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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THREE ALUMNI TO BE HONORED AT SPRING COMMENCEMENT

Michigan Tech will present awards to three distinguished alumni during Spring Commencement, set for Saturday, May 10.

Carlos E. Jorda and John Benaglio will receive MTU's Board of Control Silver Medal, and Octave Du Temple will be given the University's highest honor, the Melvin Calvin Medal of Distinction.

Du Temple, a native of the Copper Country, received bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from Michigan Tech in 1948 and 1949. His studies were interrupted by military service during World War II, when he taught flying and navigation. He also studied at Northwestern University, where he earned a master's degree in business administration in 1955.

Du Temple worked at the Argonne National Laboratory for several years, and in 1958 he was appointed executive director of the American Nuclear Society, a position he held for 32 years. He has travelled and lectured extensively around the world on the peaceful applications of nuclear energy.

He is a member of the International Nuclear Energy Academy, an honorary fellow of the Institute of Nuclear Engineers in London, an honorary life member of the Chinese Nuclear Society and is the former secretary of the Pacific Nuclear Council. Currently he is executive director emeritus of the American Nuclear Society. The society's headquarters, in LaGrange, Ill., is dedicated in his name.

Du Temple lectures periodically on campus to Army and Air Force ROTC cadets and business school students. He has received the University's Board of Control Silver Medal, the Distinguished Alumni Award and an honorary doctorate of engineering. In 1995 he was inducted into Michigan Tech's Distinguished Academy of Chemical Engineering. His support of the University has earned him membership in the Second Century Society, the Presidents Club and the McNair Society.

Jorda, a native of Venezuela, graduated from Tech with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1971. Ever since, he has worked in the petroleum industry.

He began his career as a process engineer at a refinery owned by Creole Petroleum Corporation, a subsidiary of Exxon, and he quickly moved into management. After the Venezuelan petroleum industry was nationalized, he worked in many technical and managerial positions for the state-owned oil company, Petroleum of Venezuela, which owns CITGO Petroleum. In 2002, he led Petroleum of Venezuela's US interests, becoming chairman of the board of CITGO and president of Petroleum of Venezuela. He retired this year.

Jorda has headed strategic associations among several international oil companies that undertook investments in Venezuela, which is the largest oil supplier outside of the Middle East. He provides leadership to Michigan Tech's International Advancement Program, which seeks to reconnect with alumni around the world. He also is on the National Advisory Board for MTU's School of Business and Economics.

Benaglio is a native of Marquette and was raised in Iron River. He graduated from MTU in 1970 with a BS in Business Administration. He is married to the former Eileen O'Connor, of Hancock.

He joined the Heitkamp & Thumann Group in 1985. Headquartered in Germany, the company is a global leader in manufacturing high-tolerance metal and plastic components for the portable energy, health and automotive markets.

After serving as managing director of H&T's Asia Pacific operations and chairman of the managing board of H&T's Battery Component Group, in Waterbury, Conn., he was named a general partner of the H&T Group in 2002.

Benaglio lends his expertise to Michigan Tech's International Advancement Program and has established a co-op program at Heitkamp and Thumann for Michigan Tech students to work in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He is a member of the School of Business and Economics Academy.

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COMMITTEE RELEASES BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS

Michigan Tech's Budget Reduction Advisory Committee (BRAC) has proposed a combination of tuition increases and budget decreases in a report provided to President Curt Tompkins Wednesday.

The BRAC provided the president with four budget scenarios that include different levels of cuts and increases.

Recommended budget cuts range from $4.0 million to $6.4 million. The proposed tuition increase revenues range from $6.2 million to $8.0 million.

The reductions include eliminating or reducing 63 positions. Only 15 of those will involve lay-offs. The positions eliminated also include 28 vacant positions, 9 retirements, and 16 positions with reduced hours. Through the just-announced Employee Severance Program, university officials hope that the number of lay-offs might be reduced even further.

BRAC also recommended a process to use in considering any reorganization. The report emphasizes a focus on developing goals for such a change, then involving the university community in the process.

"The committee has received hundreds of comments on many budget-related topics," said Kent Wray, provost and chair of the committee. "Committee members have certainly paid attention to the feedback from the campus community."

The committee endorsed a plan to charge tuition on a per-credit-hour basis, as opposed to one flat rate for full-time students. One proposal uses the current rate of $241 per credit hour. The second uses a $230 per credit hour rate. Based on the state formula for reporting tuition increases, the $241 rate equates to a 19.5 percent increase, while the $230 rate will appear as a 15 percent increase.

The tuition proposal also eliminates the different rates for upper- and lower-division students. Juniors and seniors currently pay a higher rate than freshmen and sophomores. To compensate for this reduction, the committee proposes a $400 per semester surcharge for the more-expensive engineering and computer science majors, beginning in their sophomore years.

In making their decisions, committee members worked to stay consistent with the university's strategic plan. Other recommendations include

* preserving the academic mission by differentiating budget cuts allocated to academic and administrative units;

* providing funding to ensure that students receive the promised financial aid; and

* setting reduction targets for FY05 and FY06.

