Megan Gilge, Tech Topics editorial assistant, 906-487-2343

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MONEY TALK: SENATORS, TOMPKINS DISCUSS BUDGET CUTS

Budget discussions dominated President Curt Tompkins' informal meeting with the University Senate Sept. 18.

Senator Dickie Selfe (Humanities) said that the budget cuts the university undertook to cope with a looming $6-million deficit for 2003-04 were not strategic, since savings were realized primarily through a hiring freeze.

Tompkins said he agreed, in the sense that the university did not achieve the vast majority of its expense reductions by targeting programs or employees for elimination or layoffs. However, the budget balancing was strategic in one key sense: The Budget Reduction Advisory Committee recommended that layoffs be minimized. "That was strategic," he said. "The BRAC said, 'Let's put people first.'"

Some budget reduction proposals, such as the elimination of the School of Technology, the football program and the mining engineering program, were considered strategic, Tompkins said. However, the administration decided that retaining the School of Technology was in the best interest of the university, and the football program was saved. The mining engineering program is not accepting new students.

Senators said that the process had penalized high-performing departments. Professor Peck Cho (MEEM) said his department had lost six positions, and that under the hiring freeze, there was no control over what positions would be cut. "We lost control of our destiny," he said. "That's very demoralizing."

Tompkins agreed, saying that productive units were hurt by the freeze. He noted that he had received no indication from the senate that it preferred to lay off employees strategically instead of relying on a hiring freeze to cut expenses. "It's easy to critique the process," he said, adding that key departments that lost positions will be in line to fill them as the university recovers from its financial slump.

Senator Cindy Selfe (Humanities) asked why the senate should help the administration in times of financial crisis. The university leadership was responsible for the current financial situation and should have been prepared for financial hits, she said.

Tompkins said that Michigan Tech is not unique; 45 states cut their higher-education budgets this year and many schools have had to raise tuition sharply, cut programs and lay off employees. "When I talk to my colleagues, they say none of them were prepared," he said.

The university has a balanced budget for 2003-04, Tompkins said, and so far, enrollment and revenue from tuition appear to be slightly higher than anticipated. The university also received $359,000 in one-time money from the state, which the administration plans to use to reduce the $9.4 million deficit that has accumulated over the last three years, if it is not needed to cushion any further reductions in the state appropriation.

Tompkins noted that about $4 million of the deficit results from general fund loans to departments for various projects. The departments are raising funds through private donations and will pay back the loans.

Cindy Selfe said the accumulated deficit was a concern to faculty. "Junior faculty are afraid for their jobs," she said.

"When have we laid off junior faculty?" Tompkins said. "Never, that I know of," Selfe responded.

Tompkins said that faculty in general wouldn't face layoffs unless the university were up against extreme financial problems, such as during the Great Depression. "Conjuring up Godzilla in the basement doesn't do anybody any good," Tompkins said.

When he first came to MTU in 1991, Tompkins recalled, he faced a similar deficit and eliminated it over the next few years. "Why do you think we can't do it again?" he asked.

"I don't know," Cindy Selfe said. "I don't have confidence that the deficit will be reduced to zero. People are worried."

"We've come through the valley of the shadow, and we're climbing the mountain to the sunshine," Tompkins said. "If you are going to look backwards, give me credit for the first seven years," when the university eliminated an $8-million deficit.

Tompkins said he would like to have a contingency fund. Several years ago, when Michigan Tech was in a better financial position, the senate, deans and chairs asked that the administration hire new faculty. "We added 56 new faculty lines," Tompkins said. "Maybe we said yes when we should have said no."

Senator Erik Nordberg (Library) said that the university gave 2 percent raises while not filling positions. "We're trying to give salaries and wages top priority," Tompkins said. "There was a strong recommendation from BRAC that we do something about salaries and wages."

Balancing the university budget required trade-offs, he said. For example, tuition was raised higher than anyone wanted. "It's not a win-win situation," Tompkins said. "It's more a best of the bad."

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NSPE PRESIDENT TO VISIT MTU

Terri Helmlinger, president of the National Society of Professional Engineers, will visit MTU on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

A reception will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge at which she will give an informal presentation about the NSPE. Helminger is the first female president of NSPE in its 68-year history. She is a professional engineer and the executive director of North Carolina State University's Industrial Extension Service, an organization that provides technical assistance and educational services to small- and medium-sized businesses and industries in North Carolina.

