February 29, 2024

The College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) Dean Search Committee has invited four semifinalist candidates to Michigan Tech for on-campus interviews.

Candidate 3 Open Forum Presentation:
Monday, March 4, at 10 a.m. in the Library East Reading Room
The third candidate's interview will be held this Monday and Tuesday (March 4 and 5). The candidate will present their administrative philosophy and vision for CSA at an open forum at 10 a.m. Monday in the Library East Reading Room.

Information on all candidates, interview dates and open forum information can be viewed at the Academic Affairs Dean Search page. A Michigan Tech login is required to view resumes and provide comment. The open forums will be video recorded and posted to the website for viewing.

The CSA Dean Search Committee encourages the campus community to interact with each candidate during the interviews and provide feedback by completing the anonymous comment form provided at the website. Feedback forms will be available for 72 hours following the last candidate's visit.

The College of Engineering (COE) Dean Search Committee has invited four semifinalist candidates to Michigan Tech for on-campus interviews. This is an update to the Feb. 21 announcement in Tech Today, which referenced the committee inviting three candidates.

Candidate 1 Open Forum Presentation:
Monday, March 4, at 2 p.m. in MUB Ballroom A2
The first candidate's interview will be held Monday and Tuesday (March 4 and 5). The candidate will present their administrative philosophy and vision for COE at an open forum at 2 p.m. Monday in MUB Ballroom A2.

Information on all candidates, interview dates and open forum information can be viewed at the Academic Affairs Dean Search page. A Michigan Tech login is required to view resumes and provide comment. The open forums will be video recorded and posted to the website for viewing.

The COE Dean Search Committee encourages the campus community to interact with each candidate during the interviews and provide feedback by completing the anonymous comment form provided at the website. Feedback forms will be available for 72 hours following the last candidate's visit.

Human Resources is updating the process for hiring all student and temporary employees. Beginning Monday (March 4), departments wishing to hire students or temporary employees must email hr-help@mtu.edu or visit the HR Support Center. New hires must provide original documentation regarding Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. No new hires will be allowed to work without providing the required documentation.

Detailed steps for the updated hiring processes can be found on the Student Hiring and Short Term/Casual/Seasonal Hiring websites.

Michigan Tech instructors are encouraged to participate in the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project, a six-week course beginning the week of March 4.  This course presents a unique opportunity for professional development, focusing on the critical topics of equity and inclusion in STEM education.

Facilitated by a local cohort, this course is designed to provoke deep reflection and foster meaningful discussions on creating inclusive learning environments within various institutional contexts. Whether you're a doctoral student, postdoc, or faculty member, this course aims to enhance your awareness, self-efficacy and ability to cultivate inclusive STEM classrooms for your students.

Participants will engage in a range of activities aimed at examining issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. Moreover, instructors will gain practical insights into identifying and implementing learner-centered structures and strategies to better support their students' diverse needs.

With a flexible commitment of approximately three to four hours per week, this course is tailored to fit into your busy schedule while providing valuable skills and knowledge to enhance your teaching practice.

Visit the official course page for more information and to register. 

MTU Students, SDC Access Pass holders (minimum one-month), and WIBIT Wednesday Pass holders, come make a splash with our inflatable pool obstacle course called the WIBIT!

Events will be held this spring for current MTU Students and SDC Access Pass Holders (minimum one-month). Not a current student or SDC Access Pass Holder? Purchase a WIBIT Wednesday Pass (space is limited)!

Test your individual skills on the course or challenge your friend to a race across the obstacles.

The course is set up in the deep water and requires users to be able to pass our swim test. See the WIBIT rules and swim test content on our website for more information.

There are many different pieces of the WIBIT and each event will have a featured combination.

Potential featured pieces include:

• The Step — This piece allows users to climb up onto the course.
• The Base — Users must make their way across a horizontal surface. Be careful how fast you move, as it can get slippery!
• The Cliff — Users must navigate either side of a slope using the handles and their balancing skills.
• V-Connect — Users must use limited footing space to navigate across the horizontal structure.
• The Bridge — Users must navigate up and over an arched structure without falling through.
• The Slope — Users must climb up a six-foot wall that leads to a slide into the pool water below!

