1. Peck Cho Meets with Korean President

Peck Cho's longtime efforts to improve education in South Korea landed him a surprise invitation. During his last visit, he had a private luncheon meeting with Korean president Roh Moo-hyun.

"I told him there were a lot of things that needed to be changed, and that the government had to reform first," said Cho, a professor in the MEEM department.

Cho has become a celebrity of sorts in his native Korea, particularly within the academic community, for his energetic efforts to reform the country's rigid educational system. The book he coauthored with his wife, "Seven Reasons for Korean Revival: Educational Reform," garnered him appearances on Korean radio and television talk shows, and in 2002 he became the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Korean National Academy of Engineering.

"I built my reputation in Korea, where I'm known as a professor who teaches professors," Cho said. His weekly email newsletter goes to 7,000 faculty members, about one-third of the total in Korea. He has also paid countless visits to Korean universities, giving seminars on teaching techniques and principles.

Cho is a firm believer in the precept that good teaching isn't just a gift but is a skill that can be learned. A Distinguished Teaching Award winner, he has watched his teaching evaluation scores rise over the years, so that he now has a career average of 4.8 out of a possible 5.

"My scores have always been improving, so I have a personal conviction that there's a better way of teaching," he says. In addition to this belief that great teachers are made, not simply born, Cho also brings an unusual viewpoint, combining both his Korean and American experiences. "People recognize that I have a unique perspective, and because I'm an outsider, I tend to suggest creative solutions to problems.

"Word got around, and I got invited to a private luncheon with President Roh."

The soul of discretion (Cho is also MTU's ombudsperson), he glosses over most of the details of his meal with the Asian leader. But he did pass on a few comments, particularly on how reform must begin in the government before it can take hold in the schools.

"For example, the Ministry of Education has to change the way they do things," he said. "They want to improve self-governance of educational institutions, but then they dictate all the details of what to do. They interfere to the extent that there's no self governance; it's the same old autocratic style."

That's not to say that change isn't happening. "Right now, Korea is undergoing a tremendous amount of experimentation," Cho said. "From the outside, it looks chaotic, because everybody is doing something new every day, but fundamentally they are moving in the right direction at a very fast rate."

Roh found the subject so worthwhile that he kept up the discussion well past the hour and a half set aside for their meeting. Cho reluctantly had to cut their chat short in order to catch a plane.

He admits to being flattered. "It might not lead to anything, but you never know. What it means to me is that my efforts in Korea are recognized, and I feel good about that."

____________

2. DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE TO MTU FACULTY

Submitted by Sponsored Educational Programs

Through the dean of distance learning and the SEP office, Michigan Tech is providing registration scholarships for up to five faculty in a special graduate-level course taught by the University of Utah. The 3-credit course, called CREOLE (Creating Optimum Learning Environments), is offered totally online and runs from Aug. 25 to Dec. 9. It is comprised of four modules in which participants cover the following topics as they relate to creating an optimum learning environment: applying learning research, applying motivation research, developing interactive, blended courses and developing interactive Web-based courses. Each participant will develop a syllabus for the redesign of one of their current or potential courses using learning and motivation theory. The course requires approximately 10 hours per week.

In addition, each faculty member will also be provided with a guest registration for the 16th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning, scheduled for March 29 through April 2, 2005, in Jacksonville, Fla. (does not include travel expenses).

The goal of the scholarships is to develop a core of faculty members who can support new distance learning initiatives. In return for the scholarship, participants will serve as mentors to other MTU faculty interested in developing online courses. This may involve one-on-one interaction, a seminar or workshop, or serving on an advisory committee.

Five seats are being held for MTU participants. As opportunities become available, we hope to support additional faculty participation.

Request a registration form or address questions regarding this opportunity to Marti Banks-Sikarskie, director of sponsored educational programs, at 487-3170 or mabanks@mtu.edu. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, July 28.

____________

3. UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE BECOMES EVENT CENTER

Submitted by the Memorial Union

The Kettle Gundlach University Residence on Woodland Avenue is now open to university groups and the public as an event center. The Memorial Union staff will manage the facility, handle scheduling and provide catering and other services tailored to the customer's needs.

