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

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BOARD GRAPPLES WITH REVENUE SHORTFALL

The recent discovery that Michigan Tech's tuition revenues are $9 million under budget changes the timing, not the fact, of the current financial predicament, Board of Control Chair David Brule said Dec. 12.

"The revelation that tuition revenues were miscalculated, no matter how disconcerting, has only changed the timeline to take action," he told the crowd filling the Memorial Union Ballroom. If revenues had been correctly predicted in the spring, when the budget was being drafted, the university would have had to address the issue then, he said.

Nevertheless, problems exist. "Is there a fundamental problem with the way the university does budgets? Yes," Brule said. Deans and directors need to evaluate which services add value to the university and budget accordingly. In addition, the university should change to zero-based budgeting, in which each unit develops its budget from scratch every year.

"Even though we are troubled by the miscalculation, we are confident that President Tompkins and his staff will act on the matter and bring it to a swift, satisfying conclusion," he said.

Brule noted that the financial woes were confined mainly to the general fund, which makes up about $100 million of the entire $170 million university budget, known as the current fund. Despite the $9 million revenue shortfall, the overall university is actually looking at a deficit ranging from $1.2 million to $2.2 million.

The current situation did not happen overnight, Brule said. "I believe that Michigan Tech has been chronically underfunded," he said. Even during the 1990s, the annual increase to public universities was less than 4 percent, and now that the state has troubles of its own, the universities' situation has become more dire.

"Michigan Tech isn't the only university going through this," he noted. Many colleges and universities nationwide are facing cutbacks.

University Senate president Robert Keen reported that the senate had voted to hold a no-confidence referendum on Tompkins and called for an outside review of the university's budget process. Board member Rodger Kershner said he felt data he'd received on the budget is "incorrect, incomplete or intentionally misleading" and said he supported an independent review of the process.

"Who would do the review?" asked Board Member Ruth Reck. "Where would the money come from?"

Keen said the review would pay for itself in improvements to the budget process. "The process dug us into a hole," he said. Having the process evaluated would be a good return on the investment.

"I guess I'm a bit puzzled," Reck said. "Since almost every university in the country is having this problem, do you think every university in the country should go through this process? I think it's coming down hard on President Tompkins."

Board Member Mike Henricksen said he felt the financial models were inadequate with reference to implementing the Strategic Plan. However, he said, "the thing that's changed is revenue flow, and to improve that will take time."

Internal Audit is investigating how the tuition revenues were miscalculated and will present recommendations for remedying the situation. Chief Financial Officer Dan Greenlee noted that the university has undergone four audits by outside agencies and firms, and none had uncovered any significant deviations from standard accounting practices.

"What is the senate expecting from a vote of no confidence?" Reck asked.

The Board of Control would be informed about employees' feelings on the issue, Keen said. "It's publicity," he said. "It has no legal force."

"If the vote of no confidence carried clout, would it be so freely wielded?" Brule asked. "If this were a true sword, would it be so freely swung? I question whether there's wisdom in moving forward on this. I would caution that we look at the ultimate ramifications, the unintended consequences."

Keen said employees were paying for the revenue shortfall out of their pockets, and that the vote was one way of asking the board to rethink its positive evaluation of Tompkins. "The senate doesn't undertake this lightly," he said.

The board informally agreed to a meeting between its finance committee and members of the University Senate to discuss budget issues.

Matt Sayler, president of the Undergraduate Student Government, said the USG had passed a resolution encouraging the Board of Control to review the budget process. Regarding the tuition revenue miscalculation, he said, "I see mistakes as part of being human."

Michelle Trim, president of the Graduate Student Council, said the GSC had been approached by a faculty member regarding the no-confidence referendum. "I asked the same questions Ruth Reck did," Trim said, adding that she was then told by the faculty member that the referendum didn't affect graduate students anyway.

To address budget concerns, the board also put a spending freeze on carryforwards. University departments and offices have a total of $6.2 million from previous years' allocations in their accounts. The freeze does not affect lab accounts or carryforwards supported by nonuniversity funds, such as research contracts.

Board members Kathryn Clark and Reck voted against the measure. "I don't want people wasting money" at the end of the fiscal year to avoid losing it, Clark said.

The board will meet in January and may revisit the issue then.

In other business the board

* voted to bestow its Distinguished Service Award on radio station owner and newscaster Dick Storm, citing his "countless hours of personal time and airtime supporting community service activities and promoting Michigan Technological University."