Helmlinger was recently named to the Impact 100 list by Business Leader magazine, a list honoring exceptional individuals within the North Carolina Research Triangle business community. In 1986, the National Society of Women Engineers named her Distinguished New Engineer. The Professional Engineers of North Carolina named her Young Engineer of the Year in 1988.

Helmlinger has worked at NCSU since 1999. She was director of commercial/industrial market development at Progress Energy, formerly Carolina Power and Light, from 1979 to 1988. She holds a BS in Engineering Operations from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Duke University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Administration.

The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Educational Opportunity at 487-2920.

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FAULTY CABLE CAUSES POWER OUTAGE

A power cable failure caused an 18-hour electrical outage at Michigan Tech over the weekend. A line feeding the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building was the culprit.

The cable failed at about 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, and power was restored at about 6:20 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21. Members of the Michigan Tech facilities staff and employees from Northland Electric worked through the night to identify the location of the failure and repair the line.

Michigan Tech is in the process of replacing the main power lines on campus. The university has two main power lines, but only one is available during the replacement project.

"We had torn out one of the two old lines," said Bill Blumhardt, director of facilities management. "The new line is actually in the conduit, but testing and connections won't be finished until the end of October. Had that line been operational, this outage would have lasted one or two hours instead of 18."

This past summer, the university installed emergency lighting in two of the three residence halls. As a result, students living in Douglass

Houghton Hall and McNair Hall were able to remain in their rooms Saturday night.

Wadsworth Hall residents, however, moved to the building's cafeteria for the night. Wadsworth will receive emergency lighting during a $31 million renovation that begins in December.

All of the residents also saw a change of menu for Saturday dinner, with sandwiches and other ready-to-eat foods replacing original menu items.

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ANNUAL CAMPUS CAMPAIGN BEGINS

The Campus Campaign got under way this week, providing all faculty and staff an opportunity to invest in any program or activity at Michigan Tech.

Gifts to the campaign can be designated for almost anything: a specific department or scholarship fund, the Friends of the Rozsa program, the Huskies Club or any other campus project or program that you feel deserves an extra measure of support.

Last year, 419 employees contributed $156,461 for a participation rate of 32.2 percent. "Our goal is to build on this participation number during the 2003-04 campaign. The Campus Campaign continues to focus on participation over dollars raised," said Paula Nutini, director of annual giving and stewardship. "We say it every year, but it continues to be true: our donors (including corporations, foundations and alumni) often consider the level of employee participation when they are allocating their charitable support. They want to know if campus folks believe in the university's mission and vision. Gifts of even $25 or $10 will impact this participation number."

Professor Martha Sloan (Electrical and Computer Engineering) has taken over as the Campus Campaign chairperson, replacing Ed Fisher who served in the position for the previous six years. "Ed did a terrific job of raising awareness among faculty and staff members as to the need for in-house support. My goal is to continue to increase the campaign's visibility and remind all employees of the importance of this effort."

MTU faculty and staff members should have received a Campus Campaign packet, including pledge/payroll deduction forms. Tax deductible gifts may be made by check, credit card, payroll deduction or through the Tech Fund web site at http://www.mtf.mtu.edu . For more information, contact Nutini, 487-3324 or pjnutini@mtu.edu , at the Michigan Tech Fund. The fund sponsors the annual Campus Campaign to benefit the university and its students.

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CAMPUS OPEN HOUSE SEPT. 27

The third Campus Open House for prospective undergraduate students takes place this Saturday, Sept. 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Over 1,100 guests, including students, parents and family members, from nine states are registered to attend the event. If you are not directly involved in Open House activities, you are invited to stop by any time during the day on Saturday to help welcome these guests to campus. Activities will take place in the Memorial Union Building from 9:45 a.m. to noon and in various departments campus-wide from noon to 3 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions staff at 487-2335.

