Marquette Matters Oct. 2011

O C TO B E R 2 011

MARQUETTE A living lab of structural engineering Opening celebration for newest campus building is Oct. 7 When the wind comes rushing down Wisconsin Avenue on a breezy Milwaukee day, not only can College of Engineering students measure the wind speed, they can also study the real impact of the wind on a structure in a densely populated urban landscape. Thanks to the planned wind instrumentation on the roof and more than 100 sensors built into the new Engineering Hall, students, faculty and researchers around the world will be able to study a vast array of structural behavior data with monikers such as “lateral load” and “strain/stress response” from the structure of the building itself. Data from the sensors will be available on monitors throughout the building, including a large screen adjacent to the first-floor elevators.

“A unique aspect of Engineering Hall is the instrumentation array for displaying and experiencing structural behavior real-time in a very large building,” said Opus Dean Robert Bishop. “The goal of the instrumentation is to provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to generate models for physical behavior, measure physical behavior and resolve conflicts between engineering models of behavior and real behavior. I would contend that this has never been done in an engineering college building.”

Engineering Hall is a $50 million, 115,000-square-foot facility specifically designed to be a living laboratory for students, according to Bishop. He said students will see various types of bracing and fire protection, realize the impact of solar panels and water retention storage, and be able to access a wide variety of tools and equipment. “The details of the building — from the exterior design and front canopy to the stained and polished concrete floors, from the LED lighting to the experimental green roof

Photo by John Nienhuis

By Tim Olsen

Senior engineering student Caitlin Collins participates in mill training under the direction of Tom Silman, mechanical services supervisor, in the Discovery Learning Machine Shop in the new Engineering Hall.

— are designed to display 150,000 pounds of load at Engineering Hall engineering and help any location and a 10-ton Opening Celebration students understand basic rolling overhead crane. It engineering principles,” is not unusual for a civil The Marquette University College of Engineering will celebrate the opening he said. engineering program to of Engineering Hall, Friday, Oct. 7 , at With a primarily glass have a large-scale physical 3 p.m. Speakers will include President exterior and the extensive testing facility, according Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., and Opus Dean use of glass for interior to Dr. Chris Foley, chair of Engineering Robert Bishop. The walls, laboratories, shops of civil, construction ceremony will take place in a tent and classrooms are readily and environmental engisouth of Engineering Hall. visible to students and neering. However, there visitors. Exposed finishes are relatively few schools and mechanicals help students understand around the country that have a combination basic construction and building management strong-floor and L-shaped strong-wall testing principles and options. facility, he said.

The high bay Engineering Materials and “That combination is unique,” said Foley, Structural Testing Laboratory features a 3-foot “along with our strong-floor, strong-wall C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 thick floor, a strong wall that can support

CAM PU S H A P P E N I N GS 100-percent participation is goal for Community Campaign The Marquette University Community Campaign will run through Friday, Oct. 14, with goals of 100-percent participation among university employees and $300,000 total dollars raised. The campaign gives faculty and staff the opportunity to make donations that support three priorities: Marquette University, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and the United Performing Arts Fund. Rana Altenburg, Arts ’88, vice president for public affairs; and Dr. William Cullinan, PT ’81, dean of health sciences, co-chair this year’s campaign. For more information or to donate, go to marquette.edu/mucc. Employees can select which priority they wish to support, as well as payment options such as payroll deductions.

Free retreat to focus on “Listening to God’s Heart Beat” The Faber Center for Ignatian Spirituality will host its free, fall retreat, “The Heart of the Matter: Listening to God’s Heart Beat in the World,” Friday, Oct. 28, to Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Jesuit Retreat House, Oshkosh, Wis. Check-in is Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Departure is after Sunday’s noon lunch. Dr. Laurie Cassidy, assistant professor of religious studies at Marywood University, Scranton, Penn., will serve as retreat director. Register at marquette.edu/faber/retreatregistration.shtml. Space is limited.

Farmers’ market to be held on campus The last of three “Fresh Fall Farmers’ Markets” will be held Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Parking Lot A (next to the Weasler Auditorium). Items for sale include apples, potatoes, onions, carrots, squash, cider and fresh flowers. Free green grocery bags will be given to the first 200 people. The market is sponsored by MUSG, Sodexo, the Center for Health Education and Promotion, the sustainability program, the Office of Residence Life and the Alumni Memorial Union.

