1. Father Pilarz encourages campus to prepare for reaffirmation site visit

Marquette's reaffirmation of accreditation process culminates with a site visit Monday, Sept. 30, to Wednesday, Oct. 2, by a team of Higher Learning Commission peer reviewers. In a video, President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., shares what the campus community can do to prepare for the site visit and his reaction to the completed self-study.

A briefing document is available, which provides an overview of the self-study and the HLC criteria, and an explanation of what to expect during the site visit. Additional details and information will be shared as the site visit nears, including the dates and times for open forums that the site visit team will hold.

Hundreds of members across campus were involved and more than 1,200 pieces of evidence were collected to produce the self-study. Drs. Gary Meyer and Toby Peters, chair and co-chair of the reaffirmation process, are also available to give presentations to explain the reaffirmation process, summarize the self-study and share what the campus community can expect during the site visit. To schedule a presentation, contact Lori Montezon in the Office of the Provost at 8-6456.

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2. Provide feedback to updated university mission statement by Friday

All members of the Marquette community are invited to provide feedback online to a draft of the university's mission statement by Friday, Aug. 30. Input on the updated text was solicited from faculty, staff, and students during the spring 2013 semester, and the draft update was completed over the summer with the assistance of a working group from the University Academic Senate and a representative from the Jesuit community.

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3. Marquette to launch first MOOC with Intro to Applied Investing

The university will launch its first Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC, Introduction to Applied Investing, within the College of Business Administration. The introductory course in investing will be taught by Dr. David Krause, director of the Applied Investment Management program, and will be delivered through the open source learning management system, Canvas, from Instructure. Other institutions with offerings on the Canvas Network include Brown University, Michigan State University, University of South Florida and Santa Clara University.

According to Krause, Marquette is believed to be among the first institutions to offer a MOOC on the topic of applied investing. The Marquette course will cover major investment vehicles, including common stock, bonds, real estate and alternative investments, as well as discuss the various methods of investing. Students will also develop insights into the financial markets and learn how to establish a long-term investment strategy, according to Krause.

Enrollment in the pilot course is now open and will be initially limited to 1,000 students. The course begins Monday, Sept. 23. It is self-paced but designed to be completed in four weeks.

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4. College of Business Administration dean search committee named

Interim Provost Margaret Callahan has named a search committee for the next James H. Keyes Dean of Business Administration. The search committee will be co-chaired by Dr. Michael Akers, professor and chair of accounting, and Dr. Joseph Daniels, professor and chair of economics.

The committee includes faculty, trustee, alumni, dean and University Academic Senate representation, and comprises the following individuals:

  • Dr. Michael Akers, search committee co-chair, professor and chair of accounting
  • Dr. Joseph Daniels, search committee co-chair, professor and chair of economics
  • Dr. Monica Adya, associate professor of management
  • Dr. Matteo Arena, associate professor of finance
  • Ed Fallone, associate professor of law and University Academic Senate representative
  • Cindy Gruber, accounting instructor
  • Dr. William Henk, dean of the College of Education
  • Rev. Nicholas Santos, S.J., assistant professor of marketing
  • Owen Sullivan, trustee, Retired CEO of Right Management, JeffersonWells and President of Specialty Brands, ManpowerGroup
  • Dr. Miao Grace Wang, associate professor of economics
  • Dr. Jennica Webster, assistant professor of management
  • Ann Marie Wick, Bus Ad '92, director of global business analysis, Johnson Controls

The nationwide search process is beginning now with the goal of having a permanent dean named in early spring 2014. Watch News Briefs for additional updates.

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5. University mourns the death of Dr. Elizabeth Shinners

The university mourns the death of Dr. Elizabeth "Liz" Shinners, adjunct assistant professor of biomedical sciences, who died Aug. 23, 2013, after battling cancer. A professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences for nearly 30 years, Shinners received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her master's and doctorate in medical microbiology from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Shinners taught microbiology to students from a variety of disciplines and served as a biomedical sciences academic adviser, working predominantly with students pursuing a path to post-graduate education in dentistry.

A funeral service will be held Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. at Max A. Sass & Sons Mission Hills Chapel, located at 8910 W. Drexel Ave. in Franklin, Wis. Visitation will take place prior to the service, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Please remember Shinners, her family and friends in prayer.