The entire report, including details of reductions within budget units, is available on the web ( http://www.mtu.edu/budget ).

The BRAC will take public comment on the draft report through May 21 and will make its final report to the president on June 3.

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SENATE ELECTS OFFICERS

University Senate President Robert Keen (Biological Sciences) was reelected to his post April 30 on a unanimous vote.

Senate Secretary Craig Waddell (Humanities) was also reelected. However, he will be on sabbatical during spring semester and a replacement will be needed, Keen said.

In the only contested race, Senator Chris Williams (MEEM) was elected vice president over incumbent Becky Christianson (Human Resources).

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SENATE CANCELS NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE

The University Senate has cancelled its no-confidence referendum on President Curt Tompkins.

On April 23, the senate had voted to send the referendum to its constituency this week.

At the April 30 senate meeting, Tompkins outlined the dynamics behind the University's budget process and the deficit in its general fund, which is expected to run $3 million to $4 million in the red this fiscal year.

Among the reasons for Michigan Tech's financial situation are the cuts in state funding for the University, as well as the state's requirement that MTU pay for unfunded benefits for retirees under the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System. This year, the University was billed $2.4 million to fund benefits mandated by the state, bringing the total paid in the last six years to $11 million.

Tompkins expressed frustration with the issue. Neither Michigan Tech nor any of the other schools with MPSERS employees (including the K-12 system, community colleges and six other universities) have any say in the benefits afforded MPSERS retirees. Those benefits are determined by an independent board that has no representatives from the University. When the cost of those benefits outran the state's budget for them, the state began billing the MPSERS institutions for the balance.

While MTU has withdrawn from the MPSERS program, it expects to be liable for retirees' unfunded benefits for the next 33 years.

"It was very dismaying the way it happened, and the way it continues to get worse," Tompkins said.

Tech also has the least debt of any of the state's 15 public universities, he noted, and the lowest debt per student. That means that the University has funded improvements out of existing funds rather than borrowing money, which reflects on the bottom line.

He also said he regretted going along with the governor's 8.5 percent tuition cap in 2002-03. "We lost about $2 million," he said. "I was the last university president to sign the agreement" in order to avert state funding cuts. However, he noted, the state cut its support for higher education anyway.

He said that the Budget Reduction Advisory Committee has developed four general-fund budget scenarios, which will be made public May 1. Their goals have been to retain educational quality and minimize layoffs, with cost cuts to fall more heavily on administrative units than on academic departments. The scenarios include tuition hikes ranging from 15 percent to 19.5 percent, and three of the four include provisions for salary and wage increases.

No major restructuring of the University will be implemented without deliberation, Tompkins reiterated.  "The Board of Control isn't going to force reorganization," he said. "BRAC [the Budget Reduction Advisory Committee] has made a number of recommendations on reorganization" that stress the importance of establishing goals and a viable process. That doesn't mean that reorganization won't happen, however. "We aren't going to rush, but we aren't going to dawdle around, either," he said.

Relaying a question, Senate President Robert Keen asked why MTU's financial status was worse than other universities'. Tompkins said that, before Provost Kent Wray arrived, the University did not have a good budgetary process or sufficient control of its finances. The University is also in the midst of a $1.1 million effort to increase enrollment, and it lacks a reserve fund.

Senator Debra Bruch (Fine Arts) asked how the budget system has changed. Tompkins said a number of problems had been hidden in the past, but since Wray and Director of Planning and Budgeting Pamela Eveland arrived the processes had been improved. "We think the numbers we're seeing now are accurate and complete," he said.

Senator Don Beck (Physics) said the University should do more to restrain spending, suggesting that students be asked their opinions on expenditures. He cited as an example of excess spending the enclosed bridge in the planned Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology, which would allow students and other members of the MTU community to avoid bad weather as they walk between buildings.

"You should read the comments to the BRAC," Beck told Tompkins.

Tompkins said that, since he was on the BRAC e-mail list, he had read all of the comments. In addition, the University has been consulting with the Undergraduate Student Government. Calling the USG's input "mature and thoughtful," Tompkins said they had expressed support for construction of the Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology and improvements to the Memorial Union.

"The University seems to go through a lot of trauma every year," Senator Dickie Selfe (Humanities) said, particularly regarding raises. "When will we see the benefit of not taking on long-term debt? . . . The instructional infrastructure is in poor shape."

Tompkins said that the Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology will have high-tech classrooms. Selfe said the University lacks ongoing funding to make sure they don't become obsolete. Tompkins said that the University had raised private funds in its capital campaign, and that the Board of Control may at some time consider going into debt.

After Tompkins' presentation, a number of senators said their constituents were not in favor of conducting the no-confidence referendum.

Senator David Hand (Civil and Environmental Engineering) said that the vast majority of his constituents opposed the referendum. "Only one was in favor," he said. Senators Bill Gregg (GMES) and Steve Seidel (Computer Science) reported that a majority of their departments were also against holding a no-confidence vote. Senator Stan LaMuth (Information Technology) said none of his constituents had supported the measure.

