August 11, 2000, Vol. 32, No. 43
Board of Control Hears Good News on Finances, Enrollment
Wray Looking Forward to Coming to MTU
Your Very Own Power Tool: Starting an E-Mail List at MTU
Sellars Leaving for Syracuse
Volunteers Sought for Housebuilding Project
Reconfirm Your Bookings at Northern Lights
Use It Right or Lose It: Your Purchasing Card
Mayer Gets Fulbright
Ehm Leaving for Parts Downstate
New Staff
In Print
On the Road
Proposals in Progress
Job Postings
Bill Curnow, director, University Relations
Marcia Goodrich, Tech Topics editor
Gail Sweeting, electronic marketing assistant
Information to be included in Tech Topics should be submitted to the Tech Topics editor in one of the following ways:
By electronic mail--send information to ttopics@mtu.edu
By interdepartmental mail--send double-spaced, typed copies to the attention of Tech Topics editor, University Relations.
Each week, the deadline for submitting information is Friday at 5:00 p.m. for the following Friday distribution.
News (Back to Contents)
Board of Control Hears Good News on Finances, Enrollment
The Board of Control heard an array of good news August 3 on finances, enrollment, and capital improvements.
The Board's new chair, Claude Verbal, said that, while Governor John Engler had vetoed state funding for the planned $80 million Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology, chances were good that a scaled-down version of the project will gain state approval.
Noting that alumni John Opie and Kanwal Rekhi have each donated $5 million toward the center, Verbal said Engler appreciates the high level of private support MTU has garnered for the project. The University is working on a revised, $50 million to $60 million proposal and will proceed with architectural planning.
Senior Vice President for Advancement and Marketing John Sellars reported that the Leaders for Innovation capital campaign had raised $43.2 million during the fiscal year ending June 30, bringing the total raised to over $90 million. "We're pleased with the overall campus involvement in fundraising," Sellars said. In addition, alumni have been exceptionally active. The University has 20 to 30 volunteers in Chicago alone asking other alumni for donations, he said.
Gary Neumann, executive director of enrollment management, reported that preliminary estimates based on enrollment deposits show an increase of about 160 new students this fall, 1,590 compared to 1,430 in fall 1999. "Our marketing efforts are starting to pay off," he said.
The Board gave final approval to the 2000-01 budget, including the 4 percent tuition hike. The Board had OK'd the changes by phone June 29 after learning that the state appropriation increase would be less than expected, 5 percent plus 3 percent in one-time funds. Board Member Ruth Reck asked whether Michigan Tech was jeopardizing its "best buy" status with this tuition increase. Tompkins said that Money Magazine was no longer doing best-buy rankings of colleges and universities, and that the scholarship funds being raised through the capital campaign were making the average out-of-pocket cost of attending MTU far less than might be inferred from tuition figures alone. Board Member Jim Mitchell said that Michigan Tech's longterm strategy called for becoming a national university of choice, emphasizing quality over low cost.
Bill McGarry, vice president for finance and administration, said that the University has $21.9 million in cash as of July 10, compared to $16 million at the same time last year, which should be good news for departments. "We should be able to fund carry-forwards this year and still have a slight surplus," he said. And he noted that the University had seen an 11 percent return on its investments this year.
The research and graduate programs are expanding, Interim Provost Stephen Bowen reported. Research expenditures have increased 4 percent, or $400,000. While the number of graduate applications has remained about the same, the University is attracting more PhD applicants, 628 this year compared to 560 in 1999.
In other business, the Board
Wray Looking Forward to Coming to MTU
Kent Wray, Michigan Tech's incoming provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs, said August 3 he's looking forward to coming to Michigan Tech.
"The University is on the rise," he said, citing "superb faculty," "excellent, hard-working students," and a modern, well-equipped physical plant. "I've always been a builder . . . and that's what I've signed on to do."
Enhancing the University's quality and reputation will depend in part upon ongoing efforts to keep the campus on the cutting edge. "Great universities are built by great people, and you have to have great facilities to attract them," he said. "You can't get someone with an international reputation to come to forty-five-year-old facilities."
