September 28, 2001, Vol. 34, No. 5
Senate Hears Update on MTEPS
Campus Campaign Off and Running
Ten Employees Get HARP Checks
Cosmic Art on Display in the Rozsa
Tickets on Sale for Employee Excellence Award Luncheon
Engineering Enterprise Poster Session Monday
Foreign Travel Advisory
NSF Research Fellowships Available
Post-It Note Inventor to Speak at Michigan Tech
Teaching at Tech: Retention
Branford Marsalis at the Rozsa Center
"Stringtown" Reading Opens Theater Season
Lankton to Speak Thursday on the Power Behind the Mines
Novelist, Development-Agency Critic Coming to Copper Country
Overworked and Overwhelmed? Try the "7 Habits" Workshops
Lunch 'n' Learn Oct. 3 on Dealing with Tragedy
Financial Management Workshop Oct. 10
October Computer Classes
Seminar Friday on Marine Radiocarbon Ages
New Staff
In Print
On the Road
Calendar
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)
Michigan Tech probably doesn't stand to lose financially through the Michigan Tech EnterPrise Smartzone, Larry Davis (SBE) reported Sept. 26 to the University Senate. And it could potentially gain in a number of areas. However, he said, the University has put a priceless commodity, its good name, on the table in supporting MTEPS.
"The first thing the University has at risk isn't its financial resources," said Davis, a senate alternate and interim representative to MTEPS.
"The most valuable thing is our reputation, and that's on the line."
MTEPS is one of about a dozen Smartzones designated by the state. It will receive captured state taxes for up to 15 years to help establish and support business, primarily high-tech enterprises, in Houghton and Hancock.
As planned, Michigan Tech will benefit by having increased opportunities for commericalizing intellectual property, more local internships and co-ops for students and more local jobs for MTU graduates. However, Davis said, none of these outcomes is guaranteed.
One undeniable benefit is goodwill in the community, he said. To withdraw from MTEPS at this point would hurt MTU's relationship with local governments and businesses. And the state will be injecting millions of dollars into the local economy through MTEPS, which will help the area whether MTEPS meets its goals or not.
The project could also provide more fundraising opportunities and raise awareness of the University, he said.
Senator Jim Pickens (SFWP) asked about the involvement of the Keweenaw Industrial Council in MTEPS. Davis said he had concerns, since it is an organization of businesses that could stand to benefit from MTEPS activities. However, the KIC has been involved in MTEPS since it was conceived, has provided in-kind services and is included in its bylaws, so its unlikely that the group would be removed.
Senator Steve Seidel (Computer Science) said he thought MTEPS won't work in the current economic climate. "Who knows?" Davis said. The area will never be a Research Triangle or Silicon Valley, he said, but MTEPS is expected to bring in $17 million in state funds which can only help.
Senator David Hand (Civil and Environmental Engineering) asked about the University's liability. Davis said that having MTEPS incorporate as a separate entity should protect MTU and that attorneys were addressing the issue.
Senator Kelly Strong (SBE) said he was concerned that the University could be asked to provide funding to MTEPS in the event of financial difficulties, since Houghton and Hancock would probably not be willing or able to do so. "I think the University would be willing to walk away" rather than shoulder a significant financial burden, Davis said.
In other business, the senate
Campus Campaign Off and Running
The 25th annual Campus Campaign got under way on Sept. 24, providing all faculty and staff an opportunity to invest in any program or activity at Michigan Tech.
Gifts to the campaign can be designated for almost anything: a specific department or scholarship fund, the Friends of the Rozsa program, the Huskies Club, or any other campus project or program that you feel deserves an extra measure of support.
Last year, 491 employees contributed $168,968, for a participation rate of 37.2 percent. "We hope to increase our overall participation this year," says Paula Nutini, director of annual giving and regional advancement officer. "Corporations and foundations consider the level of employee participation when they are allocating their gifts, and new employee donations of even $10 and $25 will help us."
Michigan Tech has raised $136 million toward the Leaders for Innovation Campaign's $140 million goal. Any dollars received though this annual Campus Campaign will help the University achieve this milestone. With this in mind, employees are being encouraged to look beyond the current fiscal year and consider making a multi-year pledge which will boost the capital campaign totals.
