Sue McDaniel, Tech Topics editorial assistant, 906-487-2343

You can reach us via e-mail at ttopics@mtu.edu The deadline for submitting information for Tech Topics is 5:00 p.m. the Friday before anticipated publication.

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FORUM ADDRESSES BUDGET SHORTFALL; GATHERS FEEDBACK

Provost Kent Wray laid out the extent of the university's budget situation Wednesday afternoon at an open forum at the Rozsa Center.

The university projects $12 million in revenue shortfalls and increased expenses. The most pressing problem is an anticipated $5.5 million cut in state appropriations.

But the university also faces increased library journal subscription costs and other expenses, expects to begin paying back a deficit in its general fund, must make up for a reduction in scholarships caused by the stock market downturn, and plans to begin building a modest reserve fund. The reserve would address potential mid-year reductions in state appropriations.

More details on these items are available at www.mtu.edu/budget

That $12 million could go to $14.5 million if the university also provides a pay increase to its employees--something that did not happen last year.

According to Wray, the budget solution will be a plan that both increases tuition and cuts expenses.

"We have had a committee looking at our tuition structure," he said, "and they have developed plans that would increase revenue from as little as $5.2 million to as much as $9.2 million. That still leaves us with significant budget cutting to do by the beginning of the fiscal year July 1."

Many of the comments at the open forum concerned employee compensation, educational quality, and plans for restructuring the university.

Several speakers said there should be no pay raises if the university is also planning layoffs. Others suggested pay cuts to avoid layoffs.
Some speakers said that any cuts or restructuring should be done to minimize the impact on quality. While the university's Board of Control is pressing for a restructuring, some speakers felt that the case for such a move has not been made.

Other suggestions included taking steps to improve morale and imposing a moratorium on new buildings. Other questioners wondered about the initial restructuring proposal and what might be next.

Wray said the Board of Control has made it clear that they believe a restructuring would help the bottom line. "That is what happens in the business world, where some of our board members operate," Wray said. He added that any such move must make sense both strategically and in terms of budget reduction.

The forum provided information for the budget reduction advisory committee, which will provide a draft recommendation to President Curt Tompkins on April 30. The draft will be made public on May 1, with public comment taken until May 21, and a final recommendation made on June 3.

More information, including a summary of the faculty, staff, and student comments being received by the BRAC, are at www.mtu.edu/budget

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RUMOR CONTROL: PRESIDENT TOMPKINS' SALARY

During this year's budget situation, a number of rumors have sprung up on campus and refuse to go away.

One that persists is that President Curt Tompkins received a large increase last year, while all other university employees received none. And that he is the highest paid university president in Michigan.

Neither of these are true.

Tompkins has not received a pay raise since 2000. In his 11 years as president, his salary has increased an average of 3.5 percent per year, close to the campus average of 3 percent.

Of the 15 presidents at Michigan's state-assisted universities, Tompkins ranks fifth in terms of annual salary, according to a study based on fiscal year 2002 figures. Making more were presidents at the University of Michigan, Western Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne State, in that order.

All but four of the 15 presidents also receive deferred compensation. When adding this amount to annual salaries, Tompkins comes out fourth in the state, behind presidents at Michigan, Michigan State and Central Michigan.

Adding the deferred compensation of $45,000, Tompkins' total compensation is $255,940.

All of the presidents receive a residence or housing allowance, car allowance and expense account. These figures are not included in the total compensation figures in the survey.

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TECH TEAM WINS REGIONAL CONCRETE CANOE COMPETITION

Michigan Tech's concrete canoe team floated a new design this year and paddled home to victory.

The team finished first in the American Society of Civil Engineers' North Central Regional Concrete Canoe Competition held at Lawrence Tech last weekend.

"One of the reasons was that we had a really good canoe," said C. Robert Baillod, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "We've learned a lot from the mistakes of past years, and this time we invested in a marine architecture design package for the hull.

"It was a faster canoe."

So much faster, in fact, that the team won all of the racing events, including sprints and distance races for men, women and co-ed teams.

"I wish I had been there to see them win by several lengths," Baillod said. "We had some really dedicated paddlers, and they practiced very hard."

About 200 schools send teams to 20 regional concrete canoe competitions. Participants in the North Central Region were the University of Michigan, the University of Akron, Ohio Northern University, Western Michigan University, St. Clair College and Lawrence Tech, as well as Michigan Tech. This year, the races were at Kensington Metro Park, with the classroom phase located at Lawrence Tech.

"Everybody's pretty happy; I've got a pile of plaques and trophies here on my desk," Baillod said. "One thing that made it easier was that our historical nemesis, Michigan State, didn't field a team.

