1. TECH TO CONCENTRATE ON CORE VALUES

Now more than ever is the time for Michigan Tech to focus on its strengths, President Glenn Mroz told an audience of faculty, staff and students Tuesday at his second campus forum.

"Tough times are why you have a strategic plan," Mroz said, noting that in good times, organizations are more likely to deviate from their course and make decisions that they later regret.

"This is the time to stick to our strategic and tactical plans," he said. "To really be great, you have to prioritize and do what you do best."

As the university implements its strategic plan, it must not lose sight of its core beliefs, he said, calling three in particular his collective "north star":

* The success of our students will always be the most important measure of the success of the institution.

* Everyone's contribution--faculty, staff and students--to our success is needed, and will be valued and rewarded.

* Hallmarks of the university will be the creativity and leadership of our graduates, the relevance and benefits of our research, and the value we place on ethics, sustainability, diversity and quality of life.

Mroz noted that Michigan Tech has been following its mission, to prepare students to create the future, since its inception. "We are a technological university," he said. As such, MTU graduates develop science and technology, study how science and technology affect society, solve technological problems, and manage and communicate science and technology.

And the university has also been moving toward its vision of becoming a national university of choice. "Is this new?" Mroz asked. "No, it is not." Students have always come to MTU for its rigorous education and dedicated faculty, and by the standards of our strategic plan, "we are a national university of choice," he said.

Evidence of this is the appearance of several Michigan Tech programs in the U.S. News national rankings. Graduate and undergraduate programs in environmental engineering, materials engineering and mechanical engineering have received recognition, as well as the graduate program in civil engineering.

"There are several thousand universities in the U.S. that would like to change places with us," Mroz said.

Michigan Tech will make sure that doesn't happen, despite the fact that we've been dealt a challenging hand, he said. "In two years, we lost $8 million in state funding and built a budget with a $7-million mistake in it," Mroz noted. "But we're going to deal with it honestly, openly and move forward."

To that end, the administration has been working to put the right people in the right jobs, to develop a culture of discipline in decision making, and to identify and pursue what the university does best. He reviewed progress being made in the areas emphasized in the tactical plan.

In the area of education, the university has added a number of graduate and undergraduate programs ranging from psychology to software engineering in response to a growing demand among students. Including majors, certificate programs and minors, "there are 137 different things a diploma from MTU can say, and that doesn't include concentrations," Mroz said. "There are choices for students at Michigan Tech."

In addition, the administration is proposing that an Undergraduate Honors Institute be established to help attract the best students.

In the area of research, Mroz noted that the Plant Biotechnology Center is now the Biotechnology Center, to encompass all the life sciences at MTU. Both the Advanced Technology Development Center and the SmartZone are helping to bring intellectual properties and student Enterprises into the marketplace.

In the area of student recruitment, a team composed of faculty and staff from across the university has been developing tactics to involve all of MTU in the recruiting process. They are also focussing on attracting students from underrepresented groups, using financial aid as a tool to meet enrollment goals, increasing retention and developing a long-term enrollment management plan. In particular, a panel of staff and faculty is being formed to look at financial aid policies.

On the subject of marketing, the university has unveiled its new website and expects to launch it Sept. 3. The marketing team is also working to promote the university downstate and in targeted out-of-state markets. It also aims to improve communication with all MTU constituencies and to encourage all members of the university community to be involved in marketing Michigan Tech.

Mroz noted that the university has retained STAMATS Consultants to assist in recruitment and marketing efforts.

The university is working on a number of ways to improve operations. Electronic improvements on the near horizon include online bill-paying for students and an e-commerce plan in Accounting Services.

Plus, the administration has restructured Auxiliary Services and Information Technology, based on suggestions from the budget advisory committees.  And a blue-ribbon panel has been formed to review the role of IT with the goal of meeting the needs of faculty, staff and students, Mroz said. Distance Learning has been moved to the general fund, which places those programs under the purview of unit administrators. And he noted that the administration has eliminated car allowances as well as the housing allowance for the president.