MTU employees should have received a Campus Campaign packet, including pledge/payroll deduction forms. Tax deductible gifts may be made by check, cash, credit card or payroll deduction. For more information, contact Nutini (487-3324 or pjnutini@mtu.edu) at the Michigan Tech Fund.
The Michigan Tech Fund sponsors the annual Campus Campaign. The Fund promotes, receives, invests and disburses gifts for the benefit of the University.
Ten sharp-eyed Michigan Tech employees have collected cash awards through the Healthcare Audit Reward Program since it began March 1.
HARP rewards employees who discover that the University has paid in error for health-care services. Employees who report these overpayments to the Benefits Office receive 35 percent of the amount recovered, up to $500.
Three of these 10 employees received the maximum award of $500. In two of these cases, Michigan Tech paid for services that should have been charged to another carrier; in the third, the service should have been paid through another Blue Cross Blue Shield policy. The errors involved two surgeries and one course of physical therapy.
Other employees have received smaller checks. "These awards may seem small by some standards, but they can pay the groceries for a week," said Administrative Aide Maryann Wilcox, who oversees the HARP program.
"These smaller errors aren't so astronomical that they'll impact Michigan Tech's financial situation, but it's the principle," she added. "Health care is expensive enough, and the University shouldn't have to pay anything it doesn't owe."
Other things to look for? One employee saw that MTU paid for minor surgery that wasn't performed; another saw that the University paid twice for the same doctor visit. And, "if you undergo a procedure, look over your Blue Cross Blue Shield statement and make sure that an extra one isn't on there," Wilcox said. For example, if you've had a chest X-ray, make sure that the University isn't also paying for a head X-ray that never happened.
And it pays to pay attention. "In one case, the University paid for a procedure that should have been covered by another Blue Cross policy through another employer," Wilcox said. "That would be very easy to overlook, since the statements look alike."
She stressed that finding an error doesn't mean that a health-care provider is trying to put one over on MTU. "When you go to the grocery story and find a mistake on your receipt, that doesn't mean that the cashier is trying to steal your money," Wilcox noted. "These things can happen through a software error or a clerical mistake; we're not pointing our finger at anyone. What's important is to correct the mistake." The only way to do that is to read carefully your Explanation of Benefits statements from Blue Cross Blue Shield.
And remember, only you can prevent overpayments. "The employee is the only one who will know if they've had a CT scan of the brain or not," Wilcox said.
For more information on HARP, call the Benefits Office at 487-2517 or e-mail mawilcox@mtu.edu or iecheney@mtu.edu.
Tickets on Sale for Employee Excellence Award Luncheon
Tickets are now on sale for the 2001 Employee Excellence Awards Luncheon, to be held Wednesday, Oct. 10, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom. The award recipients and nominees will be honored at the luncheon. You may purchase tickets for the pasta buffet from any Staff Council member for $6. The award winners are William Matkin, in the administrative/professional category; Elizabeth (Betty) Gaff, clerical/secretarial; and Mark Myllyoja, craft/maintenance/food service/technical. The following employees were also nominated for Employee Excellence Awards: Carol Argentati, Dennis Baril, Robert Barron, David Bezotte, Terry Clouthier, Lisa Dwyer, Richard Elenich, Annie Emmerling, Diane Gilbert, Dennis Hagenbuch, Lynda Heinonen, Joan Hembroff, Joan Hoffman, Jarrod Karau, Cheryl Kiley, Beth Krenek, Evona (Vonnie) Lutzke, Edward Maki, Dennis Moore, Patti Myllyoja, Linda Osthoff, Joann Peterson, Kathe Prince, Kim Puuri, Lorri Reilly, John Rovano, Mary Ellen Stevens, Brenda Sutherland, Linda Watson and Carol Wiitanen.
"All of the nominees had outstanding nominations sent in by their supervisors, co-workers and other MTU employees, making it very difficult for the selection committee to narrow the choice to one winner in each category," Staff Council said. "We thank all of you who took the time to submit nominations. A special thank you to the Employee Excellence Selection Committee for all their time and effort in reviewing each nomination and selecting this year's recipients."
Cosmic Art on Display in the Rozsa
The Rozsa Center at Michigan Technological University is the temporary home of a special artwork representing one of the most mysterious phenomena in the known universe: cosmic rays.
"Variations on a Cosmic Ray," by Hawaiian artist Masako Nitz, will be on display at the Rozsa Center until Oct. 12. Then it will be shipped to its permanent home in Malargue, Argentina, the Southern Hemisphere Pierre Auger Observatory.