Marquette role in transition from prison to community highlighted at nonprofit gala Project Return, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit that facilitates the transition from prison back into the community, will highlight its connection with Marquette faculty and students at its annual gala Saturday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m. in the AMU Ballroom.

Dr. Ed de St. Aubin, associate professor of psychology, and Department of Social and Cultural Sciences faculty Drs. Heather Hlavka, assistant professor; Rick Jones, associate professor; and Darren Wheelock, assistant professor, have conducted research with Project Return, which has supported dozens of Marquette interns.

Former Green Bay Packer Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila will be the keynote speaker.

Cost is $50. For more information contact de St. Aubin at 8-2143. The event is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Department of Psychology.

MARQUETTE MATTERS

Learning the results of teaching “Culture of assessment” is goal of new assessment director Dr. Sharron Ronco sees many of the pieces in place to create a “culture of assessment” at Marquette. It’s just a matter of building on what’s there.

“A culture of assessment is one in which we don’t even have to think about the assessment process itself,” said Ronco, Arts ’72, who was hired as assessment director in August. “It just comes naturally to make decisions based on evidence, and we always seek the evidence.

Evidence is not an add-on as part of a job every year for accreditation, but becomes a part of the fabric of the institution.”

Some of her first steps in that direction are simply to listen and learn Marquette’s existing assessment system. “There’s a very well-developed and defined assessment system — for the institution, for programs and for some components of the core curriculum,” she said.

Ronco, a Milwaukee native, came to Marquette from Florida Atlantic University, where she was associate provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Analysis. She earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and, after teaching ­bilingual education, a Ph.D. in educational

research and statistics from the University of North Texas.

At Marquette she sees opportunities to create new ­assessment measures, provide incentive grants to programs to develop more innovative assessment strategies, and find better ways to assess core competencies within the core curriculum. She is also serving on the accreditation steering committee and will help develop some of the standards on evaluation and assessment. (See p. 4.)

“Assessment of learning outcomes After holding an introductory assessment workshop in September (above), Dr. Sharron helps us understand specific ways in Ronco, assessment director, is planning an advanced workshop for February. which we can improve the learning experience of our students,” said Dr. Gary Meyer, vice provost for undergraduate said. “Then, they consider instructional strategies, programs and teaching. “Accrediting bodies make assignments and assess results. They make today assume assessment is ongoing. They changes — to the course or to the curriculum want to know how results have been used to — and figure out whether it worked. So they’re make changes and the effects of those changes already doing assessment. on learning.”

“As a graduate of Marquette, I want to help Faculty are doing assessment in their daydeliver the kind of education that I had here, to-day teaching whether they realize it or not, which was phenomenal,” she said. “Assessment according to Ronco. “Assessment is already part has a lot to do with making sure the education of the goals faculty set for student learning,” she stays as good as it was for me.”

6.7 million riders later

Engineering

Student Safety Programs celebrate 25 years Don’t let the name fool you. Student Safety Programs serves as a resource for more than Marquette students every day, which is a point of emphasis as it celebrates its 25th anniversary on campus this year.

Although primarily used by students, employees use SSP transport and escort services, too, particularly for escorts to their vehicles when working at night, according to Dan Kolosovsky, Department of Public Safety sergeant. “Employees could make even more use of it, though,” he said.

LIMOs run 365 days a year from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. (5 p.m. to 4 a.m. on academic weekends).

Safety Patrol teams are available by calling 8-6363 daily from 5 p.m. to midnight.

To celebrate the SSP anniversary, Safety Patrol, a service of Student Safety Programs, is issuing a ticket to each campus community member to whom it provides an on-foot escort this semester.

Ticket recipients then email their name and the number on the ticket to SSP@marquette.edu to be eligible to win a Blu-ray player, which will be awarded via random drawing at the end of the semester. Around the 25th of each month, a random LIMO driver or Safety Patrol escort will also award a small prize during a shift. The ­anniversary celebration will culminate with a gathering of SSP alumni April 21, 2011.

“It’s largely a student-run organization,” said Kolosovsky. “The students have energy that’s unreal, and good insight. They have fun, but they get the job done.”

Photo by IMC Photography

by Tim Olsen

Student Safety Programs by the numbers

15 — LIMO vans in fleet (plus LIMO Scout and a handicap-accessible vehicle)

13 — passenger capacity per LIMO (6 for LIMO scout; 1 for HAV)

1,100 — Individuals escorted by Safety Patrol last year

50,000 — Individuals escorted by

Safety Patrol over the past 24 years

300,000 — Passengers transported by LIMOs last year

6,700,000 — Passengers transported by

LIMOs over the past 24 years

They get it done so well, in fact, that Kolosovsky was regularly asked by other academic institutions for information about building a safety program. In response, he posted to the DPS website Student Safety Program’s Blue Prints for Success about how to create a program.

