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1. Granholm Presents Higher Ed Appropriations Budget |
by Marcia Goodrich, senior writer
Governor Jennifer Granholm has presented a budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year that would cut higher education appropriations by 3 percent. Under such a plan, Michigan Tech's appropriation would be reduced from $49,518,500 to $47,870,800.
The proposal will be taken up and possibly amended by both houses of the state legislature before a final version is adopted later this year.
"The governor is justifiably concerned about financial pressures on the state," President Glenn D. Mroz said. "So are we at Michigan Tech. But cutting higher education appropriations accelerates a trend that is counterproductive, not only for students and their families, but also for the state as a whole."
"The whole idea that education doesn't matter is a myth," he said. "According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment average for people with bachelor's degrees was only 3.8 percent last month." This compares with 6.2 percent for people with some college, 8 percent for high school graduates and 12 percent for those with less than a high school diploma.
While college-educated citizens are key to economic growth, state spending priorities have not reflected that fact, Mroz said.
From 2001-02 to 2007-08, the University has seen an 11-percent drop in state appropriations, not counting inflation. Correcting for inflation, we receive the same level of state funding today as in 1970, but we have 40 percent more students (7,000 vs. 4,900).
To compensate, the University has been forced to rely more heavily on tuition revenue. By 2003-04, tuition provided a greater share of Michigan Tech's revenue than state appropriations, and the gap has been widening ever since.
Nevertheless, the University has focused on keeping a Michigan Tech education affordable. The financial aid budget rose proportionately over the seven-year period, helping to cushion students and their families from the effects of the shift.
Subjecting the University to even more cuts will harm the state in the long run, said Mroz. "Michigan can't afford to fall behind the rest of the world in technological education. Other countries are investing heavily in STEM education, because high-tech jobs are those in greatest demand," he said.
The proposed 3-percent cut will be even more difficult to shoulder without affecting educational quality if tuition freezes are implemented, he added.
While Michigan Tech graduates the highest percentage of tech-savvy students, all 15 public universities in the state play an important role in the state's economy. "To cut appropriations while simultaneously alluding to a tuition freeze verges on discounting the quality—and ultimately, the value—of a degree earned from one of the finest collections of public universities in the nation," Mroz said. |
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2. Black History Month Schedule for Next Week: Live Music, Poetry and "The 'N' Word" |
Three more events are scheduled next week as part of Black History Month.
At 2 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 17, Nicole White, a third-year student in accounting and the treasurer of the Black Student Association, will speak and lead a discussion of racial slurs, titled "The 'N' Word."
From 7 to 11 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 19, enjoy "A Night in Harlem: Stompin' at the Savoy," in the Horner Lobby of the Rozsa Center. The event will feature live music, poetry readings and an open mic where anybody can step up and perform. Two local bands will get you in the mood: Swing Cats Trio and Momentum. There will be hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. (The Savoy Ballroom was a famous club in Harlem known for pioneering dance and music trends.)
From 8 to 11 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, there will be an open mic at Wads G17-19. Read a poem. Sing a song. Talk about Black History Month.
Black History Month is half over. Watch next week for an announcement of the last week of activities. |
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3. Library Releases New Online Catalog |
The J. Robert Van Pelt and Opie Library has released a beta version of its new online catalog.
Access the new catalog on the library home page, www.lib.mtu.edu/ .
Direct Link to Beta Catalog: http://ils.lib.mtu.edu:7008/vwebv/searchBasic .
Link to Online Catalog: http://ils.lib.mtu.edu/ .
The beta catalog is a work in progress; change will be ongoing. Contact a librarian or the reference desk (487-2507) with any questions or comments. Your feedback is important. |
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4. Staff Council Seeks Staff to Serve on Provost Search Committee |
submitted by Staff Council
At the next Staff Council meeting, on Thursday, Feb. 19, two staff members will be elected to serve on the Provost Search Committee, as required by University Senate Proposal 02-07 ( www.sas.it.mtu.edu/usenate/propose/07/02-07.htm ). It is anticipated that the new provost will be in place at the start of the 2010 academic year.
If you are interested in being on the Staff Council election slate, contact Becky Christianson ( rwchrist@mtu.edu ) no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Those elected will be notified Thursday afternoon. |
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5. Apparel Program Continues: Free Michigan Tech Vests Available to Eligible Employees |
The Michigan Tech Promotional Support Program Committee has announced the continuation of the apparel program in support of Husky Fridays. The program was originally proposed by UAW 5000 in 2006 and was expanded to include regular full- and part-time faculty and staff. The University is partnering with the Campus Bookstore to offer eligible employees a fleece vest with the Michigan Tech logo, at no cost. The Campus Bookstore will have a list of eligible employees, which includes faculty and staff who are full time, 9/10 month full time, part time, 9/10 month part time, as well as faculty who have research, continuing, fixed-term or rolling contracts.
Orders will be taken in the Campus Bookstore from Friday, Feb. 13, through Wednesday, Feb. 25, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Sample sizes (XS through 5XL) will be available at the bookstore; size 6XL can be special ordered. Orders must be placed no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25--no exceptions. Note: It will not be possible to exchange vests for a different size once your order has been placed.
