The 2024-25 academic year was a big one for Elijah Joseph, a senior finance major with a financial technology (FinTech) minor who’s getting ready to walk the stage at Michigan Tech’s 2025 Midyear Commencement.
Join Joseph as he looks back on the experiences that have shaped his education and forward to what’s in store after his milestone moment in this Q&A at Stories from Husky Nation.
Insights from Student Affairs is a monthly series providing the latest updates and information directly from Student Affairs professionals at Michigan Tech.
In our latest entry, Julia Keleher, director of Student Support and Mentorship, discusses first-generation college students (FGCs) and the "hidden curriculum."
"Nearly 54% of all college students identify as FGCs. Only 24% earn a bachelor's degree within six years," Keleher writes. "Empirical research confirms that mentorship is the key to unlocking the cultural capital FGCs need."
To learn more about what Student Support and Mentorship is doing to support first-generation college students through the Husky Connect Mentorship Program, read our latest installment on the Student Affairs Newsblog.
The Department of Chemical Engineering Office will be closing early today, Dec. 5, at 3 p.m. for our departmental holiday party. We will reopen on Monday, Dec. 8, at 8 a.m.
Thank you for your understanding!
Talmi Entertainment’s “NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet,” a beloved holiday tradition, visits the Rozsa Center as part of its 34th annual tour in 2025, bringing joy to over 100 cities across North America.
Reminder: This event begins a little earlier than most Rozsa events! The performance starts at 7 p.m., and theatre doors will open at 6:30 p.m. A large attendance is expected. Please find shuttle and parking information below.
Shuttle Service Available:
The Rozsa is offering a complimentary shuttle service for this high-attendance event. The shuttle will pick up and drop off attendees at the Michigan Tech Lakeshore Center, located downtown along the Houghton Waterfront Pier:
Michigan Tech Lakeshore Center
600 E. Lakeshore Dr.
Houghton, MI 49931
The shuttle is free of charge and seats are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Each shuttle seats approximately 24 people per trip. The Rozsa is not responsible for lost or stolen items; found items will be brought to the Rozsa's Lost and Found and will be available for pickup during Rozsa Box Office hours.
Parking in Downtown Houghton:
Parking is authorized in any spaces in the waterfront parking lots. Please observe downtown parking signage and plan your parking in accordance with the City of Houghton’s night parking restrictions. Parking lot locations are shown on informational kiosks and wayfinding maps throughout downtown.
Parking on Campus:
Free parking is available on Michigan Tech’s campus on weekends and after 4 p.m. on weekdays. For the closest spots to the Rozsa Center, we recommend Lots 8, 10W and 14, as well as the metered spots along Cliff Drive. Cliff Drive is a one-way street, accessible from the west side of campus marked by the Michigan Tech Gateway Arch. Please obey all posted parking and road signage.
You can find additional free parking in Lots 1, 3, 12 and 13, and on the other side of US Highway 41 in Lots 15E, 15W and 16. For more details, including a campus parking map (PDF) and interactive campus map, visit the Rozsa's Directions and Parking webpage.
We encourage all guests to arrive early to allow plenty of time to park and find your seats.
NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet (Sold Out)
Friday, Dec. 5 | 7 p.m.
Rozsa Center
Rozsa Presenting Series
Tomorrow, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Lake Linden hosts the combined Choirs of Michigan Tech, conducted by Jared Anderson, to perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Vespers.” The music is based on preexisting and newly composed chants from the Russian Orthodox All-Night Vigil service. The vespers portion of the service comprises the first six movements of the 15-movement work.
Vespers services are focused on texts and chants related to evening prayer.
“Rachmaninoff grew up attending services in the Orthodox church,” said Anderson. “The chanting that he heard there, and the bells from the churches, had profound influences on his music.”
The Choirs of Michigan Tech have performed at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on an annual basis, and audiences look forward each year to experiencing these concerts in such a beautiful and unique setting.
“For many years the choirs have presented ‘Music for a Sacred Space,’ an opportunity to prepare music that was written for worship settings, often in churches that have a resonant acoustic environment,” said Anderson. “St. Joseph’s is a wonderful space to hear Rachmaninoff’s ‘All-Night Vigil (Vespers).’ We are grateful for the opportunity to sing in that space.”
Pay As You’re Able tickets are still available online and at the door for this event. Don’t miss this final performance of the year from the Michigan Tech Choirs.
Rachmaninoff Vespers - Choirs of Michigan Tech
Saturday, Dec. 6 | 7:30 p.m.
