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1. Paul Ollila Named to Michigan Tech Board of Control |
by Marcia Goodrich, senior writer
Paul Ollila, the former superintendent of the Copper Country Intermediate School District, has been appointed to an eight-year term on Michigan Tech's Board of Control, Governor Jennifer Granholm has announced.
Ollila fills the seat vacated by Board Member Rodger Kershner, whose term expired Dec. 31.
"I'm very pleased and proud to be asked to serve," said Ollila, a 40-year resident of Painesdale. "I've always been very interested in Tech, so I view this as both an honor and an opportunity."
In 1964, Ollila started the first special education senior high school program in the Copper Country, located at Jeffers High School in Painesdale. He accepted a position as a consultant with the Copper Country ISD in 1969, placing handicapped students in jobs throughout the area.
In 1975, he was appointed CCISD's director of special education, with responsibility for personnel, collective bargaining, federal projects, curriculum development and compliance. He was named assistant superintendent in 1979 and in 1993 became superintendent of the CCISD, retiring in 2004.
Since then he has served briefly as the elementary principal for the Ontonagon Area School District, following the previous principal's death, and as acting superintendent of the Adams Township School District, following the retirement of the superintendent.
Ollila is a member of the Portage Health Foundation Board, the Keweenaw Community Foundation Board, the Finlandia Community Advisory Committee, the Range Lions Club and the Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance. In addition, he serves on the board of the Michigan Tech Employees Federal Credit Union as secretary/treasurer.
Ollila has earned a bachelor's degree in social work/sociology and economics and psychology, a master's in special education/educational administration, and an EdS in educational administration, all from Northern Michigan University.
The Board of Control is responsible for the general supervision of the institution and the control and direction of its funds. It also determines compensation for services and property, confers degrees, fixes tuition and other fees and charges and promotes the purposes of the institution. |
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2. Surveying Engineering Students Place Second in National Competition |
Students in Michigan Tech's Surveying Engineering program placed second at the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Conference, held Feb. 20-23 in Salt Lake City.
Tech competed against ten other universities in areas including instrumentation using a Wild T2 theodolite and subtense bar, calculations with slide rules and log tables, and a technical paper on the history of mathematics in surveying accompanied by a poster.
This is the second consecutive year that Michigan Tech has competed at the NSPS Conference, having placed fifth last year. In addition, participants Krystle Olson and Jacob Heck were awarded NSPS scholarships of $2,000 and $1,500 respectively.
"The Surveying Engineering students are to be commended for admirably representing the University and being recognized at the national level," said Robert A. Liimakka, assistant professor of surveying engineering in the School of Technology. "A special thanks goes out to all who supported the students and made it possible for them to attend." |
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3. Get a Clue, Discover the Secrets, and Unravel the Mystery: Best Kept Secrets Sampler March 11 |
submitted by the Rozsa Center
Did "Baker Bob" do it in the Sky Box with hot nacho cheese?
On Wednesday, March 11, this year's Best Kept Secrets Sampler plays out as a riveting, but comical, "Who done it?" mystery.
The tour--based on the popular board game Clue this year--will not only lead you to discover some of the lesser-known treasures of our campus, but will also help you solve the Mystery On MacInnes Drive. Play along with us as we tour some of the University's hidden gems--the Wads Bakery, MacInnes Sky Boxes, the Concession Stand, University Images, the Library Coffee Shop and Little Huskies--and collect the clues you'll need to solve the riddle. Submit your answer, and you'll be entered in a drawing for some fabulous prizes.
Official game pieces will soon be arriving at your department. The tour game rules, schedule, routes, game pieces, murder victims, weapons and suspects are all included in the packets. Transportation to and from the various Best Kept Secrets locations will be provided in our Mystery Machines. Answer Mystery Tour trivia questions during your ride to win Mystery Bucks, which can be used throughout our service areas. See the latest line of apparel, modeled by some of Michigan Tech's finest, at the University Images Fashion Show in the Blue Line Room at 1 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
The tour is open to all interested staff and faculty members--no need to RSVP.
Take a break from your routine, and join us for an afternoon of intrigue and discovery--play Mystery On MacInnes Drive. |
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4. Nominate an Undergrad for the Percy Julian Award |
The Office of Student Affairs is accepting nominations for the Percy Julian Award. This $500 award recognizes an undergraduate student who has demonstrated leadership in the promotion of diversity, social equality or racial/ethnic and cultural understanding. The student must possess a minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA.
Students can be nominated at the student awards website, www.sa.mtu.edu/awards , where you can view all award information and requirements.
The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m., Friday, March 20.
The recipient will be announced and honored at the HAANA Multicultural Dinner on April 2. For more information, contact Debbie Forsell at 487-2951 or dforsell@mtu.edu . |
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5. Four Nordic-Ski Huskies Named to All-CCSA Team |
by Ian Marks, assistant director of athletic communications
Michigan Tech junior Elizabeth Quinley was named to the Central Collegiate Ski Association first team, while three other skiers, junior Jesse Lang, junior Oskar Lund and freshman Petter Sjulstad, were named to the second team. Skiers were selected based upon total points earned during five races, with the top five scorers selected to the first team and the next five named to the second team.
"This is a big honor for these student-athletes," said head coach Joe Haggenmiller. "To qualify, a skier has to post solid results as well as be consistent throughout the season."
This year marks the third time that Lang was named to the team. He was a first-team selection during his freshman season in 2007. This year marks the first time the other three skiers were named to the team.
