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MARQUETTE Marquette’s newest ULC member: Mary DiStanislao, executive vice president By Lynn Sheka
“ I’ve always been drawn to higher education, because in my heart of hearts I’m a teacher.” Photo by John Nienhuis
From her office window on the fourth floor of Zilber Hall, Mary DiStanislao, Ed.D., can see what she deems the “heart of Marquette” — the Church of the Gesu and the spire of Marquette Hall. Her view is fitting, given her integral leadership position in the newly-created role of executive vice president. DiStanislao holds a doctorate in higher education from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, along with a master of arts in education from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University and a master of business administration from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Her more than 35-year career includes consulting in the private sector and more than 25 years in higher education leadership roles. “My career has been in one respect a random walk,” DiStanislao said. “But in another respect, everything has led me to this point.” As one of President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.’s top advisers, DiStanislao oversees the areas of administration, human resources and student affairs, and said her number one priority over the coming year will be facilitating university-wide strategic planning with Provost John Pauly. DiStanislao’s path to Marquette has been anything but planned. She played basketball at Douglas College and began her career as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Immaculata College before serving as head coach at Northwestern University and the University of Notre Dame. Some people would have stopped there. But after 12 years and more than 200 wins, DiStanislao decided it was time for a change. “I loved coaching, but I was afraid there would come a time when I didn’t love it,” she explains. After getting her MBA at Kellogg, she worked in private industry in Chicago and Los Angeles before returning to higher education for a position at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she could be closer to her family. “I’ve always been drawn to higher education, because in my heart of hearts I’m a teacher,” said DiStanislao, who taught a graduate course at Penn and hopes to teach a class in the areas of education or business administration at Marquette. Given her ties to athletics, when DiStanislao saw an associate director of athletics position open at Penn a few years later, she decided to apply. Her background as a coach and her experience in higher education turned out to be the perfect combination. She spent nearly twelve years in that role, increasing her
DiStanislao began working part-time on campus in February, splitting her time between Milwaukee and Philadelphia as she finished her duties at the University of Pennsylvania. She started full-time at Marquette in mid-March.
responsibilities until she was overseeing 19 of Penn’s 33 Division I athletic teams and managing more than 100 staff members. DiStanislao’s first introduction to Marquette — besides coaching against the women’s basketball team — was as a member of the peer review team for Intercollegiate Athletics last fall. “Every person I met on campus lived the mission and really cared about this university,” DiStanislao said. The management style she brings to campus was formed from her experiences as a coach. “I’m part of a team. I take responsibility for my actions and I expect everyone on my team to do so. I’m a firm believer that all of us are better than one of us.” DiStanislao said she has very high expectations for herself and those around her, but she makes it a point to be clear about what she expects of her team and what they can expect of her. “I try to create an atmosphere where people have permission to do well, and also permission to grow and suggest new ways of doing things without being afraid to hear ‘no.’ ‘No’ can just be an incentive to go back and find a way to get someone to ‘yes.’” DiStanislao’s competitive drive translates to ambitious goals for the university. “There’s a lot of greatness about this place that has yet to be realized, both internally and externally, and I want to be a part of achieving that,” she said.
CAM PU S H A P P E N I N GS AMUW’s annual Boheim Lecture to be presented April 18 Dr. Kriste Lindenmeyer, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University-Camden, will deliver the annual Distinguished Eleanor H. Boheim Lecture Wednesday, April 18, at 6 p.m. in Eckstein Hall, fourth floor conference center. Titled, “Dreamers, the Occupy Movement and Lessons from America’s ‘Greatest Generation,’” the lecture will discuss how the political activism of youth in the 1930s offers lessons for the current generation facing a challenging economy. The lecture is presented by the Association of Marquette University Women (AMUW), which promotes the interests of Marquette’s past, present and future female students and strives to enhance women’s educational and cultural opportunities.
Lewis and Clark exhibition at Raynor Memorial Libraries Raynor Memorial Libraries is the last stop for a five-year traveling exhibition on Lewis and Clark, which will be located in the lobby of Raynor Library until April 27. Based on original documents from the Native American collections of
the Newberry Library and other institutions, the exhibit examines Lewis and Clark’s 1804 to 1806 expedition to the Pacific Ocean and their encounters with more than 50 native tribes along the way. A lecture in conjunction with the exhibition titled, “The View from the River Bank,” given by Herman J. Viola, curator emeritus of the Smithsonian Institution, will be held Wednesday, April 25, at 4:30 p.m. in the Raynor Memorial Libraries’ Conference Center. Visit marquette. edu/lewisandclark for additional information.