“Imitation is the best compliment, and we’ve had a lot of that,” he said.

Photo by Dan Johnson

by Tim Olsen

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E O N E

testing facility being situated in the heart of Engineering Hall. Facilities at other schools are located off campus, and students rarely see what is going on there. Ours provides much greater impact with regard to graduate and undergraduate engineering education by affording opportunities to see, question and learn about what is happening in the space.

Our goal is to merge research and teaching activity in the space with graduate student research going on right next to undergraduate teaching activity.”

Other lower-level laboratories focus on thermal fluids, thermodynamics, shock physics, smart power systems, engines and power electronics/electric drives. On the building’s first floor, in addition to a multipurpose lab for freshman design classes and the college’s extensive K-12 engineering academies and teacher workshops, the Jaskolski Discovery Learning Laboratory offers cutting-edge technology, a large projects lab and a machine shop where students can take an idea from concept to working prototype.

Only the first two floors of Engineering Hall are currently open. Additional labs in the five-story building will focus on engineering research and teaching in the fields of sensors, ergonomics, biomechanics, nano devices, water quality and electrical and mechanical systems; they will be completed during the 2011-12 academic year.

The new building is the first of a two-part initiative, with a 135,000-square-foot, $50 million second phase already designed and fundraising underway.

Helping the Vatican go digital

By Tim Cigelske

Benefits enrollment for 2012

Photo courtesy of William Thorn

Pope Benedict XVI took steps to bring the Catholic Church into the digital age in late June by sending out his first Twitter message. The pope used an iPad to send a message about the launch of a Vatican news portal and had enough room left over in the 140-character limit to offer his “prayers and blessings.”

“I think tweeting is a mark of his grasp of how important it is to communicate in social media, which is particularly effective with youth,” said Dr. William Thorn, associate professor of Dr. William Thorn (left), associate professor of journalism, is working with the Vatican to integrate journalism in the J. William and social media into Vatican communications. Pope Benedict XVI (right) sent his first message via Mary Diederich College of Twitter in June.

Communication. with Vatican communications officials since 1982 During his sabbatical this semester, Thorn will visit Rome at least twice to help continue that and taken three previous sabbaticals and more progress to integrate social media like Twitter and than 50 trips to Rome. In 2008, he was honored as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Facebook into Vatican communications.

Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

“Our goal in the coming six months to a year Thorn previously worked for Pope John Paul is to help Catholic media come to grips with the II to draft and edit documents about Vatican digital era,” Thorn said. “At World Youth Day, the communications, which included a section from pope was adamant about the need for young the current pope — then Cardinal Ratzinger — people to help the Church get involved in all about the rapid pace of change in communicathe modern ways of communicating.” tion technologies. In his work at the Vatican he In addition to that work, Thorn will continue will also draw on his 30 years of experience at research on a book about the history of chilMarquette, including efforts to help work digital dren’s magazines as well as lay groundwork media into curriculum. for a conference at Marquette about the “Our experience grappling with that is future of religious publishing. something I can take from Marquette into Returning to the Vatican will be highly this kind of reform movement,” Thorn said. familiar territory for Thorn, who has worked

TAKE

On the Side

Stacy Barnes – Geocacher

5

The five busiest of the 10 campus dining ­ locations from the beginning of the academic year through mid-September in average customers per week, according to University Dining Service, were:

By Anne Spindler

1. McCormick Dining Hall — 18,733 2. Marquette Place at AMU — 11,514

Stacy Barnes has found around 80 geocaches, including one on the Marquette campus.

caches makes walking and hiking even more enjoyable,” she said. “It is a global hobby that inspires me to get outdoors and explore new areas. It is exciting to think about how many geocaches are hidden, waiting to be found.”

“On the Side” offers a glimpse of faculty and staff interests outside of Marquette. Email your story suggestions to ­marquettematters@ marquette.edu.

3. Cobeen Dining Hall — 10,773 4. Brew Coffee House (four locations) — 8,102 5. Schroeder Dining Hall — 7,436 “Take Five” is a brief list concerning an interesting aspect of Marquette life. Email your list suggestions to marquettematters@marquette.edu.