The venue offers a new and exciting dimension for retreats, conferences and meetings, as well as catering for special occasions. The dining room can accommodate up to 48 dinner guests in a bright, open setting with a great view of the Portage Waterway. The adjacent living room works well as a pre-function area to greet guests or to extend seating for larger dining functions. The lower level offers a less formal lounge atmosphere with walk-out access to the patio and yard. Picnics and other outdoor events are easily accommodated on the spacious lawn just west of the patio. If your function includes small breakout sessions, there are several rooms that can be set to meet those needs. Plans are also being developed to provide limited accommodations for overnight guests. Memorial Union staff will be on site for all functions to assist guests with any needs that arise.

Since this is an interim arrangement until a new university president is selected and the long-term use of the residence is determined, bookings are being made through May 2005. To find out more about rental fees and accommodations, or to reserve your special date, please call the Memorial Union at 487-2543.

____________

4. MICHIGAN TECH SUMMER SPORTS SCROLL

By Dave Fischer, director of athletic marketing and communications

A total of 29 girls' basketball teams from around the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin have been on the Michigan Tech campus for the Huskies' annual Girls' Basketball Team Camp. The event began July 18, with the Student Development Complex serving as the host venue . . .

Tech assistant ice hockey coach Pat Mikesch returned from St. Cloud, Minn., this weekend after helping lead Team Dakotas to a 3-0-3 mark and a tie for second-place overall of the 12 teams that competed in USA Hockey's Boys Select 17 Festival at the National Hockey Center. A total of 240 of the nation's top 17-year-old boys took part in the event. Team Michigan was the overall champion, while Team Massachusetts tied for second with Mikesch's Team Dakotas club . . .

Michigan Tech assistant ice hockey coach Ian Kallay returned to Houghton today after a festive couple of weeks. Kallay was married to Mindy Kjorlien in Drayton Valley, Alberta, on July 3. The couple celebrated with a honeymoon in Greece . . .

Planning for the biggest event in Michigan Tech football history--Bash at the Big House (http://www.BashattheBigHouse.com)--continues to roll on. The event, which is centered around the effort to break the NCAA Division II attendance record of 61,143 in a football game between Michigan Tech and Grand Valley State on Nov. 6 at Michigan Stadium, also includes the Michigan YES Expo and a Nov. 7 men's basketball game between MTU and Michigan at Crisler Arena.

Michigan Tech football players report to camp on Aug. 8, while the Huskies' volleyball team begins camp on August 9.

____________

5. STUDENT AWARDED GENERAL MOTORS SULLIVAN FELLOWSHIP

Christopher Kimojino, a junior in chemical engineering, has been awarded a $10,000 General Motors Sullivan Fellowship.

The GM Sullivan Fellowship Program is a partnership between General Motors and the United Negro College Fund in honor of the late Reverend Dr. Leon H. Sullivan. The purpose of this fellowship is to support universal human rights by promoting equal opportunity, fair competition, and sustainable development; respecting voluntary freedom of association; and protecting human health and the environment.

Kimojino will receive $5,000 of the fellowship as a scholarship, and $5,000 will support Enterprise curriculum development. As part of the award requirements, Kimojino, along with Mary Raber, industrial projects coordinator for the Enterprise program, attended an off-campus training program sponsored by GM to help them master the Sullivan principles. As part of the Enterprise program, engineering students partner with industrial sponsors to implement creative solutions to current industrial design challenges.

Kimojino, working with Raber, will incorporate the Sullivan principles into the Enterprise program's 1-credit elective engineering ethics module. He will also serve as a member of the consumer product manufacturing enterprise. Raber and Sheryl Sorby, associate dean of engineering and the chair of Engineering Fundamentals, will be primary mentors for Kimojino, and he will then mentor his peers.

Kimojino is currently working in the Warren Tech Center in Warren, completing a paid internship with GM. When he returns he will compile a report on the Sullivan principles and his experience as a Sullivan fellow and assist Raber in the development of the Enterprise engineering ethics course material. This fellowship was awarded through the efforts of Kimojino, Sorby, Raber and Chris Anderson, executive director of educational opportunity and special assistant to the provost for institutional diversity. For more information regarding the Sullivan Principles and this award, contact Sorby (sheryl@mtu.edu, 487-2005) or Anderson (csanders@mtu.edu, 487-3539) or see http://www.gm.com, http://www.globalsullivanprinciples.org and http://www.oicinternational.org.