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1. Michigan Tech Supports National "Commitment to the Future" |
by Jennifer Donovan, director, public relations
Nearly 490 public colleges and universities, including Michigan Tech, have signed a "Commitment to the Future," pledging to increase the number of baccalaureate degrees by 3.8 million by 2025. That is a 60 percent increase over the number of bachelor's degrees granted now.
The commitment, released at a national news conference on Oct. 2, includes pledges to reduce the time it takes to earn a degree, enhance academic quality and contain the cost per student of a college education. The initiative is led by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).
Michigan Tech was one of the early universities to sign the pledge. Other signers include University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, the University of Wisconsin System, University of Minnesota, Cornell University, Purdue University, Ohio State University and the State University of New York System.
They pledged to strive for the "best in the world" degree status for America; assure that educational quality is enhanced, not compromised, in the effort to increase the number of degrees; uphold the principles of student access, success and diversity; work closely with preschool-12th grade systems and community colleges, especially in the STEM fields; and support economic growth in their regions, states and nation, including research and innovation, commercialization of technologies and economic development.
"It reads like our strategic plan," President Glenn Mroz said of the Commitment to the Future.
These commitments will be achieved with a strong, renewed partnership among the states, the federal government and public colleges and universities, the universities said. "The states must provide sufficient appropriations to support students and the discovery of new knowledge while extending greater operational flexibility for public colleges and universities. The federal government must maintain its: commitment to student financial aid; support for research and innovation; and encouragement of states to continue their support for public colleges and universities. Public colleges and universities must be more innovative in the performance of their essential roles while containing educational expenditures," the commitment said.
"Education, including research, is the only public investment that provides both a social and an economic return," the APLU-AASCU statement observed.
To see the entire list of signatories, go to APLU. |
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2. President Mroz to Host Campus Forum |
President Glenn Mroz will host a campus forum at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 9, in Memorial Union Ballroom A.
Release time will be provided for the hourly staff with the approval of their supervisor. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
The presentation will be video streamed live at Forum. |
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3. Hot and Spicy Chinese Lunch |
Sichuan--sometimes called szechuan--is a province in southwest China that is known for its hot and spicy food. Xin Diao, a mechanical engineering major from Sichuan province, will cook some of his traditional dishes at Khana Khazana this Friday.
The international lunch will feature Chinese spicy chicken, boiled beef with cabbage in chili oil and cold shredded white radish. Vegetarian alternatives are available on request.
Khana Khazana is served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Food Court. A full meal costs $6.95 and includes a fountain soda. Individual items cost $2.50 each.
Khana Khazana is a collaborative effort of international students and Dining Services. |
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4. Cason Named GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week |
by Wes Frahm, director, athletic communications and marketing
Football player Akeem Cason, Benton Harbor, has been named GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week after his performance in the No. 22-ranked Huskies 51-43 loss to No. 3 Grand Valley State last Saturday, Sept. 29.
Cason returned six kickoffs for 198 yards including a 98-yard return for a touchdown vs. GVSU. The senior's third career kickoff return TD came late in the third quarter as Tech was trailing 51-14 and swung the momentum of the game. The Huskies went on to score four consecutive touchdowns and more in the fourth quarter to pull within 51-43 before running out of time. Cason now leads the GLIAC in kickoff returns with a 31.9 yards-per-return average. His 98-yard kickoff return was the longest in school history.
Michigan Tech will be back in action this Saturday, Oct. 6, against UP rival Northern Michigan. The annual Miner's Cup game is set for 1 p.m. at the Superior Dome. |
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5. RTP Hosts Webinar |
The Rail Transportation Program (RTP) will host a webinar from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on "Causes and Control of Rail Cant Through Wheel-Rail Interface Management ", presented by Brad Kerchof from Norfolk Southern Railway, at 1 p.m., Friday, Oct. 5, in Dillman 315. You can also join from your own offices.
For more information, see UIUC website. |
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6. Notables |
Jason Carter, chair of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology and associate dean for the College of Sciences and Arts, has been appointed Adjunct Associate Professor of Physiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Carter has ongoing research collaborations with Mayo faculty in the field of neural control of circulation in humans.
"21st century biomedical breakthroughs require novel and innovative approaches, and often multi-institutional collaborations," Carter says. "I am humbled to be part of Mayo's excellence in research. This appointment affords me the opportunity to work more closely with some of the world's top scientists, investigating cutting-edge questions in at-risk populations that I do not have regular access to in Houghton."
Carter adds, "While much of the data acquisition in these high-risk groups will occur in Rochester, several key components of the analysis and interpretation can occur here at Tech. This will allow some talented undergraduate and graduate students unique opportunities, and aligns well with our strategic goals to broaden both graduate education and health-related research."
Carter's appointment became official Monday, Oct. 1, and is through the College of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering. |
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7. In the News |
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Professor Robert Nemiroff's explanation of the science behind the aurora borealis was the lead story in Wednesday's Great Lakes IT Report and was featured on Science Daily and Phys.Org. |
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8. Canvas Tip of the Week: Enable, Create and Edit Letter Grading Schemes in Canvas |
Canvas uses Letter Grade Schemes to associate letter grades with a certain percentage range, and those ranges can be chosen and managed by instructors. Your Fall 2012 Canvas courses currently have a default Michigan Tech grading scheme enabled to work with the total column in your gradebook. This is known as the course grading scheme. There is also a default Tech grading scheme attached to the "final" assignment and gradebook column.
You can read and see directions about how to enable or not enable a course grading scheme so you can choose whether or not your total column also displays letter grades. You may also want to be able to use your own grading scheme as a course grading scheme, with various grade columns and assignments, or with the Final Assignment and gradebook column for submitting Final grades.
Here are some resources to help you edit and create letter grading schemes in Canvas:
* How do I create a grading scheme for my course?
* eLearning video guide: Customizing your Canvas Letter Grade Schemes
For more general information or help with Canvas, and to register for eLearning workshops, visit Canvas One Stop. |
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9. Job Postings |
Staff job descriptions are available in Human Resources 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 www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/facpers/facvac.htm . For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.
Department Chair
Visual and Performing Arts
Apply online at https://www.jobs.mtu.edu/postings/657 .
Research Engineer/Scientist II--Advanced Geospatial Analyst
Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI)
Apply online at http://jobs.mtu.edu .
Note: Human Resources is transitioning to an online application process for the job posting above. To read the notice to applicants, please go to Posting.
Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer. |
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