The international observatory is being built to detect the highest-energy cosmic rays, which travel with unimaginable force and speed, slamming into the Earth's atmosphere with 100 million times more energy than can be generated by the most powerful particle accelerators ever built. When these cosmic rays hit the atmosphere, they initiate a cascade of particles called an air shower.
"Each country that participates in the Auger Project was invited to contribute a piece of art to display in the Visitors' Center," said associate professor of physics David Nitz, head of the future Northern Hemisphere Pierre Auger Observatory. So, on behalf of the U.S. and Michigan Tech, he and his wife, Mary Marchaterre, commissioned an artwork reflecting the power of a cosmic ray air shower from their niece, Masako Nitz of Kailua, Kona, Hawaii.
An artist who works in wood, Masako Nitz created a veneered and inlaid panel, her interpretation in wood and metal of cosmic rays entering the earth's atmosphere. The grain rays and figure of the various woods used were chosen to represent the power and direction of these particles as their paths are deflected upon colliding with other particles in Earth's atmosphere.
Her work has been exhibited at a number of juried exhibits and galleries throughout Hawaii, and Masako Nitz is chairing Hawaii's Woodshow 2001 on behalf of the Hawaii Forest Industry Association.
"I thought it would be particularly appropriate to send a piece like this from the Upper Peninsula because we have such an interest here in wood products," David Nitz said. "And it should be interesting for visitors from Argentina. They have so little wood that it's a prized commodity. Every well-to-do house has a varnished wood door."
You can view "Variations on a Cosmic Ray" in the Rozsa Center lobby from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Engineering Enterprise Poster Session Monday
Michigan Tech's 15 Engineering Enterprise teams will showcase their work during the second annual Enterprise Program Poster Session, set for Monday, Oct. 1, 3-6 p.m. in Memorial Union Ballroom A.
Everyone is invited. Please stop by and show your support/appreciation for the more than 300 students involved in Enterprise this year.
Submitted by Janet Hayden, risk manager
We have received the following information from our insurance company regarding foreign travel.
Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. military retaliatory action is expected against targets in Afghanistan and other suspected terrorist sites. Corporations with employees in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen should immediately evacuate all staff and dependents.
As intense, adverse reaction to possible American retaliation is expected in the following countries, nonessential travel to such countries should be postponed: Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
MTU's foreign travel insurance coverage excludes coverage for persons traveling to any country or jurisdiction which is the subject of trade or economic sanctions imposed by the laws or regulations of the United States of America.
If you are traveling out of the country, here are some Web sites that may be useful:
U.S. Embassies and Consulates Worldwide: http://www.travel.state.gov/links.html
U.S. Embassy and/or Consulate Abroad: http://www.usembassy.state.gov
Host Country Embassy in the U.S.: http://www.embassy.org/embassies
U.S. Department of State: http://www.state.gov
U.S. Department of State: Diplomatic Security http://www.ds.state.gov
U.S. Department of State Overseas Security Advisory Council: http://www.ds-osac.org
NSF Research Fellowships Available
The National Science Foundation is accepting applications for its 2002-03 three-year graduate research fellowship competition.
About 900 fellowhips will be awarded to students in the early stages of their graduate studies in science, mathematics and engineering. Each fellowship provides a stipend of $20,500 for 12 months, plus a cost of education allowance of $10, 500.
The application deadline is Nov. 7, and all applicants should use the NSF FastLane process; see http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov
For more information, visit the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov/frfp.
Post-It Note Inventor to Speak at Michigan Tech
Art Fry didn't invent the special adhesive that didn't stick very well, and he didn't invent the paper. But he did find a way to put them together so they wouldn't come apart. What resulted was the newest thing to happen to notes in years. His Post-it Notes--marketed around the world by 3M--fasten themselves just about anywhere, and lift off without a sign that they've ever been there.
Fry will talk about this revolutionary innovation in his lecture "Post-it Notes: They Were Not an Accident" on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. in Dow 641. His talk is free and open to the public.
Fry has made several contributions to 3M's new product world, but the most significant was the Post-it Note. The product had its root as a solution looking for a problem. A colleague, Spence Silver, had discovered a unique, high-quality adhesive composed of tiny particles that would adhere instantly, but less tightly than other adhesives. The adhesive was strong enough to hold papers together, but weak enough to not tear paper fibers when it was removed. Fry's initial business application for the adhesive was a bookmark for his music in the church choir. This proved to be just the beginning of a long effort by Fry and teams of colleagues to bring Post-it Notes, tapes, and labels to a world of users.
