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1. Increased Research Means More State Funding for Michigan Tech |
by Jennifer Donovan, public relations director
Research is paying off for Michigan Tech. In new state higher education funding proposed by Governor Jennifer Granholm, Michigan Tech stands to receive substantially more than the average increase in state appropriations, thanks to increases in federally funded research and a high graduation rate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
In the governor’s proposed budget, Michigan Tech would receive 4.4 percent more than it did this fiscal year. The overall average increase proposed for Michigan universities is 3 percent. That means Michigan Tech would receive approximately $51.2 million in state funding, compared to $49 million this year.
More than half of the increase proposed for Michigan Tech, or $1.1 million, is directly linked to the University’s research and graduate program.
In a budget released last Thursday, the governor proposed a three-tier formula for higher education funding, based on the amount of federally funded research and commercialization of research, degrees completed—particularly in STEM fields—and the percentage of low-income students receiving federal Pell grants.
“At Michigan Tech, we have been focusing on increasing the amount of research we do, and this shows that we have been heading in the direction that the state is rewarding,” said President Glenn D. Mroz. “The University has always focused on graduating high numbers of well-educated students in science, technology, engineering and math, and we continue to do so. The governor’s proposed budget recognizes the importance of our strengths.”
Michigan Tech’s federally funded research totaled nearly $18.8 million in fiscal year 2006, the last year for which the National Science Foundation (NSF) has compiled statistics. According to NSF figures recently released, research at Michigan Tech grew 7.2 percent from FY 2005 to FY 2006. Among institutions without a medical school, Michigan Tech ranked 75th in the nation and the highest in the state.
And the University’s research is continuing to grow, with total research expenditures increasing from $43.1 million to $56.6 million in FY 2007, said David D. Reed, vice president for research.
Of 15 state universities in Michigan, only Lake Superior State, the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the University of Michigan-Flint are slated for higher percentage increases than Michigan Tech in the budget proposal. Lake Superior State would receive a 6.2 percent increase; UM-D, a 5.8 percent increase, and UM-F, a 5.6 percent increase, mainly because all three campuses have a high percentage of low-income students receiving Pell grants.
In the governor’s proposal, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Michigan State University and Wayne State University would be funded according to a different formula, weighing commercialization of research as well as research funding. Granholm’s proposed budget would give Michigan State a 2.71 percent increase; UM-AA, 3.15 percent; and Wayne State, 3.17 percent.
State Representative Michael Lahti called the governor’s proposal “a favorable formula. It rewards research and high graduation rates in the fields that are so important for the revitalization of Michigan’s economy,” he said.
State Senator Michael Prusi agreed. “I am glad to see Michigan Tech recognized as a leader in research and education,” he said. “What we need most in Michigan is jobs, and graduates of Michigan Tech are being prepared not only to do, but also to create, those jobs.”
Sen. Prusi and Rep. Lahti, in Houghton to attend Winter Carnival events, both said they think that the governor’s budget stands a good chance of success in the legislature. “It’s a practical, no-nonsense budget that was well-received, even by Republicans,” Lahti said. |
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2. Reminder: SYP Registration Blitz Tomorrow |
A Summer Youth Programs Registration Blitz for Michigan Tech employees will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 4-6 p.m. in Memorial Union Alumni Lounge B.
Children and grandchildren of Michigan Tech employees and alumni are eligible for a discount of $50 off the live-in or commuter rate for any Michigan Tech Summer Youth Programs Exploration (one per participant, per summer).
For more information, including an overview of their many exciting programs, see www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/ttoday/previous.php?issue=20080124#5 . |
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3. Professional Staff Senate Committee Seeking Input |
The Professional Staff Policy Committee of the University Senate is seeking input from nonrepresented staff employees regarding current staff policy reform or issues needing further exploration. Some issues may lead to new policy development.
Members of the committee are Marcia Goodrich (mlgoodri@mtu.edu), Beth Hoy (elizabeth@mtu.edu), Mark Provoast (mlprovoa@mtu.edu) and Becky Christianson (rwchrist@mtu.edu). Please submit any of your ideas to a committee member for consideration. You may be contacted for further clarification or additional information if needed by the committee.
