Dr. Curtis J. Tompkins,
President
Michigan Technological
University

This annual Convocation is a very special occasion each September as we recognize outstanding faculty, staff and students; think together about the past year, and look forward to the future. This year's Convocation is extra special because we are meeting for the first time in the James and Margaret Black Hall, located in the beautiful Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, which will be dedicated on October 5. We processed through the Samuel and Grace Horner Lobby as we entered the building; the platform party and I are on the state-of-the-art James and Verle Klungness stage. Ted and Lola Rozsa, the Blacks, the Horners and Klungnesses were the lead donors who provided the impetus to assure that $20 million was invested, to cause this magnificent facility to become a reality.

The Rozsa Center will serve as a cultural hub for the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin, the home for touring companies in the Great Events Series and for Fine Arts Department productions. It is symbolic of the facts that Michigan Tech can do whatever we have the will to do and that our friends are willing to support our progress. And that is the basic theme of my remarks today, namely, that Michigan Tech can and will become whatever we collectively decide we want the University to be.

Since last year's Convocation in Fisher Hall, we worked together to develop and adopt the strategic plan for Michigan Tech, providing the basic roadmap for Michigan Tech's future. We worked together to find and recruit Dr. Kent Wray, who, as Senior Vice President and Provost, will provide continuing leadership for our strategic planning process and for implementation of the strategic plan. We worked together to balance our general fund budget and, in so doing, to underwrite the carryforward accounts which had previously been unfunded; most of you know, this was a very significant achievement. We also kicked off the $140 million Leaders for Innovation capital campaign, we received the best increase in state general fund appropriation in recent years, and we funded an average five percent increase in salaries and wages with an additional one percent used for marketplace and equity adjustments.

Perhaps most strikingly, hundreds worked together to assure a successful and relatively smooth transition to new curricula under the new semester calendar. I thank all of you for the extraordinary effort and dedication which you invested in planning and executing the complex transformation of courses, programs and pedagogical methodologies. I realize that this first semester continues to require substantial time and attention. Would all faculty and staff who worked on any aspect of the transition from quarters to semesters please stand and be recognized?

As a small, symbolic token of appreciation, the Michigan Tech Fund and the Alumni Association have provided for each and every full-time Michigan Tech employee, a tee shirt on which we see displayed the message: I survived semester conversion @ Michigan Tech. You can pick up your shirt in your departmental office.

It also became crystal clear to me that along with all of these and many other accomplishments during the past year, we need to work together to improve communication and understanding among ourselves on campus. As you know, I have pledged my attention to that need, and I call on each of you to join me in assuring satisfactory communication at all levels of our organization.

I especially want to thank nine individuals who invested hundreds of hours in developing and managing the strategic planning process. As I call their names, I would ask each person to stand and remain standing: Co-chairs Bob Warrington and Max Seel; Glenn Mroz, Brett Hamlin, Bruce Seely, Nancy Seely, Sonia Goltz, Ed Fisher and John Sellars.

These nine people went way beyond the call to duty as they fashioned the strategic plan for Michigan Tech from the portfolios developed by all aspects of the University and honed through town hall meetings across campus as well as through feedback via the Internet and other media. As a result of their effective work, we were able to have a productive retreat in March with members of the Board of Control and an early May work session with our National Advisory Board and members of the Board of Control, culminating in ratification of the strategic plan by the Board of Control on May 19.

Since May 19, the emphasis has shifted to implementation of the strategic plan, and the nine-person Strategic Planning Group worked all summer to facilitate development of a process to implement the strategic plan in which all of you will be asked to participate during the next six months. The implementation plan will include details such as specific actions, time lines, resource requirements, responsibility assignments and measures of performance.

