Michigan Tech: Tech Topics Online

The university administration plans to ask the Board of Control to restore the salaries and wages of those affected by the recent pay cuts, CFO Dan Greenlee told the University Senate Feb. 25.

"Because faculty and staff compensation is our highest priority, based upon the improved projected condition of the general fund, the Executive Council will recommend to the Board of Control the restoration of the furlough compensation reduction," he said.

The recommendation was made after a periodic review of general fund revenues and expenditures. Based on the latest figures, the administration has determined that the general fund can be increased by approximately $4 million through transfers between other funds without compromising the university's overall financial condition. That leaves the general fund with a projected year-end deficit of $1.8 million for this fiscal year, rather than the $6.3 million anticipated in November. If salaries are restored, the deficit would increase to about $2.9 million.

An ad hoc committee formed to look into the budget has also determined that the general fund deficit would be $1.8 million, Greenlee said. Senate President Robert Keen serves on that committee, which is chaired by Board of Control Member Rodger Kershner.

"We were estimating much harsher times" when the furlough program was enacted, Greenlee said.

Under the program, administrators, faculty and nonunion staff have had their annual pay reduced by the equivalent of five working days. The pay reduction was expected to save the university about $1 million and affects 732 employees.

Greenlee cautioned that next year, the university could still face some tough choices. "If I were doing back-of-the-envelope calculations for next year, I'd say we were looking at a $4.5 million to $5.5 million deficit," he said.

Senator Jim Pickens (SFRES) said the cuts had disproportionately hurt faculty, since most work nine months a year and therefore one week's pay is the equivalent of 1/38th of their annual salary. Those working year round saw their salary reduced by only 1/52nd, he said. "There's no better way to stimulate a faculty union," he said. Senator Ted Soldan (Fine Arts) noted that many staff work nine and 10 months a year also.

In other business, the senate

* returned Proposal 6-04, Wireless LAN Strategy and Policies, to committee to be split into three different proposals as suggested by Pickens. The new proposals are expected to address wireless spectrum usage policy, a campus-wide wireless network, and the use of local area networks.

* approved Proposal 19-04, Suspension of the AAS Degree in Chemical Engineering Technology; Proposal 20-04, which allows graduate certificates to be awarded; Proposal 21-04, Suspension of the BS Degree in Mining Engineering; Proposal 22-04, which amends the policy on minors; and Proposal 23-04, Graduate Certificate in Sustainability. For more information on the proposals, visit http://www.sas.it.mtu.edu/usenate/propose/2003-04.html

____________

2. INVESTMENTS BOOST TECH FUND

If you invest in the stock market, then these last few months have probably warmed the cockles of your portfolio.

The university's endowment is enjoying that same rosy glow. During the first six months of this fiscal year, the Michigan Tech Fund endowment portfolio has grown in value from $41.1 million to $48.8 million, an increase of 15.5 percent. The endowment also benefited from $1.2 million in new gifts.

The upturn in stocks during the second half of 2003 drove the trend, with the Fund's investments outperforming two standard indices.

In the year ending Dec. 31, the Tech Fund's endowment portfolio posted an overall return of 26.9 percent. The public equity portion of the portfolio alone saw a 38.6 percent gain, compared to the S&P 500 Index of large U.S. stocks, which returned 28.7 percent.

The endowment's combined fixed income portfolio returned 6.1 percent during 2003, while the Lehman Aggregate Bond Index, a measure of broad bond market activity, rose 4.17 percent.

No one is happier than Fred Hensley, senior vice president for advancement and marketing, who remembers years when the endowment's value actually declined. A bull market is better.

"The good news is, it appears we've turned the corner," he said. "This means more dollars for scholarships and departments."

The upswing in the economy also means that donors are becoming more willing to consider giving to the university, since their assets have increased as well, he added.

Hensley credits the Michigan Tech Fund Board's Investment and Finance Committee for the endowment's stellar performance. Their strategy has helped the Tech Fund in good times and bad. "We were fortunate that on the downside of the economy, our policy protected us against major fluctuations, while allowing us to take advantage of opportunities," he said. "We didn't experience losses to the degree that many other universities and foundations had to absorb."

The growth of the endowment, coupled with an aggressive reduction in MTF operating expenses, has allowed the Tech Fund to reduce its administrative fees from 3.9 percent to 2.9 percent, retroactive to July 1. "This reduction will further allow our endowment portfolio to continue to grow at a more rapid pace," said Gail Mroz, the Tech Fund's CFO and executive director of operations.

