Instant Messages
Notes & News from Student Affairs
A pound of pluck is worth
a ton of luck. ~James A. Garfield (1831 - 1881)
Spring 2009: Volume 5: Issue 1
Headlines from every area are
distributed throughout the
newsletter.
Headlines from the
Department of Educational
Opportunity
Youth Programs
YP Goes Green with On-Line
Applications
Outreach & Multiethnic Programs
OME Honors Spring Grads at HAANA
Banquet on April 2nd
Graduating Seniors!
Throughout this issue we will be
celebrating some of the graduating
seniors that make Student Affairs
such a special place.
Joe Burnette
BS, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
As a young first year
student, Joe submitted
an application for a I.T.
position at the Career
Center and stayed with
us since. He is dependable, likable,
hardworking and never
ever complains. He will continue his
studies at University of Michigan in
Pharmaceutical Research. His emphasis will be to research drugs that someday will cure cancer. Joe is contemplating pursuing a MD in addition to his
PhD. We will truly miss Joe.
Whitney Dupuis (l.)
BS, Exercise Science &
Stacy Auger (r.)
BS, Electrical Engineering
The Office of
Student Affairs
has had the
pleasure of working with Stacy
Auger for 5 years
and Whitney Dupuis for 2 years. We will miss both of
them . . . our next student workers will
have some pretty big shoes to fill!
ExSEL & Academic Enrichment
Programs
ExSEL and KEDA team to offer five
local internships for summer 2009
Special Academic Programs
EdOpp’s approach to Michigan
Space Grant Consortium activities
result in 55% increase in funds
awarded – almost $1,000,000 to
Michigan Tech
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, May 22nd to
lheinone@mtu.edu.
A. Hangs out in the
little White House.
Aimee Beuchamp
BS, Social Sciences
Aimee Beauchamp began her journey at Michigan Tech as a resident
in the First Year Experience learning community. She has worked
as an OTL, a TA for UN1010, and
an Admissions tour guide. She was
also very active in Circle K, serving
as president and
on the district
board. Her future
plans include attending graduate
school
“somewhere in
Wisconsin” to
earn a Master’s in
Social Work, and
marrying fellow
Tech grad, Nick
Recla in September.
Katie Schon
BS in Geology
Katie Schon has
been an admissions
tour guide since
January 2007. Her
plans after graduation are either
graduate school at either Michigan
Tech or University of Miami (Miami,
FL), or find a job with a company
using her Geology degree. Katie
says, "God knows what I'm meant
to do, so for now I'm patiently waiting to see what's in store."
1. Wendy Davis
B. Works behind the
scenes to keep
everything on track.
2. Katie Russell
C. Pairs students
and mentors.
3. Marcus Wood
D. Welcomes new
students.
4. Crystal Primeau
laughter. As adults they suggest that we
reconsider some of the behaviors we
exhibit as kids and think about how we
embrace them again more regularly.
Some of their suggestions include:
Message from the
VP for Student Affairs
Dr. Les Cook
In celebration of the “Month of the Young
Child”, I was invited to read a story to a
group of 3-4 year olds at the Little Huskies
Day Care. The book I selected, Dinner at
the Panda Palace, was a favorite of my
own kids and is about Mr. Panda and his
efforts one bustling evening to accommodate all of those looking for dinner and a
place to eat. It is a wonderful story and
perfect metaphor for access, affordability
and service in higher education.
As we conclude another year and look forward to some downtime as well as time to
reflect, refuel and ready ourselves for another year, I think it is good for us to remember what it was like to be a young
child full of enthusiasm, energy and optimism. A few years ago, my colleagues,
Karyn Nishimura Sneath and Jeffrey Cuffaude at Like Minded People wrote a
short book titled Be a Kid Again: What Kids
Can Teach Us About Life and Leadership.
In their book they ask readers to consider
the child within us and think about how our
childhood or those children around us influence our outlook on life. We all know that
kids are curious, full of questions, brutally
honest in what they say, and are full of
Graduating Senior!
