Megan Gilge, 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.

Subscribe to e-TechTopics: majordomo@mtu.edu
message: [UN]SUBSCRIBE TECH-TOPICS-L

BOARD AUTHORIZES WADSWORTH HALL BIDS

The Board of Control authorized soliciting bids for the Wadsworth Hall renovation project at their meeting on August 7. The action stipulated that the project not exceed $31.3 million.

Bill Blumhardt, director of facilities management, said the bids will be ready on September 25 and due back in mid-November. The project is scheduled to begin in mid-December, when the residence hall is empty. Contractors will install doors and walls to isolate a portion of the building for renovations to begin.

The renovation will be financed by bonds, to be paid back from room and board fees. It will address safety and electrical concerns, as well as revamp the layout of rooms and add some amenities. "The goal is safety and to attract and retain students," Blumhardt said.

The renovation would be completed by the beginning of the 2005-2006 academic year.

The board also heard reports about the university's intellectual property program and about a proposed privately funded $2.5 million child care center.

Vice President for Research Dave Reed said the university has received $1.2 million in royalties over the past three years and has entered into 39 licensing agreements. Most of the royalties are generated by five licenses in such areas as gene sequencing software, laser contouring of concrete slabs, plant biotechnology, and software for developing forest inventory information.

Suzanne Beske-Diehl, interim chair of geological and mining engineering and sciences, updated the board on plans for an on-campus child care center. The center would be located just south of lower Daniell Heights and have a capacity of 50-75 children. She said a fundraising program is just getting underway to fund the anticipated $2.5 million cost.

Board members opted not to hear reports on marketing initiatives and university finances, so they could spend time in a closed session discussing a performance evaluation procedure for the president.

____________

JOE HAGGENMILLER NAMED HEAD CROSS COUNTRY/NORDIC SKI COACH

Submitted by Dave Fischer

Joe Haggenmiller has been named head coach of Michigan Tech's men's and women's cross country and men's and women's Nordic skiing programs.

"We're really pleased to get someone of Joe's caliber," said Director of Athletics Rick Yeo. "He's passionate and knowledgeable and those are two essential ingredients for success. I know we've hired someone that will do an outstanding job and really cares about the welfare of the student-athlete."

Haggenmiller, who is currently a practicing attorney in Marquette County, brings impressive credentials to MTU.

He served as assistant cross country and Nordic skiing coach at Northern Michigan in 1996-97 before the position was eliminated. He has remained active in coaching, however, and since 1997 has served as the head coach of the Superiorland Junior Cross Country Ski Racing Team. In addition, Haggenmiller is currently in his fifth season as the co-head coach of the Great Lakes District Junior Olympic Cross Country Ski Team.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to coach at Michigan Tech," said the 34-year-old Haggenmiller, who was the race director and chief of competition at the International Spring Series that was held on the MTU Nordic skiing trails from late March to early April. "I look forward to moving both the cross country and Nordic skiing programs into a new era of expectations and results."

Haggenmiller was a standout in cross country, Nordic skiing, and track while attending Northern Michigan from 1988-91. In addition, he has been a competitor at either the United States or Canadian National Skiing Championships, Olympic Skiing Trials, or U.S. Ski Team Trials on 12 different occasions and has trained extensively with five different NCAA National Ski champions.

Currently serving on both the Superiorland Cross Country Ski Club and United States Ski Association Central Division Cross Country Board of Directors, Haggenmiller is married to the former Amy Hume from Marquette, Michigan, and the couple has a 14-month old daughter, Gretchen.

Haggenmiller earned a bachelor of science degree from NMU in 1991 before going on to gain his juris doctor degree from the University of Utah in 1994.

Haggenmiller begins his duties immediately.

____________

95 PERCENT OF ALUMNI WOULD ATTEND TECH AGAIN

The results of a recent study of Michigan Tech's image are in.

In short: alumni love their alma mater, high school counselors hold the university in high esteem, and potential students believe a Tech education will help them get a good job.

