1. A message from the chair of the Presidential Search Committee on compiled search feedback and next steps

Dear faculty, staff and students:

My colleagues on the Presidential Search Committee and I are grateful to have met many of you on campus during two busy weeks of community input sessions. In all, the Presidential Search Committee hosted 10 sessions – on-campus conversations with faculty, staff, students, the University Leadership Council, University Academic Senate, Faculty Council, the Jesuit community and emeriti trustees, as well as two via phone with the Marquette University Alumni Association National Board and Parents Council.

More than 285 people attended a community input session to share their perspectives on the characteristics and qualifications that Marquette's 24th president should embody. In addition, 850 people shared feedback via the online form. More than 1,130 people have shared their feedback to date, which is more than twice as many as the last search. Thank you to all who participated in the process.

The committee is now using your feedback to write a Presidential Position Description. Based on your input, it will highlight key opportunities and challenges for our 24th President. We will present and discuss the Presidential Position Description with the Board of Trustees at the December meeting. Following approval, it will be shared with the campus and alumni community and posted to the Presidential Search website, which has been updated with a detailed timeline.

The Search Committee – aided by national executive search firm Witt/Kieffer – will use the Presidential Position Description to recruit qualified Jesuit and layperson candidates to develop the strongest applicant pool possible. Semifinalist and finalist interviews will take place this spring, working toward our goal to have a president in place for the next academic year.

Our promise is to keep you informed throughout the process, through email and the Presidential Search website. The level of energy and commitment the Marquette community has shown is touching to see. Many of you have reached out to offer your prayers and advice for the Search Committee; it's that sort of personal engagement that makes Marquette such a unique institution – one that holds a special place in all of our hearts.

We are Marquette,

John F. Ferraro, Bus Ad '77
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Vice Chair, Marquette University Board of Trustees

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2. On-campus biometric screenings for Health Risk Assessments end Saturday

On-campus biometric screenings – part of the two-part Health Risk Assessment process – are available on-campus through Saturday. Health plan participants who complete both HRA parts – biometric screening and health questionnaire – receive a 10-percent discount for 2014 health insurance premiums. All information regarding the Health Risk Assessment process is available on the benefits website.

  • Employees must complete their biometric screening by Saturday, Nov. 23. Schedule an on-campus appointment online or call (877) 765-3213 and press "1."

  • Employees must complete their online questionnaire by midnight on Monday, Nov. 25. Where it says to enter the employee's Social Security number, employees should enter their nine-digit employee ID number with no extra zeros, numbers, dashes or letters. The group password is MARQUETTE in all caps.

  • Spouses and same-sex domestic partners are eligible to voluntarily participate in the HRA process. Only employees are required to complete this process to receive the discount, and no additional discount is given if a spouse or same-sex domestic partner does choose to participate.

Participation information from the Health Risk Assessment process will arrive from Aurora to the Benefits Department in early December, and will be applied to employees' 2014 medical premiums. To verify their HRA-adjusted rate, employees should review their first January Statement of Earnings. The adjusted rate will be reflected but will not say "discount/HRA rate." Employees should refer to the rate sheet they received in the packet mailed to their home address.

A HRA Frequently Asked Questions for 2014 document is available, as well as a using MyJob for Annual Enrollment Help Guide.

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3. Department chairs and directors to attend Title IX training Nov. 22

Title IX training will be provided for all academic chairs and director-level staff Friday, Nov. 22, in Raynor Memorial Libraries' Beaumier Suites B and C. Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, S.J., associate vice provost in the Office of the Provost and Title IX coordinator, and Dr. William Welburn, associate provost for diversity and deputy Title IX coordinator for faculty, will lead the session. They will be joined by Dr. Chris Daood, assistant director of the Counseling Center and deputy Title IX coordinator for students; Lynn Mellantine, assistant vice president of Human Resources and deputy Title IX coordinator for staff; and Jeff Kipfmueller, associate general counsel.

Title IX, a groundbreaking statute intended to end gender and sex discrimination in education, became law in 1972. While the most well-known of its requirements is that schools provide females with equal athletic opportunities, it also mandates gender equity in other aspects of the educational system. For example, Title IX prohibits sexual discrimination in the form of sexual misconduct, which includes sexual assault, sexual violence, sexual harassment and stalking. The Title IX coordinator and deputy Title IX coordinators are responsible for providing and coordinating Title IX training at Marquette, in addition to reviewing programs, policies and procedures designed to help prevent and address sexual misconduct at the university.

