November 20, 2025

When Huskies want to tune in to the pulse of campus, they don’t have to look further than 91.9 WMTU-FM, Michigan Tech’s student-run radio station.

Founded in 1962 and broadcasting 24/7 from the basement of Wadsworth Hall, WMTU is one of Tech’s longest-running student organizations — and the station also serves as a creative outlet where business meets broadcasting. Two College of Business students, Colten Baran and Veronica Frystak, help lead the station’s day-to-day operations. And this year’s DJ trainees include COB faculty member Roger Woods, host of “Older Man Radio.”

Learn more about WMTU and read about this trio's contributions of time and talent at Stories from Husky Nation.

Provost Andrew Storer will be holding open office hours from 11 a.m. to noon on Dec. 2 near Velodrome Coffee Co. in the Van Pelt and Opie Library. Feel free to stop by; appointments are not required for open office hours.

Additional open office hours are scheduled for:

• Tuesday, Feb. 3, from 11 a.m. to noon
• Wednesday, April 1, from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

The provost continues to hold office hours from 1:30-3:30 p.m. each Thursday during the 2025-26 academic year. Faculty, staff and students are welcome to schedule an appointment by emailing Amie Ledgerwood at provost@mtu.edu.

The information provided here is also available on the Academic Affairs website. To view it, click the Office Hours icon in the bottom right corner of the banner image at the top of the page.

On behalf of the Husky Food Access Network, we want to send a massive thank-you to every member of the Michigan Tech community for the incredible outpouring of generosity!

Your recent donations through faculty/staff giving, the various food drives, and the successful Can The Citation event have truly made a difference.

Thanks to you, the HuskyFAN food pantry is currently bountifully stocked!

This Holiday Season...
As we approach the holiday season, please remember that the HuskyFAN food pantry is a resource for everyone in the MTU community.

• If you are a faculty or staff member and find yourself or your family in need of assistance, please know that the pantry is available for your use.

• This resource is also here for our members of the broader local community.

Your well-being is important to us. We encourage anyone who needs support to utilize the pantry.

Thank you again for embodying the spirit of community and care so No Husky Goes Hungry!

The William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) will be hosting two book clubs during spring 2026. For accommodations, please contact Catharine Gruver at cgruver@mtu.edu or 906-487-3026.

• Spring 2026 CTL Book Club — “The Opposite of Cheating”
  Are you concerned that your students are not acting with academic integrity? Are you looking for strategies to encourage students not to use generative artificial intelligence other non-authorized tools to complete assignments? Please join our Spring 2026 Faculty Book Club focused on “The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI” by Tricia Gallant and David Rettinger. During five biweekly sessions, we will learn about and discuss strategies that faculty can implement in their courses to foster a community of academic integrity and to design assignments that reduce the incentive for students to cheat. 
  – Days/Times: Please join us on Thursdays at 2 p.m. in Library 243.
  – Register: Sign Up for “The Opposite of Cheating” Book Club.

• Spring 2026 CTL Online Book Club — “Specifications Grading 2.0”
  Do you find grading challenging? Are you looking for strategies to hold students to high standards while effectively managing your grading load? Please join our Spring 2026 Online Faculty Book Club focused on “Specifications Grading 2.0: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, Saving Faculty Time, and Developing Career Competencies” by Linda Nilson and Joseph Packowski. During five sessions, we will learn about and discuss the specifications grading approach and how it might be applied to improve student and faculty grading experiences.
  – Days/Times: Please join us online on Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
  – Register: Sign Up for the “Specifications Grading 2.0” Book Club.

K-Bear 102 WHKB-FM quoted Nich Radcliffe (VPA) in a story about Michigan Tech Theatre’s production of “Men on Boats,” a comedic retelling of John Wesley Powell’s 1869 Colorado River expedition.

PR Newswire and 22 national outlets mentioned Michigan Tech in coverage of The Princeton Review’s 2026 Campus Mental Health Services Honor Roll, which recognized Tech as one of 30 institutions committed to supporting student mental health and well-being.

MLive and Government Technology mentioned Michigan Tech in stories about Ferris State University’s secure artificial intelligence program, which was recently validated by the National Security Agency. Both outlets noted Tech among the 16 Michigan institutions that hold an NSA Center of Academic Excellence designation.

My UP Now and K-Bear 102 WHKB-FM mentioned Michigan Tech alum Emily Geiger ’11 ’15 (B.S., Ph.D. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) in a story about her appointment as Lake Linden-Hubbell Schools’ interim superintendent.

State of Michigan Approves Visiting Professor Funding; Applications Now Open

The Office of the Provost is happy to announce that the state of Michigan has approved funding for visiting professors through the King-Chávez-Parks (KCP) initiative. This program supports campus departments in inviting professors, scholars, potential faculty or research collaborators to Michigan Tech’s campus during the 2025-26 academic year. We are now accepting applications for visits to take place through Sept. 30, 2026.

University departments or units are invited to apply for financial support to bring visiting scholars who provide underrepresented perspectives in their field of expertise to Michigan Tech. Visitors do not need a terminal degree or a faculty position to qualify for support. Supported visits can range from a few hours to a semester or longer. While on campus, visiting professors must interact with students in the classroom, in seminars, and/or in informal and formal group discussions, or teach a session during an academic or summer semester. They are also welcome to work with faculty during their visit.

Applications must be submitted at least one month prior to a proposed visit for pre-approval by the state of Michigan. Funding requests can be made for up to $2,000. However, unit(s) must provide a minimum 1-to-1 match to expenses covered by KCP funds.