"Our operating expenses aren't out of line with other institutions our size, but our fees were," Hensley said. "If the current economic climate continues to encourage donors, increased fundraising will offset the reduced income from fees."

The percentage used to calculate payouts to departments from their Tech Fund accounts will decline also, from 5 percent to 3.5 percent, effective July 1, 2004, to help assure that the endowment's principal remains strong. Fund managers hope that increases in the value of the fund will help offset the percentage change. The MTF Board of Trustees approved this policy change at its fall 2003 meeting.

Even though the last few years have been rocky for investments, the Michigan Tech Fund has still been able to generate millions of dollars for university programs, thanks to the generosity of donors.

Here's a review of how the Michigan Tech Fund has benefited the university over the past four years. The figures are in millions of dollars.

3. BUILDING BETTER PLASTICS: GUPTA RECEIVES RECEIVES $100,000 NSF GRANT

Mahesh Gupta's fledgling enterprise has just received a $100,000 vote of confidence in the form of a Small Business Innovative Research Grant.

A number of federal agencies award SBIR grants, but this is the first from the National Science Foundation to be given to an Upper Peninsula business.

Gupta, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, started Plastic Flow, LLC, in 2002 to provide consulting services to plastics manufacturers. The firm, located in the Michigan Tech SmartZone, markets Gupta's PELDOM software, which helps take the guesswork out of making extruded plastic products.

Goods ranging from PVC pipe to garbage bags are extruded. The raw material is forced through a die to form sheets, tubes, etc.

While technical, the process is far from exact. "As new polymers are developed, manufacturers have developed new dies by trial and error, using experience and intuition," Gupta said. "A lot of time can be wasted, and you can lose your edge on the competition."

PELDOM is changing that. With the software, manufacturers can simulate how a given polymer will flow through a die, streamlining the R&D process. That's fine for products made with one type of polymer, but Gupta wants to take PELDOM to another level, with the help of the SBIR grant.

"I'd like to be able to model the simultaneous extrusion of more than one kind of polymer," he says. "By layering many different polymers, you can have many different properties in one product." Typical of the thousands of multi-layered plastic products is Saran Wrap, which can stretch and stick because it is made of one polymer that sticks and another that (you guessed it) stretches.

Gupta has about one year to demonstrate the feasibility of his proposal. If it passes NSF muster, he'll qualify for the second phase of the SBIR competition, which provides awards for product commercialization.

4. DROP DEADLINE FOR FULL-TERM CLASSES IS MARCH 12

The drop deadline for full-term spring semester classes is 5 p.m. Friday, March 12. According to the university policy on late drops, "After the eighth week of the semester, a student may request a late drop from the Office of Student Affairs, which will consider those requests that involve circumstances beyond the student's control." Extenuating circumstances considered are prolonged illness, serious accidents and death in the immediate family or of a close friend, or similar situations beyond the student's control. All requests must be made in writing. Instructions for late drops are available in the First-Year Programs Office (West Wadsworth Hall G09) or the Office of Student Affairs (Administration Building 170).

The drop deadlines for track B classes (those classes that begin on March 12) are March 16 for a refund, March 23 for no grade and April 8 to receive a "W" grade. Again, only extenuating circumstances will be considered for granting a late drop.

All drops must be done in person in Student Records and Registration. Drops cannot be done via the web.

5. NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR EMPLOYEE EXCELLENCE AWARD SELECTION COMMITTEE

Nomination forms for selection committee members for the Employee Excellence Award are being mailed to full- and part-time staff on campus. Committee members serve for three years and are selected from the following categories: crafts/food service/technical/maintenance, office professional, and administrative/professional. The selection committee consists of 12 members of MTU staff--nine elected members and three recipients from last year. Nomination forms must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9, to be considered. Once the nomination forms are returned, potential nominees will be contacted to check on their interest in serving on the committee. Ballots for election to the selection committee will go out to staff in late March.

The Employee Excellence Award recognizes outstanding ability, performance and service among staff members of Michigan Tech. Recipients of the 2004 awards will be announced in late May.

If you have any questions, please contact the Employee Excellence Award Committee Staff Council liaisons, Becky Christianson at rwchrist@mtu.edu or 370-4976, or Bev Auel at blauel@mtu.edu or 487-3539.

6. THREE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS NOMINATED FOR NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP

Three undergraduate students have been selected by a university committee as nominees for the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for sophomores and juniors in science, math and engineering. The federal award provides up to $7,500 per year and is intended to encourage undergraduate students to deepen their knowledge of their fields. Each nominee has begun to develop a research agenda and works closely with faculty at Michigan Tech. Winners of the nationwide competition will be announced in April.