Department chairs and directors should RSVP to Lori Montezon.

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4. Submit requests for fall 2013 review sessions and final exam classrooms

Final exams are Monday, Dec. 9, through Saturday, Dec. 14. To reserve classroom space for fall 2013 review sessions held prior to exam week, or to request a larger/additional final exam classroom, faculty members should complete the online Review/Exam Request Form (restricted to campus network/VPN service). For additional information, contact Alexander Frain, associate registrar in the Office of the Registrar, at 8-6312.

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5. Spring 2014 faculty classroom assignment review period announced

Spring 2014 classroom assignments are posted in CheckMarq. Faculty members should access CheckMarq to review classroom assignments during the review period, which runs from Monday, Nov. 25, through Friday, Dec. 6.

For the spring term, faculty who need larger final exam rooms and/or review session classrooms can request space from the Office of the Registrar. Requests for larger final exam rooms and/or review sessions should be made using the Review/Exam Room Request form. To request a classroom change for regular class meetings, submit the Schedule of Classes Change Request form. Both forms are restricted to the campus network or VPN service.

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6. College of Nursing hosting discussion on palliative care in African-American communities

The College of Nursing will host a panel discussion, "Palliative Care in African-American Communities: Focus Group Study," Thursday, Dec. 5, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the AMU, Henke Lounge.

Dr. Margaret Callahan, interim provost and dean of the College of Nursing, will be joined by Dr. Ronda Hughes, associate professor in the College of Nursing, and Dr. Susan Breakwell, clinical associate professor in the College of Nursing, as the three principal investigators of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation-funded project. They will discuss how to address palliative care, hospice and end-of-life care needs for Milwaukee residents. The session is designed to spark conversations about new ideas and initiatives for strengthening palliative care access and services for African-Americans in the Milwaukee area.

Register by emailing Andrea Petrie, director of development in the College of Nursing, by Monday, Nov. 25.

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7. Human Sexuality class to present educational game on myths surrounding sexual consent

Students from the Human Sexuality class will share an educational game on myths surrounding sexual consent Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 10:50 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the AMU, Marquette Place. Students will also be passing out educational brochures on sexual violence prevention. For individuals personally affected by sexual assault, the educational game will not have any explicit material on display.

For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.

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8. Soup with Substance to focus on the significance of Afghan war rugs

This week's Soup with Substance will take place Wednesday, Nov. 20, at noon in the AMU, 157, and will feature Dr. Annemarie Sawkins, curator of the exhibit, "African War Rugs: The Modern Art of Central Asia" at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, located at 2220 North Terrace Avenue in Milwaukee. She will discuss how war rugs represent the intersection of visual tradition and the violent reality of contemporary Central Asia, as well as the history of how the war rug exhibit came to Milwaukee.

Sawkins is an independent curator, art historian and author born in Durham, England. She previously worked as a curator at the Haggerty Museum of Art and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

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9. Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology hosting colloquium on mental health support for Milwaukee's homeless

The Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology will hold a colloquium Wednesday, Nov. 20, from noon to 1:15 p.m. in the AMU, 227. Debbie Minsky-Kelly, a social worker and clinic coordinator at Repairers of the Breach Medical Clinic, will present "The Complexity of Providing Mental Health Support to Milwaukee's Homeless."

A schedule of upcoming colloquium presentations is online.

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10. Philosophy Department hosting Midwest Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy will the Midwest Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy on Thursday, Nov. 21, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Raynor Memorial Libraries, 330B. Martin Pickavé, associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Medieval Philosophy at the University of Toronto, will present "Peter Auriol and a Medieval Debate about the Nature of Cognition."

For more information, contact Dr. Owen Goldin, professor of philosophy, at 8-5949.

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11. OIE hosting various events in celebration of International Education Week

The Office of International Education will host a number of events in celebration of International Education Week from Friday, Nov. 15, through Friday, Nov. 22. Events will explore the benefits of global awareness and exchange, and will include a Global Discussion Series panel on sub-Saharan Africa, a presentation on the impact of study abroad on professional life, a visit to a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek and more. A full list of events can be found online.

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12. TransFigures display to honor National Transgender Day of Remembrance

The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center and the Gender and Sexuality Alliance will host a TransFigures display this week in honor of National Transgender Day of Remembrance, and to increase awareness by educating the community about the lives and achievements of transgender individuals.