Learn more about the Visiting Professor Program, including its purpose and the application process. If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Shannon Vairo, manager of partner engagement and faculty support, at ssvairo@mtu.edu.

*****

Thanksgiving Holiday Payroll Schedule & Timecard Deadlines

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, the University will be closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28. Payroll deadlines for the bi-weekly pay period ending Nov. 22, 2025 (BW24) will be adjusted.

To ensure timely processing, please review the updated deadlines below and plan accordingly.

Key Reminders:

• Hourly employees must estimate hours for any time worked through the end of Week 2.
• Supervisors and approvers: Please review and approve time promptly and ensure proxy approvals are in place if you are unavailable during the holiday period.
• No off-cycle payroll for Nov. 21 payday due to the updated schedule.

Off-Cycle Pay Requests & Processing Schedule

• Requests submitted before the deadline will be processed and paid on Friday, Nov. 28.
• Requests submitted after the deadline will be processed and paid on Friday, Dec. 5.

Deadlines:

• Electronic Timecard Submission & Approvals — due Thursday, Nov. 20, at midnight
• Manual Timesheets & Off-Cycle Pay Requests — due Friday, Nov. 21, at noon
• BW 24 Payday — Friday, Nov. 28

Thank you for your cooperation in meeting these deadlines. We wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

For instructions on how to set up a proxy, please refer to the Quick Reference Guide for Approvers.

*****

Physics Colloquium with Michela Negro

Michela Negro from Louisiana State University will present at this week's Physics Colloquium. Negro's presentation is titled "Magnetars: Nature’s Most Extreme Physics Experiments."

The seminar will be presented  at 4 p.m. today, Nov. 20, in Fisher 139. The coffee hour will be held at 3:30 p.m. in the Fisher Hall Lobby.

Read Negro's abstract and bio on the University Events Calandar.

*****

No University Senate Meeting Today

This week's University Senate meeting scheduled for today, Nov. 20, is canceled as there is no new business to discuss.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 4.

*****

No Tech Today Next Thursday and Friday

There will be no Tech Today published next Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27 and 28, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Graduate student thesis and dissertation defenses scheduled for Dec. 1-5 will be announced on Wednesday, Nov. 26, in "Defenses Next Week."

Tech Today will resume publication the following Monday, Dec. 1.

Early Deadline for Dec. 1 Tech Today
To be included in our Dec. 1 newsletter, please submit your Tech Today post(s) by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 25, using our Submit a Post form.

*****

MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker: Kevin Howard

The next Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Graduate Seminar speaker will present at 2 p.m today, Nov. 20, in Fisher 329.

Kevin Howard will present "Automotive Aerodynamics: Form does not always follow Function."

This presentation will discuss the industrial design process with specific focus on implementation of aerodynamics into automotive development. Topics will include investigation of various tools available and how and when to use them during the design timeline, including tool correlation, as there are many engineering tool options each carrying a wide variety of capabilities, limitations and assumptions.

*****

Nominations Due Friday for Making a Difference Awards

Staff Council invites the campus community to submit nominations for the 2025 Making a Difference Awards. Nominations are now open, and regular full-time and part-time staff are eligible. All faculty and staff are invited to submit a nomination of a deserving colleague or write a letter in support of a nomination. Submissions are due this Friday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m.

The categories are:

• Innovation Award
• Behind the Scenes
• Legacy Award
• Outstanding Leader
• Rookie Award
• Serving Others
• Unsung Hero

Award recipients will receive $500 after taxes. Past recipients are not eligible to receive another award until five years after their previous award year.

Please follow these steps:

1. Review the award criteria and our new tips and tricks!
2. Create your nomination letter.
3. Collect your letters of support (no more than three one-page letters).
4. Complete the nomination form.

Please note that you will need to be prepared to upload your nomination letter and letters of support as one PDF file in the nomination form.

For more information and to check out our new tips and tricks for writing letters, please go to Staff Council’s Making a Difference Staff Awards webpage.

Nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m. this Friday.

To have your event automatically appear, please submit them to the University Events Calendar.

Automotive Aerodynamics: Form Does Not Always Follow Function

Thursday, November 20, 2 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 329

MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents Kevin Howard, PhD Assistant Professor, MAE at MTU Abstract This presentation will discuss the industrial design...

*****

Master's Defense: Khadiza Tun Suha

Thursday, November 20, 3–4 p.m. | H-STEM Complex, 248

Biomedical Engineering Advisor: Jingfeng Jiang Computational Hemodynamic Analysis of Pre-Treatment Type A and Type B Aortic Dissection Attend Virtually:...

*****

Physics Colloquium with Michela Negro

Thursday, November 20, 3:30–5:00 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 139

Michela Negro from Louisiana State University will present at this week's Physics Colloquium. Dr. Negro's presentation is titled "Magnetars: Nature’s Most Extreme Physics...

*****

Women's Basketball vs Minnesota Duluth

Thursday, November 20, 5:30–8:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Wood Gym

Women's Basketball vs Minnesota Duluth Houghton, Mich.

*****

BMES General Meeting: Fall Trip Review

Thursday, November 20, 6–7 p.m. | ChemSci 102

During this week's BMES general meeting, we will be reviewing how our recent Fall Trip went and discuss why these trips are so important to members of all years. This meeting...

*****

Men On Boats - Michigan Tech Theatre

Thursday, November 20, 7:30 p.m. | McArdle Theatre

MICHIGAN TECH THEATRE SERIES EVENT Men on Boats is a play by Jaclyn Backhaus that tells the true story of John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition down the Colorado River through...