Junior Nicholas Ballor (Chemical Engineering) plans to do research in biotechnology. He is working with Associate Professor Donald Lueking (Biological Sciences) on his research topic, "Utilization of an Extremophile as a Means of Ferric Iron Production." He hopes to reduce the price of ferric irons by using bacteria in catalysis. Ferric irons are used in many settings such as water treatment and bioremediation.

Junior Meghan McGee (Biomedical Engineering) is working with Assistant Professor Seth Donahue (Biomedical Engineering) and Assistant Professor Tammy Haut Donahue (MEEM) on her research topic, "The Effects of Annual Hibernation on the Mechanics and Histology of Black Bear Bones." While at Michigan Tech, she has become fascinated with the dynamic structure of bone and the mechanisms by which it can adapt to physiological conditions. She hopes her work will contribute to cures for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Environmental engineering sophomore Jessica Strane's Goldwater research topic is "Pollutant Transport Research." She is involved in two projects. In SFRES, she works with graduate student Jennifer Eikenberry and Research Assistant Professor Andy Burton on the effects of chronic atmospheric nitrogen deposition on soils and waters. In the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, she works with PhD student Robert C. Owen and Professor Richard Honrath on the PICO International Chemical Observatory--North Atlantic Regional Experiment (PICO-NARE). The PICO-NARE project studies the transport of North American pollutants in large air masses over the Atlantic.

7. REGISTER EARLY FOR WINTER FAMILY FUN DAY

Winter Family Fun Day will be held Saturday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Various activities for MTU employees and their families will take place at the SDC and the Memorial Union. The event is sponsored by Staff Council, the SDC and the Memorial Union.

Activities will include bowling and billiards at the Memorial Union, and swimming, ice skating, racquetball, handball, wallyball, badminton, basketball, volleyball and rifle range (reservations must be made upon arrival) at the SDC. Limited equipment will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. Non-SDC members must bring their own towels and locks.

Food and beverages will be available in the SDC Wood Gym from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hot dogs, sloppy joes and chips will be available until 2 p.m. Soft drinks, coffee, popcorn and ice cream will be available until 3 p.m. Meal tickets can be picked up at the SDC ID desk upon arrival.

If you complete and return your pre-registration form by Monday, March 1, you will be entered into a special drawing for a personal family fun day package and other prizes including MTU men's and women's team-autographed basketballs and an MTU team-autographed hockey stick. Drawings for prizes will be held throughout the day.

8. MTU PRESCHOOL HOLDS CABIN FEVER CARNIVAL SATURDAY

Copper Country families can get out and beat the winter blues at MTU Preschool's Cabin Fever Carnival Saturday, Feb. 28, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Rozsa Center. Try coconut bowling or the tropical rainforest maze. Pick a prize from the pirate's treasure chest or enjoy the happy landing storytime. Adults can bid on 12 great theme baskets in a silent auction. For more information call 483-0104.

9. VAN PELT LIBRARY CLOSED THIS WEEKEND

Due to the CILIT construction and a planned power shut-off, the Van Pelt Library will close at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, and will reopen on Monday, March 1, at 8 a.m.

10. VAGINA MONOLOGUES PRODUCTION BENEFITS LOCAL WOMEN'S SHELTERS

The Technobabe Times raised $2,050 for the Barbara Kettle Gundlach and Baraga Women's Shelters through its benefit production of The Vagina Monologues on Feb. 13 and 14. This was a 61 percent increase from last year's ticket sales.

Performers included Jill Arola, Raka Bandyo, Anna Cynar, Mandie Rose Danielski, Michelle E. Jarvie, Ariana Jo Jeske, Katrina Keteri, Ashley Parks and Shalini Suryanarayana. The event producers were Kristin Arola, Cheryl Ball and Hannah Mongiat. The Technobabe Times faculty advisor is Assistant Professor Anne Wysocki (Humanities).

11. MEMORIAL UNION SPRING BREAK OPERATING HOURS

The Memorial Union will have reduced operating hours from Feb. 27 to March 7. Operations will be closed except for the times listed below:

BUILDING HOURS
Feb. 27, Close at 7 p.m.
March 1-5, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
March 6, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Family Fun Day)
March 7, Open at 11 a.m.