Now semi-retired, Art holds 3M's top technical title, corporate scientist. A Midwesterner with both rural and urban roots, Art began working for 3M part-time in 1953, while still a University of Minnesota chemical engineering student. His career was devoted almost entirely to new product development--using the stream of leading-edge materials and technologies generated by 3M research, to create products to solve customer problems and to help build businesses around them.
Fry credits a youth full of change with giving him the taste for variety and some of the background useful for a career in product development. Born in Minnesota, he attended a one-room school in a small Iowa town from kindergarten through the fifth grade. His family then moved to Kansas City when his father changed careers. As a youngster who grew up in the pre-television era, Fry often invented his own entertainment. A pile of boards could be made into a bobsled in the winter, or a shack in the summer.
The invention of the Post-it Note--introduced in 1980--earned him a number of 3M honors. Fry received the highest form of peer recognition by being elected to 3M's Carlton Society. He was also on the team for two Golden Step Awards and was elected to 3M's Circle of Technical Excellence. Post-it Notes and Microreplication Technologies were cited when 3M received the National Medal of Technology in 1996. Fry was recently voted by Esquire Magazine as one of the best 100 people in the world.
Fry's visit is sponsored by the Center for Technological Innovation, Leadership and Entrepreneurship (CenTILE) and is part of the "From Idea to Market" lecture series. For more information, contact Karol Pelc, 906-487-2663 or kipelc@mtu.edu.
By William Kennedy, director, Center for Teaching, Learning, and Faculty Development
Over the last decade or so, the percentage of entering students who persist into a second year of study at MTU has declined by nearly 15 percent. Preliminary tallies suggest that nearly a quarter of the students who came to MTU in the fall of 2000 chose not to return this fall. The economic impact of this continuing decline in a period of increased costs and declining state support, not to mention the potential for ill will generated by so many former MTU students who chose to leave, should not be ignored. Nationally, schools labeled selective in their admissions requirements (ACT 22-27) lose about 18 percent of their entering students by the fall of the sophomore year, while highly selective schools (ACT 27-31) lose only 8 percent on average.
Vincent Tinto, the leading figure in retention research in higher education over the last 20 years, has long asserted that an institution's capacity to retain its entering students is largely dependent upon the academic and social climate of the university or college. Students who quickly become intellectually involved with their courses and socially engaged with the campus and the community tend to persist; those who don't leave at higher rates. If this is true, it would follow that identifying and eliminating those things which discourage early academic and social engagement might be our first order of business in regaining control of student retention.
Some faculty members have suggested to me that we should only admit students with ACT scores of 30 or above; students who tend to persist at higher rates. Raising standards always sounds good, but the reality is that more and more schools are ever more fiercely competing for a declining number of high school students interested in the disciplines offered at MTU. The enrollment management consultant from Noel Levitz who recently visited campus pointed out that the students that want what we teach and are well-prepared to succeed in our programs are in very short supply. In addition, they are being courted by a long list of institutions with very deep pockets and appealing programs. Whatever the case, taking measures to meet the academic and social needs of the students we are actually admitting would appear to be the prudent thing to do.
Why do students leave Tech after one year? It seems like a reasonable question, but finding specific answers is a rather daunting affair. Phone interviews and exit interviews usually yield unreliable results. Tinto asserts that the typical early-attrition student actually decides to leave the university very early in their academic career. What they report during the exit interview, if they will speak to you at all, is usually the straw that broke the camel's back rather than a definitive explanation of their dissatisfaction. But we do know some things about our students that should raise concerns about their academic engagement.
We know that over 40 percent of our first-year students find themselves on academic probation during one or both of their first two semesters. We also know that, when asked at the end of the term if they had actually wanted to take the courses they were just completing, 27 percent of the time they indicated they had not.* In addition, 24 percent of the responses of first-year students indicated they had been ambivalent about enrolling in the courses they had recently completed. Overall, less than half of the responses to the survey indicated that they had an actual initial desire to take the course in which they were enrolled. If initial motivation is predictive of academic engagement, as student survey data would support, then at least 27 percent, or maybe slightly over half of our students, are telling us something about the nature of the problem we are having academically engaging our first-year students.