Bret Self
BS, Computer Science/
Ethics & Philosophy Minors
Bret Self is from Grand Junction, Michigan. After graduation, Bret will begin
work as a junior programmer for Jackson National Life in
Lansing. He worked
on campus in Financial
Aid and in the School
of Technology. Additionally he managed
jobs remotely for two
Michigan-based companies. He also found
time to be a member of two bands,
Anarkinda and the Battlesnakes Blues
Band.
▪ Saying please and thank you…
consider the impact of these simple
words on your relationships with others
and think about what can be done to recapture these magical words.
Headlines from
Enrollment Services
Financial Aid
It's Financial Aid Season....FAFSA's,
Scholarship Awards, Financial Aid Packages, and A Whole Lot More!
Admissions –
Calls, Cards, & Coffee--Admissions Implements High-Touch Spring Recruitment Initiatives
▪ Running fast…if we acted more like
kids, perhaps our present run fast mode
Registrar’s
would be more meaningful; and probably
New Website Launched
more fun too.
IPS
▪ Playing with everyone…set aside your
New Director Thy Yang Joins IPS Office
assumptions about others and embrace
on June 1
their talents, perspectives and joys, try to
personally stretch yourself and the diverYES! Expo
sity of your playmates.
YES! Expo 2008 Reveals Secrets of
Softball and Snap-Crackle-Pop
▪ Enjoying nature…remember your journeys into the forest and make time to get ESIS
lost in the woods or sit on the shores of
Coming Soon to a Computer Near
Lake Superior just listening to the water.
You: Banner 8
▪ Keeping your eye on the ball…doing
this is about paying attention to the journey and really living in the moment, take
time to be present.
Headlines from
Student Life
▪ Knowing when to say when…think
about times when you overcommitted
and under-delivered, learn how to politely decline and find a new balance.
Housing Facilities
Housing Facilities Installs Energy Saving
Motion Light Sensors in Wads’ Bathrooms, Kitchenettes & Laundry Rooms
In the short time I spent with the “little
huskies” I was reminded of the importance and value of creativity, play and
inquisition. The children were charming,
radiating energy and full of questions.
There are many obvious parallels to our
own students when they enter as first
year students and now as they prepare
to go out into the world.
Housing & Residential Life
Housing & Residential Life Reports Students Returning to Live On-Campus in
2009-10 Highest in Last 5 Years
Hopefully, over the past 4-5-6 years we
have not only provided our students with
a rich and meaningful academic experience but have also embraced their
sense of curiosity and adventure.
COMPASS
Over 1000 Tech Guides Distributed!
Student Activities
New Service Opportunities in 2008-09
Include: Service Saturdays, Semester
Collections & Service Trips
Please join me in congratulating our
amazing students and I invite you to con- The Student Affairs Newsletter
sider how you too might “Be a Kid
Again”. The summer is yours to explore! Committee is comprised of Lynda
Best wishes,
Les
Heinonen, Mary Ann Struthers
and Susan Liebau, Contact Lynda
at lheinone@mtu.edu with any
questions or comments.
2009 Student Affairs Student Leadership Awards
* Exceptional Program of the Year-Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program
* Exceptional Leadership in Residential Community- Faith N. Lambert
* Exceptional Leadership in Student Governance-Richard J. Heglund
* Rising Star of the Year - Angela E. Hoffman
* Exceptional Enthusiasm as a Student Leader-Joseph M. Gallo
* Student Employee of the Year -Bryant A. Weathers
* Most Improved Student Organization-Triangle Fraternity
* Student Organization of the Year-Delta Zeta
* Student Organization Advisor of the Year-Donna J. Michalek
* Greek Woman of the Year-Jessica Turuc
* Greek Man of the Year-Jeff Decker
Each year dozens of exceptional students are nominated for the Student Affairs Leadership Awards. Above is a list of the 2009
recipients, who received their awards on April 26, 2009, and photos from the event.