"That's too bad," he added. "We'd have beaten them, too."
The MTU team will travel to Philadelphia in June to take part in the National Concrete Canoe Competition.

Michigan Tech students participating in the competition are Brian Wardman, Craig Morehouse, Chris Huyser, Eric Seguin, Erron Peuse, Erin Sturgell, Jon Rumble, Jen Byle, Kriselda Cuellar, Krista Kirk, Matthew Dura, Melissa Shindorf, Ray Trudgeon, Stefanie Block, Tim Bates, Tim Martin and Tyler Ploucha.
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SILVICULTURE SUMMIT AT TECH APRIL 22-23

A Silviculture Summit featuring experts in tree cultivation and research will be held April 22-23 at the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.

The goal of the summit is to bring together researchers, forest managers and decision makers to chart a research agenda for the future. The event includes speakers from a number of government agencies, industry and nonprofit organizations.

"This will be a great opportunity to interact with experts in the field, to meet people from research institutions from around the region, and to hear the needs of forestry professionals," said the School's dean, Glenn Mroz. "We are hoping to attract a diverse audience, including students, university faculty and professionals from agencies and industry."

For more information, contact Linda Nagel at 487-2812, lmnagel@mtu.edu, or visit http://www.cnr.umn.edu/CCE/events/silviculturesummit/
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EARTH WEEK APRIL 21-26

Listed below are the educational events that will be taking place at Michigan Tech during Earth Week 2003, April 21-26. All events are free and open to the public.

• Monday, April 21, Earth Week Fair, 5-8 p.m., Memorial Union Ballroom A--Northwoods Wilderness Recovery, Alternative Building Materials, Lake Superior Kids' Activities, Yoga Demonstration; free buffet dinner
• Tuesday, April 22, Building Energy Efficient Homes, presented by Merle Kindred and Dave Bach, noon and 1 p.m., Memorial Union Ballroom B; Building Energy Efficient Homes presented by Christina Snyder, 5-7 p.m., Dow 642; free dinner
• Wednesday, April 23, "Global Water Crisis: What You Can Do," presented by Associate Professor Dave Watkins (Civil and Environmental Engineering), noon-1 p.m. in Memorial Union Ballroom A; Chinatown: Film Presentation, discussion led by Fred Young, 7-10 p.m., M&M U115
• Thursday, April 24, Green Gardening presented by Research Engineer/Scientist II Dana Richter (SFRES), 1-2 p.m., ROTC Blue Room; Voluntary Simplicity presented by Stephanie Mills, 5-7 p.m., Forestry Building Atrium; free dinner
• Friday, April 25, BioDiesel and BioLubricants, noon-12:20, 12:30-12:50 p.m., Memorial Union Ballroom A
• Saturday, April 25, Energy Efficient Home Tour, 1-5 p.m.

To register and receive more information, contact Shalani at shalani@mtu.edu or Nicole at nlbloom@mtu.edu.
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SENIOR DESIGN DAY APRIL 24

The second annual Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Senior Design Day will be held on Thursday April 24. The day's activities will include the display of design prototypes and posters for thirty-nine mechanical engineering senior design projects.

Project hardware and posters will be on display in the Student Innovation Center on the second floor of the MEEM building. Oral presentations of the 30 final designs, and nine design proposals, will be given at scheduled times during the day, starting at 8:30 a.m. and finishing at 5 p.m., in MEEM 111, 112 and 1021. The ME-EM Industrial Advisory Committee will be here to participate in the activities, and to view and evaluate the projects.

All mechanical engineering students are required to complete a two-semester engineering design project during their senior year. Most of the projects have industrial clients, who sponsor the projects with time and money and have real expectations on the student teams' performances. The posters, prototypes and presentations represent the culmination of the 30 year-long senior design projects that started in the fall of 2002, and the mid-point proposals of the nine senior design projects that started in the spring of 2003. Students from local high schools have been invited to view the exhibits between 1 and 3 p.m.

Everyone is encouraged to attend the Design Day presentations and activities. See what the mechanical engineering seniors have accomplished in their senior project work.
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TECH TO HOST EQUITY CONFERENCE

Michigan Tech will host the state-wide Equity in the Classroom conference on April 27-29.

This year's conference is titled "Educational Leadership in a Shared World: Strategies that Work." It will address such areas as increasing diversity in the classroom, diversity in curriculum development, hiring faculty of color and "leading with integrity."

"I would particularly encourage faculty to attend, particularly those who are NSF or corporate grant recipients or those who hope to be," said President Curt Tompkins. "It will also be beneficial for staff members involved in student-oriented roles, such as learning centers, residence life, student affairs and enrollment management."