On the subject of resources, the university has presented a balanced budget for this year, and is working toward a balanced budget in 2005-06, he said. Annual revenue from intellectual property has climbed to about $500,000 and is expected to go higher. And, at the recommendation of faculty and staff, the university will invest more of its Retirement and Insurance Fund in equities in the expectation of gaining larger returns.

"We have listened and we have acted," Mroz said. "We are bringing out budgeting, marketing and recruiting in line to reach our enrollment targets in a seamless plan.

"As we move forward, a key to change in our university is to understand what should never change. We should never change our core values and what we stand for. But we will change our processes and practices so that we can be a dynamic learning community for motivated and adventurous students who will create the future."

After his address, Mroz invited questions from the audience. Associate Professor Debra Bruch (Fine Arts) asked how many more people's jobs would be eliminated. Mroz said he could not predict how many positions would be affected by future administrative changes. However, many faculty, staff and administrators have been putting a great deal of effort into student recruiting over the summer, and that that increases in revenue generated by higher enrollment could mitigate the need for restructuring. The university is working to eliminate a $5-6 million structural deficit expected next fiscal year.

When asked to address this year's state appropriation, Vice President for Governmental Relations Dale Tahtinen said that at the moment, he expected Governor Jennifer Granholm's promise to be supported by the legislature, though the final higher education appropriations bill has not been approved. Granholm had agreed not to cut the appropriation for public universities that held their tuition hikes to the rate of inflation. In addition, she promised to restore 3 percent, or $1.5 million, of the 5 percent cut last year from MTU's appropriation.

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2. MICHIGAN TECH RANKED THIRD IN STATE

Michigan Tech continues to be the third-ranked university in the state, according to US News and World Report. The magazine released its annual rankings on August 20.

US News places Michigan Tech in its National Universities category. According to the magazine, this category includes "the 248 American universities that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors, as well as master's and doctoral degrees." Michigan Tech continues to rank in the top half of this prestigious group.

In addition, three of the university's undergraduate engineering programs ranked among the top 25 in the country. Environmental engineering ranked 16th, materials science and engineering was 18th, and mechanical engineering was 25th.

Institutions are scored on a variety of factors, including reputation, graduation rate, retention, student ACT and SAT test scores, class size, alumni giving and more.

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3. MROZ ON "COPPER COUNTRY TODAY" SUNDAY

President Glenn Mroz will be Dick Storm's guest on Copper Country Today this weekend. The one-hour program airs at 9 a.m. Sunday on WCCY-AM 1400 and WHKB-FM 102.3.

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4. McGREW APPOINTED TO LEAD TECH FUND

Trent "Shea" McGrew has been named vice president of the Michigan Tech Fund, Ross Roeder, president of the Tech Fund Board of Trustees, has announced.

McGrew, vice president for university relations at Capital University, in Ohio, will assume his responsibilities at Michigan Tech Oct. 18. At Capital University, McGrew has been responsible for marketing, development, alumni relations, public relations, publications and more since joining the institution in 1998.

Among his accomplishments, he led a successful, $11-million campaign for a new athletic and recreation facility, raising $12.7 million. Previously, he was director of development and director of major gifts at the University of Cincinnati Foundation, where he had extensive involvement with $50 million in gifts. During his tenure, the institution received the 1996 CASE Circle of Excellence Award for Fundraising Improvement.

McGrew previously served as director of major gifts and director of development-main campus for the University of Cincinnati Foundation, and has held development posts at the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University and Lafayette College.

He has earned an MA in Higher Education Administration from Ohio State University and a BA in Social Sciences from Marietta College.

McGrew was selected following a nationwide search. "We are excited about Shea joining us, and we are confident that he will do a great job," Roeder said. "He comes to us with great enthusiasm and expertise, and we all look forward to working with him to make the Tech Fund and Michigan Tech thrive."

When McGrew comes to Michigan Tech, Gail Mroz will step down as interim executive director of the Tech Fund and resume her responsibilities as its chief financial officer and executive director for operations.

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5. NEW MTU HOMESITE IN THE WORKS

Michigan Tech is about to launch a new homesite, and University Communications wants your feedback. A link off the current homepage leads to the new look, which was created with prospective students in mind. Recent research done for the University pointed to the web as the single most important vehicle for recruiting and marketing.