The strategic plan states that Michigan Tech's mission is to Prepare Students to Create the Future and our vision is to be a National University of Choice. These two brief statements display the general direction and nature of Michigan Tech in the years ahead. They say that, at the core, what we do is prepare students. You will note that this is not restrictive, relative to a student's age or geographical location. It is prescriptive as to what we prepare those students to do, namely, to create the future. Creation is the act of bringing something into being that doesn't currently exist. We are declaring that we will put the main emphasis on helping our students be creative. This contrasts with problem solving, which is a highly useful skill set to be sure, but which differs from creation. Problem solving is the act of making something go away. Creation is a more powerful force than problem solving. Survival may require only skillful problem solving, but thriving requires both creation and problem solving.

The strategic plan also says that Michigan Tech will be a nationally prominent and internationally recognized technological university which bridges technology and business and will meet the needs of a global and technologically rich society through excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, scholarship and research.

With the vision of being a national university of choice, the strategic plan clearly declares that we have high aspirations. We want to be nationally recognized and attractive to the best students, faculty, staff, donors, research funders and employers of our graduates, regardless of geography.

There are six goals in the strategic plan:

1. to provide an outstanding and relevant learning environment, consistent with a national university of choice;
2. to expand our scholarship and research activities, sustaining successful existing programs while pursuing new endeavors in carefully targeted areas;
3. to identify the best size and blend for our educational programs, which have a diverse student body, faculty and staff;
4. to be a residential campus that provides a sense of diverse community and student experiences that develop the whole person;
5. to provide an optimized administrative framework with sound physical, technological, and financial resources that are consistent with a national university of choice; and
6. to support economic development, public sector outreach, and distance education appropriate for a technological university.

Dr. Kent Wray will chair the Strategic Planning Group. We will rotate some new members onto the nine-person group this fall. In addition to Dr. Wray who will replace Dr. Sellars, Dr. Bob Keen will replace Dr. Bruce Seely, Dr. Michelle Miller will replace Dr. Brett Hamlin, and Dr. Bruce Rafert will replace Dr. Ed Fisher. Thanks again to Drs. Fisher, Hamlin, Seely and Sellars for their yeoman efforts during the past year.

I want to recognize and thank the members of the search committee for Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. Would the members of that committee please stand?

Thanks especially to Dr. Bill Bulleit for being an effective chair of that committee. The committee assured that the campus was involved in the search throughout the process, and we are fortunate to have Dr. Wray with us as a result.

I would ask Dr. Wray's wife, Wanda, to please stand to be welcomed.

During the past year we worked hard to assure that our general fund budget was balanced and that we could underwrite the carryforward accounts which had previously not been funded. Much credit goes to Vice President for Finance and Administration Bill McGarry, Controller Dan Greenlee and all of the deans, chairs, directors and managers who made this happen. I know this was a concern on campus and, as you know, it was a concern of mine. By working together, we got the job done, and we intend to do so again this fiscal year.

Helping in a significant way to balance the budget and tie down a lot of loose ends, Dr. Steve Bowen was a very effective interim provost during the past several months, and we all owe him an expression of appreciation.

As many of you know, Michigan Tech for many years was raising $5 to $6 million annually from private donors. With the leadership of Dr. John Sellars, we have raised a total of over $90 million during the past two years. This includes two-$2 million faculty chairs funded by alumni Bob Carnahan and Jim Mack and two-$5 million gifts toward the Center for Integrated Learning by alumni John Opie and Kanwal Rekhi. In recognition of the effective team effort which included the Michigan Tech Fund staff led by Kim Maxwell Way, Corporate Services led by Pete Radecki, and University Relations led by Bill Curnow, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) presented its 2000 Circle of Excellence in Educational Fund-Raising Award to Michigan Tech this summer, recognizing the substantial progress we have made in fund raising during Dr. Sellars' time as Senior Vice President for Advancement and Marketing. While we wish John well in his new position at Syracuse University, effective January 1, we will miss him very much. He has been highly effective in all that he has been asked to do, including being responsible for Enrollment Management. Enrollment in the new freshman class is up ten percent from last fall. Gary Neumann, Executive Director of Enrollment Management, and his team are doing well.