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TEACHING AT TECH: LECTURING FOR LEARNING

by William Kennedy, director, Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development

With all the talk about active learning techniques, about 80 percent of college instruction continues to be delivered using the lecture mode. Psychologists Professor Patricia deWinstanley, now of Oberlin College, and UCLA Professor Robert A. Bjork vigorously defend the efficacy of the college lecture and offer some methods for improving student learning in their article, "Successful Lecturing: Presenting Information in Ways that Engage Effective Processing."* These researchers suggest that the current tendency to represent lecturing as second-rate teaching is both inaccurate and unfortunate. They argue that lecturing is an indispensable teaching method, especially in large class settings.

Their article focuses on developing a style of lecturing that increases the learning of students beyond what they would have retained from simply reading the textbook. They argue that the body of psychological research provides some important insights into creating and delivering lectures that encourage students to learn, retain and later use the information they receive.

The authors offer a word of caution to those lecturers who routinely employ PowerPoint presentations to support their lectures. They suggest that dividing student attention between what is on the screen and what the lecturer is saying can result in distraction, frustration and reduced learning. My graduate students say this is especially true when the presented images contain formulas or detailed information that they are expected to commit to their notes. The general advice is to direct students' attention to one source of information at a time. Obviously, using projected images to illustrate or reinforce what is being conveyed in the lecture is desirable.

If students are to retain the information they are receiving in a lecture they must successfully interpret it (integrate and relate it to what they already know) and elaborate it (have the opportunity to apply it or express it in another context). Effective lecturers use plenty of examples from varying domains to encourage students to relate the new ideas to their existing mental conceptions. Effective lecturers demonstrate the utility of the new information by showing how it serves in various domains. Using these techniques leads to what these psychologists call "durable encoding," or what I have been calling "deep learning."

DeWinstanley and Bjork say that effective lectures should provide students with the opportunity to express the ideas they are learning soon after exposure. The Think-Pair-Share technique, where pairs of students are asked to argue through a problem requiring the knowledge they just received, is one method of providing this sort of "generation practice" in even large classes. Practice retrieving newly encoded information also improves the probability of robust and long-lasting future retrieval. Concept tests, short pop quizzes and student polling provide opportunities for instructors to encourage retrieval practice among their students.

The authors also suggest that repeated exposure to key concepts spaced over time is far superior to one-shot, in-depth exposures that typically occur if the lecturer employs a topical approach. Subsequent representations of concepts should employ alternate domains and settings to induce encoding variability and develop a student's capacity to apply knowledge from one domain to another.

Finally, deWinstanley and Bjork suggest that providing students with a concept map or key word outline for each lecture session will help students to relate incoming information to existing ideas and encourage them to organize their notes in a way that aids retrieval.

* New Directions in Teaching and Learning, no. 89, Spring 2002, Wiley Periodicals

SINGING AND DANCING AT THE ROZSA

submitted by University Cultural Enrichment

"Singin' in the Rain," the fast-paced classic musical comedy, comes to the Rozsa Center on Saturday, Sept. 27, for performances at 3 and 7:30 p.m. This new national touring production comes complete with great choreography, a sparkling script, clever humor and music that'll send you home singing and dancing. It is also touring with the Broadway sets, costumes and props. And thanks to the ingenuity of the folks in Manhattan, the wonderful title sequence "Singin' in the Rain" will be seen on the Rozsa stage complete with the same rain machine used in Twyla Tharp's very successful revival production on Broadway! Tharp recreated practically all of Gene Kelly's original choreography, believing that they "got it right the first time and got it right big time." Tickets are on sale at the Rozsa Center Box Office (487-3200, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) or online at http://tickets.mtu.edu .

"Singin' in the Rain" is set in the late 1920s, when the new-fangled talking pictures were winning out over the old silent films, and in spite of the period flavor, this entertaining musical remains fresh and funny. The talkies turn out to be unexpectedly popular, forcing studios and stars to reinvent themselves. The plot revolves around movie heartthrob Don Lockwood, who is scheduled to star in "The Dueling Cavalier" along with Lina Lamont. Lina was a glamorous superstar in silent movies, but her horrible speaking voice presents a terrible problem for Monumental Studios as they start shooting "The Dueling Cavalier," their first "talking picture." The audience is reduced to howling and helpless laughter at the disastrous preview.

