News from the Dean

Sometimes life throws things at you that you didn’t plan for. No matter what’s going on, there’s help here for you. Asking for support is a sign of strength, not weakness—and we have resources ready for you when times get tough.

Here’s where you can start:

• HuskyFAN food pantry—available food support for any student. No application. No judgement.
• Student Emergency Support—resources for all students to help with unexpected needs.

Also, update your Emergency Contact Information. It helps us reach someone who can support you in a crisis.

 

Between November 1 and April 30, it’s unlawful to park on city streets in Houghton or Hancock between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. Review the full parking notice. Use designated lots if you park overnight. Street parking may result in towing and fines. Vehicles can be parked on lawns or side yards only when no other option exists.

Registration for Fall 2025 courses starts on Sunday, March 9 at 6 PM! Check the Registration Priority Schedule for your open registration period.

Please meet with your academic advisor for help selecting appropriate courses!

The last day for ALL students to drop a class with a “W” is the Friday of Week 10. First-year students need to complete this form and email it to schedule@mtu.edu. All other students can email schedule@mtu.edu indicating which classes they want dropped.

Note: Courses dropped during the 4th week through the 10th week will earn a ‘W’ grade (withdrawn). A ‘W’ appears on the student’s transcript which indicates that the student dropped the course. ‘W’ marks do not affect GPA calculations, but the credits dropped are included in attempted credit hours for financial aid purposes (satisfactory academic progress).

After the 10th week, courses may not be dropped without extenuating circumstances. Late drops will not be granted just to avoid poor grades.  All requests for late drops and supporting documentation must be submitted prior to the last day of regular instruction, i.e. end of week 14, for that semester.

On Friday, February 7, 2025 students received an important email message from Laura Bulleit, Vice President of Student Affairs regarding some organizational updates in response to changes in federal policies made through executive order. President Koubek also shared a message with campus in Friday's Tech Today confirming Michigan Tech's commitment to fostering a campus environment welcoming to everyone and committed to a respectful campus that values each person’s individuality. If you have questions or concerns you are welcome to contact President Koubak or Laura Bulleit. You are always welcome to come chat with me as well. You can stop by my open office hours, send me an email, or make an appointment. 

Daniel Heights Fire: On Friday, January 10, 2025 there was an apartment fire at 2109 Woodmar drive in Daniel Heights. All residents of 2109 and 2017 were impacted by the fire. The students have been moved to new, permanent apartments, and are being supported by various on-campus and local organizations. Building 2109 will be demolished and building 2107 will remain closed for the rest of the semester. 

Hillside Place Apartment burst pipe: On Tuesday, January 21, 2025 a pipe in Hillside Place burst and damaged the transformer that provides electricity to the building. The building has heat and water, but only limited electricity is available at the moment. The Michigan Tech facilities team is working around the clock to resolve the issue and the residents of the building are being supported by on-campus staff.

As you know Houghton winters are long, cold, and snowy. Sometimes the temperature drops really low like it did on Tuesday. When this happens, the President consults with various people, including law enforcement and the local road commission to determine if canceling classes is necessary. The factors that go into this decision are never the same and are determined on a case by case basis. There is not necessarily a threshold for how low the temps go, because there are just too many factors to consider (road conditions, snow totals, wind chill, etc) and they must consider the whole picture when making the decision. In these situations, there will always be people who agree with the decision and those who do not, and because we can’t control the weather, the decision will always be in flux. What we hope for is that everyone dresses properly, uses their best judgement, and gives grace to one another. It’s important to make sure you’ve updated your Safety First Alert information, so that if we do close you will be notified right away. 

As many of you know, Michigan Tech contracts our shuttle services with two organizations: the City of Houghton for Houghton commuters and Lamers Bus Lines for the Campus Husky Shuttle and Hancock Commuter. Recently, Lamers informed us that they would no longer use school buses for university shuttles and would transition to transit-style buses. These new buses are smaller, creating challenges we’ve worked to address with your input.

1. Hancock Shuttle Adjustments

   • To accommodate demand, the Hancock shuttle now stops at Daniel Heights when returning to Houghton, helping with overflow from the Campus Husky Shuttle.
   • The route now includes stops at Pat’s Foods and near the new Keweenaw Co-op for better accessibility.
   • The route avoids steep hills in winter by taking Lincoln Drive, improving safety and reliability.