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4. Reminder: CTLFD Mini-grant Application Deadline Feb. 15 |
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The deadline for applying for a mini-grant for instructional improvement and innovation through the Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development is Friday, Feb. 15. Details and the online application can be found at www.admin.mtu.edu/ctlfd/grants/index.php . |
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5. Reminder: Juice Cartons Needed for Get WISE Day |
Youth Programs needs to collect 60, two-quart paper cartons for a hands-on project for Get WISE day.
Cartons should be rinsed thoroughly and can be dropped off on the third floor of the Alumni House, or you can arrange for their pick up by contacting Youth Programs at yp@mtu.edu or 487-2219.
For more information about Get WISE day, see www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/ttoday/previous.php?issue=20080206#4 . |
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6. Call for Spring GLBTA-Zine Submissions |
submitted by Keweenaw Pride
Keweenaw Pride is looking for submissions from Michigan Tech students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as the Upper Peninsula community, for the spring issue of their Queerzine. This opportunity is open to all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, age or relationship to the University.
The following are currently being accepted:
*non-fiction articles (500-1,000 words)
*poetry
*black and white artwork (reducible to around half or one-quarter of an 8-1/2 by 11-inch page)
Suggested themes include being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT) on campus or in the Upper Peninsula; straight ally experiences, such as coming out or dealing with homophobia from friends and family; parental experiences, such as gay or straight parents dealing with relatives or their gay or straight children; and post-graduation work related to GLBT experiences.
All submissions must be GLBT supportive and appropriate to the magazine's intended audience.
We want a Queerzine that is as diverse as possible, including submissions from people regardless of their "closetedness" or "outness." Straight allies are strongly encouraged to participate as well.
Articles can be published anonymously; only the editors must know the identity of the contributor. All contact information will be kept confidential.
If you are interested, please send submissions to pride@mtu.edu by March 22 to be considered. If you are submitting artwork and would like to know in what format to submit it, please contact pride@mtu.edu . Any article may be submitted for review and is subject to final approval by the editor. If you have any questions, please contact Keweenaw Pride via pride@mtu.edu or any of the staff advisors or officers listed on our website at www.kpride.org/ .
These submissions, along with statistics, GLBT-related news, and media will be combined into a magazine that is supportive of GLBT issues, educational for the campus/community, and can be used as a resource for all.
The Queerzine will be printed at the beginning of April as part of Keweenaw Pride's Pride Week; it will also be available via the web. To view the last issue of our Queerzine, please visit our website. |
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7. High School Enterprise a Copycat Program |
by John Gagnon, promotional writer
“Copy and steal everything,” it is said of good ideas. Michigan Tech is doing just that as it expands its signature Enterprise Program to three Michigan high schools.
Envisioned in 2004, implemented in fall 2007, the project is “picking up steam,” according to Senior Lecturer Doug Oppliger, director of the program.
Three schools are partnering with Tech on the initiative: Calumet High School, Utica High School and Cass Tech.
They are the start of what Oppliger hopes is a big thing. He wants to attract 10 high schools in 2008, 25 in 2009, and 25 in 2010.
Michigan Tech’s Enterprise Program involves more than 700 students working on more then 20 real-world projects for industry partners.
The High School Enterprise Program involves 12 to 15 students from each of the three schools. Calumet students are building a scaled-down yurt; Cass Tech students are creating a computer game based on ninth-grade math; Utica students are building an underwater remotely operated vehicle.
Overall, Oppliger says, the program is an opportunity for students to “practice engineering and gain a spirit of entrepreneurship.”
The key person in this endeavor, Oppliger says, is the high school teacher. “We want to latch on to the passion and inspiration of teachers who are out there meeting with the students. That’s where the rubber hits the road.”
The goals for the program number three: encourage high-school students to go to college; have them pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and help stimulate Michigan’s economy through an educated work force that will attract businesses to the state.