Senator Mike Roggemann (Electrical and Computer Engineering) called the no-confidence vote "poorly timed," particularly since Tompkins has been lobbying in Lansing on behalf of Michigan Tech.

Senator Chris Williams (MEEM) said that instead of holding a no-confidence referendum, the senate could instead consider being more proactive in communicating with the president.

Senator Jacek Borysow (Physics), speaking in support of the referendum, said it might strengthen Tompkins' position with the Board of Control and the state, since its outcome was unknown.

On a secret ballot, the senate voted 21-10 not to proceed with the no-confidence vote.

Ingrid Cheney, assistant director for benefits, gave an overview of the financial status of the University's benefits program and introduced the Employee Severance Program (see related story on this page) to the senate. ESP "is a way an employee could leave with dignity," she said. And if an employee is close to retirement, it may also prompt them to retire.

Senators expressed concern that an employees' application to participate in ESP might be turned down by their supervisors. "There's little chance that an application would be rejected if it avoids a layoff," said Senator Jim Pickens (SFRES), a member of the Benefits Liaison Group.

Cheney credited the Benefits Liaison Group for developing the ESP.

In the first year of the new health-care benefits program, the University's health-care expenses have actually dropped 1 percent, she said. Medical expenses dropped 5 percent, though the bill for drugs rose 16 percent. Overall, health-care costs have risen 9 percent this calendar year, compared to the same time period last year, Cheney said. "But we still have 34 weeks to go," she added.

In other business, the senate

• approved proposals 17-03 and 18-03, on minors in degree programs.
• heard from Keen that four summer dates had been set for senate meetings, May 21, June 18, July 23 and possibly August 20.

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SENATE MEETING ON THE WEB

The video tape of the April 30 University Senate meeting can be found at http://webmedia.mtu.edu

Click "Program Guide" and "Special Events."

Meetings are also broadcast on Charter cable TV channel 20 on Monday and Thursday, 7-9 p.m.

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ESP PROGRAM TO BENEFIT EMPLOYEES LEAVING MTU

The University has announced a new, limited-window program aimed at creating voluntary employee turnover.

The Employee Severance Program is not a retirement benefit. It provides payments to approved regular employees working at least 75-percent time with at least one year of service who voluntarily agree to leave the University. The ESP is designed to minimize the need for layoffs during this time of budget cuts.

Here's how it works.

The ESP benefit

Employees who are approved for the program will receive a portion of their salary based on their years of service. ESP payments will be made in 10 equal annual installments. If the annual payments would be less than $500 per year, the University may make a single, lump-sum payment.

The amount of the ESP benefit depends on the employee's weekly salary and years of service, as follows:

Years at MTU              ESP Benefit

1-10                             One week's salary per year of service

11-20                           10 weeks' salary plus two weeks' salary for every year of service over 10

21 or more                   30 weeks' salary plus three weeks' salary for every year of service over 20

Applying for ESP

To participate in ESP, you must first submit an application to the Benefits Office by 4 p.m., Friday, May 30. Your date of separation from the University must be before Friday, August 15, 2003. The Benefits Office will calculate your benefit, compile all the applications from your department and forward them as a group for consideration by your supervisor and vice president (or president).

Approval required

Before employees can participate in ESP, their applications must be approved by their supervisor and their appropriate vice president or president. Employees will not receive approval if their participation is not in the best interest of the University. For instance, the University may not give the ESP benefit to someone whom they would have to replace at a higher rate of pay.

You'll be notified by June 16 as to whether your ESP application has been accepted or denied.

Special for TIAA-CREF employees who are retiring

If you are approved for the ESP benefit, you may apply the payments tax-free toward your heath-care premium after retirement.

RSVP and ESP don't mix

You can't participate in both the Retirement Supplemental Voluntary Program and ESP. RSVP participants who have elected to retire but have not yet retired must revoke their participation in that program if they want to take advantage of ESP.

Interested? Contact the Benefits Office

If you are interested in applying for the ESP benefit, or if you have any questions, contact Ingrid Cheney at 487-2517 or iecheney@mtu.edu for more information. To find out more, visit the Benefits Web site, http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/benefits/index.shtml

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GROUNDBREAKING MAY 9 FOR CENTER FOR INTEGRATED LEARNING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The groundbreaking for the new Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology will be held Friday, May 9, at 11 a.m.

The $35 million center, including the John and Ruanne Opie Library and the Kanwal and Ann Rekhi Computer Science Hall, is funded by a $25 million state appropriation and two $5 million gifts from the Opie and Rekhi families.

The library addition, to be named after John and Ruanne Opie, will add 54,000 square feet to the J. R. Van Pelt Library's 80,000 square feet. It will include a 13,400-square-foot, 24-hour study space and a high-tech information wall providing the latest news about the weather, the world, the campus and library activities, as well as 26 small-group study rooms. The building will have 50 public computers and will provide wireless computer access. A digital studio is planned that will allow students and faculty to integrate information from print, the Internet, sound recordings or film into their work.