Please feel free to get your feedback to the UC gang. The new homepage goes live on Sept. 3, and they are trying to gather all input by Aug. 30.

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6. 1981 MTU PROJECT MAKES HUMANITIES COUNCIL'S TOP 30

Humanities professor Elizabeth Flynn was more than a little surprised to learn that a project she put away 23 years ago was receiving statewide honors.

"It just kind of blew me over," she said. "I couldn't believe it."

The Michigan Humanities Council recently announced that "Discovering Copper Country Women's Heritage" was among its 30 Outstanding Humanities Projects, which were selected from among the 1,500 proposals funded by the council over its 30-year history.

In 1981, the project's coordinating committee developed a series of workshops, film presentations and discussion programs to involve the public in the heritage of Copper Country women. The project featured several notable local women and explored the impact of women on labor history in general. More than 1,500 individuals, including members of the Objibwa community, attended project sessions.

At the time, the series received a Certificate of Commendation from the American Association for State and Local History. But it might not have been the wisest course for a young faculty member.

"It was a stupid thing for me to do," says Flynn. "I was untenured, and I was only in my second year. I came up for my third-year review having spent my entire second year on this project.

"The chair said, 'Beth, where are your publications?' I said 'Don't worry.'" By the fall of her fourth year, she had her publications, and she got her tenure.

Though she didn't announce it at the time, the project was also Flynn's way of pursuing her interest in feminist studies. "It felt kind of necessary to do this," she said. "We needed to kind of reach out and meet other people."

The project was coordinated by Michigan Tech faculty, staff and students as well as members of the community and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. The coordinating committee included many familiar names: co-directors Kathleen Brahney, a former humanities faculty member, and Flynn; as well as Valerie Pegg, now director of Great Events at the Rozsa; Gloria Melton, now dean of students; Theresa Spence, who recently retired as library director; the late historian John Flynn; the late Barbara Filer, former career center director; Carol Brown, an alumna in STC; June Hawthorne, now retired from the library staff; Jan Dalquist, retired library director; Joan Bemis of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community; local musician Isabelle Hagen; Allison Slavick, a biological sciences graduate student; and others.

"It was a pretty substantial grant then, about $13,000," Flynn remembers. "We had a lot to live up to once they had given it."

Most who worked on the project were new to the area, so it was chance to get to know one another and the community.

"We received very good coverage from the Daily Mining Gazette, though there was a letter from a disgruntled local woman who thought it was presumptuous of us, who after all had not grown up here, to undertake such a project," Flynn said. "For the most part, though, we were greeted with enthusiasm and cooperation, and we were amazed at how many people turned out for the events."

Flynn says that some of the materials from the project, now stored in the MTU Archives, may be brought out to recognize Women's History Month in March 2005. Anyone interested in helping out can contact her at eflynn@mtu.edu

Finlandia University also had one of its projects from the 1980s, the Finnish-American Oral History Theatre Troupe, named among the Michigan Humanities Council's 30 Outstanding Humanities Projects. Many of the 700 Finnish-American oral histories storied in the Suomi College Archives were incorporated into a theater production, "Kuparisaari Kultamaa," staged across the Upper Peninsula.

The creators of the 30 Outstanding Humanities Projects will be honored at the Michigan Humanities Council's 30th Anniversary Celebration, to be held at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn on Sept. 30. Governor Jennifer Granholm is serving as honorary chair. Tickets to the event are available at michiganhumanities.org/anniversary or by calling 517-372-7770.

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7. KEWEENAW SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SEEKS NEW MEMBERS

The Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra of Michigan Tech announces openings for student and community musicians for the 2004-05 season. Openings include all strings, trombones and French horns. Interested musicians are invited to bring their instruments to the orchestra's first rehearsal on Tuesday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. in the Rozsa Center, room 208. Details about auditions will be available at that time.