* heard from undergraduate Dennis Taylor that a Diversity Action Task Force had been formed. Most problems involving diversity stem from a lack of knowledge, he said. He said the university should offer benefits for domestic partners and asked for the board's support in fostering an environment that is conducive to diversity.

* heard a report from Les Cook, vice provost and dean of student affairs. He noted that Family Weekend is enjoying growing success, with participation rising from 660 students and guests in 2001 to 1,400 students and guests in 2003.

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BOARD OF CONTROL APPROVES SPENDING CUTS

Michigan Tech's Board of Control agreed to a series of spending cuts Dec. 12 to shave approximately $2.5 million from the university's budget.

The cuts, proposed by university president Curt Tompkins, were developed to address an unanticipated $9 million revenue shortfall. The state is expected to cut MTU's appropriation by 5 percent, or $2.5 million. In addition, a miscalculation of tuition revenue has reduced budget estimates by another $7 million, from $61.3 million to $54.3 million.

A total of $1.1 million will come from a pay reduction for faculty and staff equivalent to five days of work. In return, staff will receive an equivalent number of days off and faculty will be allowed a reduction in non-teaching effort.

The reduction in pay will be spread out over pay periods through the rest of the fiscal year to mitigate the impact on employees' paychecks.

Another $400,000 will be saved this year by adjustments to employee insurance and health benefits. The university is expected to save $900,000 annually from the changes, starting next fiscal year.

On the plus side, the university is receiving an unanticipated $250,000 payback from its risk management and insurance pool. In addition, its payment to the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System will be approximately $320,000 less than originally projected.

Lastly, the university has not spent $359,000 it received as a supplemental appropriation from the state.

The board approved a BS degree in Psychology, which will be instituted in fall 2004 if it is approved by the state academic affairs officers. The new degree is expected to increase enrollment among women and improve retention among students interested in degrees outside of engineering and technology.

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HAROLD MEESE, LONG-TIME DEAN, DIES AT 83

He came to Michigan Tech to teach metallurgy. He left his mark as one of the most popular and effective deans of students in the university's history. He retired with the Pep Band still shouting, "Hi Dad!" across the ice arena at every hockey game.

Harold Meese has passed away at the age of 83.

Meese arrived at the Michigan College of Mining and Technology in 1950 as an assistant professor of metallurgical engineering. He was later promoted to associate professor, then became dean of students in 1959.

For the next 25 years, he was responsible for all student affairs, including counseling, discipline, orientation, financial aid, the student health service, placement, enforcing academic standards, and student activities.

He touched the lives of thousands of students, through his service with various student organizations and through his attempts to help keep them in school.

"Harold was a man of integrity," said Tim Malette, director of financial aid. Malette said that Meese hired him in 1981 and part of the interview was going to a basketball game.

"Everyone knew Harold, so I met a lot of people that night," Malette said. "You could just tell that everyone respected him. I decided that if this man reflected the institution, it would be a good place to work."

Meese was an advisor to student government, student publications, Blue Key National Honor Fraternity, the Memorial Union Board, and Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He was also an active supporter of Michigan Tech athletics and was elected to the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

He retired in 1984, but remained as academic advisor for the athletic department for 10 years. He also served as interim dean in 1988 while a search took place for a fulltime dean.

His list of community involvements was also long and included service on Suomi College's (now Finlandia University) board of directors, an advisory board to the hospital, the Houghton PTA, the Salvation Army, the American Legion, and both Good Shepherd and Gloria Dei Lutheran Churches.

He also served on the advisory board for the Wesley House. Michigan Tech would eventually purchase that building to use as a home for the career center, corporate services and the alumni association. In 1997, the renovated building was named the Harold Meese Center.

The university also honored him with its Distinguished Service Award, the Claire M. Donovan Award and the alumni association's Outstanding Service Award.

He also served with the US Naval Reserve for 36 years and was an active member of Rotary for most of his life, beginning in 1956.

Meese and his wife, Adele, continued to live in Houghton after his retirement and continued their active support of Michigan Tech athletics.

During a break in the action at each hockey game, the Pep Band would yell, "Hi Dad!" to him, "Hi Mom" to Adele, and "Hi Jerry," to the Meeses' longtime friend Jerry MacInnes. The tradition started when son Paul was in the Pep Band and convinced the band (although it doubtless took little convincing) to yell to his parents. The practice continued long after Paul and his associates had graduated.

Meese is survived by Adele and their three sons: Richard, Dale and Paul.