Upcoming WIBIT dates, times and combinations: 

Wednesday, March 6, from 5-8 p.m. — Step/Bridge/V-Connect/Slope
Wednesday, Apr. 10, from 5-8 p.m. — Step/Bridge/Cliff/Slope

Come visit us at the pool to try out your skills! For more information, visit our WIBIT page.

The women's basketball team concludes the regular season at the SDC Gymnasium, welcoming Davenport and No. 2 Grand Valley State on Thursday (Feb. 29) at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday (March 2) at noon. 

Tech's six seniors will be honored between games on Saturday for Senior Day.

Saturday is also Vollwerth's Family Day at the SDC. With every purchase of a Family 4-Pack of tickets (two adult, two youth) for either the basketball doubleheader against Grand Valley State University (noon and 2 p.m.) or hockey versus St. Thomas (6:07 p.m.), fans will receive vouchers for four Vollwerth's hot dogs and four sodas from the concession stands. Purchase your Family 4-Packs today for Vollwerth's Family Day by stopping by the SDC Central Ticket Office or calling 906-487-2073.

Read the preview at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The men's basketball team welcomes Davenport and Grand Valley State to the SDC Gymnasium on Thursday (Feb. 29) at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday (March 2) at 2 p.m.

Saturday is Senior Day, honoring senior center Tyler Robarge between games.

Saturday is also Vollwerth's Family Day at the SDC. With every purchase of a Family 4-Pack of tickets (two adult, two youth) for either the basketball doubleheader against Grand Valley State University (noon and 2 p.m.) or hockey versus St. Thomas (6:07 p.m.), fans will receive vouchers for four Vollwerth's hot dogs and four sodas from the concession stands. Purchase your Family 4-Packs today for Vollwerth's Family Day by stopping by the SDC Central Ticket Office or calling 906-487-2073.

Read the preview at Michigan Tech Athletics.

CTL and Essential Education Lunch and Learn: 'Mastering the Essentials of Essential Education'

Join the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Essential Education Implementation for an engaging Lunch and Learn session focused on the latest updates about Michigan Tech's Essential Education program. Faculty and staff from the Essential Education working groups will provide insights into the progress and future directions of the program on Thursday (March 7) from 12-1 p.m. in MUB Ballroom A1.

Delve into discussions and ideation around Essential Education Minors, Essential Education Experiences, Michigan Tech Seminars, and Activities for Wellbeing and Success, and be among the first on campus to earn Essential Education swag! This lunch and learn is an opportunity for all members of our campus community to learn about the program, contribute ideas, and support the success of Essential Education.

Registration is required. Lunch will be provided to those who register by Tuesday (March 5).

For questions or to request accommodations, please contact Jess Hendrickson at jelhendr@mtu.edu or 906-487-2275.

Cassy Tefft de Muñoz (CEO) was quoted by the Voice of Sterling Heights, Michigan, in a story previewing the upcoming STEM Fest at St. Clair Community College on March 9. Michigan Tech’s Mind Trekkers will offer activities and demonstrations at the festival, which saw more than 3,700 people from over 130 zip codes attend last year’s event.

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Michigan Tech’s use of both weighted and unweighted GPAs in admissions and scholarship decisions was mentioned in stories from the Daily Mining Gazette and the County Press. 

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The Daily Mining Gazette ran a story about the dozens of former Michigan Tech hockey players who are playing professional or semi-professional hockey around the world. 

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Michigan Tech’s graduate engineering programs were mentioned in an UPWord story as a frequent destination for graduates of the undergraduate robotics program at Lake Superior State University. 

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Yahoo! News and WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about climate change’s impact on the habitat of the piping plover, an endangered Great Lakes shorebird. The story cited research by Pengfei Xue (CEGE/GLRC) projecting that the Great Lakes’ baseline water levels will rise seven to 19 inches by 2050. Xue presented the research at the June 2022 Frontiers in Hydrology Meeting. The story was picked up from Great Lakes Echo.

