Board of Trustees Attends Dedications of A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum, Paul and Susan Williams Center for Computer Systems Research

Paul and Susan Williams Center for Computer Systems Research
Paul and Susan Williams Center for Computer Systems Research

Dedications of a new mineral museum building and an endowed center for computer systems research topped the agenda for the Michigan Technological University Board of Trustees at its regular meeting on Thursday, Aug.4, 2011. Both projects were accomplished with private support from donors.

The Board met in the morning, with the dedication of the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum's new home on Sharon Avenue, adjacent to the Advanced Technology Development Complex, taking place at 1:30 p.m. the same day. The project was made possible by 1957 Michigan Tech alumnus Tom Shaffner, whose $1 million pledge helped fund the new building. Larry and Jeanne Seaman Farnum and Jack Seaman were guests of honor at the dedication. The Farnums are both Michigan Tech alumni and supporters of the museum. Jeanne and Jack are grandchildren of A.E. Seaman, the mineral museum's founder.

At 3 p.m., Tech's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Computer Science welcomed the Board and guests to the dedication of the Paul and Susan Williams Center for Computer Systems Research on the fifth floor of the Electrical Energy Resources Center (EERC). Williams, a 1961 electrical engineering alumnus, endowed the center in honor of his late wife, Susan, to enable researchers from across the University who share an interest in computer systems to work together. He was a special guest at the dedication. Remodeling of the fifth floor of the EERC was also funded by gifts from the James Fugere Foundation and the Dave House Family Foundation, as well as numerous other alumni.

In other business during its morning meeting, the Board of Trustees:
• Approved a construction agreement, lease and conveyance of property for the Great Lakes Research Center, a $25.3 million building now under construction on the waterfront of the Michigan Tech campus.
• Heard a report that the ongoing $200 million capital campaign, "Generations of Discovery," has reached $147, 464,533.
• Appointed Board of Trustees Member Stephen Hicks and former members David Brule and Russell Gronevelt as its representatives to the Michigan Tech Fund Board of Trustees.
• Recognized seven longtime employees for 35 to 40 years of service. They are Charles Nelson (40 years), David Bezotte (39 years) Mary Laitinen (37 years), Rodney Guilbault (35 years), Phillip Huber (35 years), Cynthia MacDonald (35 years) and Mary Witting (35 years).
• Granted emeritus rank to seven retired professors: Bernard D. Alkire, civil and environmental engineering; Eunice Carlson, biological sciences; Jimmy Diehl, geological and mining engineering and sciences; Suzanne Beske-Diehl, geological and mining engineering and sciences; Ronald Gratz, biological sciences, Robert Keen, biological sciences; and Marshall W. Logue, chemistry.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.