Astronomy expert to give Casper Lecture on Mayan calendar Dr. Anthony Aveni, Russell Colgate professor of astronomy and anthropology at Colgate University, will give the annual Casper Lecture Monday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Emory Clark Hall, 111. An internationally-known expert on ancient astronomy in the Americas, Aveni will discuss the Mayan calendar, which predicts the world will end this December, as well as how other cultures have thought about “the end of things.” The Casper Lecture honors Rev. Henry W. Casper, S.J., a long-time member of the history departments at Marquette and Creighton University, who was an expert on nineteenth century European history and American church history.
MARQUETTE MATTERS
Top of the class: Way Klingler Young Scholar Award winners By Lynn Sheka
Looking for the mismatch
Most people don’t equate chemistry with creativity. But the opportunity to create something new is exactly what drew Dr. Adam Fiedler, assistant professor of chemistry, to his current research. “In so many of the other sciences, you’re studying something that already exists. In chemistry, you can create brand new molecules and see what they do.” Fiedler studies the role metalloenzymes — biological catalysts that require a metal ion to perform their biological function — play in naturally breaking down environmental pollutants. During his sabbatical, Fiedler will seek to better understand this chemistry by designing iron-containing molecules that mimic the structure and function of metalloenzymes. His ultimate goal is to develop synthetic catalysts that are capable of using oxygen as an oxidant, instead of harsh, polluting oxidants — such as bleach — currently used industrially to carry out similar reactions. “I call it bio-inspired chemistry,” Fiedler said. “We’re looking at what nature has the capability of doing and seeing if we can use the same chemical principles to translate that into a synthetic system, where we have much more control and increased possibilities of creating new chemical reactions.”
Photo by Dan Johnson
Creating new chemistry
Knowing that Dr. Scott Beardsley, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, was researching the connection between visual processing and movement, a colleague once casually asked him what kinds of visual impairments were associated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. Beardsley said he didn’t know, and that he would look into it. Five years later, he’s still looking. Beardsley uses a combined experimental and computational modeling approach to identify and quantify deficits in MS patients’ sensorimotor control of their arm movements. He assesses patients’ fine motor functions through a variety of clinical tests and electronic drawing exercises, and then uses robotics to measure their corrective movements as they perform specific motor tasks. This data is then plugged into a computational model to determine how MS impacts patients’ sensory and motor processing compared to neuro logically intact subjects. “In MS patients, we’ve found that there seems to be a mismatch between how the person’s arm moves and how the brain thinks it’s moving. That difference results in a tremor,” Beardsley said. “Based on the type of mismatch, we can pinpoint which parts of the brain’s sensori motor control system have been affected by the disease and then develop rehabilitation strategies that target the source of the mismatch.” He plans to use his sabbatical to gain clinical experience and to begin categorizing sources of motor impairment in MS patients. Beardsley hopes someday his research will aid the development of tailored rehabilitation strategies that will improve patients’ quality of life. Until then, he’ll keep looking.
Photo by Ben Smidt
Dr. Francesca Lopez, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership, knows what it’s like to be singled out because of her ethnicity. While raising her family in Arizona, she was reprimanded by her son’s teacher for not speaking English at home, even though Lopez and her husband had chosen to raise their children to be bilingual. “Children that are part of marginal groups are much more aware of stereotypes. My son was only five at the time, but he asked me if he could wear long sleeves to cover his dark skin,” Lopez said. “My personal experiences have been a catalyst for my research on the broadrange effects of bilingual education.” Her sabbatical study will take her into Milwaukee classrooms, where she’ll interview 600 children ages four to 14 to determine how personal, educational and social contexts contribute to the development of ethnic identity, and how positive ethnic identity helps promote academic achievement. By analyzing student and teacher surveys, augmented by interviews and classroom observations, Lopez hopes to demonstrate that classroom context helps form children’s context of self, and that by honoring children’s ethnic and cultural backgrounds, teachers can increase academic achievement among students who are most at risk for dropping out of school. After the study is completed, Lopez plans to write a book about her findings to inform educators and policy makers. “I’m on the front lines of what’s happening in classrooms,” Lopez said. “I have the chance to teach teachers, to change the culture of education and to help shape educational policies that have the power to make a difference.”