The survey was completed by Stamats, a higher education research and consulting firm, during late winter and early spring of 2003. The company surveyed high school seniors with an interest in science and engineering in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. The survey also included interviews with high school counselors in those states, adults in the general population from those states, and alumni nationwide.

Stamats also conducted a web-based survey of current Michigan Tech students and faculty/staff.

"Among the various constituencies, Michigan Tech (where it is known) is well regarded," said Stamats' summary report. "Virtually all audiences have a positive, or even very positive, image of the university. Awareness in Michigan is fairly high."

The report also states that, while there is work to be done in overall awareness, "target audiences will likely be receptive to whatever Michigan Tech brand you ultimately bring forward."

But Stamats also warned not to "stray too far from your current image as a high quality, personal, technological, and practical institution. We found no major misperceptions or negative impressions to overcome in the marketplace."

Tech does fairly well in what Stamats calls "top of mind awareness," gauged by this question on the survey: "When you think of universities in Michigan, which one first comes to mind?" The follow-up was "what university in Michigan do you think of next?"

Not surprisingly, among high school students and the general population, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University are most frequently mentioned. All other state universities received far fewer mentions, although Tech did better than most other public universities.

Tech fared much better among high school counselors. Among out-of-state counselors, Tech was mentioned more frequently than either Michigan or Michigan State.

Stamats also asked questions to determine what the respondent thinks of when he or she thinks of Michigan Tech.

"When (high school) influencers think of Michigan Tech, something jumps directly to mind," the Stamats report states, "and it's not the new buildings on campus, the pristine environment, or the small-town atmosphere--it is the College of Engineering."

More than 57 percent of high school counselors said "engineering" when asked to describe Michigan Tech. "Rarely do we find such a lopsided top-of-mind descriptor," Stamats said. "Continue to build upon this obvious strength--use engineering as your foray into developing other 'centers of excellence' on campus."

The report went on to say that counselors "are more enthralled with Michigan Tech than either MSU or UM, particularly with regard to personal attention, student marketability upon graduation, and overall value."

Among alumni, the survey found a group that is, to say the least, quite pleased.

"It is a rare occasion when we find alumni who are so overwhelmingly pleased with virtually every aspect of their experiences at a college or university," Stamats reported. "For the most part, Michigan Tech alumni got more than they expected or hoped for."

Alumni gave the highest marks to "quality of education" and "preparation for a career," but they were also very pleased with everything from personal attention to the campus surroundings.

When asked if they would attend Michigan Tech again, 95 percent said "yes."

"This is an overwhelmingly high figure and one we rarely see at even small, religious private institutions," the Stamats report said. "In addition, four out of five alumni would encourage their child to attend Michigan Tech."

Faculty and staff, and current students, all agree that Michigan Tech is known for "placing graduates in good jobs," "strong academic reputation," and "preparing students to be successful."

Both the faculty/staff and student groups rated engineering as Michigan Tech's primary strength. Faculty/staff rated "faculty" as the second strength, while students listed academics and the curriculum.

None of the audiences surveyed characterized Michigan Tech as hard to get into. Among 82 percent of the current students, Tech was their first college choice.

____________

SARS INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE

A new Web site at Michigan Tech provides information about SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and offers guidance to students and faculty and staff in the event of any reported or suspected cases.

The site, at www.mtu.edu/news/health/, covers such topics as symptoms and diagnosis of SARS, and procedures and contacts for more information.

The site results from the work of Tech's SARS education committee, led by Gloria Melton, associate dean of student affairs. Melton said that the U.S. Center for Disease Control has removed all of its SARS-related alerts, but that the Web site will help Tech remain prepared.

She said the new health web site will offer "guidance to students and employees in the event of another SARS alert. Appropriate offices could then link to the site." She also said that University Relations will host the site "because that department could best facilitate communication of any 'breaking' announcements."

____________

WEB SITE TRACKS MICHIGAN TECH IN THE MEDIA

Michigan Tech's news and information office has introduced a new feature on the web. Each week, "Michigan Tech in the News" will provide a reproduction of media stories about the university and its faculty, staff and students.

