Enthusiasm, like measles,
mumps and the common
cold, is highly contagious.
Emory Ward
In the event of multiple correct answers a winner will be selected by
random drawing of correct respondents.
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Beyond the Brown Bag Luncheon
Professional Development Conference May 18th
Submitted by Gail Beausoleil, Career Services
From investment options to
interviewing strategies, from
defining social justice to deciphering the “sophomore
slump,” the MTU Student Affairs Professional Development
Committee is dedicated to promoting and offering educational opportunities for all Tech
employees to grow professionally.
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Partnering with Human Resources, the committee coordinates sessions to educate the
campus community about
health, diversity, job training and
many other topics involving understanding and better serving
our students.
Besides sponsoring the “Brown
Bag Luncheons” throughout the
year, the committee organizes
guest speaking engagements,
web casts, and on May 18th, the
committee is hosting Tech’s first
campus-wide Professional Development Conference open to
all MTU faculty and staff. With
twenty concurrent sessions tak-
ing place from 9 am to 4 pm,
this day promises to cover a
wide variety of topics and
plenty of opportunities to
learn.
Conference sessions range
from strategies for maximizing local business donations
(helpful for student group
advisors), to tips for dealing
with difficult customers
(helpful for all of us at some
point or another!), to learning
the basics of Excel. A minihealth fair, sponsored by
Portage Health Systems, will
be open in the MUB for the
entire conference. A com-
Michigan Tech Road Warriors
Many of you
know the
admissions staff
on campus, but
did you know
there are actually
more professional staff
Ninette Carlson
members
based regionally than here on
campus? Without these dedicated road warriors, we would
not be able to
visit over 1,000
high schools
and attend
almost 200 college fair programs in the
region, resulting
Melanie Davis
in direct contact
with over 7,500
students annually.
We invite you to meet our offcampus recruitment team:
Ninette Carlson
(Minnesota and Western Wisconsin), Melanie
Davis (Chicago), Bob
Hale (Metro-Detroit and
“thumb” area), Linda
Seder (Northern LowerMI), Samino Scott
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plete listing of conference sessions and a registration link
can be found on the committee’s calendar: www.mtu.edu/
profdev
The committee encourage suggestions for professional development activities and topics.
Please submit additional related events to advertise on
our calendar. To submit a calendar item, contact Larry Wall
at lawall@mtu.edu. We look
forward to seeing you at our
events!
Submitted by Allison Carter, Admissions
Being a regional recruiter isn’t easy. Each
representative has a recruitment territory of
120-240 schools and is
on the road 4-5 days per
week for 9 months. A
typical week consists of
recruiter.
How do they do
it? Hard work,
dedication and
pride in Michigan Tech spurs
them
along. A
Bob Hale
Samino Scott
desire to share
Did you know the admissions staff visits over 1000 high schools &
opportunities at Tech and help
attends more than 185 job fairs each year?
students make the best college
decision keeps them visiting
schools. Know(Detroit and Western
visits to 10-20 high
Michigan) and Darnishia
schools, follow-up corre- ing they make a
difference in a
spondence to students
Slade (Detroit and
and educators, manag- student’s life is
Southwestern MI). The
Wisconsin territory is
ing the territory by moni- what makes it all
worthwhile.
currently open. These
toring the status of incomplete applications,
staff members are in the
trenches every day,
and targeting the best
Linda Seder
Darnishia Slade
high schools for visits.
sharing Michigan Tech
with prospective students, par- Fall and spring travel includes
additional college day/night
ents, teachers, and counsel'& " (
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ors, answering questions, and
programs throughout the re)
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gion. Driving 3000+ miles per
dispelling myths.
% + ,-. /0-120-.34
month is typical for a regional
Message from the
Vice-President
Dr. Les Cook
with Kari
Jordan,
graduating
senior in
Mechanical
Engineering.