If you have questions about the program, contact Becky Christianson, MTPSP committee chair, at 487-2416 or rwchrist@mtu.edu . |
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6. Human Resources Announces New Probationary Process |
submitted by Human Resources
Human Resource has announced the implementation of a new probationary review process. A cross-functional team of University personnel was brought together in fall 2008 to review the entire probationary review process to see if there were opportunities to make the process more user-friendly and effective for employees and supervisors alike. The result is an improved, single form with better educational tools for both employee and supervisor. In addition, the process has become automated with electronic notifications, with links to the online forms, and process resources for the employee and supervisor. This new format and process are valuable tools that help to support the success of both new employees and their departments.
We believe this new and improved process will contribute to making the experience a positive one.
To see a copy of the new form and educational resources, visit the Human Resources website at www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/employ/index.shtml . If you have any questions, concerns or comments about the probationary process or the new tools, contact Phyllis Clevenger in Human Resources at 487-2280. |
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7. Sign Up Today for the Annual Railroad Night |
The Rail Transportation Program (RTP) and the Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC) will host the Fourth Annual Railroad Night from 7 to 10 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the North Shore Grill 'N Pub.
All interested faculty are invited to meet representatives from 10 rail industry companies and to hear about the "Railroad-Based Interstate II" from keynote speaker Gil Carmichael, a past federal railroad administrator who is now with the University of Denver Intermodal Transportation Institute.
In addition to Carmichael's keynote speech, the event includes a welcome from President Glenn Mroz and from Research Assistant Professor Pasi Lautala, director of the RTP.
There is no cost for faculty to participate, but attendance must be confirmed by email to Charles Mott ( cdmott@mtu.edu ) no later than noon today, Friday, Feb. 13.
"We hope you can join us as Michigan Tech progresses toward its vision of becoming one of the leading American universities for rail transportation education and research," Lautala said.
There will be a social hour with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. |
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8. RSI Seminar Monday on Mountain Watersheds |
Assistant Professor Thomas Pypker (SFRES) will present "Potential Methods for Quantifying the Ecophysiology of Entire Mountain Watersheds" for the Remote Sensing Institute seminar at 4 p.m., Monday, Feb. 16, in M & M U113. For an abstract of the talk, visit www.phy.mtu.edu/~cantrell/RSIseminar.html .
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9. Chemistry Seminar Monday |
Benjamin Dible, from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Rochester, New York, will present a seminar, "Nickel-N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: Synthesis and Reactivity with O2," at 3 p.m., Monday, Feb. 16, in Chem Sci 101.
Refreshments will be served, and all are welcome.
For more information, visit www.chemistry.mtu.edu/pages/seminars/index.php .
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10. Teaching at Tech: Learning and Scientific Reasoning |
by William Kennedy, director, Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development
The ability to reason scientifically is surely one of the essential outcomes of any STEM educational program. Wrestling with open-ended, ambiguous and messy real-world challenges is closely related to a student's ability to think critically and reason comfortably and competently within the broad constraints of scientific inquiry. STEM educators across the K-16 spectrum have long acknowledged and have become increasingly vocal in suggesting that the development of a student's scientific reasoning skills is every bit as important as providing that student with content knowledge in the sciences. Learning how to do science is just as important as appreciating some of the fruits of others' scientific inquiries.
Professor Lei Bao and a large team of collaborators from the Department of Physics at Ohio State University recently compared the educational programs of Chinese and US students to examine the development of scientific reasoning and content knowledge in K-12 programs.* Neither China nor US K-12 systems emphasize scientific reasoning. In China, K-12 curricular design is heavily influenced by the need to prepare students for the college admission exams that occur at the end of 12th grade. To comply with the exam requirements, all Chinese schools strictly adhere to a national standard in all course work. Chinese students start studying physics in the eighth grade and continue through the 12th grade. These physics courses are algebra-based and focus largely on conceptual development.
In the US, K-12 exposure to physics is highly variable. Only one in three US students enroll in a two-semester physics course, while the rest only occasionally encounter physical science in the context of general science courses.
Ohio State researchers used a variety of quantitative assessment instruments to compare US and Chinese students' conceptual understanding in physics and general scientific reasoning.
Assessment instruments measured students' abilities, including
proportional reasoning, deductive and inductive reasoning, control of variables, probability reasoning, correlational reasoning and hypothesis evaluation. Researchers assessed content knowledge, as well.
The physics content exams showed that US students exhibit a broad range of content knowledge levels in the medium score range (25-75 percent), while Chinese students' scores were more narrowly distributed, peaking at 90 percent. Similar distributions were seen in tests of content knowledge in electricity and magnetism. It appears five years of exposure to the physical sciences results in markedly more consistent and higher achievement in content knowledge.
However, on measures of the ability to employ scientific reasoning, an entirely different picture emerges. Test performance of US and Chinese students on Lawson's Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning were nearly identical. These findings are consistent with other research that suggests current education and assessment in the STEM disciplines "often emphasize factual recall over deep understanding of science reasoning."*
What should be done? Bao and colleagues suggest that it is, specifically, inquiry-based science instruction that promotes the kind of scientific reasoning ability we need. They conclude, "It seems that it is not what we teach, but rather how we teach, that makes a difference in student learning of higher-order abilities in science reasoning."*
They call for the development and implementation of a more balanced approach to science education that emphasizes content acquisition and incorporates a healthy dose of inquiry-based learning.
* "Learning and Scientific Reasoning," Science, 30 Jan. 2009, Vol. 323, p. 586-587 |
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