Journalist Alan Borsuk Joins the Law School

Alan BorsukAs announced today in this press release by the University, Alan J. Borsuk is joining the Law School as senior fellow in law and public policy. This appointment follows a search in which the Law School sought a journalist with experience and skills in investigating and reporting on matters vital to the community. Marquette Law School is becoming a powerhouse of education, ideas, and action, thanks in large measure to the support from the University, as has especially characterized the presidency, since 1995, of Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J. To have attracted Alan—a seasoned reporter who gained an outstanding reputation for his work at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel—not only confirms but also expands the Law School’s role as a civic institution committed to gathering and communicating information and ideas about critical public policy concerns. Alan will work with faculty and others at the Law School, such as Mike Gousha, on matters such as criminal justice, water policy, health care, technology, and dispute resolution. Alan will also maintain his own portfolio of projects, particularly in the area of education policy. Alan’s appointment presents exciting opportunities to further advance our missions of research, teaching, and service.

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Adventure Learning in Turkey

istanbul-150x150I just returned from a conference in Istanbul, which was the second of three conferences on the next generation of negotiation teaching. It was fascinating; and I will have several posts in the next few days about different pieces of it. One of the most interesting concepts behind this conference was the opportunity to take advantage of the city itself, to take advantage of a negotiation culture completely unlike the US one, and to go into the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar to have some fun while learning about the negotiation culture here. I will have several stories from this experience. The first is my important negotiation for soccer jerseys for my boys. (I have for many years used soccer jerseys from around the world as the standard gift for my sons. In some places—France, Spain—this has led to classic department store purchases. In others—Italy, Bosnia, Croatia, Israel—this leads to bargaining with vendors in tourist squares.) I have a general process that I use for negotiation that I was curious to test again in Istanbul.

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My Zombie President: A Halloween Story

ZOMBIELAND“More coffee dear?”

 “Hmm? Oh, yes please.  Did you see this story in the newspaper?  The Zombie Party has come out in favor of the President’s health reform plan.”

 “Isn’t that good?  I thought that you were in favor of health reform.”

 “I am, but I don’t trust these Zombies.  They are not rational.  You can’t talk to them.  Have you seen the television footage of those town hall meetings?  It’s just a sea of screaming faces.  The raw emotion of these Zombies is terrifying.”

 “So why is the Zombie Party supporting health care reform?”

“The story says that they will support the plan if the Democrats put the ‘death panel’ provisions back in.  It seems that Zombies favor ‘end of life planning,’ although for some reason their representatives in Congress keep referring to it as ‘planning for the end of life.’  I just don’t trust these Zombies.”

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