Speakers at Marquette – Page 88 – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Finding the Positive Amid a Family’s Searing 9/11 Tragedy

Post author:Alan J. Borsuk
Post published:September 6, 2011
Post category:Marquette Law School Public Speakers at Marquette

It was several years before Andrea Haberman’s purse was returned to her family. It took a few more years before her father, Gordon, was willing to go through what was in the purse inside an evidence bag he was given by the New York City police department. He described his reaction to the purse as “very visceral.”

On the other hand, for weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, Haberman kept calling his daughter’s cell phone number. No one answered. “You’re asking me why I would call that,” Haberman said to Mike Gousha during an intense, somber “On the Issues” program in Eckstein Hall’s Appellate Courtroom on Tuesday. “It was a connection to her.”

As the tenth anniversary of the death of Andrea Haberman and nearly 3,000 other people in the attacks of Sept. 11 arrives, Andrea’s family and friends remain deeply committed to keeping alive their connection to the 25-year-old daughter, sister, fiancé, and friend who was just hours into her first trip to New York.

Dean Howard Eisenberg in His Own Voice

Post author:Janine P. Geske
Post published:August 16, 2011
Post category:Legal Practice Marquette Law School History Public Speakers at Marquette

One of the activities that many of us faculty members undertake during the summer months is to clean out some drawers and shelves. While recently tackling that chore, I was thrilled to find an old tape from a 1999 conference we put on at the law school on “Spirituality and Work.” I had forgotten that Dean Howard Eisenberg was the luncheon keynote speaker that day. What a thrill for me to listen to the tape and to hear Howard speak about one of his favorite themes, “What Is a Nice Jewish Boy Doing in a Place Like This.” He talks about his deanship and his views on spirituality and the legal profession. I thought others might enjoy having the opportunity to hear Howard, in his own words, speaking from his heart. With the level of incivility in our professional and political world, I believe his words are probably even more relevant today than they were when he spoke them twelve years ago. Here is the link to that talk.

Enjoy!

Five Leaders: A Serving of Big Problems, Flavored with Optimism

Post author:Alan J. Borsuk
Post published:May 19, 2011
Post category:Milwaukee Public Speakers at Marquette

Being a major leader means never having to say you’re pessimistic. President Jimmy Carter paid a big political price in the late 1970s when he said he thought there was a malaise affecting America. President Ronald Reagan made his optimistic outlook on the future – it’s morning in America – a key to both his political success and his legacy.

So say whatever you want about the specifics of what is going on, but look to the future with hope. It may well be a good approach to personal life. It’s just about a mandatory approach to political life.

That seems like a good perspective on one of the interesting exchanges at “What Now, Milwaukee? A Forum on the Future of Wisconsin’s Largest City,” a discussion Wednesday at Eckstein Hall that brought together five power players in the city’s life. Mike Gousha, the Law School’s distinguished fellow in law and public policy, moderated the 90-minute session before a capacity audience of over 200. The session was co-sponsored by the Law School and the Milwaukee Press Club.

The conversation quickly focused on the need to change the overall low rate of educational success in Milwaukee. There was discussion of budget cuts, rising class sizes, the chronic fighting between advocates for different streams of schools, the inability of the community to come together, and the need to give parents information on every school. Not much light was shed on how to turn the trends in more positive directions.

But when Gousha asked if educational quality will be better in Milwaukee five years from now, Tim Sheehy, the president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, answered, “Dramatically.” Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said yes. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett agreed. Milwaukee School Superintendent Gregory Thornton said, “Without question.” And Julia Taylor, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, concurred.