Photo by Ben Smidt
Classroom context + positive ethnic identity = academic achievement
When asked how she’s doing, Dr. Abir Bekhet, assistant professor of nursing, will answer, “I’m wonderful,” no matter what kind of day she’s having. Her research on vulnerable populations’ use of positive cognition to overcome adversity has woven itself into her personal life. When Bekhet moved to the United States from her native Egypt to pursue a doctorate degree, she observed some of her international classmates falling apart under the stress of relocating to a different country, while others seemed to thrive. “I wanted to know how I could be in the ‘thriving’ category,” Bekhet said. “Then I started thinking about how, if it was difficult for a young person to relocate, it must be very hard for older adults to relocate to assisted care facilities.” Bekhet has implemented pilot intervention studies using positive cognition and resourcefulness concepts to help older adults who were relocated to retirement communities adjust to their new environment. She is currently completing data analysis on two descriptive studies examining the effects of positive cognition and resourcefulness on caregivers of people with dementia and autism. During her sabbatical, Bekhet plans to conduct a study to examine the validity of a new eight-item Positive Thinking Skills Scale she developed based off of the acronym, THINKING. The scale will measure the frequency with which positive cognition intervention recipients use specific positive thinking skills. “I wanted to focus my research on mental health concepts so that I’m not limited to a specific population,” Bekhet said. “It’s my goal to help vulnerable populations not only cope with struggle across their lifespan, but also thrive.”
Photo by Dan Johnson
Harnessing the power of positive thinking
AWARDED ANNUALLY, Way Klingler Young Scholar Awards support promising faculty in critical stages of their careers with awards of up to $32,000, which fund $2,000 in research costs and up to 50 percent of recipients’ salaries during a one-semester sabbatical.
Miller’s insight into language leads to Haggerty Research Award
By Christopher Stolarski
Examining the smuggling of illicit goods out of the United States
Photo by Ben Smidt
An author of seven books on international affairs and transnational justice and a former fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., Dr. Richard Friman can now add Way Klingler Fellow to his list of accolades. Awarded annually, Way Klingler Fellows in the humanities receive $20,000 annually for three years to pursue critical research that requires time, access to information and travel. The Eliot Fitch Chair for International Studies and professor of political science, Friman will use the grant to study antismuggling policies in advanced industrial nations. Friman explained that smuggling comprises both the inbound and outbound flow of contraband and — traditionally — inbound smuggling receives the most attention. “In the U.S. post 9/11, there’s been a focus on dangerous things coming into the country,” he said. “There has since been a realization that what’s smuggled out — for instance, firearms and money fueling violence in Mexico — is just as important.” Friman will travel to Washington, D.C., Ottawa and Mexico City to explore the impact of this shifting prioritization, including what it means for law and policy enforcement and the effect it has on smuggling patterns. A new research focus for Friman, this project dovetails with his previous work on international drug control policies and human trafficking. “I’m excited to move in a new direction, especially one that has a more explicit focus on policy-relevant research,” he added.