"You can't be a great university without having a great library," said Phyllis Johnson, library director. "After many years of work on the part of a lot of people on campus, we now have an opportunity to build a library and computer science space that compare favorably with that of other universities in Michigan and our peers nationwide."

The Opie Library will be linked by a bridge to the Rekhi Computer Science Hall, which will house the new computer science facilities as well as four classrooms, two equipped for high-tech instruction and two equipped to support distance education.

The 51,000-square-foot Rekhi Computer Science Hall will provide the Department of Computer Science with its first space specifically designed for computer science education and research. Labs and research spaces will be as flexible as possible to allow for future changes in computing equipment and computing paradigms.

The new computer science facilities will include four general purpose labs, two group labs and special purpose labs for architecture/compilers, robotics/artificial intelligence, computational science and engineering, distributed computing, graphics, system administration/networking and visualization. In addition, it will include student study space.

The Detroit-based SmithGroup are the architects and engineers for the project. SmithGroup designed the Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building and the Hesterberg and Horner Hall additions to the U. J. Noblet forestry building.

John Opie is retired vice chairman of the board and executive officer of General Electric Company, in Fairfield, Conn. He graduated from Michigan Tech in 1961 with a BS in Metallurgical Engineering. During his years at MTU, he was an honor student, active in several student organizations and played intramural sports.

He joined General Electric after graduation, advancing through the ranks in marketing, manufacturing and sales. From 1986 to 1995, he served as president and CEO of GE Lighting and was then named GE's vice chairman of the board and executive officer of GE, a position he held until retirement in April 2000. He is currently the lead director for Delphi Automotive Systems and a director for Stanley Works.

In addition, Opie served as vice chair of MTU's Century II capital campaign and is a life trustee of the Michigan Tech Fund, having served for 13 years, including two as president of the board. He received the Board of Control Silver Medal in 1984 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1992 and has been a member of MTU's Academy of Materials Science and Engineering since 1996. He has twice delivered the commencement address at MTU, first at Winter Commencement 1987, when he received an honorate Doctor of Engineering degree, and again at Spring Commencement 2000 when he received an honorary Doctor of Business.

Kanwal Rekhi, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and an immigrant from India, graduated from Michigan Tech in 1969 with a master's degree in electrical engineering. He is currently the president and CEO of Ensim Corporation, a global leader in hosting automation software.

In 1982, Rekhi founded Excelan, a pioneering computer networking company and one of the first to commercially develop the TCP/IP protocol. Excelan merged with Novell in 1989, where Rekhi served as executive vice president, chief technology officer and a member of the board of directors. After leaving Novell in 1995, Rekhi served as CEO at Cybermedia until its merger with Network Associates.

Rekhi has been active in the Silicon Valley community of entrepreneurs, receiving recognition for his commitment to technology and business start-ups. He was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Venture magazine in 1987. In 1994, he co-founded TiE-The IndUS Entrepreneurs Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes wealth creation through entrepreneurship. Rekhi devotes much of his time to his role as chairman of TiE, promoting it as Talent, Ideas and Enterprise.

Rekhi received the Michigan Tech Board of Control Silver Medal in 1994 and an honorary Doctor of Business and Engineering degree in 1997. He also serves on the President's International Advisory Board and is a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Academy.

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UNIVERSITY HAS NEW, IMPROVED WEB CALENDAR

The University has a new, improved calendar on the web, thanks to a little ingenuity from, where else, a Michigan Tech student!

University Relations has developed the new calendar at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/events/index.php , with much of the work being done by senior computer science student Nick Negoshian working closely with Gail Sweeting, electronic marketing assistant. The new calendar features six different ways to view all University events or just one category, such as Huskies Sports or Arts and Entertainment.

"Nick did a great job," said Dennis Walikainen, director of marketing communications. "Not only did he redesign the calendar and rework massive amounts of code, he also helped reorganize the data input function so that it is now web-enabled."

Users can simply click on the "Add an Event" link at the top of the page to include their event on the calendar. Rules for posting events are also included on that first submit page.

University Relations is also working with the Student Activities Office to improve the Student Events category, possibly including events that would be submitted by student organizations.

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BUDGET OPEN FORUM SCHEDULED MAY 7

The Budget Reduction Advisory Committee (BRAC) open forum, originally scheduled for May 1, has been moved to May 7. The forum will take place in the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts from 3 to 5 p.m.

"We received a number of requests to allow some time between making the BRAC report public and the public comment session, so people would have an opportunity to digest the report," said Kent Wray, provost and chair of the BRAC.

"Plus, President Tompkins will be traveling to Lansing on May 1 to testify before the legislature on the morning of May 2. He would like to be at the open forum, BRAC members would like him there, and we have received feedback from faculty and staff that the president should be there."

The report is available at http://www.mtu.edu/budget . The university community can provide input until May 21. The final report is due June 3.

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BOARD OF CONTROL TO MEET MAY 9

The Board of Control will meet on Friday, May 9, at 9 a.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

On the agenda are faculty appointments, including those involving tenure and promotion; a discussion on next year's budget; room and board and apartment rental rates; and a proposed BS in Software Engineering.