Oppliger says that teachers are busy and the public schools are strapped for money, so Tech supports both teachers and their students’ projects.
He calls the teachers “coaches,” and the program pays them a salary comparable to that of athletic coaches—$4,000 to $5,000 a year. As well, Tech helps pay for project costs, from $2,000 to $10,000. “If they’re building a robot, we’ll buy the parts,” he says.
He hopes to make the program self-sustaining through financial support from corporations and foundations, such as the National Science Foundation, which helped jump-start the on-campus Enterprise Program.
Oppliger’s job is to advise teachers, evaluate projects, search for funding and “grow the program.”
An advisor to the First Robotics Enterprise on campus, he has taught engineering fundamentals at Tech for seven years. Prior to that, he taught high school for 12 years.
He brings his high school experience to bear on this project. “I saw that students learned a lot when they were involved in projects,” he says.
Like Tech’s Enterprise Program, the high school students and their teacher-coaches develop their project, establish a timeline, work within a budget, and then “show and tell” their results. The latter will be at the Undergraduate Expo in the spring. As the program expands, there may be a stand-alone exhibition, perhaps off campus.
“They need to present what they do to outside people,” Oppliger says. “That helps inspire them to do good work.”
Besides involving more schools, Oppliger envisions a day when the program can award scholarships for either Tech’s Summer Youth Programs or for college.
All in all, Oppliger ultimately envisions a large collaboration of public schools, companies and state universities—a network of support and funding.
“It’s going to work,” he says.
Constance Montgomery of Cass Tech agrees.
“All my teaching is not in vain,” she says, calling the program both “wild” and “wonderful.”
Fifteen of her students are involved. “They learn difficult stuff that matters. They apply knowledge way outside the norm. They get to design and develop and run an enterprise in such a way that they’re in charge. It’s their project. They’re having a blast. I can’t get them to go home.”
Leaders for the program are President Glenn Mroz, Mary Raber (Enterprise Program), Brad Baltensperger (Cognitive and Learning Sciences), Chris Anderson (special assistant to the president for diversity), Bob Warrington (Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies), Carlton Crothers (SmartZone) and Dennis Harbour (Copper Country Intermediate School District). |
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8. African Night Dinner, Entertainment Saturday |
Michigan Tech's African Students Organization will hold its annual African Night Saturday, Feb. 16. This year's theme is "Dansi."
Dansi, or "dance" in Swahili, will kick off with dinner in the McNair Dining Hall, featuring a variety of exotic dishes. The menu includes chickpea tangine (a spicy dish from Morroco), couscous, poulet yassa (a favorite West African chicken dish), meat briouates (savory little Morrocan pasties), curry fried rice and much more. The meal will be served first at 6 p.m. and again at 6:45 p.m.
Dinner will be followed by entertainment in the Rozsa Center beginning at 8 p.m. There will be no late seating. The performances will feature acts by the African Students Organization and Universal Dance Destiny, a Minneapolis-based dance company that will be performing "African Roads, American Streets." For more information, see http://universaldancedestiny.com .
Tickets are on sale at the Rozsa Box Office, the Student Development Center ticket office, Tech Express and the Memorial Union Commons (10 a.m.-3 p.m.), $10 for students and $15 for the general public. This price covers both the dinner and show.
For more information, call Educational Opportunity, 487-2920. |
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9. Biomedical Engineering Graduate Seminar Friday |
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Shu Q Liu, from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University, will present a graduate seminar, "Hepatic Cell-mediated Myocardial Protection against Ischemic Injury," Friday, Feb. 15, at 3 p.m. in M & M U113. |
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10. GMES Seminar Today |
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Remigio H. Galárraga-Sánchez, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Escuela Politécnica Nacional, will present a seminar, "Mathematical Modeling of Debris and Mud Flows of Volcanic Origin in Ecuador," today, Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. in Dow 642. Refreshments will follow in Dow 632. |
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11. MEEM Graduate Seminar Thursday |
Professor Taher Saif, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will give a MEEM Graduate Seminar, "Mechanics of Learning and Memory," Thursday, Feb. 14, 3-4 p.m. in MEEM 112.