And while he deplored "the national mania to rank things," Wray noted that building MTU's reputation will also depend on marketing. "If you look at US News and World Report's annual college rankings, you can see that some of the institutions with the highest rankings have kept them through inertia," he said. "Their best faculty have retired or moved. Still, institutions like Michigan Tech can't push them out of the way overnight. We have to tell our story often, better, and widely. And I think we can do that."
"My biggest challenge will be to learn people's hopes and aspirations and try to mesh those with the strategic plan," he said. "The provost's job is fundamentally a people job," focusing on encouraging members of the MTU community to work together.
President Curt Tompkins said Wray will chair the Strategic Planning Group, which will be playing a key role in setting the University's agenda for the future and determining how funding will be allocated. And he praised the efforts of the Provost Search Committee, including committee chair Bill Bulleit and vice chair Bob Keen, particularly for spearheading a thorough and collegial recruitment process.
The Board of Control voted unanimously August 3 to approve Wray's appointment and annual salary of $170,000. He was also granted tenure and the rank of professor of civil engineering.
Submitted by Dean Woodbeck
John Sellars, senior vice president for advancement and marketing, is leaving for a similar position at Syracuse University in New York, effective January 1.
"John Sellars has been exceedingly effective at all that I have asked him to do during the past four years," said President Curt Tompkins. "He has been a very positive team member. All of his areas of responsibility have improved with his leadership, and he is highly respected by our donors. Many of the major gifts made to Michigan Tech are attributable to his skills in working with successful alumni and other friends."
Tompkins also said the University will begin a national search for a replacement.
Sellars joined the Michigan Tech staff in April 1996. During his tenure, contributions to the University have increased significantly, and Michigan Tech has launched the most ambitious capital campaign in its history. To date, the University has raised more than $90 million toward the $140 million goal.
Under Sellars's leadership, giving to Michigan Tech has increased from $6 million to more than $45 million annually. In addition, the University has developed a marketing and advertising campaign aimed at increasing enrollment, enhanced its international alumni and development program, and consolidated its corporate outreach and fundraising programs.
"John Sellars has made an outstanding contribution to MTU, one that will always be remembered and appreciated," said Claude Verbal, chair of the Board of Control. "John will be missed for his contribution to the MTU team, but we will continue on the path that John has started us down relative to increasing our endowment and our enrollment. The Board of Control wishes John and his wife much success in their future at Syracuse University."
Your Very Own Power Tool: Starting an E-Mail List at MTU
Yes! You and your group at Michigan Tech can have your own e-mail list, courtesy of majordomo. Whether you are rescheduling a meeting or trying to get together for softball, nothing short of skywriting is better for getting information out quickly to a group.
There aren't a lot of rules. The only real requirement is that lists have to be MTU-related. And and employee or student must serve as the list owner and make sure the list is used for its intended purpose, and not, say, to sell used vehicles. Also, the list's function should be reflected in its name, e.g. the tech-topics-l list is used to send Tech Topics to subscribers. Don't just name a list after your pet gerbil or a third-party presidential candidate.
To get started, go to http://majordomo.mtu.edu and fill out the easy-to-use form. (If you are starting a class list, this is especially easy. Just fill out information on the class, and all of the enrolled students will be added automatically.) It's pretty self explanatory.
If you have questions about an existing list or about getting a new list, please e-mail mailinglist-request@mtu.edu. Or call Cynthia MacDonald from Distributed Computing Services at 487-1723.
**Special for Faculty and GTAs: WebCT
To promote even more communication in your classes, you can also use WebCT, a Web-based, course-management system that provides features such class bulletin boards, assignment drop-off, and chat rooms for holding question-and-answer sessions. See http://www.it.mtu.edu/dcs/webct/ to learn more.
Volunteers Sought for Housebuilding Project
The MTU student chapter of Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers to help build a house in South Range for Kelly and Brenda Maki and their three children.
The chapter is starting the project with a "blitz build" August 21-25. Volunteers will then work on Saturdays through the middle of October to complete the project.
Construction knowledge or experience is helpful, but many activities require no special knowledge. In addition to helping with construction, volunteers provide lunches, clean up the site, help with landscaping, and assist with administrative tasks.
