Instant Messages
Notes & News from Student Affairs
Fall 2009: Volume 5: Issue 2
The newsletter committee is Lynda Heinonen, Mary
Ann Struthers and Susan Liebau.
We cannot always build
the future for our youth,
but we can build our
youth for the future.
~Franklin D. Roosevelt
Leading Scholar Program Expands to Out of State Students
Submitted by Bill Roberts, Financial Aid
This summer Michigan Tech approved the
expansion of the highly successful Leading
Scholar award to include out of state students. The response has been amazing.
This year, the application pool has nearly
doubled to 662 total applicants including
191 non-resident applications.
On Monday December 7th
students will participate in a
series of leadership and academic evaluations.
uted to Michigan Tech
achieving the strategic plan
milestone of a 26 ACT
Composite. Our Leading
Scholar students are truly
The resident students are
amazing and participate in
competing for one of three
many activities across camscholarships valued at regular
pus. You will find them
The Leading Scholar Award recognizes stu- full-time tuition, plus room
doing research, conducting
Leading Scholar, Angela Hoffman
dents with outstanding academic credenand board and a stipend of
campus tours, making a
tials and superior leadership skills both in
$1,000 each year. The remaining 27 studifference abroad, and on both the homeand outside of the classroom. After writing dents will be awarded an $8,000 scholarship coming and basketball courts.
a compelling essay and providing at least
per year. The out of state students will be
one teacher recommendation, 30 resident competing for one of three scholarships val- The success of the Leading Scholar Proand 10 non-resident students are invited to ued at regular full-time nonresident tuition.
gram is due in large part to collaboration
visit campus on Sunday December 6th.
The remaining seven non-resident students
between several departments on campus.
The leading scholar participants and their
will receive a $17,000 scholarship per year.
Thanks to all who have helped to plan and
families have dinner with faculty and staff
bring this together. Now for the hard
and are hosted in the Residence halls by
The Leading Scholar Program has proven to part……reading 662 essays and 662 +
our current students on Sunday evening.
have outstanding yield rates and has contrib- teacher recommendations.
Assisting with the “Complex” in Student Development
Submitted by Gloria Melton, Dean of Students
When you hear “Student Development,”
sponsibility for their actions and efforts.
do you first think of
Career Services integrates
Building #24, with the
student career developacronym of “SDC”?
ment with attention to the
Student development is
pulse of industry and the
a large part of what
economy. E-tools like “My
many of us do in Student
Plan” and a menu of career
Affairs. The term also
preparatory services help
embraces diverse destudents build greater conpartments under the
fidence in decision-making.
Dean of Students/Student
umbrella of Dean of StuDevelopment Staff
dents/Student DevelopAssisting students with
ment.
their personal health, relationships, family
situations, and academic effort engages
This group focuses on assisting students
Counseling and Wellness Services at the cenwith many of their complex decisions beter of constructive decision-making. In 2009tween orientation and graduation-10, peer education and “social norm” projects
involving identity, independence, values,
around issues of alcohol, drugs, and other
academic success, relationships. As stupersonal choices will likely spark discovery
dents engage in ethical decision-making,
and discussion among students and staff.
academic preparation, health awareness,
and personal responsibility, their collegiate Civility, integrity, fairness, respect for others,
experience prepares and connects them
and due process serve as hallmarks of the
with future careers and communities.
Student Judicial processes. Introducing
“Restorative Practices” and tapping student
The Dean of Students Office responds to
interest in a “values” project this year will aid
“highs” and “lows” of students‟ academic
in the transition beyond campus to their fuand personal adjustments to greater reture communities.
Student Disability Services places an emphasis on accessibility as well as accommodation. Developing self-advocacy skills and
making decisions about technology to enhance physical and cognitive attributes can
impact outcomes over a lifetime.
While students ultimately are responsible
for their decisions, we can help translate
some of the more “complex” elements as
they move forward in their development.
Headlines from STUDENT LIFE
COMPASS
COMPASS and Michigan Tech hosted more than 343
families for Family Weekend October 2-4, 2009.
Housing Facilities
Summer projects completed in Housing Facilities:
“Safe lane” hill sidewalk by McNair; New hand railing on
hill to the SDC by Wads; New AV in DHH Ballroom and
Remodeled Daniell Heights’ Community Center Rooms.