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Lake Linden
Michigan Tech Music Series
Michael Bowler (HU) presented a paper titled "Was Heidegger an Existential Averroist?" at the annual meeting of the American Catholic Philosophical Association in November.
WLUC TV6 mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the 31 Backpacks winter break “Big Pack,” noting that members of the Huskies football team volunteered to help organize and prepare for the large-scale holiday food distribution.
Michigan.org mentioned the Mushing Club at Michigan Tech in a feature about Upper Peninsula dog-sledding experiences, highlighting the club’s collaboration with Otter River Sled Dog Training Center & Wilderness Adventures to help train young mushers and support the tradition of the sport.
Forbes mentioned a Michigan Tech study in a story about the cost-saving potential of 3D-printed toys, citing MTU’s research on consumer savings when printing toys using commercial, pellet-extruded or recycled-plastic filament.
A production system maintenance window is scheduled for Sunday, December 7, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The following production services will be unavailable during that time:
If you have any questions or concerns, we can help. Email IT or call 906-487-1111.
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On Sunday, Dec. 7, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Michigan Tech IT will be performing quarterly maintenance on the Fischer mylogin system, which requires a full shutdown and restart. During this maintenance, password resets and mylogin.mtu.edu will be unavailable.
If you have any questions, we can help. Email IT or call 906-487-1111.
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With the arrival of winter, it is time for Michigan Tech campus community members to move your bikes into their designated winter bike storage areas. If left out, bikes could be damaged during snow removal operations.
Bike racks around campus buildings will be relocated so that they’re not damaged by plow equipment or crushed under accumulated piles of ice and snow. Many of the racks will be moved closer to the buildings, out of the way of snow plowing operations. Students, faculty and staff who wish to ride during the winter months can use these relocated bike racks if they choose to. In addition, a number of sheltered bike rack locations are also available on campus.
Sheltered Bike Rack Locations:
Abandoned Bikes Deadline: 5 p.m. Today
This week, Grounds Services staff will place colored ribbon on the handlebars of bikes on campus. Remove the ribbon if you are using your bike. Bikes with colored ribbon remaining on racks or left in other locations on campus after 5 p.m. today, Dec. 5, will be considered abandoned. The University assumes no liability for abandoned bikes on campus and they will be collected by the Department of Public Safety and Police Services. Permanent winter bike storage is available for some students.
If you have any questions on winter bike accessibility on campus, contact Facilities Management at 906-487-2303.
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The Human Resources office will be closed from 3-5 p.m. today, Dec. 5, for a departmental meeting. The office will reopen on Monday, Dec. 8, at 8 a.m.
Questions during this time can be emailed to hr-help@mtu.edu or left as a voicemail at 906-487-2280.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
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A recording of the "Community Conversations: Being a Veteran on Campus" panel held at Michigan Tech on Nov. 10 in recognition of Veterans Day is now available on the CommUNITY Education Team's website.
The recording is located in the event dropdown under Past Events.
The panel featured MTU faculty, staff, students and retirees who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Through personal stories and open dialogue, our panelists shared insights about their time in service, the transition to civilian and academic life, and what it means to build supportive communities for veterans on campus.
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Rafael Ruiz will present as part of the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) Seminar Series today, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. in person in Chem Sci 211 or virtually via Zoom.
Rafael will present "Uncertainty Quantification in Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters: A Review of Modern Approaches."
Read Ruiz's abstract and bio on the University Events Calendar.
Ruiz is aa assistant professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He is hosted by Maria Gencoglu.
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The Commencement Team is still seeking volunteers for Michigan Tech's Midyear Commencement ceremony next Saturday, Dec. 13. We need volunteers to serve as greeters, to coordinate graduate check-in, assist guests with special seating accommodations, and assist with bag checks and ticketing. As this is only an undergraduate commencement ceremony, it should be relatively short! More information regarding the ceremonies may be found on the Commencement website.
Please sign up by the end of the day today Dec. 5, if you would like to volunteer. Contact Tiffany Jaeger at tiffanyj@mtu.edu if you have any questions.
This special event cannot happen without the help of our amazing Michigan Tech community!
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Houghton TubaChristmas will perform a concert in the lobby of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts this Sunday, Dec. 7, from 6-7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Blizzard T. Husky will make a guest appearance before the concert.
Musicians will gather at 4 p.m. in the Rozsa Lobby for rehearsal. We welcome tuba and euphonium players of all ages and skill levels to join us. A $15 registration fee covers the cost of participation and a commemorative pin for the participant. We always encourage musicians to use their creativity to festively dress and decorate their instruments. Most commonly used are battery lights, holiday garland and ribbon.