Viewings will take place:

  • Monday, Nov. 18, until 10 p.m. in the AMU, first floor display case
  • Tuesday, Nov. 19, through Thursday, Nov. 21, in the GSRC, located in the AMU, 425
  • Thursday, Nov. 21, at 8:30 p.m. in Cudahy, 126, in conjunction with the Gender and Sexuality Alliance's monthly meeting

The content of the display will highlight the lives of transgender individuals across a variety of spectrums and contexts, from different gender identities and expressions to different careers and life paths.

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13. Counseling Center to host suicide-prevention training

The Counseling Center will hold a free "Question, Persuade, Refer" (QPR) suicide-prevention training session Friday, Nov. 22, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the AMU, 305. The training is open to Marquette students, faculty and staff.

QPR training is a nationally recognized program designed to save lives by teaching individuals how to identify and refer someone who may be suicidal. During this training, participants learn about risks and warning signs of suicide, learn how to talk to someone about suicide and learn how to facilitate appropriate mental health referrals to sites at Marquette and within the Milwaukee community.

To RSVP or for more information, contact the Counseling Center at 8-7172. Groups of 10 or more people that are interested in QPR training should contact the Counseling Center to schedule a private QPR training.

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14. Midnight Run hosting conversation on poverty in Milwaukee

Midnight Run will host "Beyond the Band-Aid: A Deep Conversation on Poverty in Milwaukee," Friday, Nov. 22, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the AMU, Monaghan Ballrooms A and B. This event is part of Homelessness Awareness Month, and will bring together diverse participants from campus and the city of Milwaukee to discuss poverty. The conversation will be facilitated by the Zeidler Center for Public Discussion.

Those interested in attending the event should register online.

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15. Liturgical Choir to perform autumn concert this weekend

The Liturgical Choir will perform, "Come and Go with Me to That Land: An Autumn Festival of Song," Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Gesu. Admission to the concert is free, and doors will open at 7 p.m. The concert will feature a number of American spirituals and gospel songs, including "How Can I Keep From Singing," "Down to the River to Pray" and "My God is a Rock."

For additional information, contact Thomas Koester, assistant director in Campus Ministry and director of the Liturgical Choir, at 8-3695.

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16. Novelist C.J. Hribal to give workshop this weekend for Marquette Writing Month

The first annual Marquette University Writing Month – a community building event for writers of fiction and non-fiction – continues throughout the month of November with events online and in person.

In-person "MU WriMo Write Ins" will be held:

  • Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the AMU, 163
  • Thursday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the AMU, 252
  • Saturday, Nov. 23, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the AMU, 163

Novelist and Professor of English C.J. Hribal will host a workshop, "Writing (and Revising) Scenes: The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Scene Beast," during the MU WriMo Write In on Saturday, Nov. 23.

Everyone is welcome to attend for all or part of the events. RSVP online or contact the MU WriMo team at 8-5542.

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17. Monthly Mass in Law School Chapel is Nov. 20

Rev. Thomas Anderson, S.J., assistant director of Campus Ministry and Law School chaplain, will celebrate Mass on Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the Marquette University Law School Chapel on the fourth floor of Eckstein Hall. All members of the Marquette community are welcome to attend.

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18. Alpha Chi Omega hosting phone drive for victims of domestic violence

Alpha Chi Omega sorority has partnered with Verizon Wireless to host an on-campus cell phone drive. Bins are placed throughout campus in support of Verizon Wireless's phone-recycling program, HopeLine, which benefits victims of domestic violence.

Through the HopeLine program, Verizon Wireless collects wireless phones, batteries and accessories from any wireless service provider that are no longer in use. They are then refurbished and sold with all proceeds supporting local domestic violence shelters and programs. HopeLine also provides wireless phones and airtime for use by domestic violence victims.

Go online for additional information on HopeLine from Verizon and to learn how to donate a wireless phone.

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19. Recreational Sports' Turkey Coloring Contest ends Friday

The Department of Recreational Sports will hold its annual Turkey Coloring Contest through Friday, Nov. 22. Turkeys can be purchased for $1 at the main office of either the Rec Center or Rec Plex. All proceeds go to VETS Place Central's Thanksgiving dinner.

VETS Place Central is a full-service, one-stop homeless shelter that provides a holistic approach to serving the homeless veteran population. Prizes will be awarded for the top two turkeys.

For more information, contact Michael Cosgrove, office coordinator for recreational sports, at 8-0238.

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