Over the past six months we
have spent a great amount of
time revisiting the Michigan
Tech Strategic Plan. This effort
has provided us an opportunity
to reexamine our vision and
goals as a University, while
also exploring possibilities for
the future. We are at an exciting juncture in Michigan Tech
history and the process of revision has not only reaffirmed
this, but bolstered our position.
The mission remains the
same. The vision is that Michigan Tech will grow as a premier research university of international stature, delivering
education, new knowledge and
innovation for the needs of our
technological world. The focus
or our goals is on improving
lives and presenting our world
through sound, innovation,
uses of science, engineering
and technology. We will be a
leader in responding to the
needs and challenges of the
world and will attract excep-
in the residence halls, the
summer they spent serving as
a Summer Youth Counselor,
the hours they spent training
on the Cross Country Team,
the DJ position they held at
WMTU, and many others like
these. Through these endeav“The college experience is about all pieces coming together to provide an
ors our students are afforded
environment where all students are afforded opportunities to gain real
complimentary opportunities
world skills and talents. . “
that strengthen their capacity
people and ideas to provide an to apply, manage, and commuRecruiting, supporting and re- enriched learning environment nicate the business of science
and technology on a global
taining a world-class diverse
and distinctive education for
scale.
faculty, staff and students; pro- everyone.
viding a distinctive and rigorProviding a distinctive and dis- I think we all agree that creatous discovery-based educational experience; and creating covery-based educational ex- ing world-class research and
innovation in science and techworld-class research and innonology is an exciting entervation in science and technolprise. Exceptional people and
ogy are both invigorating and
programs are what make
provocative goals. Our role in
Michigan Tech a world class
Student Affairs is to support
university. Student Affairs rethese goals and serve as an
mains committed to programs
equal partner with our faculty/
that support student success
staff colleagues and students
while regularly examining all
as we help prepare them to
2006 Orientation Team Leaders
endeavors to ensure they are
create a better future and
both meaningful and valued by
world for all of us.
perience is not simply about
our students. Our work in Student Affairs serves as a comIn order to recruit, support and what occurs in the classroom
or laboratory. The college ex- panion piece to the academic
retain a world class diverse
enterprise and is essential as
faculty, staff and student popu- perience is about all pieces
coming together to provide an the University moves forward.
lation we must create a welcoming and inclusive environ- environment where all stuThanks and best wishes for a
dents are afforded opportuniment where professional derelaxing and healthy summer.
ties to gain real world skills
velopment opportunities are
and talents. It is about the exabundant, compensation is
periences our students have
competitive and success rewarded. Over the past couple serving as a resident assistant
tional faculty, staff and students who will develop, understand, apply, manage and
communicate science and
technology—all with the goal
of a prosperous, sustainable
world.
of years we have been diligent
in our efforts to expand opportunities for professional growth
and recognize the contributions of all. Going forward, we
will continue our efforts to increase the diversity of thought,
HAANA Banquet Honors Students
On Friday, April 7 the 6th Annual HAANA Awards Luncheon was held to honor
Hispanic, African, African
American, and Native American graduates, and present
the Percy Julian Award. The
Adrian Little, Karen Helminen
(organizer of the HAANA
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Awards Luncheon was
hosted by the Department of
Educational Opportunity,
and funded by the Dow
Chemical Company Foundation. This year, seventy students were honored, with over
twenty of them attending the
luncheon.
Many faculty and staff came to
congratulate the graduating
students on their accomplishments, and thank them for
their many contributions to the
campus and community over
the past four-plus years.
Jenelle Holloman and Adrian
Little are the 2006 recipients of
the Percy Julian Award, which
Submitted by Karen Helminen, Educational Opportunity
“It was a great moment to see other minority students and hear them
express their plans after leaving Tech and fulfilling their dreams. “
Santiago Aguilar, HAANA Banquet attendee graduating
with his MS in Civil Engineering
recognizes a Michigan Tech
derstanding. It commemorates
undergraduate who has dem- chemist and civil rights activist
onstrated leadership in the pro- Percy L. Julian (1899-1975).
motion of social equality and
racial/ethnic and cultural un-
HAANA Attendees
and go and was instrumental in the development of the
# 4
audit system that was used
here for many years. The
the year after 25 years at
number of degree programs
Michigan Tech. Her first job has jumped from 55 in 1981
was in Degree Services (when she started) to apand that’s where she has
proximately 165 today.
stayed for her entire career
at MTU.