Marquette Matters is published monthly, except June, July and August and a combined issue for 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: Tim Olsen Graphic design: Nick Schroeder Copyright © 2011 Marquette University

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Photo by Mike Gryneiwicz

Photo courtesy of Stacy Barnes

As director of the Wisconsin Geriatric Education Center in the College of Nursing, Stacy Barnes spends a lot of time solving problems, troubleshooting and planning ways to train future health care workers in geriatrics. Not only is finding solutions essential to her job, it is also helpful for her hobby, geocaching.

Geo … what?

Geocaching is like an outdoor treasure hunt. The goal is to track and find a cache (think of a small, unsuspicious-looking item — anything from a fake rock to a toolbox) using geographical coordinates with a GPS device. Or, as a popular T-shirt worn by avid geocachers reads, “I use billion dollar satellites to find Tupperware in the woods. What’s your hobby?”

Barnes has been geocaching approximately 90 times; about 80 have resulted in finding a cache. “I love the excitement of every geocaching adventure because I never know what sort of cache I will find or what is inside,” Barnes said.

Most caches contain a logbook, where geocachers sign their names and see who has previously found the cache. Some caches contain trinkets like small toys or stickers. Barnes explained that when finding a cache, you can take an object and replace it with one of your own.

According to geocaching.com, there were more than 1.5 million caches as of early September 2011 and more than 5 million geocachers worldwide.

There is even a geocache located on Marquette’s campus, which Barnes has found. “Searching for

The 2012 benefits enrollment period will begin with Benefits Information and Wellness Day on Monday, Oct 24, and run through Friday, Nov. 11. On-campus health risk assessments will be offered Oct. 24 through Nov. 18. On-campus HRA appointment scheduling will be available online beginning Oct. 3.

Features of the 2012 benefits plan include: • a 10 percent discount on the employee portion of the 2012 medical premiums for those who complete the two-part HRA; • university/employee cost-sharing at 80/20 percent; • the consolidation of medical plan options from four plans to two; • registered same-sex domestic partner eligibility for coverage in the university’s health insurance plans (medical, dental, vision); • increased vision coverage but no premium increase for vision; and • a minimal premium increase for dental coverage Everyone choosing a medical plan, even if previously enrolled, must re-enroll at myjob.mu.edu. Those participating in a flexible spending account also re-enroll annually.

MARQUETTE MATTERS

Marquette prepares for reaffirmation of accreditation Self-study offers opportunity for reflection and inspiration

By Joni Moths Mueller

As students have buckled down for deep study, so, too, has the reaffirmation steering committee. This fall marks the beginning of the self-study process in preparation for an on-site peer review visit as required by the Higher Learning Commission in fall 2013 or spring 2014.

The self-study is a critical part of the process colleges and universities undergo every 10 years to earn reaffirmation of accreditation. During the next two years, conversations on campus will revolve around standards, outcomes, mission, integrity and more.

The conversations are critical and enormously helpful, according to President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. He went through the process as president at The University of Scranton and also served on a Middle States reaffirmation review team.

“The experience intensifies engagement and teaches us to think in new ways about what we’re doing and why,” Father Pilarz said.

“Faculty, administrators, students and alumni express a very powerful sense of ownership and pride in their institution when given the opportunity to think about how to continue the 500-year-old work of Jesuit education. Suddenly, better ways of doing things, innovative ideas for programs and surprising thoughts about a school’s future surface. I also see this work helping prepare us for the strategic-planning process. That type of work does not occur in a vacuum and the knowledge gained through the self-study will be valuable.”

“This is an opportunity to tell Marquette’s story,” said Dr. Gary Meyer, vice provost for undergraduate programs and teaching. “As part of the self-study, we will look at where we were 10 years ago, consider the higher education environment today and think about how we might improve Marquette in the future.”

Meyer and Dr. Toby Peters, associate senior vice president, co-chair the steering committee that is guiding Marquette through the reaffirmation process.

Reflect Affirm Inspire Many of Marquette’s colleges are accredited by program-specific agencies to ensure academic programs and practices meet specific criteria.

In a similar way, a regional accrediting body reviews the university as a whole. Marquette is a member of the North Central Association of College and Schools, and the HLC is the accrediting agency.

In addition to certifying that the university meets specific quality standards, reaffirmation is considered a crucial tool for prompting schools to think about how to improve on what they are doing and be accountable for expectations of higher education identified by the U.S. Department of Education.