A visitation with the family will take place December 17, from 6:30 to 9 pm and December 18 from 10 to 11 am at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hancock. A memorial service will be held at 11 am on December 18 at Gloria Dei. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. December 19 at Park Cemetery in Marquette.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests gifts to the Harold Meese Scholarship at the Michigan Tech Fund, to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, or to the Alzheimer's Association.

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CORRECTIONS TO DENTAL BENEFITS ON TECHSELECT CONFIRMATION FORM

You should have received a gold-colored TechSelect confirmation form in campus mail, along with an outline of the benefit changes for 2004.

Please be aware that the confirmation forms continue to state "50% Dental-No Vision" for the Standard and Deductible Plans, and "Enhanced Dental and Vision" for the Premium Plan, when there will no longer be a dental benefit on the Standard and Deductible Plans, and the Premium Plan dental benefit will be reduced to 50 percent.

The Benefits Office apologizes for this error.

If you have any questions regarding TechSelect, please feel free to call the Benefits Office at 487-2517. You may find it easier to contact the following Benefits staff members by email: Ingrid Cheney, assistant director for benefits, iecheney@mtu.edu; Maryann Wilcox, senior staff assistant, mawilcox@mtu.edu; Nancy Bykkonen, secretary, nabykkon@mtu.edu

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DONAHUE DISCOVERS CLUES TO BEAR BONE STRENGTH

Inactivity is a prime cause of osteoporosis in most animals, including humans. A notable exception is the black bear, even though Ursus americanus spends months every year curled up in a den, hibernating the winter away.

Seth Donahue, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has been studying bears to discover why their skeletons retain their strength in conditions that would reduce human bones to the consistency of soda crackers.

Using blood samples taken from five captive bears at Virginia Tech by Michael Vaughan, a professor of wildlife science, Donahue and his research colleagues monitored metabolic markers of bone metabolism throughout the bears' annual cycle. They discovered that, while bone breakdown increases during hibernation, bone production remains constant and may even peak as the bear emerges from hibernation.

Bears don't eat during their long winter's nap, so where does the calcium come from to rebuild their bones?

It turns out that bears are recycling. They don't urinate or defecate when they hibernate, so instead of excreting calcium from their bones, they are essentially putting it back where they found it.

"They don't have a way of getting rid of excess calcium, so the logical place to put it is back into bone," he says.

Age, another risk factor for osteoporosis, doesn't appear to affect bear bones either. Donahue and his colleagues have been testing bear bones' strength, porosity and mineral content, using bones donated by area hunters. They discovered that strength and mineral content increased significantly as the bears get older, while porosity remains constant.

Donahue's work illustrating how black bears' bone breakdown and production balance was published recently in the Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol. 206.

Donahue's team now plans to investigate the structural differences between human and bear versions of two hormones involved in regulating bone metabolism, calcitonin and parathyroid hormone.

The hope is that insights from the bears' hormonal strategy could lead to new therapies for human bone loss. "One component of age-related osteoporosis is inactivity," Donahue says. "Also, there's a decrease in bone formation in the older human population."

According to the Osteoporosis Foundation, the condition is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually. One in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related bone fracture.

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MICHIGAN TECH RECIEVES KING-CHAVEZ-PARKS INITIATIVE GRANTS TO HELP ENROLLMENT, RETENTION PROGRAMS

by Jana Jones, student writer

Michigan Tech has received a $139,698 grant from the King-Chavez-Parks Initiative to continue developing Michigan Tech's Excelling in Science and Engineering Learning program, which works to keep students enrolled at the university. There are two parts to the ExSEL program--a formal and informal component.

The formal part of ExSEL is for incoming College of Engineering students who have an ACT mathematics score of 22 or under, or who identify themselves as needing additional assistance in math. Students participate in classes designed to help them succeed in college-level education before they begin the calculus sequence at Michigan Tech.

The informal ExSEL program provides many of the benefits of the formal program, but does not require enrollment in the classes. The informal program targets minority students who enter the university academically or economically disadvantaged or who are having difficulties progressing academically. This part of the program provides peer mentoring and outreach programs to help students adjust to Michigan Tech.

"This is meant to be a retention program," said Chris Anderson, executive director of educational opportunity. Historically and nationally, students of color on an all-white campus are faced with different challenges.