The Michigan Tech Nordic Ski Team will compete at the NCAA Central Regional Championship at the Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center Feb. 28-March 1. |
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6. RSI Seminar Monday on Great Lakes Ecosystem Studies |
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Changsheng Chen (University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth) will present "A New Model System Aimed to Simulate Interdisciplinary Multi-Scale Oceanic Processes: A Tool for Great Lakes Ecosystem Studies" Monday, March 2, at 4 p.m. in M & M U113 as part of the Remote Sensing Institute seminar series. For an abstract, visit www.phy.mtu.edu/~cantrell/RSIseminar.html . |
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7. Dale Carnegie Workshop Wednesday at ATDC |
A second Dale Carnegie team-building session will be held Wednesday, March 4, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Advanced Technology Development Complex.
Interest was so high in the first workshop that a second one was scheduled, organizers said. The event is free, and everyone is welcome.
Participants will learn to
* increase enthusiasm for work
* build self-confidence
* identify the five drivers of success
* make positive first impressions to create instant rapport
* learn value of appreciation
* strengthen relationships
* become more flexible
* reduce worry and stress
Registration is appreciated but not necessary. Contact Jon Walrath at 281-1841 or jon.walrath@dalecarnegie.com for more information or to register.
More information is also available at www.sewis.dalecarnegie.com . |
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8. New Funding |
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Gretchen Hein (Engineering Fundamentals) has received $149,963 from the National Science Foundation for a two-year project, "First-Year Innovation and Design in Engineering for Academic Success (IDEAS) Modules and Center." |
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9. Teaching at Tech: Disruptive Innovation |
by William A. Kennedy, director, Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development
Nearly every industry in the United States has been thoroughly transformed by what Harvard professor Clayton Christensen calls "disruptive technologies."*
Disruptive innovation theory suggests that emerging business organizations can use relatively simple technological innovations and dedicated business models to triumph over powerful, relatively change-adverse incumbents.
Most often, this happens when technology enables a business to offer a streamlined, bare-bones version of a product or service at such a low price that traditional businesses are unable to compete. Look at the mall's parking lot, and then take a look at Walmart's. It's the triumph of "Why pay more?" over "It's nice to see you again Mr. Kennedy, how are those shoes working out?"
Whether it's tax-preparation software vs. accountants, megamarketers like Amazon.com vs. Borders, or the apparent demise of the newspaper industry, the incursion of affordable and convenient technologies is relentlessly transforming traditional business models. Increasingly, disruptive technologies are impacting the ways Americans are accessing higher education services, as well. Though a demand still exists for traditional, residential higher education services for economically advantaged students, or those willing and able to accumulate substantial debt, for-profit schools and many forward-thinking traditional brick-and-mortar institutions are aggressively implementing alternatives to meet projected market demands.
The current economic tsunami will only serve to greatly accelerate this process. Want a bachelor's degree from a highly rated research university? You can earn a bachelor of general studies degree from a nationally ranked public research university (number 71 in US News rankings) without ever setting foot on the campus. How? You can transfer in 64 credits from community college, or up to 90 hours from other four-year schools; you can earn credit for taking national exams, for military experience, and for life experiences; and you can complete your degree by taking online versions of that university's regular courses.
A student taking advantage of this program could 1) earn a bachelor's degree from a nationally recognized research university, 2) live at home and continue to work, 3) receive a degree in general studies allowing her/him to pursue graduate work and 4) pay around $10,000 in total tuition.
Pundits predict the slow demise of a substantial percentage of public universities that do not have the drawing power or curricular niche to attract and retain a critical share of the rapidly diminishing pool of incoming students academically qualified and financially able to sustain four years of residential study.
Many of these very schools are planning to make it possible for students to earn a degree without breaking the bank, without moving away, or without losing one's means of support. The traditional hurdle to successfully delivering online STEM degree programs involves providing students with hands-on laboratory experiences in distance places. Science educators (MIT WebLab and others) are crafting computerized lab simulations that may provide more cognitive clarity than traditional hands-on labs.
Harvard, Columbia and Cornell have extensive online degree and certificate programs, with Penn, Dartmouth and Yale closing in from behind. Is it time that we consider crafting an online pathway for hard-working students who want a Michigan Tech education but who are unable to commit to a four-year residential experience? Our future growth and vitality might hinge on how we answer this question.
* "The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail," Collins Business, New York, 2003
** "Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns," 2009
*** Ron Bleed, "A Disruptive Innovation Arrives," Educause Review, Vol. 42, No. 1, Jan/Feb 2007 |
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10. On the Road: Tech Connects with Alumni |
Professor David Shonnard (Chemical Engineering) was the featured speaker at two Tech Connect events in Florida this week.
Shonnard spoke with alumni and friends about the Wood-to-Wheels research project. He is the Richard and Bonnie Robbins Chair in Sustainable Materials and the deputy director of the Sustainable Futures Institute.
The Tech Connect events are a new initiative of Alumni Relations and the Development Office to inform alumni of Michigan Tech’s leading-edge research.
Earlier this year, Professor Alex Mayer (GMES), director of the Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society, spoke to alumni in Scottsdale and Tucson, Ariz., about the impact of human activities on water availability and quality in the Great Lakes region.
In late March, Associate Professor Mary Carol Friedrich (Visual and Performing Arts) and Professor Craig Friedrich (ME-EM) will present at five Tech Connect events in California. They will be speaking about how technological innovation developed at Michigan Tech enhances what students learn in areas as diverse as nanotechnology and visual and performing arts. |
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11. Registrar's Office Seeking Small Table |
The Registrar's Office is looking for a small table to hold a printer, approximately 28 inches high by 22 inches wide. If you have one and would like to get rid of it, call Vicky Roy, 487-1616.
University property may only be transferred between departments; it may not be given or sold to individuals. |
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