Ask anyone who has
worked with Shirley and
Shirley has seen a lot of
they will all tell you a variachanges since she started. tion on the same thing –
Back then, commencement how she has such affection
lists were composed on a
for the students that sometypewriter, the BANNER
times her eyes tear up when
student information system she is talking about them.
did not exist and Michigan
According to Sharron Paris
Tech was on the quarter
it is this dedication and passystem. At one point, due
sion to do right by the stuto lack of space, student
dents that makes her the
workers sat on the floor in
type of person you simply
Degree Services to do their can’t replace.
work.
By the time Shirley retires
She has seen two student
she and her husband
information systems come should be completely
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If you are walking by
the Office of Student
Records and Registration and hear a
goose honking or a
chickadee chirping
you will know you
are near Shirley
Gagnon’s office. But
it is not just her unusual bird clock that
makes you smile, its
Shirley herself.
Shirley, who is currently the
associate registrar in charge
of degree services is planning on retiring at the end of
(
!
New Career Development Class for Fall 2006
Submitted by Jim Turnquist, Career Center
that a more thorough selfassessment and exploration of
our options may have been
beneficial. This statement is
supported by a Gallup survey
that showed two-thirds of a
group of adults said if they
were starting over, they would
get more information about
career options. Gallup also
determined that fifty-five percent of employees have no
enthusiasm for their work!
will meet 4:05-4:55 PM on
Tuesdays.
In addition to learning the difference between getting a job
and developing a career, students will: Investigate theories regarding career development; assess personal interests, values, and skills; explore occupational options;
Jim Turnquist answering
questions at Preview Day
acquire knowledge of workplace issues; identify compeHow many of us have said, “If
tencies sought by employers;
only I knew then what I know To help Michigan Tech stuand engage in job searching
now…”?
dents develop the knowledge skills. Students will become
and skills that will lead to satis- well-informed and equipped to
If you could start all over
fying career and life accomdeal with the rapidly changing
again, say from the age of 20, plishments, the Career Center world. Should they ever be
what do you think you would
will be piloting a new class be- surveyed by Gallup, they will
be doing today? What deciginning Fall 2006. UN2990:
be able to say they love what
sions would you change, what
they are doing, and they love
would you have done differ“Career Development Founda- their life!
ently? For some of us, the
tions” is offered to all graduate
answer is “Nothing”. Howand undergraduate students
Questions? Contact Jim or
ever, many of us will concede with sophomore standing or
Jeff at the Career Center at
higher. This one credit class
487-2313 or by email at
<& ( '
,- = !
has no prerequisites and can
jaturnqui@mtu.edu or
## !!
>
!&
be used as a free elective. It
jakangas@mtu.edu.
moved into their new log
home that is currently being
built on their land near Mohawk. Whether the house
is done or not the garden
will be going in this summer
and not too much later a
few chickens will be added,
oh yes, and maybe a couple
of calves too.
Shirley says the thing she
will miss the most when she
retires is interacting with all
the people she has met and
worked with. As one former
staff person said when she
stopped by to visit “Boy, do I
miss hearing Shirley’s
laughter”. We will certainly
miss it too when the new
year rolls around but just
maybe if we’re lucky she will
leave the bird clock behind
and we can all smile when
we hear it chirping.
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4
Guess The
Mystery Person!
This issue’s “mystery person”
will be the featured staff focus
in the summer Student Affairs
newsletter. Use the clues below to figure out the staff person and win a pizza.
I am a Houghton native with
four children. I have worked
at Michigan Tech for over
20 years in eight areas including the Department of
Education and the Seaman
Mineral Museum. My favorite things about working
here are my co-workers and
the students. In my free
time I like walking. If I could
travel anywhere it would be
New York City.