Anyone in the campus community wishing to volunteer may contact the Habitat for Humanity student chapter president, Matt Walz, at mawalz@mtu.edu or the faculty advisor, Kelly Strong, at kstrong@mtu.edu
Reconfirm Your Bookings at Northern Lights
If your department has an event scheduled at the Northern Lights Restaurant, Best Western Franklin Square, please call Jan Lubinski at 482-4882 to reconfirm your reservation.
Michigan Tech has been notified that the restaurant experienced a loss of data, and that information on future functions is missing. To make sure your event happens as planned, be sure to call 482-4882 as soon as possible.
Use It Right or Lose It: Your Purchasing Card
Purchasing has suspended the purchasing cards assigned to seven MTU employees following an audit for the fiscal year ending June 30.
Internal Audit reviewed the records of thirty-one cardholders and checked another ninety transactions for compliance. They found numerous violations, including failing to keep receipts, paying sales tax, purchasing prohibited items (such as food and plane tickets), and exceeding the item value limit (now raised to $2,499.99).
Of the 31 cardholders audited, 24 had violations, and 22 had missing receipts. Of the 90 transactions selected for review, 21, or 23 percent, had missing receipts. "The good news is that about half a dozen cardholders had used their cards perfectly for an entire year," Purchasing Manager Jack Engel said. "This proves that it is possible to do things right."
Compliance with card policies has actually declined in the last three years, according to the audit report. At the recommendation of Internal Audit, on July 28 Purchasing suspended the cards of seven MTU employees who have severely violated the policy. The cards will be reinstated August 28.
"We've been really reluctant to suspend anyone's purchasing card, but we had to do something to get people's attention," Engel said. "It's critical that anyone using an MTU credit card know the rules and follow them." In addition to running afoul of University policy, anyone who uses a card improperly to charge items to a US government research grant account could put MTU in violation of federal rules, Engel noted.
Purchasing won't be waiting until the next audit to take action against policy violators. They will be reviewing statements periodically, and anyone who repeatedly uses their card improperly runs the risk of having their card suspended.
A number of regulations apply to card use, and they aren't always obvious. If you have a purchasing card, check out the Purchasing Card Web site at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/pur/purchcard.shtml, just to make sure you don't misuse your card by accident.
Associate Professor Alex Mayer (Geological Engineering and Sciences) has received a Fulbright grant to help fund his research at Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands.
Mayer will be on sabbatical during the upcoming academic year to pursue his research on groundwater contamination. He will work with his colleague Majid Hassanizadeh, an expert on modeling flow and on chemical transport in groundwater. Hassanizadeh's theoretical strengths should complement Mayer's background as an experimental researcher. "Hopefully, we will help predict how contaminants move through the water and choose the best ways to clean it up," Mayer said.
In addition to the Fulbright and sabbatical funding, Mayer will be on the faculty at Delft University of Technology as a visiting professor. "I hope this will turn into a longterm collaboration involving faculty and student exchanges," he said. "I also plan to have some of my graduate students visit me here."
About 2,000 Fulbrights were awarded this year to support study, teaching, and research abroad. Recipients are chosen based on their academic or professional achievement and unusual leadership potential in their fields. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit http://exchanges.state.gov/education/fulbright/
Ehm Leaving for Parts Downstate
Video reporter and prankster par excellence Kraig Ehm is leaving MTU for one of those schools to the south. (Think cow.) University Relations will host a drop-in reception for him in the UR conference room, G17 in the basement of the Administration Building, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 10. Stop by and say "bye."
Regular Features (Back to Contents)
Wendy S. Jones has joined the staff of the School of Forestry and Wood Products as a research associate. She has BS and MS degrees in Forestry from Michigan Tech.
Nick Sirdensis has joined the Facilities Management staff as manager of the Mt. Ripley Ski Hill. From 1981 until coming to MTU, he was mountain manager of Blackjack Ski Resort. He is married to Julie Sirdensis and has three children, Lacey, Noah, and Nikko. He enjoys "skiing, working, and raising kids."
Assistant Professor Brent Lekvin and Gerry Suchanek (University of Iowa) coauthored a chapter, "Bond Pricing: Some Evidence of Tax-Effects in the Term Structure," in the book Advances in Quantitative Analysis of Finance and Accounting, Volume 8.
