Alumni Gifts Fund Two Major Learning Initiatives at Michigan Tech

Fri, 3 May 2013 14:18:02 -0400

Michigan Technological University is launching two major initiatives aimed at improving student success and providing faculty with new tools for enhancing student learning.

Both efforts are made possible through generous gifts from alumni. An $876,000 bequest from the estate of Waino Wahtera, who earned a BS in Chemistry from Michigan Tech in 1942, will fund the Wahtera Center for Student Success. The William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning is supported by an outright gift of $1 million. The president of CableAmerica, William G. Jackson graduated from Michigan Tech in 1958 with a BS in Electrical Engineering.

The Wahtera Center for Student . . .

Michigan Tech Receives $100,000 from General Motors

Fri, 1 Mar 2013 08:58:15 -0500

Michigan Technological University recently received a $100,000 gift from the General Motors Foundation, a long-time University supporter.

The gift will fund a variety of student activities. Among them are the Advanced Hybrid Electric Vehicle and Advanced Motorsports Enterprises, several senior design teams, student groups and diversity programs.

General Motors Company recently donated a 2011 Chevy Cruse for hybrid engine/vehicle testing, research and education in the Advanced Power Systems Research Center.

"The General Motors Foundation is proud of its long standing affiliation with Michigan Tech,” said Kurt Wiese, GM’s executive director, Global Manufacturing Engineering. “This grant furthers our support of Science, Technology, Engineering and . . .

Yun Hang Hu Appointed to McArthur Professorship

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:16:57 -0500

Yun Hang Hu has been named the Charles and Carroll McArthur Professor in Michigan Technological University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Hu is an excellent choice for the post, said department chair Stephen Kampe. “Yun has had an incredibly productive academic career since his appointment to the faculty in 2007,” Kampe said. “During this time, he has advised one of the largest research groups in the department and has become one of our most effective instructors. Many of his publications are of great interest and are highly cited.”

Hu is the author or coauthor of more than 100 journal publications. His

Endowed Professorship to Honor Longtime Michigan Tech Faculty Member

Tue, 4 Dec 2012 16:57:11 -0500

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan Technological University has announced the creation of the Dennis Wiitanen Professorship in Electric Power Systems.

The professorship, which is funded by a $1 million endowment, honors Professor Emeritus Dennis Wiitanen, who retired in August 2012.

Department chair Dan Fuhrmann characterized Wiitanen as “tremendously influential.” The 42-year veteran faculty member served 25 years as associate chair and was a tireless proponent of the department’s power systems program, he said. Thousands of students completed his classes in power system design and analysis.

Those students were Wiitanen’s inspiration. “You’re 22 forever when you deal with young people,” . . .

DENSO Student Design Center Expands Horizons of Michigan Tech Engineering Students

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:04:50 -0500

When Dallas Smolarek started working in the DENSO Design Center at the Keweenaw Research Center, she was afraid to use a wrench.

Sixteen months later, the mechanical engineering major is comfortable not only holding, but using just about any tool. “I can even fix my own snowmobile,” she reports.

Smolarek is one of 10 undergraduates who are benefitting from a grant to Michigan Technological University from the DENSO North America Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the well-known automotive electronics supplier. In addition to supporting Michigan Tech’s Enterprise Program, the DENSO North America Foundation’s $50,000, 3-year grant outfitted and supports a bright, spacious . . .

Tretheweys Create Endowed Professorship for Portfolio Management Program

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:38:55 -0400

James and Dolores Trethewey have established a new endowed professorship in Michigan Technological University’s School of Business and Economics.

With a $1.16 million gift commitment, the couple is underwriting the James and Dolores Trethewey APMP Professorship. The inaugural recipient is Associate Professor Dean Johnson, founding director of the Applied Portfolio Management Program.

The gift supports the hands-on, real-life investment program that Johnson launched in 1998 with the Tretheweys’ backing. Finance students manage an investment portfolio of approximately $1.2 million with funds provided by a number of donors through the Michigan Tech Fund.

“This is a great and unexpected honor,” Johnson said. “I already . . .

Business School Dedicates LSGI Trading Room

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:00:23 -0400

“A great program finally has an appropriate and wonderful home,” says Darrell Radson, dean of the School of Business and Economics at Michigan Technological University. He is talking about the new LSGI Trading Room, which was dedicated Oct. 7. It will house the Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP).

The LSGI Trading Room was made possible by the generosity of Joe and Vickey Dancy. Joe, a 1976 Michigan Tech alumnus, is president of LSGI Advisors Inc., a venture fund organization.

APMP, mostly comprised of finance majors, is the School's long-time success story, winning three national competitions in just over a decade while allowing . . .

St. John Family Provides Another $1 Million Estate Gift to Michigan Tech

Wed, 8 Jun 2011 09:39:53 -0400

One of Michigan Technological University’s most generous benefactors and his wife, Franklin and Lorraine St. John, have recently established a $1 million charitable trust to support the Generations of Discovery Campaign. The primary goal of the campaign is to build the University’s endowment, particularly scholarships and faculty chairs.

