1. Provost search committee finalized

President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., has appointed a search committee to recruit a new provost for the university. The committee will be chaired by Dr. John Su, professor of English and director of the University Core of Common Studies. Su is also a member of the University Academic Senate. An expert in postcolonial literature, Su has written two single-authored books, more than two dozen articles and reviews, and serves on the editorial advisory board of Modern Fiction Studies.

"As the chief academic leader for the university, the provost position is integral to ensuring that Marquette reaches new heights of academic excellence and research prowess," Pilarz said. "This hire will follow the same thoughtful, deliberate and inclusive process we used to recruit our new dean of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, Richard Holz. We will conduct a nationwide search to identify the best academic leaders, and we will choose a candidate who will be a strong fit with our mission and culture, an individual who will work closely with me to enact Marquette's vision."

The search committee and the Office of the President will begin by soliciting ideas and input from many sources across campus, including University Academic Senate, to develop and identify the most important characteristics of the ideal candidate. Faculty members are invited to participate in two open forums to contribute to this discussion:

  • Monday, June 24, from noon to 1:15 p.m. in the AMU, 157: Open forum for all faculty members

  • Tuesday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Zilber, 025: Open forum for all staff in academic divisions

The university has retained the search firm Isaacson, Miller, which conducted the search for the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The new provost is expected to start in time for the 2014-15 academic year.

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

Dr. John Su – Professor of English, director of the University Core of Common Studies and University Academic Senate representative
Dr. Mark Eppli – Interim dean of the College of Business Administration
Dr. Sarah Bonewits Feldner – Associate professor of corporate communication
Steve Frieder – Assistant to the president and corporate secretary (Arts '95)
Dr. Richard Holz – Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. John Mantsch – Chair and professor of biomedical sciences
Dr. James Marten – Chair and professor of history
Dr. Kristina Ropella – Executive associate dean of the College of Engineering and professor of biomedical engineering (Eng '85)
Rev. David Schultenover, S.J. – Professor of theology
Dr. Rosemary Stuart – Professor of biological sciences
Dr. Lucas Torres – Associate professor of psychology
Peggy Troy – Member of the Board of Trustees; President and CEO, Children's Hospital and Health System (Nurs '74)

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2. College of Communication students played key role in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel series on mental health

Two groups of students from the Diederich College of Communication teamed with reporter Meg Kissinger to produce the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel series this week, "Chronic crisis: A system that doesn't heal." Working as reporters and documentary filmmakers, the students helped to examine Milwaukee County's mental health system and related efforts in Belgium.

Months-long in the making, the Journal Sentinel series explores the challenges Milwaukee County officials have in caring for the mentally ill while emphasizing the need to focus more on continual care.

"There is no better way for our students to gain experience in the evolving world of journalism than to work side by side with one of the nation's top reporters on in-depth features that directly impact our community," said Lori Bergen, dean of the College of Communication.

Sixteen Marquette students contributed by examining potential solutions to the county's mental health needs. The students took on the assignment as part of a journalism course taught by professional-in-residence Herbert Lowe.

Four additional students created two documentaries. One was based in Milwaukee and examined a man's struggle dealing with a family member who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and later took his own life. The second documentary provides a contemporary story of how a Geel, Belgium, family took adults with mental illness into their home. Danielle Beverly, visiting professional-in-residence in digital media, led the students collaborating on the documentaries.

Kissinger, who was a 2009 Pulitzer Prize finalist for investigative reporting, spent the 2012-13 academic year at Marquette as a public service journalism fellow in the College of Communication. Six Marquette students also worked with Kissinger as research assistants for the series.

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3. 13 faculty members promoted to emerita/emeritus status

Thirteen faculty members have been conferred with emerita/emeritus status. Dr. David Buckholdt, Office of the Provost; Dr. John Karkheck, professor of physics; Reverend Donald Matthys, S.J., professor of physics; Bishop Alexander Golitzin, professor of theology; Dr. Gale Miller, professor of social and cultural sciences; Dr. Michael Fleet, professor of political sciences, Dr. Stephen Munroe, professor of biological sciences; Dr. Michael Ryan, professor of chemistry; Dr. Gene Laczniak, professor of marketing; and Dr. Richard Fehring, professor of nursing, were each promoted to professor emeritus. Dr. Gail Waring, professor of biological sciences, was promoted to professor emerita.

Dr. Virginia Chappell, professor of English, and Dr. Raquel Aguilu de Murphy, professor of foreign languages and literature, were each promoted to associate professor emerita.

The rank of emeritus may be conferred upon a retiring tenured faculty member or retiring academic administrator in recognition of the sustained high-quality performance shown throughout his/her career. The University Committee on Faculty Promotions and Tenure recommends emerita/emeritus cases to the provost and president for final approval. The emerita/emeritus ranking takes effect upon retirement.

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4. University mourns the death of Dr. Georgia Pappanastos

The university mourns the death of Dr. Georgia Pappanastos, 82, who taught at Marquette for 25 years. She served as assistant chair and later as chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. She retired in 1994 as professor emerita.

Pappanastos lived in Montgomery, Ala., where she was an active member of the Greek Ladies Philoptochos Society (Friends of the Poor). Visitation and burial services were held last week. Please keep Pappansatos, her family and friends in your prayers.

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5. Future Milwaukee names new executive director

The Future Milwaukee Community Leadership Program has named Christine Hill as its new executive director. Future Milwaukee, housed in the College of Professional Studies since 2005, works to build a diverse group of ethically-based leaders in the Milwaukee community who will create positive change through effective civic engagement. Hill has previously served as both the mayor of Oak Creek and commission chair of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and has worked with Future Milwaukee as a consultant and instructor.

"I am honored to carry on Future Milwaukee's extraordinary legacy and to offer students a space where they can learn about leadership and the community and simultaneously apply that learning through hands-on practice," Hill said.

For more information, visit www.futuremilwaukee.org.

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6. Haggerty Museum of Art hosting four new summer exhibitions

The Haggerty Museum will host four summer exhibitions, which will run June 5–July 28. The new exhibitions are: Aberrance and Artifice: The Norton Collection, which features paintings, sculpture, photographs and drawings that playfully fuse seemingly unrelated ideas and things to question visual and cultural boundaries; New Objectivity in German Art: Highlights from the Marvin and Janet Fishman Collection, comprised of early 20th century German paintings and drawings created in response to the harsh realities of the Weimar Republic; and Jim Dow's American Studies, a series of photographs that document the idiosyncratic qualities of everyday sites, taken on numerous road trips across America; and Images of the Virgin Mary, which creates a lively dialogue between artistic periods and juxtaposes diverse styles and media.

For additional information, contact Mary Dornfeld, communications assistant at the Haggerty Museum of Art, at 8-7290.

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