Are there ways that we can make the first year of instruction more intellectually engaging and appealing to our students? That's an interesting question!
*Spring 2001 excluding Physical Education and ROTC courses
Entertainment and Enrichment (Back to Contents)
Branford Marsalis at the Rozsa Center
Submitted by University Cultural Enrichment
Grammy-Award-winner Branford Marsalis, one of the world's greatest saxophone players, brings his quartet to the Rozsa Center at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28. With Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on bass and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums, this is an ensemble of outstanding musicians of international stature. Tickets are on sale at Rozsa Center Ticketing Services (487-3200, Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and can also be purchased online at http://www.tickets.mtu.edu.
Renowned for his virtuosity and agility on the sax, nothing is too fast for Branford's fingers. Critics praise the emotional depth and maturity of his performance, as well as the edge and excitement of his playing. The hallmark of the quartet's music is their freshness and originality. It's music that provides new perspectives and provokes new responses, allowing us to hear what is next rather than simply what we already know.
Marsalis won a Grammy for "Contemporary Jazz," his 12th jazz album. "The album's title . . . could not be more descriptive," declared Billboard Magazine. "This straight-ahead jazz set is truly contemporary, completely in the moment, and part-and-parcel with the times in which it was created . . . The music is as visceral as it comes."
Marsalis also won a Grammy in 1993 for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group, for his album "I Heard You Twice The First Time," and another in 1994 (Best Pop Instrumental Performance for "Barcelona Mona," a single he recorded with Bruce Hornsby for the Olympics in Spain).
Marsalis was born into one of New Orleans' most distinguished and versatile musical families, which includes brothers Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason, and the family patriarch, pianist/music educator Ellis Marsalis. He has played with some of the greatest luminaries in the jazz world, including Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Clark Terry, and Kenny Kirkland, and he plays as often as he can with brother Wynton and father Ellis.
Marsalis has also blazed trails in many different forms of music. Equally as at home on the classical stage as he is in jazz venues, his eclectic mix includes rock with the Grateful Dead and Sting, hip-hop with the ground-breaking project Buckshot Le Fonque, and, going a step further, recordings of the music of Fauré, Ravel, Satie and Debussy in "Romances for Saxophone" with the English Chamber Orchestra. "Creation," released in March of this year, is a collaboration with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. It features a program of jazz-influenced and inspired classics from early 20th century French composers, including Milhaud, Ravel, Debussy and others. He's also composed and played solo in several film scores.
The visit of Branford Marsalis to the Rozsa is made possible by the James and Margaret Black Endowment and the MTU Committee for Campus Enrichment. For more information, contact the MTU Great Events Series Office (487-2844).
"Stringtown" Reading Opens Theater Season
Submitted by the Department of Fine Arts
Michigan Tech's theater season opens this week with a unique event: a reading by four faculty members of "Stringtown: A 33-Poem Story," written by Richard Blanning, associate professor of fine arts. Randall Freisinger (Humanities), Milton Olsson (Fine Arts), and Mike Irish (Fine Arts) will join Blanning in reading the poems, with incidental music improvised by Olsson and Irish on piano and guitar. Refreshments will be served before and after the event, when nine of Blanning's recent sculptures will be on display.
"Stringtown" will be performed on Saturday and Sunday, September 29-30, at 8 p.m. in McArdle Theatre. (This is a change from the schedule in the Great Events Calendar.) Tickets are available from Rozsa Center Ticketing Services (487-3200 and http://www.tickets.mtu.edu) and at the door.
The stories in "Stringtown" are based on people Blanning knew in his boyhood in Aspen, Colorado, which was still a hardscrabble former mining town with no jet setters or condos in sight. "The poems are about the characters who live on the fringe, the other side of the tracks," Blanning says. "I knew and loved the kind of people I write about here, and they've held a wonderful place in my mind all my life. But really, I'm not even close to showing how unique they were, and how funny."
The poems are presented as though in the memory of a man driving west on I-80 to his home in Colorado, and noting the changes over 50-odd years. "It's the old concept of 'You can't go home again,' except perhaps in memory, and perhaps memory itself isn't one hundred percent reliable," Blanning says. "Or perhaps memory sees a greater truth." He adds, " It's all a bit critical of progress and the loss of a simpler life."