Student Activities
Over 300 student, staff, and visitor volunteers participated in over 37 groups working on 27 different projects
for Make a Difference Day 2009!
Staff Match
Match the staff member to their respective clue on the right and be entered to
win a large pizza. Submit your guesses by Friday, December 18th to lheinone@mtu.edu. The winner from the last newsletter was Vicky Roy from the
Registrar‟s Office.
1. Dale O’Brien
2. Deb Forsell
A. Students don’t want B. They oversee room
charges
to be on their “list”
3. Gary Smith
4. Lisa Moyle
C. Data is their
specialty
D. Keeps McNair Hall
running smoothly
Student Affairs
Library Alive and Well
Submitted by Kyle Rubin, Admissions
Some of you might already be
aware, but the division of Student
Affairs is (and has been) maintaining a library full of fantastic Student Affairs related articles, books,
games and videos. The library is
DARS Officially Rolls Out to Students
Submitted by Jean Burich, Registar‟s Office & Karen Giddings, ESIS
DARS (Degree Audit Reporting System)
is a web-based, interactive audit that
was made available to undergraduate
students for the first time on November
16. The system will be
rolled out to students
incrementally beginning
with the senior class. By
the end of the fall semester, all undergraduate students will have
access to DARS.
better overall view of how their courses apply
toward their degree. The charts on the interactive audit provide a quick and easy visual representation of which areas still need to be completed. In addition, courses that
can be used to fulfill various
requirements will be displayed.
Over the last fifteen months,
academic advisors have been
using DARS in test mode, getting used to the new system and
helping the Degree Services
area with some fine-tuning. As
DARS Screen
This new system will
well as monitoring their stuassist students in trackdents‟ academic progress, adviing their progress toward degree comple- sors will be able to update catalog term information and replaces our old paper audit
tion for their students and generate a new audit
system. It will provide students with a
reflecting the requirements for that catalog term
instantly. In addition, both advisors and students
will be able to generate a „what-if‟ audit which
Headlines from DEAN OF STUDENTS
will allow them the ability to see where courses
might apply in a different curriculum.
Career Services
First Academic Department Informational Fair Held-Departments Show Corporate Representatives How
Students are Prepared for the Workplace.
Counseling and Wellness Services
Staff Meets with Portage Health Sleep Disorders
Director, Dr. Joseph Dellavalla.
Disability Services
Welcoming Requests for Information.
Judicial Affairs
Student Surveys Reveal Satisfaction with Restorative
Justice.
Dean of Students
Autumn Leaves Fall, Flu Reports Rise.
Nik Chaphalkar and Megan Johnson
located in room 171 of the Administration Building. Mo Anton is the
official librarian. She will eagerly
be awaiting your arrival, so come
on by and check out some material
so you can flaunt your student affairs knowledge to all.
Book recommendations from
the Student Affairs Library
from VP for Student Affairs,
Dr. Les Cook:
There are many great books in the
Student Affairs Library located in
the Dean of Students Office in the
Administration Building. I would
like to put in plug for three of
them. Here is my first, look for the
next two in upcoming newsletters:
Though DARS will be a great benefit to our students, it doesn‟t replace the good old-fashioned Putting Students First is a book
that truly embraces our philosophy
one-on-one meeting with an academic advisor.
in Student Affairs. The book is
Students still need to meet with their advisor to
based on a conceptual framework
discuss course loads, course registration and
questions regarding degree, minor and/or certifi- comprised of institutional culture,
cate requirements. The release of DARS to stu- curriculum, co-curriculum and
dents is another step in the process of automat- community. The book asks everyone who interacts with students
ing and streamlining our processes. There is
more to come including an on-line application for (faculty, administrators, and other
students) to consider how we supgraduation, a course planning tool, and an onport and purposefully develop
line exception process for advisors.
whole human beings.
Staff Match
These Student Affairs staff were featured in the “Staff Match”
area in the summer newsletter. Take a few minutes to learn something about someone you
may not know, who is contributing toward the success of Michigan Tech.
Thy Yang served as the Director of Multicultural Affairs at Dickinson State University
(ND) and Director of International Programs
at Benedictine College (KS), prior to coming
to Michigan Tech. Her international credentials include foreign language study in Latin
and French, an International Baccalaureate
Diploma, and a semester of formal study at
Nottingham Trent University (UK). She was
born in Thailand, raised in Kansas and
speaks fluent Hmong. Thy resides in downtown Houghton and is a regular at Joey‟s
Seafood, the Lunchbox and Hunan Garden.