2. Campus Husky Shuttle Updates

   • New stops have been added at:
     • Cliff Drive (M&M Building, ATDC, and Mineral Museum)
     • End of Daniel Heights near Mill Road
     • Sharon Avenue at Diamond and Champion Streets
   • Adjusted stop times at the MUB:
     • Arrive: 10 minutes before the hour
     • Depart: No sooner than 5 minutes before the hour

3. Discontinued Stops

   • The hospital stop has been discontinued due to very low ridership (1 passenger per week on average).

How You Can Stay Updated

We encourage all shuttle riders to download the Tripshot app, where we provide real-time updates on stop times, delays, cancellations, and other changes. We also update our website and digital boards promptly.

Feedback and Questions

We understand these adjustments may be challenging, and we appreciate your patience as we work through this transition. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please contact Transportation Services at:

• Phone: 906-487-1441
• Email: parking@mtu.edu or sdconnor@mtu.edu

Starting in Summer of 2025 Michigan Tech will adding to Orientation Programing by launching Summer Orientation Sessions. The purpose of hosting summer orientation is to create an opportunity for students to come to Houghton, connect with each other, our amazing campus, and their academic departments early in the summer. Summer orientation sessions will also give students the opportunity to ensure they have all the necessary placement exams, test scores, and other paperwork needed to be well-prepared for Fall 2025. We plan to hire 15-25 Summer Orientation Ambassadors in addition to the 75-80 OTL’s that are hired for O-Week. 

New students will be invited to register for one of four summer sessions beginning in February. We will start communicating this once the students receive their financial aid packets.

Orientation sessions will be held: 

• Orientation session 1: Sunday, June 22-Monday, June 23 
• Orientation session 2: Thursday, June 26 - Friday, June 27
• Orientation session 3: Sunday, July 13-Monday, July 14 
• Orientation session 4: Thursday, July 17-Friday July 18

For students who are unable to attend, we will work with their advisors and other staff to set up virtual appointments and have a day scheduled during O-Week for them to complete any tasks needed before the semester begins. We understand that not everyone will be able to travel to campus during the summer, including international students and students from states far away. We will do our best to accommodate students who are unable to attend.

Michigan Tech is not cancelling or phasing out Fall Orientation. Fall Orientation will take place August 17-22, 2025. New students will be given the options to move into the residence halls between Sunday and Tuesday, with O-Week activities beginning Tuesday night with the University Welcome. OTL’s will still be part of welcoming our new students and we will still offer all the wonderful activities and events to connect new students to campus and the community including A Taste of Tech Traditions on Friday afternoon. Registered Student Organizations will have ample opportunity to showcase their organizations throughout the week beginning on Sunday. 

A cross campus committee is working on the details now and we are hiring Orientation Executive Staff (OES) as we speak. Stay tuned for more information as it comes out!

 

Interested in protesting or holding a demonstration? Check out the Free Speech Education Team, they provide information and consultation to individuals or groups looking to exercise their First Amendment rights for demonstrations, protests, or similar activity within Michigan Tech Campus. 
Undergraduate students can attend USG meetings and share concerns. They meet every Wednesday 7:00-9:00 in the Alumni Lounge.
Graduate students can attend GSG meetings and share concerns.
Student Commission is a group of folks from across campus that tackle problems that impact the entire campus.
Meet with the Dean; email deanofstudents@mtu.edu to make an appointment or stop by Kellie’s office hours
Report a Concern Students with concerns or complaints can use one of the reporting options listed on this webpage to report the concern. 

 

The President reports to the Board of Trustees (appointed by the Governor of MI)
The Provost (VP of Academics (all the academic colleges), and all other Vice Presidents report to the President. Each Vice President has their functional areas that report up a chain of leadership. You can find the University Governance and Organizational Structure here. 

Student Satisfaction Survey 2024 Undergraduate results and summary, thanks to all who participated in the survey and the focus groups.

• Construction projects continue on campus
  • Active Campus Construction Projects including upgrades in Rekhi and EERC.
  • New commuter parking lot is located on the corner of 7th and Garnet St, the University shuttle will have daily stops there.
    • Download the TripShot app to stay up-to-date with the shuttle schedule. 
• Tech Today: students are welcome to subscribe to this daily newsletter. Tech Today is Michigan Tech’s daily internal newsletter produced by University Marketing and Communications.
• Student Scoop: Subscribe to receive the weekly newsletter from Student Leadership and Involvement featuring upcoming campus events and activities.