12. TEACHING AT TECH: DISTANCE LEARNING UPDATE

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

Professor Judith Johnson, in her 2003 volume "Distance Education: The Complete Guide to Design, Delivery, and Improvement," reports that the influence of distance education programs around the world is growing at a 33 percent annual rate.* Analysts she cites suggest that as of 2002, fully 15 percent of the global higher education market employed a distance learning instructional mode.

Business pundit Peter Drucker first raised the ire of many in higher education with his 1997 prediction that most brick-and-mortar campuses would disappear within 30 years, collapsing under the weight of their own inefficiency and inability to respond to market pressures and changing student needs. Johnson says that many faculty members associated with brick-and-mortar campuses remain highly resistant and profoundly confused by the challenges and opportunities presented by computer-mediated, asynchronous distance education providers. Some faculty members, she says, worry that for-profit distance ed operations will skim off enough students from brick and mortar colleges and universities to gradually starve those traditional programs out of existence. Many of these operations employ scads of part-time adjuncts who are working professionals fertilizing their base incomes.

Meanwhile, other educators confidently pronounce that distance education programs will never rise to the quality of face-to-face instruction where "discourse is spontaneous and interactive, and where faculty can see the students and pick up nonverbal body language such as facial expressions." Sounds good in theory, but there is little evidence to support the claim. In fact, hundreds of head-to-head studies suggest that there is no measurable difference between the amount of learning arising from most classroom-based and distance education courses.

The next level of defense goes something like, "Well, I don't care what the studies say, I'd much rather have my son/daughter go to (insert prestigious institution here) than sit in his/her room staring at some lifeless computer screen." Such defenses ignore the demographic, sociological and economic challenges actually faced by the vast majority of families around this world; families that will never be able to afford to send their offspring for four years at (insert prestigious institution here). India and China, and most other nations, have sidestepped this problem by only providing residential university education to a very, very small percentage of citizens who score highest on competitive exams. The hordes of college-aged folks that don't make the cut are routed into trade schools, teacher education programs or directly into the workforce. Perhaps a better question would be, "Wouldn't a distance education program designed, monitored and constantly improved by teams of the most gifted professors in the world provide a better learning experience than no higher education at all?"

Many proponents of distance delivery say that asynchronous, computer-mediated delivery allows students many more choices in course content, more flexibility in scheduling, elimination of travel time and travel costs, and sometimes, even substantially lower tuition than on campus courses. Sophisticated, carefully designed online courses may even be the first higher education programs to meaningfully address the notion of multiple intelligences. Progressive distance ed instructional designers are developing courses that allow students to make real choices in the way that they will approach a subject, based on their own learning preferences and strengths. Some distance ed programs even encourage students to learn at their own pace and form study and discussion groups with other students with similar life and learning situations; and some courses even require regular interactions with the well-trained adjunct learning consultants.

Perhaps one way to prove Drucker wrong would be for each of us to learn from these modern distance ed providers and use their strategies to beat them at their own game. What have we got to lose?

13. NEW MODERN BALLET AT MICHIGAN TECH

In Good Company Theatre Troupe and the Michigan Tech Student Dance Association will present "The Metamorphosis," a new modern ballet after Ovid, on Saturday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 7, at 3 and 7:30 p.m. in McArdle Theatre. Tickets are $5 at the door.

The ballet was composed by Milton Olsson, Neil Paynter, Elizabeth Meyer, Nathan Barber, Paul Seitz, Robin Oye and Melvin Kangas. It was choreographed by Jill Sajdyk and Donna Armistead. There are 7 dances in the ballet, all based on myths in Ovid's "The Metamorphosis," which was written during the time of Caesar Augustus.

14. FOURTH THURSDAY IN HISTORY: SCRAPBOOKS--THEIR HISTORY AND PRESERVATION

Abby Sue Fisher, chief of museum, archives & historical services at Keweenaw National Historical Park, will share information about the origin and function of scrapbooks and how they are valued by historical agencies.

"Scrapbooks: Their History and Preservation" will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26, at the Calumet Public Schools Library located at Calumet High School. The event is open to the public.

Scrapbooking has become a thriving industry in the past 20 years, but its origins date back to the 17th and 18th centuries when men and women pasted quotes and phrases into what were known as "common place books." Scrapbooks have evolved through the ages and were fervently produced by notable personalities such as Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain. This presentation will include tips for preserving older scrapbooks and making your own archival scrapbook.

This presentation is part of the Fourth Thursday in History program jointly sponsored by Keweenaw National Historical Park and the MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections. Additional support for this event is provided by Calumet Public School Library.