St. John earned a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Tech in 1960. Since then, he has received numerous honors from his alma mater, including an Honorary Doctorate of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and the Board of Control Silver Medal. Additionally, he has been inducted into what is now the Academy of Materials Science . . .

Alumni Gifts Underwrite New Computing Research Center

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:17:41 -0500

The new Paul and Susan Williams Center for Computer Systems Research will soon provide a space where Michigan Tech’s computer scientists and engineers can put their heads together.

Equipment and furnishings for the 10,000-square-foot center are made possible by a gift from Paul Williams, a 1961 electrical engineering graduate. Williams, of Torrance, Calif., is a retired engineer who spent nearly all of his career with Hughes Aircraft.

Donations from other alumni are underwriting the costs of remodeling the fifth floor of the Electrical Energy Resources Center, which will house the new facility. The space was formerly occupied by the Seaman Mineral Museum. The . . .

Michigan Tech Helps Those Who Help Others

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:21:07 -0500

Michigan Technological University has established a new fellowship program for graduate students who have served in the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps or the military. So far, the University has awarded 10 fellowships.

In its first semester of operation, the National Service Graduate Fellowship covers as much as 30 percent of tuition, but its benefits extend beyond financial assistance.

"Through this program, we are getting more nontraditional students to campus who bring a different perspective to the classroom," said Blair Orr, a professor in Michigan Tech's School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. "They have a lot to contribute from . . .

New Henes Gift Enables First Step Toward Institute of Quantum Phenomena at Michigan Tech

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:51:56 -0400

Michigan Technological University’s Physics Department sees itself poised on the brink of greatness. Richard and Elizabeth Henes agree. Longtime and generous supporters of Michigan Tech, the couple has donated another $700,000 to the University to upgrade research facilities in Fisher Hall, including infrastructure improvements.

“This latest gift will help Michigan Tech continue to build an outstanding physics department that is working at the cutting edge of modern physics,” said University President Glenn D. Mroz. Building and improving our facilities helps attract and retain researchers at the forefront of their fields, he explained. Both goals are priorities of a $200 million capital . . .

Michigan Tech Kicks Off $200 Million Capital Campaign

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 22:00:00 -0400

Michigan Technological University is kicking off the public phase of a $200 million multi-year fund-raising campaign, President Glenn Mroz announced tonight. And appropriately enough on its 125th anniversary, Michigan Tech has already raised more than $125 million, he said, taking the University more than half way to its goal.

Called "Generations of Discovery," the campaign will enable Michigan Tech to acquire the resources to raise its recognition as a premier research university. It will focus primarily on the University’s strategic plan goal of attracting and supporting the very best faculty, students, and staff by increasing the number of endowed faculty positions and . . .

Mechanical Engineering Alumni Endow Three Associate Professorships at Michigan Tech

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:58:29 -0400

Three faculty members in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics are recipients of new endowed associate professorships at Michigan Technological University. ME-EM alumni John Calder and Ron Starr and their wives, Joan Calder and Elaine Starr, endowed the professorships.

Recognized with the endowed positions are Jeff Allen, L. Brad King and Jeff Naber, all associate professors of mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics. They were honored at a ceremony today in the Student Success Center of the R.L. Smith ME-EM Building.

“This is very special for our department and for Michigan Tech,” said ME-EM Chair Bill Predebon. He introduced the donors and the recipients of . . .

General Motors Gives More Support to Michigan Tech

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:52:50 -0400

The General Motors Foundation has donated $160,000 to Michigan Technological University to help support its Advanced Motorsports Enterprise, College of Engineering Senior Design, diversity programs, Career Services and student chapters of professional societies.

The gift brings the total GM has contributed to Michigan Tech this year to nearly $250,000. A longtime supporter of Michigan Tech, GM has given more than $8.3 million to the University over the past 35 years.

“GM’s steadfast and generous support of Michigan Tech deserves a special kind of thanks,” said President Glenn D. Mroz. “Despite its recent financial challenges, GM has stood by Michigan Tech as a loyal . . .

Coke Gives $10,000 to Clean Snowmobile Challenge

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:35 -0500

The Coca-Cola Foundation has donated $10,000 on behalf of Coca-Cola of Hancock to support the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge.

The SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge, set for March 15-20 at Michigan Technological University, is a collegiate design competition of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Engineering students from 19 participating schools are reengineering stock snowmobiles to reduce emissions and noise while maintaining or boosting performance.

Rob and Gary Scholie (pronounced sko-lee), owners of Coca-Cola of Hancock, have supported the Challenge for years though their donations of Coke products. The Challenge benefits the community, they said, which prompted them to go to the Coca-Cola Foundation . . .

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