Staff Match: These Student Affairs staff were featured in the “Staff
Match” area in the Winter Carnival newsletter. Take a few minutes to learn
something about someone you may not know, who is contributing toward the
success of Michigan Tech. Theresa Jacques received a large pizza for correctly matching these staff members to their clues in the last newsletter.
New Staff in
Student Affairs
Kelly Sullivan has
joined the staff at
Counseling
Services as a
Managerial
Secretary.
4
3
Angela Keranen
has joined the
staff at the
Registar’s office
as an Office
Assistant.
2
1
1. Debbie Strieter has been a familiar face in Admissions since 1988, when her job was preparing mailings for prospective students. This is where she honed her skills at letter folding
and envelope stuffing. She is currently the staff assistant for the office. During her tenure Debbie has outlasted four Directors, fifteen admissions representatives and five data analysts.
Debbie enjoys being a Tupperware Consultant and babysitting. She is a graduate of Chassell
High School & holds an AAS Degree from Suomi College (now Finlandia University).
2. Greta Gustafson was born and raised in the Southern German town of Würzburg. She
received her B.A. from Michigan State University in Public Relations, and then moved onto
Chicago and Seattle to work in the field of marketing. She spent much of her youth traveling
through different countries, but prefers Michigan's Upper Peninsula to any place on earth. In
her free time, she enjoys running, skiing, being outdoors, writing, learning about new cultures,
and encouraging students to go abroad.
3. Mike Johnson was born and raised in Hancock, MI and graduated from Hancock Central
High School. He has an associate’s degree from Suomi College and a bachelor’s degree from
Michigan Tech. He and his wife Kriss have 2 sons, Jeff and Scott, both graduates of Michigan
Tech, and a daughter Whitney age eleven. Mike has worked in the Registrar’s Office since
1996.
4. Rachel Wussow was born and raised on a farm in Bonduel, WI. She has BS from UWStevens Point and a Masters of Education from Texas Tech. She works in Student Activities
with Student Organizations, Community Service, and Programming such as the Comedy Series, Welcome Week and Homecoming, and just finished three years with the Broomball Committee. She is excited to spend time at the family cabin in Manitowish Waters, WI this summer
and enjoy the long days of summer exploring the UP.
Graduating
Senior!
Joe Dowdle
BS Business
AdministrationAccounting/
Finance
Joe has been a
student employee with the Registrar’s Office
since last summer. Joe is from Iron
Mountain, MI and would like to take
the CPA exam after graduation. As a
student he has participated in the
Applied Portfolio Management Program and the Enterprise group,
Husky Game Development. Joe
would like to find a job in a public accounting firm somewhere in the UP.
Atta-Tubes for
Gratitudes
Submitted by John Lehman, Enrollment Services
This past semester, Student Affairs
Vice- President Les Cook presented all
Student Affairs staff with a poster reminding them of the division’s mission, “to prepare students to create the
future, and make their success our highest priority”. The poster was delivered,
however, in what are now known as
Michigan Tech Atta-tubes. As a means
Conference/Workshop
Attendance
Winter Semester 2009
Jeff Kangas , Career Center
Attendee, American Society of Engineering
Educator (C.E.I.C. Division)
February 4-6, 2009 in Orlando, FL
Nancy Gagnon, Registrar’s Office
Attendee, AACRAO Transfer Conference
February 15-17, 2009 in Tampa, FL
Patti Kirk, Housing & Residential Life
Attendee, American College Personnel
Association (ACPA) Conference
March 29-April 1, 2009 in Washington, DC
Michelle Nightingale, COMPASS
Attendee, National Resource Center for the
First-Year Experience Conference
February 6-10, 2009 in Orlando, FL
Headlines from the
Dean of Students
Student Judicial Affairs
External Review of Judicial
Affairs Completed
Disability Services
Coordinator or Student Disability
Services Search in Progress
Counseling & Wellness Services
Students Enjoyed “Relaxation Room”
and Stress-Free Week April 20-29
by which to recognize colleagues, departments, and other who are "living the mission" staff have been encouraged to send a note of
appreciation and recognition
in the brightly colored tubes,
noting on the outside of the
tube what the recognition is
for.