A playwright and actor as well as poet and sculptor, Blanning has been a member of the MTU faculty for 25 years. He teaches courses in art and theater, including art appreciation, three-dimensional design, creative writing, art history, speech and sculpture, and has directed more than 50 plays at Michigan Tech.
Lankton to Speak Thursday on the Power Behind the Mines
History professor Larry Lankton (Social Sciences) will give a talk, "Powering the Copper Mines: Boys, Men, Animals and Machines," on Thursday, Sept. 27., at 7 p.m. The event will take place in the old powerhouse in Houghton, just southwest of the Portage Lake lift bridge.
Lankton will review the development of power in the Keweenaw copper mines, beginning in the 1840s with simple hand tools and animal-powered winches. Mining companies then introduced new machinery and technologies to increase production. From drilling and blasting machinery to hoisting and processing equipment, the Michigan copper district constantly exploited new and emerging technologies to improve its operations and reduce costs.
In particular, Keweenaw copper companies made great use of steam technologies. The district was home to some of the world's largest hoisting and pumping engines. Companies also augmented their own in-house power sources with the developing public power grid.
The setting for Lankton's talk will be one of the region's original power generating plants. Built in 1890 for the Peninsula Electric Company, the building originally housed two coal-fired steam generators capable of producing 5,500 kilowatts of power. Decommissioned in 1959, the building has seen a variety of uses in more recent years, including a popular local teen center. Moyle Real Estate purchased the building and has begun both interior and exterior renovation work.
This presentation is part of the "Fourth Thursday in History" program, jointly sponsored by Keweenaw National Historical Park and the MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.
Presentations are scheduled in venues throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula, particularly historic sites associated with specific topics. Additional sponsoring partners are sought for the series, especially local historical societies, genealogical societies, social organizations and school groups.
Next in the series will be an Oct. 25 presentation on the shipwreck "City of Bangor" and a related exhibit at the Keweenaw County Historical Society in Eagle Harbor. A Jan. 24 event will provide an introduction to preserving your family history.
The presentation is free and open to the public. For further information, contact Keweenaw National Historical Park at 337-3168 or the MTU Archives at 487-2505.
Novelist, Development-Agency Critic Coming to Copper Country
A leading expert on agriculture in developing countries will be in the Copper Country Tuesday-Thursday, Oct. 2-4, to give three public talks.
Willem Beets will discuss "Multilateral Development Agencies: Five Reasons Why They Are Increasingly Ineffective" on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 4 p.m.
He will present "The Role of Trees in Raising the Sustainability of Smallholder Farming Systems in the Tropics" on Thursday, Oct. 4, at noon. Both talks will be held in Room G002 of the U. J. Noblet Forestry Building at Michigan Technological University.
His third talk, "Writing the Topical Novel" will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, at the Community Arts Center in Hancock.
Beets, of the Free University of Brussels, began his career as an agricultural extension agent in rural Kenya and has since spent 30 years in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean doing humanitarian work. He has collaborated with small landholders in rural areas, national governments and multilateral agencies.
He is a vocal critic of large, development agencies such as the World Bank and the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization. Beets charges that, even though such organizations often drive national policy, they don't understand the needs of developing countries, and their plans often fail to correct underlying problems.
He authored the text "Raising and Sustaining Productivity of Smallholder Farming Systems in the Tropics," on how to work in small communities to improve the livelihoods of peasant landholders, particularly with respect to planting trees as crops.
In addition to his humanitarian work, he has authored several novels, the latest based on his work during the last 10 years in North Korea and China, where his two most recent novels are set.
He has written "Chinese Encounters," "The Young Mzee," "The Dead President's Country" and "Under the Mosquito Net," the latter a collection of short stories. Topical novels include a social or political message as a key theme within the story. Beets will discuss how fact and fiction are combined and how he develops plots that entertain and deliver a message.
He currently combines his work at the Free University with international consulting.
His talks are free and open to the public. Beets' visit is sponsored by the School of Forestry and Wood Products. For more information, contact Blair Orr, 487-2291, bdorr@mtu.edu.
Seminars and Workshops (Back to Contents)
Overworked and Overwhelmed? Try the "7 Habits" Workshops
Do you feel overworked and overwhelmed? Are you struggling to handle job demands and pressures at home? Do you ever get so busy running that you forget where you're going? Attend the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People workshops and discover a new sense of direction, restore balance to your life and learn to accomplish your most important long-term goals by focusing on proven principles of effectiveness.