A search committee is being formed to begin the process of finding a replacement for John Sellars.

To some extent, the areas of Advancement and Government Relations are somewhat out of sight and therefore, out of mind because much of what goes on, happens off campus. In the case of Government Relations, Michigan Tech did well in Lansing this year, receiving a base budget increase of five percent and a supplementary appropriation of three percent. Dr. Dale Tahtinen, Vice President for Government Relations, put in a lot of effort in Lansing and Washington, and I want to thank him for his good work.

When I arrived in 1991, federal funding for research at Michigan Tech was about $5.5 million dollars annually; by the end of last year we expended over $17 million dollars in federal support for research. Additionally, we received another $7.4 million dollars in sponsored programs support from industry and other sources which brings Michigan Tech's total annual support to over $25 million. Our outstanding faculty and staff deserve credit for these continuing increases as they have written the proposals and accomplished the various research projects, and I also want to thank Anita Quinn and the staff of Research Services for their conscientious efforts.

Success breeds further success, and as Michigan Tech becomes even better known for its research and education expertise, we can be optimistic that the increases in funding will continue. Federal support for research should continue to increase, and I believe that we will exceed the goal of at least $30 million within the next five years and $60 million in federal funding by 2010. Fortunately, there is a growing realization in Washington that money spent on research is an investment in America's economic growth and quality of life.

At the state level, Michigan Tech ranks third among the 15 public universities in terms of state general fund appropriation per student. Also, during the previous five years Michigan Tech has received nearly $2 million dollars in supplemental allocations for technology, infrastructure and special building maintenance, and in this fiscal year, we will receive more than $1.5 million dollars for such purposes. Additionally, Michigan Tech has received an average of more than $1 million annually from the state for research.

In terms of capital outlay, since 1992, the State of Michigan has provided Michigan Tech with $42.5 million dollars for three building projects, the Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, the Rozsa Performing Arts & Education Center, and the Center for Ecosystem Sciences which together represent a total investment of nearly $74 million. We are proud to have been the leader among the 15 public universities in providing matching funds for capital projects, matching Lansing's contribution with 44 percent in non-state funds compared to 25 percent at most of the other universities. Progress has been made in seeking state funding for the proposed $60-million Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology, and I am optimistic that we will receive the Governor's support for that project this year. The planning committee for that facility, chaired by Dean Max Seel, will continue its work this semester.

While I strongly disagree with the flawed and misguided so-called tier system used by the state during the latest funding cycle, it is apparent that the institutions that were the recipients of the largest percentage increases were for the most part those with the lowest per capita student funding. We will continue to argue that state appropriations should recognize the importance of program mix and costs, but it is clear that increasing our enrollment will be a significant enhancement to our arguments for larger funding increases from the state. The challenges are especially difficult in this relatively new environment of legislative term limits and the resulting understandable inexperience and lack of knowledge with the large influx of new legislators, but we are prepared to continue to fight for the additional financial support which is vital for Michigan Tech to carry out our mission of preparing outstanding graduates that will directly and positively impact the economic development of Michigan and our nation.

In a lighter vein, last November and December, Lansing was also the site of the State's Holiday Tree which came from Michigan Tech's Ford Forestry Center in Alberta. William Clay Ford, Jr., Chairman of Ford Motor Company and I worked together on a cross-cut saw one bright November morning to harvest the 65-year-old, 58-foot white spruce. Thanks to Glenn Mroz and his staff for providing an unusual way to have Mr. Ford visit us and thousands of people to see our tree in front of the State Capital.

Speaking of Forestry, I want to thank Dr. Ed Frayer for his 16 years of effective service as dean of the School of Forestry and Wood Products. Some of his efforts will come to fruition when we dedicate the Hesterberg Hall and Horner Hall additions to the Forestry Complex on October 6. Dean Frayer is retiring; Glenn Mroz is serving as interim dean while a national search is conducted for a permanent replacement.