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6. C-Span Interactive Center on campus Aug. 30

Students, faculty and staff can get an inside look at C-SPAN's comprehensive educational and political resources when the C-SPAN Interactive Multimedia Presentation Center visits campus Friday, Aug. 30, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The bus, which will be parked between the AMU and Schroeder Hall, uses interactive technology that highlight's C-SPAN's public affairs coverage and archived video going back to 1987. Students and faculty can learn how to access and use C-SPAN's free, primary information in their classroom, research, assignment and lives. The bus is equipped with touchscreen computers and visitors can test their knowledge of public affairs through quizzes.

C-SPAN is a private nonprofit company created in 1970 by the cable television industry as a public service. It receives no government funding; operations are funded by fees paid by the cable and satellite affiliates who carry C-SPAN programming. The campus visit is sponsored by the Department of Political Science.

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7. Student PrintWise allocations increased

PrintWise allocations have been increased for most students. Current students will now receive PrintWise allocations based off of academic term rather than academic year. Any unused funds will be removed at the end of each term and will not be transferable to other cardholders. Additional information regarding PrintWise allocation changes can be found online.

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8. Study Abroad Fair will be held next week

The Office of International Education and the Office of International Business Studies will hold a joint Study Abroad Fair on Friday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Westowne Square. Students will have the opportunity to explore the university's study abroad programs, talk with other students who have studied abroad and meet with program representatives. In case of rain, the event will be held in the AMU, second floor lobby.

Additional region-specific study abroad information sessions will be held Friday, Sept. 6, to Friday, Sept. 13. A full schedule is online. For additional questions, contact Erin LeMoine, international marketing and communication coordinator, at 8-7289.

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9. Organizational meetings for intramural sports begin next week

Organizational meetings for intramural sports leagues will be held Wednesday, Sept. 4, through Tuesday, Sept. 17, in the Helfaer Recreation Center. The managers' meeting for each sport must be attended by one member of each team. Students who would like to be placed on a team should also attend the appropriate managers' meeting. Sign-ups for several intramural tournaments will also be available. For more information, call the Intramural Office at 8-1558.

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10. Freshman Frontier Program to join Student Educational Services

The Freshman Frontier Program, a pre-college academic support program designed for incoming freshmen from across campus who desire a jump-start on the Marquette experience, has historically been housed in the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences. This fall, it will move under the umbrella of Student Educational Services to better align with its commitment to serving students from across the university.

In 2014, FFP, along with our other student support services, including the Office of Disability Services, Marq Your Path, tutoring services, the Educational Opportunity Program, academic skills support, the testing center and the Urban Scholars Program, will relocate to a new student success center in the renovated Coughlin Hall. Centralizing the university's campus-wide student support services and programs will allow Marquette to leverage synergies between support programs to maximize benefits for our students, and will deliver on the strategic plan commitment to increase organizational effectiveness within the university structure.

This transition will also give Mary Minson, the current FFP director and senior assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, the time to focus her experience and expertise on expanding and strengthening the Advising Center in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences – a top priority that university leadership have heard from students during the past two years and that College of Arts and Sciences Dean Rick Holz has embraced.

New FFP leadership will be named this fall to lead the program as it transitions to be part of Student Educational Services. FFP will continue to include a summer residential component and will be open to all interested freshmen.

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11. Students needed for Volunteer in Admissions program

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is looking for freshman and sophomore students living on campus to participate in the Volunteer in Admissions Program. VIA is a volunteer program that partners students with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to work with high school students during the admissions process, including interacting via social media and hosting student visitors on campus.

Students interested in the VIA program should fill out an interest form online. The first meeting for the program will be Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 5 p.m. Additional questions can be directed to Katie Pope, admissions counselor.

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12. Free group fitness classes offered next week

The Department of Recreational Sports' Group Fitness Office will be offering free group fitness classes for the second week of the semester. The trial week gives faculty, staff and students the opportunity to try out a variety of classes that will be offered during the fall semester. The full list of fall semester group fitness classes is online.

Fit Passes, which grant access to a variety of classes for the semester for a small fee, are also available online. Contact the Marquette Group Fitness Office at 8-6979 for any questions about either the free group fitness class trial week or the FitPass.

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