The meeting will recess at 10:45 a.m. so Board members may attend the groundbreaking of the Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology, set for 11 a.m. The Board will reconvene at 1 p.m.

Board meetings are open to the public, and all members of the University community are welcome.

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EMPLOYEE EXCELLENCE AWARD NOMINATION DEADLINE MAY 6

The deadline for Employee Excellence Award nominations is Tuesday, May 6. Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. to be considered. Forms are available on the web at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/staff_council/eea2003/ . The award recipients will be announced in late May.

Direct any questions to Becky Christianson at rwchrist@mtu.edu.

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MTU PRESCHOOL ANNOUNCES OPEN FALL ENROLLMENT

MTU Preschool announces open enrollment for fall classes for children ages 3-5. New this year at the preschool are extended class hours for four-year-olds and help with transportation. All interested families are welcome. MTU Preschool is a nonprofit preschool located in the Daniell Heights Community Building.

For enrollment forms and information call 483-3939 or 487-2720.

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WHEELS OF CHANGE FOR CAMPUS COMMUTERS

submitted by Angela Arpke, Environmental Sustainability Committee

Last week, Michigan Tech students, staff and faculty had the opportunity to participate in a multitude of events related to campus and community sustainability efforts. Although Earth Week 2003 is over, the impact of the week is still apparent across campus. In addition to new ideas and a refreshed perspective, the ESC, other groups and individuals have a renewed energy to continue striving towards a more-sustainable campus. his fifth and final article focuses on transportation alternatives.

To many, alternatives to driving within the Copper Country seem unnecessary. The winters are long, and rush hour here is sometimes referred to as "rush minute." Compared to metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles or Detroit, many people would say congestion and urban air pollution are not apparent.

Although Houghton may not be a bustling metro-center, we can all personally benefit from alternative modes of transportation. Walking, bicycling and carpooling have financial, environmental and health benefits. Yet 73 percent of Houghton County workers drove alone to work in 2000, up from 49 percent in 1980. Among those who prefer not to drive are Mike Abbott, manager of quality services and recreation and his wife, Kathy. They "believe that cycling can be a great alternative to transportation modes that burn fossil fuel. We try to ride rather than drive whenever possible, and we know that many of you do the same"

To promote this ethic, Mike and his family have established a grant program to encourage community members to become bicycle commuters. They will award up to five $50 equipment grants to people who would like to try commuting to work or school by bike. The grant money can be used to purchase new bike tires, a light, a bike trailer or even a rain jacket. For more information about the Abbott family's grant program, send Mike an e-mail at mdabbott@mtu.edu.

The Abbott family's efforts are an encouragement to the ESC as it seeks to re-establish the Gold Bike program at Michigan Tech. The Gold Bike program was a free bike loan program to enable students, staff and faculty to borrow bikes and ride them to different parts of campus. In the past, the Undergraduate Student Government established this program; however, it was not maintained and ended after one season.

As the weather shows hints of spring, and the academic year comes to a close, the efforts of the ESC continue, and it is not too late to get involved. If you would like to see the Gold Bike Program reestablished or find other aspects of campus sustainability interesting, get involved.

* Come to an ESC meeting. All students, staff, faculty and community members are welcome to attend. For more information on meeting times and locations, contact Shalini Suryanarayana, ESC chair, at shalini@mtu.edu.

* Subscribe to mtugreen-l@mtu.edu, an e-mail listserv to exchange ideas, ask questions and learn more about campus sustainability at MTU and other institutions.

* Visit the ESC website at http://www.esc.mtu.edu

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TEACHING AT TECH: TIME FOR A NEW PARADIGM? (PART FOUR)

by William Kennedy, Director

Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development

Harvard's David Perkins first coined the phrase "cognitive economy" to describe features of instructional practices in elementary education. He suggested that the cognitive economy of the typical grade school classroom was quite "cool," meaning that most classrooms did not demand intense engagement or special effort on the part of the average student. He found that the demands were mostly very predictable and were achievable by rote learning and routine practice. A "hot" cognitive economy, on the other hand, would be a learning environment that requires intense personal engagement, risk taking and sustained personal attention and performance.

John Tagg applies this notion of the cognitive economy to his analysis of contemporary undergraduate education. Tagg compares and contrasts students' personal constraints and choices while in college with the constraints and choices that they will likely face in the world outside of college. He conducts this analysis along the lines of goals, activity, assessment, time, community and alignment.*

Tagg suggests that, unlike market economies that vigorously strive to adjust their products and services to meet the demands of the marketplace, colleges have tended to ignore the changing values, beliefs and priorities that drive incoming students. The imposition of external goals without regard or awareness of intrinsic drivers may foster superficial compliance and surface learning with grades regrettably becoming the only tangible drivers. Tagg asserts that widespread grade inflation may be emblematic of what seems to be an uneasy détente between faculty and students. Students quickly discover that superficial learning and cramming for exams is sufficient to earn acceptable grades, and so most avoid the additional time and effort required to truly master ideas and genuinely wrestle with and fully integrate new concepts into their thinking and acting. Tagg says that a hot, cognitive economy would reward students who immerse themselves in performance and activity related to the intended course goals. Almost half the students surveyed in the National Survey of Student Engagement reported spending less than 10 hours per week on their studies. Rhetoric aside, it seems that in most cases we don't require too much and students rise to meet our limited expectations.