The Fourth Thursday in History series arranges public presentations on important aspects of Copper Country history, techniques for the preservation of historic documents, photographs and structures, and current research concerning regional history. Presentations are scheduled in venues throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula, particularly historic sites associated with specific topics. Additional sponsoring partners are sought for the series, especially local historical societies, genealogical societies, social organizations and school groups.

Presentations are free and open to the public. For further information, including specific directions to this event, contact Keweenaw National Historical Park at 337-3168 or the MTU Archives at 487-2505.

15. CLUB INDIGO PRESENTS "WEST SIDE STORY"

"West Side Story," a musical classic from 1961, will be featured at Mu Beta Psi's first Club Indigo of the year on Friday, March 5, at the Calumet Theatre.

Adapted from the award-winning Leonard Bernstein Broadway musical, the film garnered its own share of awards, breaking the tradition of standard musicals and changing them forever.

The Romeo and Juliet story about star-crossed lovers is set in uptown NYC, where the American kids, the Jets, spar for turf with incoming youths from Puerto Rico, the Sharks. Amazingly, believably, they sing, dance and act out their to-the-death rivalry, which culminates in tragedy when a member of one group falls in love with one in the other. Memorable tunes like "Maria," "Tonight" and "America" remain as classics. The wide-screen version of the musical is stunning.

To introduce the 12th season, Club Indigo's movie will be shown on a bright new screen, with full-sized, wide-screen projection--thanks to the purchase of DVD equipment as a gift from the Fitzgerald Restaurant in Eagle River and the Keweenaw Coop in Hancock.

Eric Karvonen of the Fitzgerald Restaurant will cater a special Latino buffet to complement the film. The buffet begins at 6 p.m., movie at 7:15 p.m. The cost for both is $15; movie alone, $3.50. Reservations should be made for limited seating at the buffet by calling the Calumet Theatre in advance at 337-2610.

Monthly Club Indigo events will include buffets and classic movies such as the Chinese masterpiece "Raise the Red Lantern," "Moonstruck," "To Kill a Mockingbird," Hitchcock's "North by Northwest," "Rosemary's Baby," the Irish fantasy "Into the West," the Russian/French comedy "Window to Paris," and Harold Lloyd's silent classic "Why Worry?"

16. TWO GREAT EVENTS SERIES LECTURES CANCELLED

Due to budgetary constraints, two lectures scheduled as part of the Great Events Series for the spring semester, one presented by Natalie Jeremijenko and the other on Doctors without Borders, have been cancelled.

17. MEEM GRADUATE SEMINAR THURSDAY

Hyungsuck Cho of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology and visiting professor at the University of Michigan will present a MEEM graduate seminar, "Opto-Mechatronic Technology: The Fusion of Optical and Mechatronic Engineerings," Thursday, Feb. 26, 3-4 p.m. in MEEM 112.

18. PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM THURSDAY

Assistant Professor Will Cantrell (Physics) will present a physics colloquium, "Classical Nucleation Theory: A Polemic," Thursday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. in Fisher 139.

MTU NOTABLES

The Michigan Tech chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma has been designated as a 2003 Exemplary Chapter. Beta Gamma Sigma is an honor society serving business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

IN PRINT

Assistant Professor Susan Amato-Henderson (Education) co-authored an article, "Effects of Outside Issues on the Comparison Question Test," in the Journal of General Psychology, Vol. 131. Her co-authors were Charles R. Honts and Anne Gordon of Boise State University.

BULLETIN BOARD

Bulletin Board is a new feature to help the faculty and staff at Michigan Tech connect with others who share similar interests. If you'd like to round up a foursome for bridge, find a fencing partner, start an organic gardening club, whatever, just e-mail ttopics@mtu.edu or send a note to Tech Topics via campus mail including what activity you're interested in, along with your phone number and/or e-mail address. We'll publish it in Bulletin Board, and you can start meeting people who enjoy the same things you do. Note: Just in case you were wondering, Bulletin Board is not a dating service. No personal ads, please.

CALENDAR: February

7 p.m.--Fourth Thursday in History, "Scrapbooks--Their History and Preservation,"--Calumet High School Library

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, Feb. 27, 2004, at 1 p.m. through noon, Friday, March 5, 2004, in the Human Resources Office or at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings/

Office Assistant 5--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Local Technical Assistance Program/Technology Development Group (UAW internal and external posting)

University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, March 5, 2004, 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.

1. ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS END TO PAY CUTS