Medill Dean Ken Bode has been chosen to lead Northwestern’s second Martin Luther King Jr. Day Committee, joining last year’s co-chairwoman Kathleen Bethel.

Four students also will be selected to join the committee after the Associated Student Government reviews candidates for the positions. The deadline to submit applications is Friday. Provost Lawrence Dumas will make the final decision.

Associate Provost Stephen Fisher said Bode was selected as chairman because his personal connections have brought good speakers to campus for the Medill School of Journalism’s Crain Lecture Series.

“The provost was eager that the dean, as one of the high-profile people on campus, bring a good perspective to bear,” Fisher said.

Bode declined to comment.

Weinberg senior Manu Bhardwaj, who was on last year’s committee, said he thinks Bode was a good selection for the position.

“He has huge shoes to fill after (Weinberg) Dean (Eric) Sundquist took the role last year,” Bhardwaj said. “But I think he’s a great selection because he seems really capable of bringing great speakers. And they don’t even have to be big-name speakers as long as they are very passionate about social justice.”

Members of last year’s committee also are trying to establish more community-service opportunities as part of the holiday.

Bhardwaj and Weinberg senior Nelly Khidekel have written a proposal asking administrators to cancel several hours of classes after the main midday event so students can do volunteer work off-campus in the afternoon. ASG has approved legislation to ask administrators for a full day off.

January marked the first time NU took time off to observe the holiday, canceling all classes that began between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

But Fisher said it might be too soon to extend the holiday.

“My sense is that we’re too early into that experience to change courses midstream,” he said. “But certainly the provost’s office is willing to take seriously any proposal that’s made.”

Bhardwaj said he and Evanston Mayor Lorraine Morton have discussed working with the city, which he said would encourage students to participate in social activism.

“Our whole push is that last year there was a lot of remembrance and celebration, but we really didn’t do a lot of action,” Bhardwaj said. “We’ve wanted it to play a huge role in Evanston too and this is a really good way for students as a collective to live out (King’s) legacy.”

Next week Bhardwaj and Khidekel will meet with Morton to find out what ideas she has for the day and to determine the city’s interest in NU’s programming.

Although Khidekel is graduating in June, she said she will watch with interest to see what pans out for next year’s MLK Day.

“Both Manu and I are interested in seeing this become a campus tradition,” she said. “All the students are interested in that, all the faculty is interested and all we need is an impetus.”

Fisher agreed and said he hopes the success of this year’s MLK Day continues in subsequent years.

“We had a whole slew of people come last year during 10 days of activities,” Fisher said. “It was quite a success and I hope the students continue that level of interest.”