The information comes from the services used to track stories appearing in the media. It will include everything from appearances in the New York Times to graduation and dean's list notices in local weekly newspapers.

To access the site, go to www.mtu.edu/news. Look for the "Michigan Tech in the News" link in the left column.

____________

CAMPUS WIDE POWER OUTAGES SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, AUG. 12

Facilities Operations has scheduled two campus-wide power outages for Tuesday, Aug. 12. The first outage will be from 5-7 a.m. and the second outage will be from 4-5 p.m.

For more information, please contact Ozzie Klein or Bill McKilligan at 487-2711.

THE DIAMONDS TO APPEAR AT THE ROZSA CENTER

You've heard them on the soundtrack to American Graffiti and on TV's Happy Days. They appeared over 30 times on American Bandstand, and now they are bringing a glimpse of the 50's to the Rozsa Center at Michigan Tech.

The Diamonds will be in concert on Saturday, August 9, at 8:00 p.m. You may stop by anytime between 6 and 8 p.m. for the Salute to the Classics Pre-Show which will feature classic cars brought by your friends and neighbors as well as 50's music, root beer floats and flavored sodas.

It all started in 1956 with the release of their hit Why Do Fools Fall In Love. Since then they have had 15 other top-40 singles including One Summer Night, The Stroll, and Church Bells May Ring. Little Darlin', recorded in 1957, was one of the most popular songs in America, staying on the charts for 35 weeks. It has been dubbed the "National Anthem of Rock and Roll." The Diamonds have sold over 30 million records and their popularity continues to grow as they keep an active tour schedule that includes performing arts centers, fairs, amusement parks, and symphony performances. They have toured all over the United States and overseas including appearances in England, Korea, Japan and Brazil.  Their most recent CD, Radio Heroes, pays tribute to some of the greatest recording artists of the 50's era including Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley and the Comets, and many more.

The Diamonds performance is presented by Michigan Tech Auxiliary Services and the Michigan Tech Alumni Association in honor of the 2003 Alumni Reunion, and is open to the public. Tickets are available from the Rozsa Center Box Office, 487-3200, and on the web at www.tickets.mtu.edu.

IN PRINT

Associate professor John Jaszczak (Physics) and professor George Robinson (GEMS) published a paper, "Naturally Occurring Graphite Cones," with co-authors Svetlana Dimovski and Yury Gogotsi from Drexel University. The paper appeared in Carbon vol. 41 #11 (2003) 2085-2092.

Vice President for Research Dave Reed has co-edited a new book, "Modelling Forest Systems." The book features select refereed papers developed from presentations at an International Union of Forest Research Organization meeting. For more information, visit http://www.cabi-publishing.org/bookshop/book_detail.asp?isbn=0851996930

____________

ON THE ROAD

Associate Professor Robert Nemiroff (Physics) spoke on the topic of "Save the Sky: Topics in Sky Monitoring" at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, on June 11.

Associate Professor Barry Solomon (Social Sciences) presented a paper, "A Market Transformation Strategy for Highly Efficient Steel Meeting," at the 2003 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, which was held from July 29-Aug. 1 in Rye Brook, New York.

____________

NEW FUNDING

Assistant Professor Timothy Scarlett (Social Sciences) has received a $16,796 contract from the Fallasburg Historical Society for his project, "Phase I, Archaeological Reconnaissance at the Fallasburg Mill Site, Fallasburg, Michigan."

____________

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, Aug. 8, 2003, at 1 p.m. through noon, Friday, August 15, 2003, in the Human Resources Office or at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings/

Cook--Residential Services-Dining (Regular, full-time, nine month position; AFSCME internal posting only)

Food Service Helper--Memorial Union (Regular, full-time, nine month position; AFSCME internal posting only)

Administrative Associate--College of Engineering

Analyst/Programmer--Information Technology

University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, August 15, 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.

News  |  Entertainment and Enrichment  |   Seminars and Workshops  |  Regular Features  |  Calendar  |  Top

Tech Topics Home

[Top]

[Top]

[Top]