Kristi Isaacson has been the Associate
Coordinator for Youth Programs since January of 2008. She is originally from Calumet
and graduated from Michigan Tech with a
Bachelor‟s Degree in Business Administration
and is currently pursuing her MBA. She resides in Hancock with her husband Joel,
three year-old son Aidan, one year-old
daughter Kiera and six year-old dog Blue. In
her free time, Kristi enjoys spending time at
the lake and traveling with her family whenever possible.
Adam Griffis and his wife, Veronica, are
originally from Vermont, where they met in
high school. They lived in Ithaca, New York
for five years and moved to Houghton when
Veronica took a position as a professor in the
Civil & Environmental Engineering department three years ago. Adam joined the Career Services staff shortly thereafter. The
lion‟s share of their time involves playing with
their newborn daughter, who was born this
past Father‟s Day.
Service Options for Students Expand
Submitted by Rachel Wussow & Bri Drake, Student Activities
Student Activities has been reaching out
to lend a hand to many deserving organizations and people in the greater
Keweenaw area. We have grown enormously from the single yearly Make A
time constraints of many busy students.
Glenn Ekdahl and his wife Linda live in
Paavola Location in Franklin Township. They
have one son Jeffrey (Danielle) and one
granddaughter Mackenzie. He is a retired
Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Glenn has been working at Michigan Tech for
31 years and began his career in the Memorial Union Building and is currently working in
Douglass Houghton Hall as Facilities Manager/Security. Glenn also serves as Supervisor of Franklin Township and enjoys his
hobby of being a Ham Radio Operator.
New Staff in Student Affairs
Welcome the staff who have joined the Student
Affairs team since our last newsletter.
Here‟s the breakdown:
* Service Saturdays – once a month, held
on a Saturday from 9am-noon
* 60 Minutes of Service – twice a month,
the day of the week rotates, 5-6pm
*Alternative Spring Break Trips – two
trips over Spring Break to serve in other
parts of the country
* Semester Collection – Denim Drive to
insulate homes
Difference Day that was hosted in the fall www.cottonfrombluetogreen.org/
to see an increase of more than 20 new
service projects over the last year. In
So far this fall we have hosted 11 projects
total Student Activities will offer over 100 with 432 participants for 1,317 hours of
hours of projects for student to partake service. Our next events in November are
in. From raking yards and painting
Tails and Trails, a Service Saturday, an
fences to playing bingo and baking
Alternative Spring Break Informational
bread, student volunteers are getting the Meeting and 60 Minutes of Service opportunity to get out and be active in
Winterizing Homes! For more information
their community throughout the school
please check out our website at
year. Several different programs have
www.sa.mtu.edu/community/
been implemented to meet the varying
Streetscapes Project
Left to right: Melanie Narhi, Housing Facilites in DHH; Tammy Bakkila, Housing Facilities in Wads;
Albert Erkilla, Housing Facilities in
Wads; Mike Myllyoja, Housing
Facilities at Daniell Heights; Lori
Weir, Multicultural Affairs; inset:
Tara Crandall, Admissions
Headlines from STUDENT LIFE
Multicultural Affairs
For the first time, seven students and one staff member
represented Michigan Tech at the Women of Color Conference in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics in Dallas, TX in October.
Housing & Residential Life
Housing Set to Launch Climate Study in November for
Residence Hall and Apartments.
Message from
VP of Student Affairs,
Dr. Les Cook
Heath Nunnemacher, Dr. Cook
“All set?” he asks. Somewhere in the
middle replying, “Yeah, I think…” he
stomps on the gas, my head snaps back,
my helmet hits the front of the bucket
seat and suddenly I‟m moving faster
over the face of this earth than ever in
my life. I‟m strapped into this tin can so
tight I can barely breathe. I‟m flying
through mud and gravel, careening
around hairpin turns and bottoming out
in large crevasses at speeds up to 105
miles per hour. After a few moments of
sheer terror mixed with complete exhilaration the driver stops the car, looks at
me with a smile so wide I can see it from
under his facemask and says, “Welcome
to the world of rally!”