Likewise, Dr. Sung Lee has retired as Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Research after 35 years of service to Michigan Tech. We wish Dr. Lee well and thank him for his many contributions to the university.

Provost Wray has indicated his intention to evaluate how the graduate school and research functions might be strengthened in support of the new strategic plan. A national search will be conducted to replace Dr. Lee.

By October 16, the cities of Houghton and Hancock will join with Michigan Tech to submit our final proposal to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to be designated one of the charter Smart Zones under state legislation passed this past June. The Michigan Tech Enterprise Park is to be developed within the Smart Zone and will be home to an incubator center, corporate research facilities and, possibly, our new Engineering Enterprises. Pete Radecki has provided effective leadership in working with Phil Musser of the Keweenaw Industrial Council, George Butvilas and other local leaders in constructing a compelling proposal to MEDC. We expect to be notified of MEDC's decision by the end of November.

With the leadership of Professor William Shapton and the diligent work of Marti Banks-Sikarskie and Dr. William Predebon, the Designing Engineer Initiative has been developed with General Motors to provide a 25-semester credit program for GM designers and engineers. Most courses in this program will be delivered by Michigan Tech faculty from the campus in Houghton via distance delivery methods including video streaming over the Internet. Michigan Tech has been chosen by GM to be lead partner in the development and delivery of the Designing Engineer program, with some courses being provided by the University of Michigan and Purdue University. GM has given Michigan Tech a gift of Unigraphics Solutions Systems Software valued at approximately $34 million. The program will begin this year with approximately 700 students, is expected to grow to 2,500 students next year, and then expand to include thousands of students from other corporations. This is a significant development for Michigan Tech, moving us at an accelerating pace into a global market using Internet technology.

The General Motors development indicates that Michigan Tech is a national university of choice for GM. Likewise, Norsk Hydro, the second largest corporation in Norway, has declared that Michigan Tech is an international university of choice, being the only U.S. university chosen to work with that company on light metals research, thanks to the leadership of Drs. Calvin White and William Predebon. Drs. White and Predebon have also developed a good working relationship with the University of Science and Technology, Beijing; we expect to expand activities with USTB during the next several years.

We now have an active alumni chapter in Norway. For many years we have had active alumni chapters in Toronto and Calgary. We are developing alumni chapters in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Peoples Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Brazil. The number of international students enrolled at Michigan Tech this fall increased to 576 from 532 last year. The number of American students involved in study abroad also increased from 40 last year to 61 this year. As Michigan Tech becomes a global university, especially through Internet delivery of continuing education, we will increasingly benefit from our international network of alumni and friends.

The Michigan Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors made the bold decision on August 4 to change its membership policy to declare that all former Michigan Tech students, whether or not they pay dues to the alumni association, will be considered members of the Association and receive all issues of the ALUMNUS magazine, among other things. This decision means that circulation of the ALUMNUS has grown from 8,000 to more than 50,000, greatly increasing our communication network in North America and abroad. This will rebound to Michigan Tech's benefit significantly in the years ahead, and I applaud the leadership of Alumni Association Executive Director Steph Olsson and the officers of the Association.

Speaking of alumni, one of our most famous these days is Randy McKay, who, for the second time, brought the Stanley Cup home to Houghton this summer. He and some 125 other hockey alumni were here for the Alumni Weekend in early August. They gathered in the Peter J. Grant Hockey Education Center, which was dedicated last October, and rallied in support of our hockey program for which a $3 million endowment is being developed in addition to the $2 million in private support that was donated to build the Hockey Education Center.

Also, last year, alumnus and vice chair of the Board of Control Bronce Henderson gave $1 million to the football program, with $800,000 going into the football endowment fund. Other football alumni have pledged to continue to build a substantial endowment for the football program.