Our assessment procedures may also encourage students to take a superficial approach to the things that they learn, according to Tagg. Despite our protestations, systematic surveys of typical tests and examinations indicate that we have developed a marked tendency to equate learning with the capacity to reproduce course content. We persist in a ghoulish game of "what will be on the test" and wonder why students flail about looking for crib sheets. All in all, we tend to emphasize compliance, memory and the capacity of a student to regurgitate what we think is important as our measure of student success. A hot cognitive economy would encourage continuous and authentic student performance, especially recognizing those students who truly excel in putting vital course ideas and their own ideas to work to do something

In colleges and universities, the time for learning is set. If you don't finish the course in 15 weeks, you fail. Students take the final and then try to put the whole mess out of their minds. The artifacts of public education--50-minute periods, uniform semesters, course-based instruction--all work against the idea that university-level learning is intended to be transformative and to change students' very interactions with the world that they experience and will be expected to shape.

UCLA's Sandy Astin observed that a "student's peer group is the single most potent source of influence on growth and development during the undergraduate years."† Successful students, he found, quickly develop a network of friends and associates. Still, over half of the students who enter the average American college fail to graduate from that institution. A hot cognitive economy would work to intentionally encourage students to form community attachments in and out of the classroom.

Finally, Tagg suggests that most colleges have failed to provide students with a coherent, compelling and cohesive educational experience that transforms them from passive recipients of course material to active and engaged lifelong learners.

We'll take up the notion of creating hot cognitive economies next week.

* John Tagg, The Learning Paradigm College, Jossey Bass, San Francisco, 2003

† What Matters in College: Four Critical Years Revisited, Jossey Bass, San Francisco, 1993

GLASSBLOWING DEMONSTRATION RESCHEDULED

The Department of Fine Arts has rescheduled a demonstration of glassblowing by Michigan Tech senior Aaron Meyette. The demonstration, originally scheduled for April 17 and postponed because of the ice storm that day, will take place on Thursday, May 1, from noon to 3 p.m. in McArdle Theatre. Anyone interested in seeing how art glass is created by the lampworking technique is welcome to attend any part of the event on a drop-in basis.

More information on the demonstration is available from the fine arts department, 487-2067.

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VISITORS TO SPEAK ON MEXICAN INDUSTRIAL HISTORY, HERITAGE

Michigan Tech will host two visitors from Mexico on Friday and Saturday, May 2-3.

Belem Oviedo Gámez and Marco Antonio Hernández Badillo will present a lecture on Mexico's industrial heritage at 4 p.m. Friday in Memorial Union Alumni Lounge B. A photographic exhibit will also be on display in the Alumni Lounge from noon to 4 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Gámez and Badillo are the director and subdirector of the Historical Archives and Mining Museum in Pachuca, Hidalgo. They have both been intensely involved in efforts to preserve and interpret elements of the industrial history and heritage of Mexico over the last 15 years. Gámez is an historian and Badillo is a photographer; both have won several national awards and honors for their professional work. They have particularly concentrated their energies on the mining districts of Pachuca and Real del Monte, a silver mining area with fantastic remains from centuries of mining activity, ongoing up to the present.

For more information, contact Pat Martin, pem-194@mtu.edu, 487-2509.

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MICHIGAN TECH JAZZ BANDS TO HONOR DON KERANEN

submitted by Fine Arts

The Department of Fine Arts will present its spring jazz showcase, and Second Annual Don Keranen Memorial Concert, on Friday, May 2, at 8 p.m. in the Rozsa Center. Mike Irish will direct the Jazz Lab Band with Jaztec, R&D Big Band and Momentum in this jazz extravaganza honoring the founder of MTU's jazz studies program. Each year, the spring jazz showcase combines the best of many jazz styles, from the Caribbean rhythms Don Keranen loved to the music of Ellington, Mingus, Carmichael and Evans. This year, the concert also spotlights the work of five student composer-arrangers who are completing a minor in jazz studies. Irish promises a lively, entertaining evening, with MTU's bands at the peak of their form.

Keranen was a member of the Michigan Tech music faculty from 1967 to 1990. A native of Baraga, he received music degrees from Northern Michigan University and the University of Oregon. At MTU he was a popular and influential teacher, developing the award-winning jazz program as well as shaping the Huskies Pep Band, including its striped bib overalls and unusual hats, and the Wind Symphony. After 23 years at Michigan Tech, Keranen left to pursue his dream of being a full-time jazz musician. This led him to extended residences in New York City, Miami and Jamaica, where he was known professionally as Doctor Keys and enjoyed a successful career as a solo performer and music coordinator for a resort hotel chain. Keranen's former students and faculty colleagues remember him with pleasure as an outstanding multi-instrumentalist and an innovative teacher who provided students with many opportunities in music.