During the hectic extravaganza that accompanies the launching of the movie, Don, much to Lina's fury, falls in love with Kathy, a pretty chorus member with aspirations for a career in straight theater. Don discovers by accident that Kathy has a great singing voice, which gives him the idea that will save them all--turn the movie into a musical and have Kathy's voice secretly dubbed over Lina's lines and songs. This is a wonderful solution, but it also presents some challenges, which make for hilarious situations. Of course everything works out well in the end, and it's a lot of fun getting there.

"Singin' in the Rain" is made possible with funding from the James and Margaret Black Endowment and the MTU Student Entertainment Board, which is funded by the MTU Student Activity Fee.

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ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE OF "COFFEE HOUSE REVISITED" FRIDAY, SEPT. 26

An additional performance of "Coffee House Revisited," featuring poetry by Randall Freisinger, has been scheduled for Friday, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the fine arts department's Studio Theatre (210 Walker). This is an informal reading, titled "From Painting to Poem: Responding to Norman Rockwell's America." Light refreshments will be served. Tickets are available from the Rozsa Center Box Office and at the door for $3.

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CLUB INDIGO FEATURES "THE CROWD" FRIDAY, SEPT. 26

by Joe Kirkish

Mu Beta Psi's Club Indigo, in a retro mood, features one of the greatest silent films ever made on Friday, Sept. 26, at 7:15 p.m at the Calumet Theatre.

"The Crowd" was directed by the talented silent film director King Vidor, and it features a fascinating backward look into the lives of people--some poor, some wealthy--at the start of the Great Depression. It focuses on one couple; he is a hard working man, one of "the crowd" of workers in a huge business complex. She, awaiting the birth of their son, struggles to make their family life better than just bearable. The couple is seen in contrast to the wealthy class living in a world apart.

Called Vidor's masterpiece, the film follows the couple through a brief span of their lives--at work, at the beach, the theater, together at home and among friends--but they are usually lost in a crowd of others like them. It offers an interesting view of life in 1929. Though a bitter depiction at times, it also reveals the courage of the little people as they courageously rise to the surface and face life together with optimism.

The film was years ahead of its time in filmic effects and was Vidor's most successful movie at the box office, grossing twice its production costs. It is still as beautiful and powerful today as it was in the late '20s. It will be made still more entertaining with Finlandia University's Melvin Kangas creating and playing an original music score to accompany the film.

Chef Eric Karvonen of the Fitzgerald Restaurant, Eagle River, will create a "secret" gourmet buffet preceding the film, at 6 p.m., to match the film. The Laurium Manor Inn, Laurium, is the sponsor. The cost for both buffet and film is $13, the movie alone, $3.50. For the buffet, reservations should be made at the Calumet Theatre: 337-2610.

SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR 2003 DISTINGUISHED ECOLOGIST LECTURE SERIES

The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science and the U.S. Forest Service North Central Research Station have announced the speakers for the 2003 Distinguished Ecologist Lecture Series.

All of the following lectures will begin at 4 p.m. in Hesterberg Hall Room G002 in the Noblet Building:

October 2

Rob Jackson, Duke University

Global Consequences of Vegetation Change: Linking Ecosystem Changes Above and Belowground

October 9

Peter B. Reich, University of Minnesota

Causes and Consequences of Plant Functional Diversity: From Functional Convergence to Ecosystem Engineering

October 27

Bob Naiman, University of Washington-Seattle

The Ecology of Interfaces: New Perspectives from Pacific Coastal Riparian Systems

This lecture series was made possible by funds from the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, the Graduate School at MTU and the North Central Research Station of the USDA Forest Service. For more information about the series or the NCRS, please contact Christian Giardina at cgiardina@fs.fed.us or 482-6303, ext. 20. You can also visit http://forestry.mtu.edu/info/ecologyseries/index.htm . For information on the graduate course related to the series, please contact David Flaspohler at djflaspo@mtu.edu or 487-3608.

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PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM THURSDAY, SEPT. 25

Assistant Professor Xin-Lin Gao (MEEM) will present a physics colloquium, "Micromechanical Modeling of Graphitic Carbon Foams," Thursday, Sept. 25, 4-5 p.m, Fisher 139.