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

Simple Machines: Poetry, Letterpress, and the Art of the Little Magazine Presented by Michigan Tech Art

Thursday, February 29, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Galleries

Simple Machines is a two-edition, international, letterpress poetry magazine founded and edited by Michigan Tech’s M. Bartley Seigel, funded through a Research Excellence Fund—Scholarship & Creativity Grant, produced in collaboration with designer/printers at the Copper Country Community Arts Center, Hancock, Michigan, and TYPA Letterpress & Paper Art Center, Tartu, Estonia, and featuring original poetry from a diverse array of national and international poets. The Rozsa A-Space Gallery is proud to share the art and words of Simple Machines in a multi-media setting featuring audio clips of the poets reading their own work, a live printing demonstration, and a live performance from visiting Ukrainian poet and Simple Machines contributor Yuliya Musakovska. CONTENT GUIDANCE | strong language, war, poetry, activism, small press, publishing, printmaking. PRESENTER | Michigan Tech Art VENUE | Rozsa A-Space Gallery ARTIST RECEPTION| February 2, 2024 | 5-7 P.M. EXHIBIT OPEN | February 2 - March 30, 2024 GALLERY HOURS | M-F 8 A.M.-8 P.M. AND SA 1-8 P.M. Additional Events Speaking Truth to Power: Poets, Writers, Resistance, and Resilience February 1 | Van Pelt and Opie Library, East Reading…

Predatory Publishing Pitfalls, and How to Avoid Them

Thursday, February 29, 12 p.m.–2 p.m.

Join us for the next session in the VPR Research Series featuring Nora Allred, Associate Director for Scholarly Engagement at the Van Pelt & Opie Library. Predatory or fraudulent publishers, whose sole objective is profit, lure potential authors with the promise of rapid peer-reviewed publication and low fees in their “impactful journals.” In reality, what they deliver is the opposite: unqualified or non-existent review, hidden fees, fake or misleading journal rankings, damage to researcher reputation, and the possibility of misinformation entering the scholarly record. With an increasing number of predatory publishers being identified, researchers need to be aware of and prepared for this publishing pitfall. Join us to learn about predatory publishing: what it is, why it’s a problem, and how to avoid it.

(Women's Basketball) Davenport vs. Michigan Tech

Thursday, February 29, 5:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Wood Gym

Women's Basketball: Davenport vs. Michigan Tech, SDC Gymnasium - Houghton, Mich.

Austin Alumni Social at Lazarus Brewing

Thursday, February 29, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.

Austin-based Michigan Tech alumni and friends are invited to join Sheryl Wright '91 for a social gathering on Thursday, February 29, 2024, from 6-8 p.m. (local time) at Lazarus Brewing. Lazarus Brewing is located at 1902 East 6th St, Austin, TX 78702. Individual food and beverage purchases will be available. Alumni and friends will also have the opportunity to score MTU-branded swag, courtesy of the Alumni Engagement Office. To ensure we have an accurate headcount, please make sure to RSVP in advance. The deadline to RSVP is noon on Monday, February 26, 2024.

England Alumni + Student Social

Thursday, February 29, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. | London, England

England-based alumni and friends are invited to join current Michigan Tech students for dinner on Thursday, February 29, 2024, from 6-8 p.m. at The George Inn in London. Engage and connect with fellow alumni while gaining insights into the latest university updates and the incredible experiences of students participating in the study away program. The Office of Alumni Engagement will also be sending a little bit of Houghton to London with MTU-branded swag. The George Inn is located at 77 Borough High Street, Southwark, London, SE1 1NH. Advance registration is required. The deadline to RSVP is Thursday, February 15, 2024.

(Men's Basketball) Davenport vs. Michigan Tech

Thursday, February 29, 7:30 p.m.–11:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Wood Gym

Men's Basketball: Davenport vs. Michigan Tech, SDC Gymnasium - Houghton, Mich.