Registration and complete session information is available on the web at http://www.edopp.mtu.edu/sap/ci/EquityConference/index.htm
For other information, contact Chris Anderson (487-3539) or Shalini Suryanarayana (487-2262). The registration deadline is April 18.
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EMPLOYEE EXCELLENCE AWARD NOMINATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED

submitted by Becky Christianson

Nominations are now being accepted for The Employee Excellence Awards. The award recognizes outstanding ability, performance and service among the staff members of Michigan Tech. The University recognizes three employees each year, nominated and selected by their peers, for their contributions to the University's educational, research and public missions. Each recipient will receive a $1,500 cash award (before taxes) and a framed certificate.

The Selection Committee uses the following criteria in the determination of award winners:

• Demonstrated ability and performance (productivity, quality of work with the nominator providing examples of outstanding performance and ability)
• Relationship with associates (cooperation, congeniality, human relations skills, with the nominator providing examples of the ability to relate to others)
• Personal qualities (examples of judgement, dependability, initiative and leadership)
• Campus involvement (committees, organizations, service to Michigan Tech)

Nominees must be regular full-time or part-time employees of Michigan Tech and cannot have won the Employee Excellence Award within the last five years.

On-line nomination forms are now available at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/staff_council/. Forms have also been sent to employees in the Crafts/Maintenance/Food Service/Technical group and to each department through campus mail.

Nominators are asked to follow the directions closely. Only information submitted on the nomination form will be accepted. Attachments will not be considered by the committee. Completed forms must be received by Becky Christianson (Employee Excellence Award Co-chair), CPDQI (101 Administration Building) no later than 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 6, or they will not be considered by the committee.
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REDUCING WASTE REDUCES COST

The forth in a series of five articles on sustainability efforts at Michigan Tech
submitted by Angela Arpke, Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC)

Michigan Tech Recycles! Don't Waste a Superior Place! Perhaps you have seen these slogans on signs across campus. But what can be recycled at Michigan Tech? Currently, Michigan Tech recycles mixed paper, fluorescent tubes, computer monitors, scrap metal, motor oil and rechargeable batteries campus wide. Information Technology gathers packing materials for reuse. The Memorial Union Building recycles cardboard.

Mixed paper generated on campus can be placed into the blue bins in computer labs and offices, where it is collected by the custodial staff and recycled. That includes office paper, newspaper, magazines and hardcover books with covers removed. Additionally, students, staff and faulty can bring mixed paper from their offices or homes for recycling on the first Monday of each month during the academic year, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. to the sixth floor loading dock in the Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building.

In the first 10 months of the program, more than 53 tons of paper have been recycled at Michigan Tech, saving $2,600 in tipping fees, and earning $2,200 for reinvestment in recycling and other campus sustainability projects. Volunteers from the Environmental Sustainability Committee and SAVE (Students Against Violating the Environment), in cooperation with Facilities Management's Building Operations and Grounds Departments, departmental recycling liaisons, Lakestate Industries and Manistique Papers, have made this program a success.

Bill Mitchell of Building Operations feels that Michigan Tech's recycling program is going well, thanks to gradual implementation. "The recycling program started out slowly, with only a few buildings. Now almost all campus buildings participate. Although a significant amount of paper is collected, a lot still ends up in the trash, so there's room for improvement."

Michigan Tech is not the only location where recycling is occurring in the Copper Country. Community residents can recycle tires, used motor oil, packing peanuts, glass, newspaper, cardboard, plastic milk jugs and several other items at different local facilities. For details, pick up a copy of "Recycling in the Keweenaw" from the bulletin board outside 105 Dillman or visit http://emmap.mtu.edu/gem/community/recycle/recycle.htm.

Looking for more ways to promote recycling on campus or in the community? Investigate the following:

• Visit the ESC website at www.esc.mtu.edu and click on the recycling link.
• Pick up a copy of Michigan Tech Paper Recycling Guidelines from the bulletin board outside 105 Dillman.
• Bring your mixed paper to the loading dock on the 6th floor of the DOW the first Monday of the month.
• Come to an ESC meeting: Fridays at 9 a.m. in the Administration Building Conference Room, 5th floor. All students, staff, faculty and community members are welcome to attend.
• Refer any recycling questions to Kristine Bradof of the GEM Center for Science and Environmental Outreach at recyclinginfo-l@mtu.edu.