For more information or an abstract, email JoAnne Stimac at jstimac@mtu.edu . |
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12. Sports in Brief |
by Wes Frahm, director of marketing and athletic communications
What’s Happening This Week
All times are Eastern, and home events are italicized.
Tuesday, Feb. 12
Cager Club Luncheon, noon, Grant Hockey Educational Center
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Huskies Drive Time, 7:30-8 a.m. on WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM
Thursday, Feb. 14
#20 Women’s Basketball hosts Saginaw Valley State, 5:30 p.m., live on WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM
Men’s Basketball hosts Saginaw Valley State, 7:30 p.m., live on WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM
Friday, Feb. 15
Blueline Club Luncheon, noon, Grant Hockey Educational Center
Men’s Tennis vs. Bellarmine, 7 p.m. (at Indianapolis, Ind.)
Hockey hosts Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m., live on WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM
Saturday, Feb. 16
Nordic Skiing at NCAA Central Regional Championship (Biwabik, Minn.)
Men’s Tennis vs. Southern Indiana, 1 p.m. (at Indianapolis, Ind.)
#20 Women’s Basketball hosts Northwood, 1 p.m., live on WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM
Men’s Basketball hosts Northwood, 3 p.m., live on WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM
Hockey hosts Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m., live on WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM
Sunday, Feb. 17
Nordic Skiing at NCAA Central Regional Championship (Biwabik, Minn.)
Last Week’s Results
Hockey (10-13-5, 6-10-4 WCHA)
Feb. 8: at Michigan Tech 1, Wisconsin 1, OT
Feb. 9: Wisconsin 4, at Michigan Tech 1
Women’s Basketball (18-5, 11-3 GLIAC)
Feb. 7: #20 Michigan Tech 60, at Grand Valley State 49
Feb. 9: at Ferris State 70, #20 Michigan Tech 58
Men’s Basketball (12-10, 7-7 GLIAC)
Feb. 7: at #2 Grand Valley State 82, Michigan Tech 54
Feb. 9: Michigan Tech 65, at Ferris State 63
Men’s Tennis (1-2, 0-0 GLIAC)
Did not compete
Nordic Skiing
Feb. 9: Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan (results not available)
Top News of the Week
Think Pink at Tech Athletics
Michigan Tech will participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Week at all six of its home athletic events this weekend. Tech’s basketball teams will don pink warm-ups, and coaches on both sidelines for both basketball and hockey will wear pink to help raise awareness of breast cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to all games throughout the weekend. All of Michigan Tech’s fundraising efforts during the games will benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.
Hockey Stays Home for Series with UMD
After facing Wisconsin during Winter Carnival last weekend, the Michigan Tech hockey team will remain at home to take on Minnesota Duluth this weekend. The Huskies and Bulldogs will face off at 7:07 both Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16.
Ball's Jumper Lifts Men at Ferris
Brandon Ball scored his only basket of the game at the most opportune time last Saturday, Feb. 9, at Ferris State. His 19-foot shot with three-tenths of a second on the clock provided the winning margin in a 65-63 Huskies’ victory. The Tech men, who have four games remaining on their 2007-08 schedule, have solidified themselves in second place in the GLIAC North Division with a 7-7 record.
Ladies Split on Final Road Trip
The 20th-ranked Michigan Tech women’s basketball team went 1-1 on arguably its toughest road trip of the season last week. The Huskies defeated Grand Valley State Thursday, Feb. 7, before falling at Ferris State Saturday, Feb. 9. Tech (18-5 overall and 11-3 in the GLIAC) remains atop the league standings, a game ahead of both Ferris State and Northwood. |
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13. Job Posting |
Staff job descriptions are available in the Human Resources Office or at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings . For more information regarding staff positions, call 487-2280 or email jobs@mtu.edu .
Faculty job descriptions can be found at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/facpers/facvac.htm . For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.
Staff Job Posting
02/12/08
Shift Operator
Energy Management—Facilities
Regular, full-time position
AFSCME internal posting only
Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer. |
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