Former postdoctoral associate Luguang Wu, Assistant Professor Chandrashekhar Joshi, and Professor Vincent Chiang (SFWP) have published a paper, "A Xylem-Specific Cellulose Synthase Gene from Aspen (Populus tremuloides) Is Responsive to Mechanical Stress," in the June 2000 issue of The Plant Journal, Vol. 22.
Research Assistant Professor Laigeng Li, former postdoctoral associate Yuriko Osakabe, Assistant Professor Chandrashekhar Joshi, and Professor Vincent Chiang (SFWP) have published an article, "Secondary Xylem-Specific Expression of Caffeoyl Coenzyme A-3-O-Methyl Transferase Plays an Important Role in the Methylation Pathway Associated with Lignin Biosynthesis in Loblolly Pine," in Plant Molecular Biology, Vol. 40, 1999.
Assistant Professor Chandrashekhar Joshi (SFWP) and former research scientist I Rama Joshi (Chemistry) coauthored the following publication with other authors from Texas Tech University and New Mexico State University: N. Klueva, R. C. Joshi, C. P. Joshi, D. B. Wester, R. E. Zartman, R. G. Cantrell, and H. T. Nguyen: "Genetic Variability and Molecular Responses of Root Penetration in Cotton," in Plant Science, Vol. 155, No. 1, 2000.
Assistant Professor Ulrich H.E. Hansmann (Physics) presented an invited plenary talk, "Statistical Physics of Proteins: The Generalized-Ensemble Approach," at the 2nd International Conference on Modern Trends in Computational Physics, held July 24-29 in Dubna, Russia.
Research Scientist II Dana L. Richter (SFWP) presented a poster, "Wood Decay Fungus Laboratory," at the Mycological Society of America Annual Meeting, held July 31-August 3 in Burlington, Vermont. The poster was coauthored with Professor Peter E. Laks (SFWP) and was a part of a special session, Teaching Fungi in the Laboratory.
Assistant Professor Paul Charlesworth (Chemical Engineering) presented a paper, "WebCT@MTU: Rejuvenating General Chemistry" and chaired a symposium, "Using the Web in Teaching," on August 3 at the 16th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, in Ann Arbor. The paper was co-authored by Assistant Professor Chelley Vician (SBE), and DCS Director Ann West (Information Technology). Charlesworth also met with met with representatives of Prentice-Hall to discuss electronic textbook distribution.
Assistant Professor Chandrashekhar Joshi (SFWP) presented an invited seminar, "Exciting World of Cellulose Synthases in Plants," at the 2000 World Congress on In Vitro Biology, held June 10-15 in San Diego, CA. His paper was co-authored by former postdoctoral associate, Luguang Wu, graduate student, Rajesh Chavli and Professor Vincent Chiang (all SFWP).
Investigators, their proposals, and their potential sponsors are
Job descriptions will be available at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, or by e-mail at <JOBS@MTU.EDU>.
The following positions will be posted Friday, August 11, 2000, at 1:00 p.m. through noon, Friday, August 18, 2000, in the Human Resources Office.
Custodian--Memorial Union (Second shift; AFSCME internal posting only)
Custodian--Facilities Management (AFSCME internal posting only; regular, full-time position; night shift during the academic year, day shift during summer)
CHP Mechanic/Operator--Energy Management (AFSCME internal and external posting)
Food Service Helper--Residential Services/Dining (AFSCME internal and external posting; regular, part-time position)
Office Assistant N5--Center for International Education (UAW internal posting only)
Secretary II N4--University Relations Design and Publications Services (UAW internal and external posting)
Secretary II N4--Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (UAW internal and external posting)
International Education Advisor--Center for International Education
Director of Development for the School of Business and Economics/Planned Giving Advisor--Advancement
University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, August 18, 2000, to be considered as internal candidates for bargaining unit positions only. Applicants from the recall pool will be given first consideration for non-bargaining-unit positions only. Vacancy announcements are normally posted every Friday at 1:00 p.m. in the Human Resources Office. Complete job descriptions are available in the Human Resources Office or by calling 487-2280. More information regarding employment opportunities is available by calling the Job Line at 487-2895. Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer.