants must submit a registration form, which includes a summary of and questionnaire about the proposed business model, by Friday, March 15. The registration fee is $50. Student scholarships are available.

The competition will culminate with an event on Friday, April 12. Participants will showcase their business models during a networking and poster session. Preliminary judging during that time will determine one winner from each category: undergraduate, graduate, alumni, staff and community. Each category winner is eligible to receive $1,000 toward their venture.

Judges at that time will also determine the top five finalists (not necessarily category winners) who will move on to the next round. Those finalists will deliver one- to two-minute pitches to the judges and the audience; judges will have the opportunity to ask questions. Winners will be announced later in the evening. The grand-prize winner among the five finalists will receive $2,000.

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8. Strategic Plan Coordinating Committee hosting office hours next Monday

The Strategic Plan Coordinating Committee co-chairs will host office hours Monday, March 18, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the AMU, 231. Other strategic planning office hours throughout the semester include:

  • Wednesday, March 27, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the AMU, 233

Those interested in attending any of the office hours should RSVP to Laura Hagan, office assistant in the Office of the University Architect, at 8-4439.

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9. Commuter Value Pass deadline is March 22

The deadline to participate in the Commuter Value Pass payroll deduction program is Friday, March 22. Formerly known as the Easy Pass, the Commuter Value 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 the AMU, Union Station, for passes that will be good during April, May and June. Those who wish to drop the pass must also do so in Union Station by March 22.

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