The KSO will present four concerts this year ranging from Handel's Messiah to the premiere of a new work by Elizabeth Meyer. Each of the concerts will feature outstanding professional soloists including Ross Harbaugh, Glenn Basham and Pamela McConnell of the Bergonzi Quartet. Concerts are scheduled for Oct. 23, Dec. 4, Feb. 26 and April 16 in the Rozsa Center.

The KSO has two changes in leadership for this season. Milton Olsson, chair of the Department of Fine Arts, will direct the orchestra, replacing Alton Thompson, who has accepted a position in Taiwan. Jubal Fulks joins the KSO to fill the concertmaster chair vacated by Cori Somers, who is moving to Vancouver. Fulks recently completed his DMA degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and has been teaching at the Kinhaven Music School in Weston, Vt.

For more information on the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, call 487-2207.

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8. CENTER FOR TEACHING LEARNING AND FACULTY DEVELOPMENT MOVING

The Center for Teaching Learning, and Faculty Development is moving from the Academic Office Building to the Meese Center. Because of the move, staff many not be available on Monday, Aug. 30, and Tuesday, Aug. 31. However, they expect to be fully functional again by Wednesday, Sept. 1.

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9. TEACHING AT TECH: FOSTERING ADAPTIVE MOTIVATIONAL BELIEFS

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

Motivation levels and tendencies vary greatly from student to student. Over the last 15 years, researchers have noted that student motivation may be related to mastery or performance. Within these two major goal settings, students may adopt a positive (approach) or negative (avoidance) orientation.

Students identified as having a positive-mastery orientation tend to be motivated by a desire for self-improvement and the achievement of self-set standards. They tend to be interested and curious, see their own mistakes as instructive, attribute failure to a lack of effort rather than a lack of ability, enjoy a challenge, and are willing to take risks and to seek out assistance when needed.

Conversely, students identified as having a performance-avoidance orientation are motivated by a desire to avoid looking stupid, incompetent, or less able than their peers. They are more willing to cheat, are unlikely to ask for help, see their mistakes as tell-tale signs of their lack of ability, find school very stressful, tend to give up, and demonstrate much lower levels of achievement than positive-mastery learners.

A third-group, performance-approach learners, tend to be motivated by a desire to demonstrate their superiority over other students. Students with this motivation achieve high grades, but often at the cost of sustaining high levels of anxiety and an unwillingness to seek assistance along the way.

Generally speaking, researchers have found that students with mastery-based goal orientations tend to develop behaviors and attitudes that support deep and lasting learning, while students motivated purely by performance goal orientations manifest more maladaptive beliefs and outcomes.

So what? Researchers have found that the classroom environment exerts a profound influence on students' motivational orientations.* Instructional practices that focus heavily on test performance may decrease the emergence of positive-mastery tendencies in students. Researcher Ron Berghetto suggests that instructors routinely monitor the effects of instructional approaches and assessment techniques on student motivation orientation. Instructors can monitor student motivation using paper-and-pencil instruments or through periodic classroom discussions. Berghetto suggests that regularly assessing the motivational climate will provide instructors with the sort of feedback they need to continuously improve the impact of their instruction. Borghetto says, "Teachers have both the opportunity and responsibility for cultivating healthy motivational beliefs in their students. By fostering beliefs grounded in positive goal orientations, teachers will increase the likelihood that their classroom will be a dynamic, high-achieving learning environment."

Encouraging students to adopt the sort of motivational orientation that fuels the lifelong learning inclination of most faculty members may be far more important than increasing test performance by a few ticks. The jaundiced, unhealthy, corrosive motivational orientation that some students seem to bring to class subverts the entire enterprise for all of the students. Cramming for exams, poor retention of knowledge and skills over time, and deteriorating civility may be symptoms of an increase in performance-avoidance orientation among many contemporary students.

This line of research might suggest that throwing up our arms in disgust and teaching to the test in response to student apathy is exactly the wrong thing to do. Instead, we should be confronting the problem directly by assessing the climate, discussing the issues, and endeavoring to shift the focus of our students from overcoming a series of distasteful tasks to taking responsibility for their learning.

* Berghetto, Ronald A. "Toward a More Complete Picture of Student Learning: Assessing Students' Motivational Beliefs," Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 9(15), 2004.

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