Website and Admissions for their assistance to the Dean of Students. Those
receiving Atta-Tubes
from Les Cook are
pleased to find them
loaded with candy. Let
us know if you've given
away an Atta-Tube
(lheinone@mtu.edu) recently and we'll list the
recipients in the next
newsletter.
Kyle Rubin with an Atta-Tube
Recent
Atta-Tube recipients include
Vicky Roy for her help coordinating the re-launch of the Registrar's
Travis Pierce, Housing & Residential Life,
Susan Liebau, ExSEL & Academic
Enrichment Programs and
Kerri Sleeman, COMPASS
Attendee and Attendees/Presenters
Student Affairs Administrators in Higher
Education (NASPA) Conference
“Making Your Seminar Learner-Centered”
March 8-11, 2009 in Seattle, WA
Cody Kangas & Steve Patchin,
Educational Opportunity/Youth Programs
Attendees & Presenters, MnSTA Conference
March 27-28, 2009 at Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, MN
Tim Malette, Financial Aid
Participant, Round Table Discussion
Michigan Public University Directors of
Financial Aid at the Presidents Council
Office
March 11, 2009 in Lansing, MI
Shalini Suryanarayana,
Educational Opportunity
Attendee, (as regional National Council
Representative) & Presenter
National Student Exchange Conference
March 10-13, 2009 in Raleigh, NC
Pete Cattelino, YES! Expo
Attendee, Michigan Science Teachers
Association Conference
March 5-7, 2009 in Detroit, MI
Karen Giddings
Attendee, Sungard Summit (Banner)
March 22-25
Kari Brown, Educational Opportunity/
Outreach & Multiethnic Programs
Attendee, 7th Annual Best Practices in Black
Student Achievement Conference
Heather Simpson, Housing & Residential Life; January 25-27, 2009 at Clemson University
Rachel Wussow, Student Life, and
in Clemson, SC
Wendy Davis & Cody Kangas,
Educational Opportunity
Attendee, 35th Annual National Society of
Attendees, MUSIC - Emerging Risk Management Black Engineers Conference
Issues in Student Affairs
March 25-29, 2009 in Las Vegas, NV
March 18, 2009 at CMU in Mt. Pleasant, MI
Susan Liebau
Allison Carter, Admissions
Attendee, International Mentoring
Conducted on-site software training for EMAS
Association Conference
TelecounselingPro with admissions and
March 4-6 , 2009 in Las Vegas, NV
enrollment services staff
Kristi Isaacson, Susan Liebau, Cody KanNorthwest Arkansas Community College in
gas, Karmen Markham, Lori Muhlig,
Bentonville, Arkansas.
Madeline Voelker and Maryann Wilcox
Rob Roose & Sheri Thomas, Financial Aid
(all of Educational Opportunity) Attendees,
Attendees, Michigan Student Financial Aid Asso- King∙Chávez∙Parks
ciation Winter Training Conference January 25- Initiative’s Equity Conference
28, 2009 in Dearborn, MI
April 5-7, 2009 in Auburn Hills, MI
Steve Patchin, Educational/Opportunity/
Youth Programs
Presenter, Ford PAS Meeting
April in Detroit, MI
Career Services
During a Major Economic Downturn, the
Spring Career Fair Attracted 125 EmCody Kangas, Educational/Opportunity/Youth
ployers
Programs
Dean of Students
1,469 Students Earn the Dean’s List in
Fall 2008!
Attendee, NCCEP/GEAR UP Capacity Building
Conference
February 8-11, 2009 in New Orleans, LA
Denise Spagnotti,
Attendee, Educause Conference
March 23-26, 2009
Marcus Wood
Attendee, ImageNow Wisconsin User Group
Conference
March 5 & 6, 2009