Powerful Life Transformation
A 7 Habits workshop is much more that an event. For many people, it begins an exciting transformation that not only helps them be more effective, but also promotes life balance and inner peace. During the workshop, you'll experience interactive exercises, case studies and poignant video segments, and learn from the experience of other participants. You'll receive pre-workshop materials, including a 7 Habits Profile, a confidential tool that helps you evaluate where you stand in relation to living the 7 Habits. At the workshop, you'll receive a comprehensive workshop manual and a 7 Habits Organizer, a powerful tool that will help you live the 7 Habits and achieve those things that are truly important to you.
Workshop Benefits
The 7 Habits workshops series will be held 1-5 p.m. on the following Thursdays: Oct. 18, Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 and Nov. 15.
By signing up, you are making a commitment to attend all five sessions in the series. Mary Raber (College of Engineering, Industrial Projects Coordinator), certified Covey facilitator, will lead the workshops.
Cost of the workshop is $67.50 and includes the 7 Habits paperback and participant manual. Refreshments will not be served. Participants may bring their own beverages or snacks to the sessions.
You will also have the option to purchase a Franklin planner time management planner at a cost of $45.
Faculty, staff and their spouses are encouraged to register. There is a maximum of 25 participants for the workshop series.
To register or for more information, contact Becky Christianson at 487-2416 or rwchrist@mtu.edu. Please include your phone number and account to be charged for the sessions.
Lunch 'n' Learn Oct. 3 on Dealing with Tragedy
Susan Donnelly, PhD, will present a lunch 'n' learn, "Helping Families Deal with an American Tragedy" on Wednesday, Oct. 3, from noon to 1 p.m in the Wadsworth Hall Oak Room.
Donnelly will discuss issues such as how to talk to our children about what's happening, signs to watch for, and how to help our families cope. Her presentation is hosted by the MTU Employee Assistance Program.
Financial Management Workshop Oct. 10
All MTU employees are invited to a free, basic financial management workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m.
The workshop offers new ways of budgeting, money management skills, credit card debt solutions and credit repair. Door prizes, refreshments and free gifts will be available.
The workshop is sponsored by the Michigan Tech Employees Community Federal Credit Union, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Michigan, and the BHK Child Development Board. The workshop will be held at the BHK main office, at 700 Waterworks Avenue, behind Econo Foods. Contact Gail Mickalich at 482-5005 or Buster Roberts at 482-3663 ext. 137 for more information.
Michigan Tech offers computer classes in collaboration with dL Education. To register for classes, send an e-mail to the Center for Professional Development and Quality Improvement at rwchrist@mtu.edu. Include the class(es) in which you want to enroll, your phone number and account number to which the class(es) should be charged. The charge is $60 for three-hour (half-day) classes; $120 for six-hour (full-day) sessions. Charges will be billed to your account the month following attendance. dL Education is located in the E. L. Wright Plaza, Suite 201A at 801 N. Lincoln Drive in Hancock. The Plaza is located on Quincy Hill, just below Pat's IGA.
If you have any questions, call 487-2416 or e-mail rwchrist@mtu.edu.
Seminar Friday on Marine Radiocarbon Ages
Elisabeth Sikes of the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University will give a seminar, "Old Radiocarbon Ages in the Southwest Pacific Ocean During the Last Glacial Period and Deglaciation," on Friday, Sept. 28, at 3 p.m. in Chemical Sciences and Engineering 101.
A reception follows at about 4:15 p.m. in Memorial Union Alumni Lounge B and will end at 5:30 p.m.
Sikes's visit is funded by the MTU Presidential Commission for Women and the Department of Educational Opportunity through the King-Chavez-Parks Initiative.
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Debbie A. Jarve has joined the residential services dining staff in Wadsworth Hall as a food service helper. She was previously employed at Fraki's Market for 12 years and as a Northridge Pines kitchen worker. Jarve lives in Calumet with her husband Dan, son Kyle and daughter Danielle. She enjoys walking and cross country skiing with her family.
Mark Bronson has joined the staff of J. R. Van Pelt Library as head of access services. He was previously employed as head of access services at Creighton University and as circulation librarian at South Dakota State University. Bronson has a master's of library science degree from Western Michigan University. He lives in Hancock with his wife Susan, his daughter Sophia and his son Maurice.