There are several online resources for students, including the ExSEL homepage ( http://www.edopp.mtu.edu/exsel/ ) and the Making our Mark at MTU page ( http://www.hu.mtu.edu/makingourmark/mark1.html ). The Making our Mark page was designed by students to share stories of minority students at Michigan Tech.

Anderson hopes to see the Making our Mark page become more visible to students. "I think it would help other minority students if they could look at the Web site and say, 'Hey, there was another student like me at Michigan Tech. These are some of the challenges they faced, and they overcame them to become a successful student.'"

Michigan Tech also received another grant for $134,466 for the MTU MICUP (Michigan College/University Partnership Program) Unlock your Future Program. Through this program Michigan Tech has collaborated with several community colleges to encourage academically and economically disadvantaged students to go on to complete four-year degrees.

The program will focus on recruiting students from two-year programs. Students will be offered academic tutoring, advising and the chance to live on the Michigan Tech campus and work on a project with an MTU professor over the summer.

"The grant allows for some money to bring a limited number of students here in the summer," Anderson said. "That gets them connected to Michigan Tech."

Michigan Tech's partner schools for the MICUP program are Delta College, Grand Rapids Community College and Northwestern Michigan College. When schools partner with Michigan Tech, the advisors and staff become familiar with MTU programs and the Michigan Tech community learns more about the partner colleges.

Anderson also hopes to seek corporate sponsors for summer students in the future. GM has sponsored several students in the past through this program. "Corporations are interested in the products [of this program]--the students."

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MEMORIAL UNION SEMESTER BREAK HOURS

The Memorial Union will have reduced operating hours from Dec. 19 to Jan. 12. Operations will be closed except for the times listed below:

BUILDING HOURS

  Dec. 19, Close at 9:30 p.m.

  Jan. 5-9, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

  Jan. 10, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

  Jan. 11, 11 a.m. -10 p.m.

MANAGER'S OFFICE AND TECH EXPRESS SERVICE CENTER

  Dec. 19, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

  Jan. 5-9, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

FOOD MALL AND CONVENIENCE STORE

  Dec. 19, 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

  Jan. 5-9, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

CAMPUS STORE

  Dec. 19, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

  Jan. 5-9, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

  Jan. 10-11, noon-5 p.m.

BOWLING ALLEY AND GAME ROOM

  Dec. 15-Jan. 11, Closed

Regular hours will resume Monday, Jan. 12, at 7 a.m.

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NO TECH TOPICS NEXT TWO WEEKS

Due to the holiday recess, Tech Topics will not be published the weeks of Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.

Publication will resume the week of Jan. 9.

MTU NOTABLES

The journal Carbon, has chosen a photograph by Seaman Mineral Museum Curator and Professor George Robinson (GMES) and Associate Professor John Jaszczak (Physics) to be on the cover of all of its issues published during 2004. The photograph of naturally occurring graphite cones was the subject of an article published by Jaszczak and Robinson, along with colleagues at Drexel University, in Carbon earlier this year (vol. 42:2085). To see the cover, visit http://www.elsevier.com/locate/carbon

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IN PRINT

Professor Emeritus Vernon P. Dorweiler (SBE) and coathor Mehenna Yakhou of Georgia College & State University have published a paper, "Dual Reforms: Accounting and Corporate Governance," in the January 2004 issue of the Managerial Auditing Journal.

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ON THE ROAD

Associate Professor Carol MacLennan (Social Sciences) presented an invited paper, "Environmental Conflict, Class, and the Myth of the Stakeholder," at the American Anthropological Association annual meeting in Chicago on Nov. 22.

Assistant Professor Debra Wright (Biomedical Engineering) presented a poster, "A Motivational Exercise Device for the Upper Extremities," with her coauthors Rachel Miller and Riddhi Vyas at the International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence held at Washington, DC, Dec. 4-6. Her other coauthors were Valerie Jukuri and Kathy Penegor. Miller, Vyas and Jukuri completed the project through senior design as undergraduates in the biomedical engineering department. Penegor is a physical therapist at the Copper Country Intermediate School District.

Bruce Rafert, professor of physics and dean of the Graduate School, served as the first respondent at the opening plenary session of the Council of Graduate Schools annual meeting, held in early December in San Francisco. The session was titled "Exploring the IT Transformation and its Role in Graduate Education."

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CALENDAR: December

19--Friday

  7:15 p.m.--Club Indigo, "Breakfast at Tiffany's"--Calumet Theatre

21--Sunday

  3 p.m.--Women's Basketball, Quincy at MTU--SDC Gym

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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/ . Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer.

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