“The organization sets standards for the work we do and gives us the opportunity to ensure we are meeting them and operating at the highest level,” said Meyer, referring to the HLC.

Important Dates in Marquette’s Reaffirmation Process Fall 2011 and spring 2012 — Subcommittees organized; evidence gathered and outline created Summer 2012 and fall 2012 — First self-study draft completed Spring 2013 — Draft released to campus for review and comment Summer 2013 and fall 2013 — Final draft written and submitted to HLC Fall 2013 or spring 2014 — Review team visits Marquette

The university will evaluate its ­performance on five criteria as required by the HLC: mission; integrity; academic programs — quality, resources and support; academic programs — evaluation and improvement; and resources and planning.

To prepare for the self-study, 17 individuals representing a cross-section of the university have agreed to serve on a steering committee.

The committee chose the theme for the selfstudy of Reflect • Affirm • Inspire to connect to both the Ignatian tradition of reflection and action and the energy surrounding the new ­leadership of Father Pilarz.

“In essence, we want to reflect on the work we do, affirm the ways in which we meet and exceed standards, and serve as an inspiration for achieving even greater excellence,” said Meyer.

Father Pilarz will invite approximately 12 individuals, including faculty, staff and students to serve on each of nine subcommittees charged with writing the first draft of the self-study. The draft will be circulated in fall 2012 so that every member of the university community has the opportunity to provide feedback before the draft is finalized. The final draft is due to the HLC in summer 2013.

“It’s not just up to the steering committee and subcommittees to look at how we are doing the work of Marquette University,” said Peters.

“We want everybody to take ownership of the process, to be aware of our progress, and to offer input.”

A website with documents pertaining to the self-study process, background on the HLC, FAQs and milestone dates will be available in late October. Meyer and Peters will be available to explain the process and goals of the self-study to campus offices and university community members. To schedule a presentation starting in late October, call Lori Ozminkowski in the Office of the Provost at 8-6456.

M A R Q U ET T E H AP P E NINGS Suicide among indigenous youth to be discussed Allison Hedge Coke, poet and author of Blood Run, will discuss how situational depression can lead to suicide attempts by indigenous youth at “Blood on Our Hands: Preventing Suicide Among At-Risk Native Youth” Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 4 p.m. in the Weasler Auditorium. The program is sponsored by the Office of Public Affairs, Multicultural Affairs and the Department of English.

Chinese writer and media commentator to give Chalmers lecture

Four campus lectures will take place Thursday, Oct. 6:

Jianying Zha, writer and media commentator, will deliver the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences’ Allis Chalmers International Affairs Lecture, “Transformation in Modern China,” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, in the Weasler Auditorium. Zha is the author of several books, including Tide Players: the Movers and Shakers of a Rising China and China Pop: How Soap Operas, Tabloids and Bestsellers are Transforming a Culture. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times and other magazines and newspapers.

• The Law School’s Barrock Lecture, “Reality-Challenged Philosophies of Punishment,” by Robert Weisberg, Edwin E. Huddleson, Jr. professor of law at Stanford University, at 12:15 p.m. in Eckstein Hall.

Cultures of China and the West to be explored at conference

Oct. 6 features four campus lectures

• The Klingler College of Arts and Sciences’ “Ethics of Enhancement” by Dr. Ryan Spellecy, associate professor of bioethics and medical humanities and psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin, at 4 p.m. in Lalumiere 140.

• The College of Education’s Tommy G. Thompson Lecture, “Language, Bilingualism, Cognition and Learning in Early Childhood,” by Dr. Eugene García, vice president for education partnerships at Arizona State University, at 4:30 p.m. in the AMU Monaghan Ballroom.

• Raynor Memorial Libraries’ “Louisa May Alcott Wrote That? Alcott and the Civil War,” by Dr. Angela Sorby, associate professor of English, at 4:30 p.m. in the Raynor Library Beaumier Suites.

The Department of Philosophy will host a conference, “Unsettled Boundaries: Philosophy, Art, and Ethics East/West: A Meeting of Chinese and Western Scholars” Oct. 12-14. The conference will explore common ground between the cultures of China and the West with a focus on their respective philosophies and arts, including traditional and contemporary views. The conference is free and open to the public. More information is available at unsettledboundaries. wordpress.com or by contacting Dr. Curtis Carter, professor of philosophy, at 8-6962. Advanced registration is requested by emailing universityspecialevents@ marquette.edu.