By Andy Brodzeller
You’ll have to forgive Dr. Gale Miller if you catch him eaves dropping on a conversation. He’s just doing his job. Miller, professor and research professor of social and cultural sciences and the 2012 recipient of the Lawrence G. Haggerty Faculty Award for Research Excellence, has spent more than 30 years studying how people use language to make sense of the world. One of his favorite places to practice? Coffee shops. “They’re very captivating places,” Miller said. “From friends to business people to cashiers, the types of conversations that happen and how people interact are insightful.” After initially focusing his research on the use of language in work environments, Miller turned his attention to family therapy in the late 1980s. He was instrumental in helping to define a revolutionary movement in psychotherapy known as Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, which focuses on solutions rather than problems or causes of problems. This approach replaces diagnosing and classifying a patient’s problems with therapist-client discussions about how patients can function despite those problems, as well as what an improved situation would look like. Photo by Dan Johnson
Friman, Rathore are 2012 Way Klingler Fellowship recipients
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On the Side
Emily Wacker Schultz – Lead role in Nunsense
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TAKE
5
The top five* carillon songs heard throughout campus every Wednesday at noon are:
Photo courtesy of Cat Zimmerman
By Alexa Porter
Emily Wacker Schultz, (bottom left) a senior engagement officer in University Advancement, recently saw her Marquette experience come full circle. Graduating with a double major in theatre arts and communication studies, Schultz took her last bow at the Helfaer Theatre eight years ago. That is, until attending a performance at the Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove, Wis., last fall and realizing she missed the stage. Schultz auditioned for — and won — a lead role in the company’s production of Nunsense, a musical comedy about a convent of nuns who must raise money to bury some of their fellow sisters following an unfortunate incident with a tainted batch of soup. “It was a big year for me,” said Schultz, who got married last summer. “I was a bride and a nun, all in one year.” To prepare for her biggest stage role to date, Schultz spent 10 to 20 hours each week in rehearsals, but said the hard work paid off during four weeks of performances in January and February. “It was fun to use my theatre training again, and especially to perform for friends and colleagues who hadn’t seen me on stage before,” she said. Schultz hopes to be back on stage again soon, because she enjoys bringing joy to others and sharing her love for theatre. “On the Side” offers a glimpse of faculty and staff interests outside of Marquette. Email your story suggestions to marquettematters@marquette.edu.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Rain Drops Keep Fallin’ on My Head Windy Tomorrow Toccata for 42 Bells Clock Music
*List does not include the Marquette Anthem or the Marquette Fight Song, which are played at the end of every Wednesday concert.
“Take Five” is a brief list about an interesting aspect of Marquette life. Email your list suggestions to marquettematters@marquette.edu. Marquette Matters is published monthly during the academic year, except for a combined issue in December/January, for Marquette University’s faculty and staff. Submit information to: Marquette Matters – Zilber Hall, 235; Phone: 8-7448; Fax: 8-7197 Email: marquettematters@marquette.edu Editor: Lynn Sheka Graphic design: Nick Schroeder Copyright © 2012 Marquette University
MARQUETTE MATTERS
A champion-caliber Alumnus of the Year
Photo courtesy of the Boston Celtics
By Charles Nevsimal and Becky Dubin Jenkins
In 2008, Doc led superstars Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the NBA title.
Many notable Marquette alumni will be honored during this year’s Alumni National Awards weekend April 26–28, but perhaps none is more famous than Glenn “Doc” Rivers, Alumnus of the Year and coach of the NBA’s Boston Celtics.
Doc, given his nickname after wearing a Dr. J shirt to summer basketball camp before his freshman year, was a three-year starter at Marquette, from 1980–83, and a 1982 Converse All-American. He ranks third all time in steals, sixth in assists and 23rd in scoring, finishing with 1,234 career points. Doc was a 1983 second-round draft pick by the Atlanta Hawks — where he played the first eight seasons of his 13-year NBA career, which included stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. Always a great player, Doc — who graduated from Marquette with a degree in political science in 1985 — sought to become an even greater coach. In 1999, he joined the Orlando Magic as coach and, after five years, took over the helm of the Boston Celtics. In 2008, he guided his team to Boston’s first NBA title since 1986. “They don’t hang up any other banners but championship ones,” Doc said in a 2008 interview with the Boston Globe, “and now I’m a part of it.”
Way Klingler Fellowship
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Dr. Rajendra (Raj) Rathore, professor of chemistry and 2012 Way Klingler Fellow in science, is looking to add his grant to existing funding from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health and leverage his initial research findings into additional support from the U.S. Department of Energy. As a Way Klingler Fellow in science, he will receive $50,000 annually for three years to cover research that requires higher-expense items, such as equipment, supplies and research staff. An organic chemist, Rathore studies synthetic organic molecules involved in storing solar energy. “My efforts are focused on designing novel molecular building blocks that can be incorporated into more complex assemblies, and ultimately devices, that can harvest light and convert it to electrical and chemical energy,” he said. Rathore added that existing mechanisms for capturing sunlight and converting it to energy are inefficient and costly. In his new project, he will use his expertise as an organic chemist to examine electron transfer in molecular assemblies to identify more efficient means of converting sunlight to usable energy.