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TEACHING AT TECH: TIME FOR A NEW TEACHING PARADIGM?
(Part Two)

In his new volume, "The Learning Paradigm College," Professor John Tagg suggests that undergraduate programs must adopt an entirely new paradigm if they are to better serve the needs of contemporary students and society. He maintains that two decades of piecemeal reform efforts including assessment, instructional redesign, various advisement and tutoring strategies, curricular reform, and a host of other approaches have failed to substantially transform colleges to better meet the needs of students, or to quiet the rising chorus of critical voices from various institutional stakeholders. Educational institutions, Tagg concludes, remain "mired in bureaucracies, buried in regulations, hampered by apathy or limited by inadequate resources," and highly resistant to change.*

The sort of paradigm shift Tagg advocates was foreshadowed in a 1993 report by the Wingspread Group. That report asserted ,"There is a growing body of knowledge about learning and the implications of that knowledge for teaching. What is known, however, is rarely applied by individual teachers, much less in concert by entire faculties. We know that teaching is more than lecturing. We know that active engagement in learning is more productive than passive listening. We know that experiential learning can be even more so. We know all of this, but appear unable to act on it."*

The root of Tagg's case is that institutions with undergraduate programs continue to pursue what he terms an "instructional paradigm" even though the body of evidence suggests that a fundamentally different sort of paradigm is needed to foster deeper and more durable learning for more and more of our students. The traditional instructional paradigm is built on the idea that college instruction happens when classrooms full of students sit passively and listen to lectures. Groups of lectures form courses, and groups of courses constitute degree programs. In essence, seat time and the capacity to regurgitate lecture material and problem solving protocols equals education.

Tagg says that the fundamental problem with the instructional paradigm is that it substitutes a means for an end; confusing process with purpose. Australian scholar John Biggs says "the view of university teaching as transmitting information is so widely accepted that delivery and assessment systems the world over are based on it. Teaching rooms and media are specifically designed for one-way delivery. A teacher is the knowledgeable expert, the sage-on-the-stage, who expounds the information that students are to absorb and report back accurately." When students fail to learn via this method, we presume that they, and not the process, are deficient. After all, it used to work when we were trying to educate a very small percentage of the population, didn't it? Or did it?

Concerned reformers, still mired in the instructional paradigm, most commonly migrate to the idea that better teaching might yield better learning. We observe the flurry of attempts to redesign programs, rethink courses, assess learning and to fiddle with delivery methods. In this view, poor learning flows from poor teaching. If we taught better, they'd learn better. At least, that was the hope.

Whether teachers blame students for superficial or lackluster performance or choose to blame themselves, the point is that little productive change has occurred through efforts to revive the instructional paradigm. To improve learning in the instructional paradigm, institutions typically attempt 1) to provide more resources (smaller classes, better tutoring), 2) admit better students, or 3) teach better. The problem is we are getting shorter on resources, ever more fiercely competing for a diminishing pool of properly motivated and adequately prepared students, and running out of ideas for improving classroom teaching.

Next week, we'll examine Tagg's vision of replacing the instructional paradigm with what he terms a learning paradigm.

*John Tagg, The Learning Paradigm College, Anker Publishing, Boston, 2003

PRESERVING TIME AND PLACE: BUILDING A TIME CAPSULE

submitted by Erik Nordberg

You don't need the cornerstone of a building to create your own time capsule. The creation of a variety of time capsules will be the topic of a public presentation at the Calumet Public/School Library at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 24. The library is located in Calumet High School near the corner of US-41 and School Street.

Abby Sue Fisher, chief of museum, archives and historical services at Keweenaw National Historical Park, will describe how to make a variety of time capsules--some built to last the ravages of the centuries and others simple enough for a family to keep in their home.
The talk will include information on the history of time capsules, how they work and how they appeal to our intrigue of discovery. Fisher will describe how to make a simple time capsule for your home, as well as higher-cost concepts that are intended to last decades and centuries.

"Many of us create accidental time capsules," notes Fisher. "Just think of all those boxes in your attic that you packed up years ago. Each one captures a moment or a period in your life." Setting out purposefully to create a time capsule can be a lot of fun--especially for children families, schools and church groups. "The reward in building a time capsule," Fisher says, "is selecting objects representative of life at a particular time and place, and putting them away for someone to discover down the road."

This presentation is part of the "Fourth Thursday in History" program jointly sponsored by Keweenaw National Historical Park and the MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections. Additional support for this event is provided by the Calumet Public Schools.
Presentations are free and open to the public. For further information, including specific directions to this event, contact Keweenaw National Historical Park at 337-3168 or the MTU Archives at 487-2505.
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CLUB INDIGO PRESENTS SUSPENSE THRILLER

submitted by Joe Kirkish

The Mu Beta Psi music fraternity presents Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant in the 1963 suspenseful thriller "Charade"--Calumet Theatre's next Club Indigo, on Friday, April 25.