Members of the local community raised over $500,000 and alumni are adding another $300,000 to support the installation of snow-making equipment on Mont Ripley, to assure a substantial number of skiable days from Thanksgiving until spring thaw.

I want to recognize and thank Howard Greenley for his leadership in moving the ski hill forward as well as overseeing some two dozen other retail auxiliary operations at Michigan Tech. Most recently, Howard worked with Milt Olsson and Valerie Pegg to bring the Rozsa Center under the auspices of Auxiliary Services.

Contiguous to the Student Development Complex is the new state-of-the-art Community Health Center which was opened this summer with the services of three physicians, a pharmacy, and physical therapy and sports medicine and training staff. This $2 million facility was paid for by Portage Health System and will be of great benefit to our students as well as members of the community.

Medicine was the subject for our most recent speaker in the Melvin Calvin Nobel Laureate series, Dr. Ferid Murad, whose groundbreaking research on the effects of nitric oxide on human physiology, won him the Nobel Prize in 1998. On May 18, Dr. Murad presented his lecture, and we planted a white pine in his honor in the Melvin Calvin Nobel Laureate Grove, near Douglass Houghton Hall. For those of you who are new to Michigan Tech, Dr. Melvin Calvin, Class of 1931, received the Nobel Prize in 1961; each year, we have Nobel Laureates visit campus as part of the Melvin Calvin Nobel Laureate series. As always, I will appreciate recommendations for future speakers in this series.

One of our hottest programs is biomedical engineering, currently the only undergraduate degree program in biomedical engineering in Michigan. Enrollment in that program this fall is 178, up from 115 last fall.

Another popular program is computer science, which is looking forward to new facilities in the proposed Center for Integrated Learning which will include new construction contiguous to Fisher Hall and will also include new space for the Departments of Physics and Mathematical Sciences.

Michigan Tech received good recognition on National Public Radio early this summer because of our Future Truck team, with faculty advisor Dr. John Beard, and on CNN in February because of our Clean Snow Mobile Challenge team, with faculty advisor Dr. Carl Anderson.

The Jazztec ensemble, with faculty advisor Professor Mike Irish, won first place for the second year in a row, at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival; out of 32 competing colleges, Michigan Tech is the only school without a degree program in music.

The women's basketball team lost by only one point to Northern Kentucky at the end of the season; Northern Kentucky went on to win the national NCAA Division II championship. Not to put too much pressure on head coach Darla Olson, but I won't be surprised if our team is the national champion this season.

We also look forward to the School of Business and Economics gaining, for the first time, accreditation from the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business (AASCB) later this year, thanks to the leadership of Dean Gene Klippel and much hard work by the faculty and staff of the business school.

As we look toward the year 2010, we will continue to refine and strengthen our strategic plan which will include a revised campus master plan based on a comprehensive assessment of future facility needs in light of our goals and priorities. We will complete the current capital campaign by 2003 and move right into the next campaign by 2005 so that by 2010, the year that I retire and we celebrate Michigan Tech's 125th anniversary, we shall have at least a $400 million endowment. As I indicated earlier, I expect federal research funding to exceed $60 million by 2010. As we build our research program, we will continue to build our doctoral programs, steadily and surely, to encompass at least 20 fields and enroll at least 500 doctoral students by 2010. Also, ten years hence, the funds received for sponsored research and from philanthropy should exceed the sum of state appropriation plus tuition and fees. The Michigan Tech Enterprise Park will be well established and still growing in 2010. Our Internet-based course offerings will be taken by thousands of students of all ages, literally around the world, and we will have active alumni chapters in at least two dozen countries by our 125th anniversary. The Center for Integrated Learning will be a reality with modern library and classroom facilities as well as state-of-the-art physics, computer science and mathematics facilities.

I look forward to working with you during the next ten years, to achieve our institutional goals as we prepare our students to create the future and as Michigan Tech becomes a national university of choice.