Send your guess to
lheinone@mtu.edu. In the
event of multiple correct answers a winner will be selected
by random drawing of correct
respondents.
Stirring Up Student Life
Over the
past few
months
there have
been many
changes in
Student Life.
Through the
restructurJen O’Connell with ing process
the world famous
several
Blizzard T. Husky.
people are
moving into new roles within
Student Life, others are moving to different areas on campus and some are moving on
from Michigan Tech. Some of
the most significant structural
changes include creating director positions for Housing &
Residential Life and Student
Activities. These positions will
now accompany the First-Year
Programs Director and help to
streamline each area of
Student Life.
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The new structure will allow
Student Life to be more efficient by bettering our ability
to support the students as
well as enhancing our student service capabilities.
Some of these changes are
a direct result of ideas that
Students enjoying some rare
warm weather.
were proposed by students.
For example, adding a coordinator position that will work
with adventure and wellness
programs . We believe these
changes will make Michigan
Tech a better place for our
students.
A few things that Student
Life is looking forward to
include:
Working closely with our
residential students to build
a community where they feel
at home, can meet many
people, and have a lot of
support.
Initiatives such as adventure programs that allow students to explore the area
more in depth.
New staff members that
will bring energy, enthusiasm
and new ideas to Michigan
Tech
We are looking forward to
the fall and are excited about
the new structure and the
energy that new staff mem-
Preview Day volunteers
Submitted by Jen O’Connell, Student Life
bers will bring with them. We encourage you to reach out to these
people, take time to get to know
them and make them feel comfortable on our campus.
Student Life 2006:
Travis Pierce, Jen O’Connell,
Jenny Greyerbiehl, Nancy Gjertson
The spring Student Affairs
Newsletter Committee is
comprised of Carol
Frendewey, Lynda
Heinonen and Susan
Liebau. If you have any
comments about this
issue or suggestions for
future newsletters, please
email lheinone@mtu.edu.
For Many, Loans Bridge the Financial Aid Gap
The “space race” between the
United States and the Soviet
Union was a factor that began
a large push for financial aid
by prompting the US government to realize the advantages
cheap. As the cost of attending college rises and the
amount of funding available
decreases—how are families paying for higher education? Many are turning to
loans to bridge the gap beDid you know you don’t have
tween gift monies and the
to attend Michigan Tech to
actual cost of attendance.
receive Financial Aid Materials &
Counseling?
Over four hundred parents
of Michigan Tech students
of educated citizens. Until then have borrowed $3.8 million
(as it still is today) education
to fund fall and spring sewas considered to be the primester. Six hundred and
mary responsibility of the par- ninety one Michigan Tech
ents. The change was the govTo be considered for direct
ernment realization that, deloans in the summer you must
spite their desire to do so,
be enrolled for at least six credits.
many families simply didn’t
have the funds to send their
children to college.
students have received $5.6
million in alternative loans
You don’t need to be a parent during fall and spring seto realize that college isn’t
mester.
Did you know even though the
priority date for filing the FAFSA
is March 1st, it isn’t too late to
file for 2006?
While they may be borrowing
more to complete their degrees,
our students graduate with an
education and skills that are in
Federal loans for parents and
high demand that enables for
private educational loans for stu- fast placement in the work force
dents have been a source of the and the ability to repay their
necessary finances. Federal
PLUS Loans allow parents to
Did you know you must file a
FAFSA every year to be eligible to
borrow the necessary funds for
their students. These loans are a receive need-based federal and
state financial aid?
viable for some families, but
many cannot afford to pay these student loans. Michigan Tech’s
loans while their students are in official student default rate is
school (which is a requirement of 2.9%, well below the national
this type of funding). This is
average of 4.5%,
where the option of private or
alternative loans comes in to
play. The monies Michigan
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Tech students have sought
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through alternative loan pro#
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grams have increased almost
4
400% over the past six years.