Ms. Hepburn plays a young woman in Paris whose new husband has been murdered for a huge sum of stolen money. Now threatened herself, she is on the run from unknown crooks who want that money. Enter Grant as--who? What?--a mysterious stranger--savior or threat? Stanley Donen stylishly directs this combination of intrigue, mystery, romance and fun in the Hitchcock mode. Add a dash of music from Henry Mancini, wild chases through the exotic streets and subways of Paris and one surprising turn after another to the greatest concluding expose of all times--and you have an award winning delight.

The movie begins at 7:15 p.m., preceded by a gourmet buffet provided by chef Eric Karvonen of the Fitzgerald Restaurant in Eagle River. Admission to both the buffet and film is $13. Movie alone, $3.50. Reservations for the buffet can be made by calling the theatre at 337-2610.

"Charade" has been made possible by the support of the Country Village Shops of Copper Harbor and attorneys Tercha and Daavettila of Houghton.

The next Club Indigo, Friday, May 23, will be the Academy Award winner of best foreign film in 1944, "Il Postino" ("The Postman").

WEIGHT WATCHERS WEEKLY MEETING APRIL 17

Weight Watchers will hold their regular weekly meeting on Thursday, April 17, noon-1 p.m. in Memorial Union Red Metal Room 105B.
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MEEM GRADUATE SEMINAR THURSDAY

John Lambros of the Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will present a seminar, "Thermal Dissipation of Mechanical Work During Dynamic Fracture of Amorphous Polymers," on Thursday, April 17, 3-4 p.m. in MEEM 112.

MTU NOTABLES

Graduate student, Jacob Fugal (Physics), was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship--a prestigious, three-year award offered to approximately 900 outstanding graduate students nationwide each year.

Fugal's research proposal is an experiment to determine how clustering of water droplets in a turbulent flow is influenced by various physical parameters. Fugal and his advisor, Assistant Professor Raymond Shaw (Physics), are interested in how turbulence in clouds influences their precipitation rate, among other properties.

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ON THE ROAD

Associate Professor Hugh Gorman (Social Sciences) recently spoke at Ohio University's annual Baker Peace Conference. The topic of this year's conference was "U.S. Energy Consumption and the Environment," with the focus on policies related to global warming, oil
dependence and the use of renewable energy resources. Gorman spoke on the politics of U.S. energy policy.

Presidential Professor John C. Crittenden (Environmental Engineering) presented the John McClanahan Henske Distinguished Lecture in Chemical Engineering at Yale University on April 9 in New Haven, Conn. The lecture, "Sustainability Science: Research Opportunities and the Emergence of a New Metadiscipline," discussed the continued growth of what he calls the "metadiscipline" of sustainability science that embraces the perspectives of several disciplines including those that concern economics, the social sciences, environmental processes, decision-making processes and industrial ecology, in addition to engineering.

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CALENDAR: APRIL

17 Thursday
Noon-1 p.m.--Weight Watchers Meeting--Memorial Union Red Metal Room 105B

Noon-3 p.m.--glassblowing demonstration--McArdle Theatre

3-4 p.m.--Seminar, "Thermal Dissipation of Mechanical Work During Dynamic Fracture of Amorphous Polymers"--MEEM 112

21 Monday
4 p.m.--Seminar, "Impact of Climate Change on Detrital Carbon Storage and Cycling in Forest Soils"--Dow 642

24 Thursday
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.--Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Design Day--MEEM

7 p.m.--"Preserving Time and Place: Building a Time Capsule"-- Calumet Public/School Library

25 Friday
6/7:15 p.m.--Club Indigo, Dinner/Movie, "Charade"--Calumet Theatre

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MICHIGAN TECH POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Job descriptions will be available at 1 p.m. on Friday, or by e-mail at <JOBS@MTU.EDU>.

The following positions will be posted Friday, April 18, 2003, at 1 p.m. through noon, Friday, April 25, 2003, in the Human Resources Office or at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings/

Department Chair--Geological and Mining Engineering Sciences (Internal search only)

Visiting Assistant Professor/Lecturer--Department of Social Sciences

University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, April 25, 2003, to be considered as internal candidates for bargaining unit positions only. Applicants from the recall pool will be given first consideration for non-bargaining-unit positions only. Vacancy announcements are normally posted every Friday at 1 p.m. in the Human Resources Office. Complete job descriptions are available in the Human Resources Office or by calling 487-2280. More information regarding employment opportunities is available by calling the Job Line at 487-2895. Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer.

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