Photo by Dan Johnson
More efficient paths to solar energy
As the team made its run that year, Doc’s connection to Marquette delivered a key dose of inspiration. He heard Stephanie Russell, Marquette’s vice president for mission and ministry, say during a lunch break from a university Board of Trustees meeting, “A person is a person through other persons.” This phrase, which sums up the South African philosophy known as ubuntu, became the team’s motto. Doc has received numerous accolades off the court, including the J. Walter Kennedy Basketball Citizenship Award and the Rainbow Sports Awards’ Male Coach of the Year, which reflected his accomplishments in the sports industry and his grace, dignity, commitment and humanity. He’s also a member of the All-Star Advisory Council for the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA youth basketball support programs, offering instructional guidance to players, coaches and parents in recreational youth basketball leagues around the country. Visit marquette.edu/alumni/awards for a list of this year’s other Alumni Awards recipients.
Haggerty Research Award
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Miller is currently applying his background in language utilization and family therapy to study families of individuals imprisoned for sexual offenses. Working with Dr. Mary Ann Farkas, associate professor of social and cultural sciences, he has interviewed adults from 85 families of offenders who have continued to visit and communicate with imprisoned relatives. They’re trying to learn more about how family members understand and cope with the circumstances of their loved one’s incarceration, and how their support benefits former inmates during reentry into society. The goal of their research is to identify key social coping mechanisms for families that will lead to the development of policies that improve the experiences of offenders in prison and that ease their transition back into their families and society. “Gale has accomplished what few other social scientists have achieved. He has blended sociological theory, social scientific research method and analysis, and practical application,” said Roberta Coles, professor and chair of the Department of Social and Cultural sciences. “He’s left his mark across the world in both academic halls and therapy clinics.”
M A R Q U ET T E H AP P E NINGS National Poetry Month celebrated on campus Raynor Memorial Libraries and the Department of English will celebrate National Poetry Month during April. Beginning Tuesday, April 10, large sheets of paper will be available in the AMU and the Raynor Memorial Libraries’ Bridge area for the campus community to share their favorite poems. Five faculty poets will read their poems at a poetry reading Monday, April 16, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Raynor Memorial Libraries, Beaumier Suites B and C. President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., will give a short introduction at the event. The faculty members from the Department of English participating in the poetry reading are: Dr. Ed Block, professor; Dr. Tyler Farrell, adjunct professor; Dr. Ryan Jerving, visiting assistant professor; Dr. Angela Sorby, associate professor; and Dr. Larry Watson, visiting professor.
Visit the Helfaer Theatre box office or go to theatretickets.marquette.edu/ to purchase tickets.
Wade Lecture to be delivered May 1 Rev. John Thiede, S.J., the Reverend Francis C. Wade Scholar for spring 2012, will deliver this year’s Wade Lecture, “Archbishop Oscar Romero: Exemplary Martyr,” Tuesday, May 1, at 4 p.m. in Raynor Memorial Libraries, Beaumier Suites B and C. Thiede is a member of the Wisconsin Province Society of Jesus and a doctoral candidate in systematic theology at the University of Notre Dame. He is currently writing his dissertation on “The Reality of Martyrdom in the Christology of Jon Sobrino.”
Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors begins April 19
Faber Center hosting spring series on forms of personal prayer
The Department of Performing Arts will close its mainstage season with one of Shakespeare’s earliest and most outrageous comedies, The Comedy of Errors. Stocked with multiple sets of identical twins who are constantly mistaken for each other, feuding spouses and pending executions, it is a production full of wit and excitement. Performances will be held April 19 to April 21 at 7:30 p.m.; April 22 at 2:30 p.m.; April 25 to April 28 at 7:30 p.m.; and April 29 at 2:30 p.m.
The Faber Center will host a weekly series in April on making personal prayer a part of daily life. Each week, presenters will discuss a form of personal prayer found in the Catholic tradition. Sessions will take place April 10, April 17, April 23 and April 30, from noon to 1 p.m., and will include a light lunch. Call the Faber Center at 8-4545 to register. Additional information can be found at marquette. edu/faber.