The recipient of the 2003 Don Keranen Award will be announced during the concert. The award, given by family and friends in memory of Keranen, honors the student selected as the most improved in the MTU jazz groups.

Tickets for the concert are available from Rozsa Center Ticketing Services (487-3200), on the web at http://tickets.mtu.edu and at the door for $8 general, $4 students.

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MAKE A DIFFERENCE BENEFIT CONCERT MAY 3

submitted by Daniell Heights Resident Council

Everyone is invited to attend the Make a Difference Benefit Concert to be held at the Rozsa Center on Saturday May 3, beginning at 5 p.m. Five local bands will be performing live on stage for a five-hour general admission, festival style concert. Tickets are on sale now at all Michigan Tech Box Offices and online at http://www.tickets.mtu.edu or call the box office at 487-3200. The price of tickets is $7 for the general public, students $5, children 5 and under free.

The Daniell Heights Resident's Council is sponsoring the event to raise money to start an endowment fund for residents in crisis. The fund will provide grants to residents to help alleviate financial stress resulting from crises such as fire or serious illness. All of the proceeds from the concert will be used to create the fund.

Finn Street, Carp, Keep Right and more will be performing for about one hour each at the concert.

For further information, contact Joshua Schlegelmilch, concert chair, at 483-8403, fax at 487-2801 or Jmschleg@mtu.edu.

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GOSPEL CHOIR PRESENTS SPRING CONCERT

submitted by Fine Arts

Michigan Tech's Echoes From Heaven Gospel Choir will present its spring concert, "On the Wings of Faith," on Sunday, May 4, at 3 p.m. in McArdle Theatre. The choir will be joined by the musicians of Momentum Jazz and Charles White on keyboards.

Echoes, well-known throughout Michigan for its exuberant gospel sound and precision moves, includes students from Michigan Tech and Finlandia University as well as members of the community. Formed 13 years ago, the choir performs frequently in the local area, and under the direction of Inetta L. Harris has conducted many concert tours in the past nine years, traveling to the San Francisco Bay area and Sacramento, New York City, Washington, D.C., downstate Michigan and surrounding states, and Spain.

Songs for this concert include "He Is Wonderful," "He's My Rooftop," "On the Wings of Faith," "His Eye is On the Sparrow" and "Precious Lord," as well as other gospel favorites. Tickets for the concert are available from Rozsa Center Ticketing Services (487-3200 or http://www.tickets.mtu.edu) and at the door for $8 general, $4 students.

MAY COMPUTER CLASSES

To register for classes, send an email to the Center for Professional Development and Quality Improvement at rwchrist@mtu.edu. Include the class(es) in which you want to enroll, your phone number and account number to which the class(es) should be charged. The charge for three-hour (half day) classes is now $70 and the charge for six-hour (full day) sessions is $140.

Participants must register by contacting Becky Christianson at rwchrist@mtu.edu. Include the class(es) in which you want to enroll, your phone number and account number to which the class(es) should be charged. Charges will be billed to your account the month following attendance. dL Education is located in the E. L. Wright Plaza, Suite 201A at 801 N. Lincoln Drive in Hancock. The Plaza is located on Quincy Hill, just below Pat's IGA. As you enter the building, the training center is just up the stairs and to the left.

Access level 1, Thurs., May 8, 1-4 p.m.

Access level 2, Thurs., May 15, 1-4 p.m.

Access level 3, Thurs., May 22, 1-4 p.m.

Excel level 1, Tues., May 20, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Excel level 2, Tues., May 20, 12:30-3:30 p.m.

PowerPoint, Tues., May 27, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Windows level 1, Tues., May 6, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Windows level 2, Tues., May 6, 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Word level 1, Tues., May 13, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Word level 2, Tues., May 13, 12:30-3:30 p.m.

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MEEM GRADUATE SEMINAR THURSDAY

George Quinn of the National Institute for Standards and Technology will present a seminar, "On the Nature of Surface Grinding Cracks in Ground Ceramics," on Thursday, May 1, 3-4 p.m. in MEEM 112.

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GMES, MINERAL MUSEUM SOCIETY PRESENT LECTURE

David K. Joyce will present a lecture, "The Red Lake Mine: The Richest Gold Mine in the World," on Friday May 2, at 4 p.m. in Dow 642.

The Red Lake Mine, owned by Goldcorp Inc. of Toronto, is located near Balmertown, Ont. Although it has been mined since the 1940s, mining taking place in the "High Grade Zone" is currently making Red Lake the highest grade gold mine in the world.

Goldcorp has also taken an unusual step in realizing that natural gold specimens are themselves valuable and is preserving native gold specimens for collectors, museums and scientists. More information about the mine can be found on the web at http://www.davidkjoyceminerals.com/htmfiles/potpourri.html

David Joyce has been a mineral dealer for over 19 years and is also an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, teaching "Explosives and Fragmentation in Mining".

Joyce will give another related talk with the same title on Saturday, May 3, at the mineral museum.