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MEEM GRADUATE SEMINAR THURSDAY, SEPT. 25

Roger M. Myers, director of systems and technology development at Aerojet's Redmond Operations, will present a MEEM graduate seminar, "Electric Propulsion for Spacecraft: An Industry Perspective," on Thursday, Sept. 25, from 3 to 4 p.m. in MEEM 112.

MTU NOTABLES

The late professor Thomas Courtney (MSE) is the recipient of the 2003 Albert Easton White Distinguished Teacher Award presented by ASM International--The Materials Information Society. He was cited for "a sustained, productive academic career in teaching, research and administration, throughout which he inspired students to achieve the highest levels of academic and, subsequently, professional career accomplishments."

The award will be presented at the ASM Annual Awards Dinner Oct. 14 in Pittsburgh. Accepting the award on behalf of his father will be Edward Courtney.

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NEW STAFF

Heather Knewtson has joined the College of Engineering as an administrative associate. She was previously employed as an actuarial analyst at Wyatt and Company for four years and prior to that, worked three years at Wayne State University and for four years on active duty in the Army in military ingelligence. Knewtson received her BA in Actuarial Science with honors in 1999. Knewtson lives in Houghton with her husband, Stephen, and her son, Brian. She enjoys reading, quilting and hiking.

Karen Schlaff has joined the staff of Residential Services/DHH as a food service helper. She was previously a stay-at-home, full-time mom. She lives in Atlantic Mine with her husband, Gary, and her children Joe and Jessica.

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NEW FUNDING

Timothy Schulz, chair of electrical and computer engineering, has received a $50,000 grant from the United States Department of Defense, Air Force, for his project, "An Investigation of Multi-Channel LADAR Processing."

Associate Professor Jacqueline Huntoon (GMES) has received a $133,504 grant for her project, "Intergovernmental Personnel Act Assignment for Dr. Jacqueline E. Huntoon."

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IN PRINT

Associate Professor Ulrich H. E. Hansmann (Physics) reviewed the book "Protein Physics--A Course in Lectures" by A. V. Finkelstein and O. B. Ptsitsyn in the "Bulletin of Mathematical Biology," Vol. 65:961-962.

Elwin "Mick" McKellar (Distributed Computing Services/IT) published an article, "The TEACH Act and the IT Organization," in the Fall 2003 ACUTA Journal of Communications Technology in Higher Education, Vol. 7, Number 3.

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ON THE ROAD

Associate Professor John Gierke (GMES) gave the summary presentation, "Contaminated Sites: Site Investigations, Assessment and Remediation," on the status of research, practice, and education and emerging issues and technologies at the first NSF Workshop on Emerging Geoenvironmental Technologies, Sept. 18-19, University of Illinois-Chicago. The presentation was coauthored by PhD student Debbie Beach (GMES).

Associate Professor Ulrich H. E. Hansmann (Physics) presented an invited talk, "Computer Simulations of Protein Folding," at the international workshop "New Optimization Algorithms in Physics," Dagstuhl Castle, Germany, Sept. 15-19.

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Calendar: September

25--Thursday

  12-1 p.m.--Seminar, "Honoring the Trust: Quality and Cost Containment in Higher Education"

  7 p.m.--Tales of Keweenaw Shipwrecks--Eagle Harbor Community Center

26--Friday

  12:30-5 p.m.--Fine Arts Costume Shop Cleanout Sale--2nd Floor Walker

27--Saturday

  1 p.m.--Football, Findlay at MTU--Sherman Field

  3 & 7:30 p.m.--"Singin' in the Rain"--Rozsa Center

30--Tuesday

  7 p.m.--Women's Volleyball, Minnesota Duluth at MTU--SDC Gym

29--Monday

  4-5 p.m.--Seminar, "Ground and Surface Water Contributions to Chemical Mass Discharge: Considering the Problem from Field and Basin Scales"--Dow 641

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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, Sept. 26, 2003, at 1 p.m. through noon, Friday, Oct. 3, 2003, in the Human Resources Office or at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings/

Printer I--University Relations

Food Service Helper--Memorial Union (Regular, part-time, 30 hours per week; AFSCME internal posting only)

Secretary 5--Office of Student Affairs (Regular, full-time, 10 month position; UAW internal and external posting)

University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, Oct. 3, 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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