Professor Josiah Heyman (Social Sciences) authored the article "Class and Classification at the U.S.-Mexico Border," in "Human Organization," Vol. 60, No. 2 (2001).
Associate Professor Ulrich H. E. Hansmann (Physics) presented a talk, "New Algorithms and the Physics of Folding," at the Europhysics Conference on Computational Physics (CCP 2001), held Sept. 4-8 in Aachen, Germany.
Assistant Professor Dana Johnson (SBE) published a paper, "Linking QS-9000 to Quality Performance Outcomes," in the TQM Journal, Vol. 13, No. 3.
September
Hispanic Heritage Month
| 27 | Thursday |
| noon--carp, Live in the Lobby--Rozsa Center | |
| 1:30-2:30 p.m.--Open forum on health benefit changes--Wadsworth Hall Annex | |
| 7 p.m.--Larry Lankton, "Powering the Copper Mines: Boys, Men, Animals and Machines"--Houghton powerhouse | |
| 28 | Friday |
| 2 p.m.--Volleyball, Saginaw Valley State at MTU--SDC | |
| 3 p.m.--Elisabeth Sikes, "Old Radiocarbon Ages in the Southwest Pacific Ocean During the Last Glacial Period and Deglaciation"--Chem Sci 101 | |
| 8 p.m.--Branford Marsalis--Rozsa Center | |
| 29 | Saturday |
| 6 p.m.--Volleyball, Northwood at MTU--SDC | |
| 8 p.m.--"Stringtown"--McArdle Theatre | |
| 30 | Sunday |
| 8 p.m.--"Stringtown"--McArdle Theatre | |
October
National Disability Awareness Month
| 1 | Monday |
| 3-6 p.m.--Enterprise Program Poster Session--Memorial Union Ballroom A | |
| 2 | Tuesday |
| 4 p.m.--Willem Beets, "Multilateral Development Agencies: Five Reasons Why The Are Increasingly Ineffective"--Noblet G002 | |
| 3 | Wednesday |
| noon--Susan Donnelly, "Helping Families Deal with an American Tragedy"--Wadsworth Hall Oak Room | |
| 8 p.m.--Bruce Babbitt, "Environmental Challenges: America in the 21st Century--Rozsa Center | |
| 4 | Thursday |
| noon--Willem Beets, "The Role of Trees in Raising the Sustainability of Smallholder Farming Systems in the Tropics"--Noblet G002 | |
| 7 p.m.--Willem Beets, "Writing the Topical Novel"--Community Arts Center, Hancock | |
| 7:05 p.m.--Hockey, U.S. Select Under 18 Team--MacInnes Student Ice Arena | |
| 5 | Friday |
| 7:05 p.m.--Hockey, Silver/Gold Intersquad (may be played Oct. 6)--MacInnes Student Ice Arena | |
| 6 | Saturday |
| 7:05 p.m.--Hockey, Silver/Gold Intersquad (may be played Oct. 5)--MacInnes Student Ice Arena | |
| 10 | Wednesday |
| noon--Employee Excellence Award luncheon--Memorial Union Ballroom | |
| 7 p.m.--Volleyball, Finlandia at MTU--SDC | |
| 7 p.m.--Financial Management Workshop--BHK Office, Houghton | |
| 12 | Friday |
| 7:05 p.m.--Hockey, St. Lawrence at MTU--MacInnes Student Ice Arena | |
| 13 | Friday |
| noon--Football, Ashland at MTU (Homecoming)--Sherman Field | |
| 7:05 p.m.--Hockey, St. Lawrence at MTU--MacInnes Student Ice Arena |
Job descriptions will be available at 1:00 p.m. on Friday or by e-mail from <JOBS@MTU.EDU>. For a complete listing of available jobs, visit http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings/index.shtml
The following positions will be posted Friday, Sept. 28, 2001, at 1:00 p.m. through noon, Friday, Oct. 5, 2001, in the Human Resources Office.
Secretary (N3)--Air Force ROTC (Regular, full-time, nine-month position; UAW internal and external posting)
Specialized Clerk (N3)--MTU Apartments (UAW internal and external posting)
Assistant Food Service Supervisor--Residential Services-Dining
Assistant Professor--Chemistry
University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, Oct. 5, 2001, 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.