I met Heath, my driver, five years ago
during move-in. He was a first-year student and I was a second year Vice President. Over the years we have stayed
connected and I have watched him grow
from an adventurous, bright eyed firstyear student to an advanced, well educated race car driver with abundant opportunities for the future.
and I can think of no way to better live
that than to be in the trenches, or on the
track, learning right along with them.
Think if students wore driving suits like the
rally drivers with patches sewn on displaying who supported them throughout their
education. Whose patches would we read
on our students? Certainly names of individual faculty members who made a difference, perhaps names of RA‟s, OTL‟s, advisors to student organizations, the staff
member in Financial Aid or Student Activities who went above and beyond the call
of duty. We are our students‟ sponsors.
As we approach Thanksgiving I think it is
important to celebrate our successes as
well as reflect on those things we are
thankful for. Students at Michigan Tech
are extraordinary in many ways; I am
thankful for their curiosity, intelligence,
work ethic and spirited fun. In addition,
there is not a day that goes by that I am
not reminded how lucky I am to work with
an amazing team of people both in and
outside of Student Affairs. Finally, I am
thankful for our families and friends who
support our efforts and understand (or at
least attempt to understand) the nature of
our work.
Youth Programs Takes
STEM on the Road!
Submitted by Kristi Isaacson, Youth Programs
Since 1972, Michigan Tech‟s Youth Programs has been working with many academic departments to provide a unique
hands-on learning experience for middle
and high school students year round. Over
95% of 2009 participants would recommend the program to a friend, with 97% of
the parents stating they would recommend
the program to other parents. When students and parents were asked what could
improve the program, they stated “bring it
to my school!”
In 2009, YP will bring Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics to students
by conducting hands-on activities at large
events related to STEM. On November
11th, YP was joined by representatives
“Score with Science” Program
It is important that we remember even
when we feel like we are going 105 miles
per hour that it is about students and their
success. And perhaps the best question to
ask ourselves is what are we doing each
day to earn our name on the patches of
each of our students?
from Admissions and current Michigan
Tech students at the Grand Rapids Griffins
“Score with Science” program at Van Andel
Arena. There they excited over 6,000 K-12
students through hands-on dynamic activities. Other events in the planning include:
Einstein Science Fair Project Expo in Green
Thanks and you have my best wishes for a Bay (March 13, 2,500+ students), Detroit
healthy, happy holiday season. Rally on!
Science and Engineering Fair in Detroit
(March 15–19, 2,000+ students), F.I.R.S.T.
Like those three or four dozen rally drivRobotics Regional Competition in Minneaers who visit the Keweenaw each fall,
polis, MN (April 1-3, over 1,000 particievery student attending Michigan Tech
Headlines from ENROLLMENT SERVICES
pants), F.I.R.S.T. Robotics World Champibrings their own unique personality and
onships in Atlanta, GA (April 16-18, 3,000+
Admissions
characteristics. They are on their own
participants), Indianapolis 500 Boy Scout
Applications
on
the
rise
for
fall
2010:
Illinois
and
journey, some have an idea where they
Event in Indianapolis, IN (May 30), and the
"distance" states leading the pack.
want to end up and others are just cruisNational Boy Scout Jamboree at Ft. A.P.
ing down the road. As educators, we
Hill, VA (July 26-August 4, estimated
ESIS and Registrar’s
have an important role to play in helping DARS launched to students on November 16th.
43,000+ participants).
Les
students continue towards the finish line.
In a sense we are Michigan Tech‟s pit
crew; creating conditions that matter,
encouraging active engagement on and
off campus, instilling in students a sense
of pride, helping them develop coherent
values and ethics, and communicating
high expectations for learning are all part
the role we play. We pride ourselves on
preparing students to create the future
Financial Aid
Leading Scholar Selection Process in Full Swing.
IPS
IPS Adopts the "We Do That" Campaign and Internationalizes Admissions Materials.
Youth Programs
Youth Programs’ New Dynamic Website Goes Live and
Sign-Up for 2010 Summer Programs Begins!
The Michigan Tech YP „Road Show‟ brings
the excitement of STEM to the students,
showcasing how learning can be fun. Many
thanks to all of our University partners that
have helped us develop such an impactful
program through our 35+ years of successful programming.