NEW STAFF

David Krans has joined the staff of the Center for Experimental Computation as director/senior system administrator/programmer. He was previously employed at Motorola as a senior staff engineer in the Government and Telcom Services Sector.

Krans received a BS in Computer Science from Michigan Tech in 1987.

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FACULTY AND STAFF RECEIVE FUNDING

Professor Rolf Peterson (SFRES) has received $283,500 from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for his project "Gray Wolf Population Modeling and Estimation Techniques."

Associate Professor Amitabh Narain (MEEM) has received $69,138 from the R. W. Fernstrum Company for his project, "Investigation of Flow and Heat Exchange Capabilities for Ferncool Box Cooler Heat Exchangers."

Research Assistant Professor Phillip Merkey (Computer Science) has received $100,000 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the first year of a two-year project totaling $298,108, "Technical Lead for Evaluation on the ESTO CT Project."

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MTU NOTABLES

Professor William Rose (GMES) was awarded the 2002 N. L. Bowen Award at the Fall American Geophysical Union Meeting in San Francisco. The citation recognized Rose for his "significant contributions to volcanology in research, service and education over the past five years."

Rose and his students have developed techniques to investigate volcanic emissions both on the ground and from satellite data. With more than 150 papers, he has contributed to the research of volcanic emissions, ash/aerosal interaction, aircraft hazards, distal ash fallout patterns, quantitative retrievals of ash particles, detection of ice in volcanic clouds and volcanic hazards to local populations. In 2001, Rose organized and hosted the Volcanic Clouds Workshop for 50 researchers from 11 countries at Michigan Tech.

The full citation given by Lecturer Gregg Bluth (GMES) is printed in EOS, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, Vol. 84, No. 14, 2003.

For the second consecutive year, undergraduate students from the Department of Chemistry accepted the National Award for Excellence in chapter activities at the 225th National American Chemical Society Meeting held in New Orleans, March 23-27. Ten MTU chemistry majors attended the American Chemical Society national meeting. They were Elizabeth Bryden, Ian Kowalczyk, Joseph Esquibel, Joseph Lamberson, Carlos Biaz, Matt Seguin, Keith Green, Larry Mailloux, Louis Pignotti and Christina Bergstrom. Professor Dave Chesney is the faculty advisor.

Five Michigan Tech students have been recognized by the Goethe-Institute Chicago (German Cultural Center) for outstanding achievements in German. Those recognized were Jessica Brakora, beginning level (Environmental Engineering); Stephanie Marolt, second-year (Chemical Engineering); Cecilia de Ugarte, third-year (Mechanical Engineering); James Kandler, fourth-year (Computer Engineering); and Carrie Simonsen, highest level (Civil Engineering). All students received a certificate of recognition and a book.

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IN PRINT

Associate Professor Barry Solomon (Social Sciences) published a review of the book "Wind Power in View: Energy Landscapes in a Crowded World," edited by M. J. Pasqualetti, P. Gipe and R. W. Righterin the February 2003 issue of The Professional Geographer.

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ON THE ROAD

Two graduate students from the Department of Chemistry presented posters at the 225th National American Chemical Society Meeting held in New Orleans, March 23-27. Parag Jog presented "Dynamic NMR Study of Organosulfur Compounds: A Redox Mediated Molecular Brake," and Anil Ekkati presented "A Facile and Convenient Synthesis of N-Acylpyrroles from Primary Aromatic Amides." Professor Dallas K. Bates was a coauthor and serves as the students' dissertation advisor.

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CALENDAR: MAY

1          Thursday

            Noon-1 p.m.--Weight Watchers meeting--Memorial Union Ballroom 3

            Noon-3 p.m.--glass blowing demonstration--McArdle Theatre

            3-4 p.m.--Seminar, "On the Nature of Surface Grinding Cracks in Ground Ceramics"--MEEM 112

2          Friday

            Noon-4 p.m.--Photographic display, Mexico's industrial heritage--Memorial Union Alumni Lounge

            4 p.m.--Lecture, "The Red Lake Mine: The Richest Gold Mine in the World"--Dow 642

            4 p.m.--Lecture, Mexico's industrial heritage--Memorial Union Alumni Lounge B

            8 p.m.--Second Annual Don Keranen Memorial Concert--Rozsa Center

3          Saturday

            9 a.m.-2 p.m.--Photographic display, Mexico's industrial heritage--Memorial Union Alumni Lounge

            5 p.m.--Make a Difference Concert--Rozsa Center

4          Sunday

            3 p.m.--Echoes from Heaven Gospel Choir concert, "On the Wings of Faith"--McArdle Theatre

7          Wednesday

            3-5p.m.--Budget Reduction Advisory Committee open forum--Rozsa Center

9          Friday

            9 a.m.--Board of Control meeting--Memorial Union Ballroom

            11 a.m.--Groundbreaking, Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology

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NO NEW POSITIONS THIS WEEK

No new positions are posted this week at Michigan Tech. 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 or visiting http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings/index.shtml. Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer.

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