Questions can be directed to the Houghton TubaChristmas coordinator at aujordan@mtu.edu.
About Houghton TubaChristmas:
Houghton TubaChristmas is part of a global celebration now in its 51st year. Created by Harvey Phillips in 1974, TubaChristmas honors the legacy of legendary tubist William J. Bell and celebrates the warm, rich tones of the tuba and euphonium. Performers aged 8-92 join together in cities worldwide to bring the sounds of the season to life.
To have your event automatically appear, please submit them to the University Events Calendar.
Chemical Engineering Seminar Dr. Rafael O. Ruiz Assistant Professor University of Michigan Dearborn Abstract The use of piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) has been extensively studied over the last decade for supplying energy to low-power electronics, with a key application being the development of low-cost remote sensing technologies. While existing prediction models for PEHs provide a good description of the underlying physics, their accuracy is often compromised by a lack of complete knowledge about the system’s characteristics. In practical applications, these uncertainties are common and are typically related to a lack of information about exact electromechanical properties and geometric characteristics. Recent research has shown that this variability can significantly impact a PEH's performance, making it a challenge for manufacturers to produce devices with desirable characteristics within acceptable tolerance bounds. This talk will review recent advances in Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) for PEHs, focusing on the characterization of uncertainties in both electromechanical properties and geometrical parameters. We will explore how to quantify the impact of these uncertainties on the PEH's response, use Bayesian inference to update electromechanical properties based on experimental data, and implement design and optimization strategies with surrogate models. Additionally, the presentation will discuss the development of new, dual-purpose piezoelectric-based metamaterials for both vibration suppression and energy harvesting. In particular, we will address how to incorporate geometric uncertainties from additive manufacturing, account for inherent electromechanical property uncertainties, and optimize these systems under a robust UQ framework. Bio Dr. Rafael O. Ruiz joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in August 2022 as an Assistant Professor, following nearly six years at the University of Chile, where he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. Dr. Ruiz received a double Ph.D. in 2016 from the University of Notre Dame and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Currently, his research focuses on the design/modeling/optimization of mechanical devices for vibration control based on multi-functional metamaterials and piezoelectric energy harvesters, incorporating advanced computational techniques based on surrogate models and stochastic simulations to account for uncertainties in the mechanical properties.
*****Join us on Friday, December 5th for the final RTC Research Forum of the semester! RTC PhD candidate Lior Rosenfeld will be presenting "Rediscovering Ownership and Agency: Shifting from Private to Public Performance". The recent deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, supported by nation-states, highlights that ownership and agency are constituted through public speaking rather than being intrinsically tied to autonomy or self-rule. While the former gives the power to begin anew, the latter is marked by territoriality, exploitation, and coercion. For more information, and a full abstract for the presentation, please visit the Humanities Blog.
*****Close out your semester by spending some time at Cookies and Coloring! Stop by the Alumni House basement on Friday, December 5th between 2-4pm for some free cookies and coloring! Enjoy tasty treats while you relax with some coloring—it’s a perfect way to de-stress and recharge.
*****SHUTTLE SERVICE CHANGE! NOTICE!: Due to unforseen circumstances there has been a Shuttle Location Change for NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet PICKUP LOCATION | The Front Doors of the Student Development Complex (SDC) with parking in lots 22 & 24. PICKUP TIMES | Shuttles will depart the SDC at approximately 5:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. RETURN | The shuttle will leave the Rozsa following the performance to return guests to the SDC. THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT Please be aware: The Rozsa Center does NOT partner with any secondary ticketing companies or resellers. If you see our tickets on sale on resale sites, please check our official website first or call us during Rozsa Box Office hours to verify availability and pricing. Be wary of sellers offering tickets on social media, as these can often be scams. ROZSA PRESENTING SERIES EVENT Make this holiday season a magical one for your family and friends with a special evening at the Rozsa Center. On Friday December 5, 2025 at 7 p.m. Talmi Entertainment’s NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet, a beloved holiday tradition, visits the Rozsa as part of its 34th annual tour in 2025, bringing joy to over 100 cities across North America. Featuring an international cast, whimsical puppetry and opulent costumes and sets, hand-crafted by the finest artisans of Europe, this critically acclaimed production continues to delight audiences nationwide. Through the company’s unique “Dance with Us” program aspiring young dancers from across the Upper Peninsula will perform on stage alongside professionals. The production will be accompanied by the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra (KSO), the oldest orchestra in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Things to know DATE | Friday, December 5, 2025 TIME | Doors 6:30 p.m. | Show 7 p.m. LOCATION | Rozsa Center EST. RUN TIME | 2 hours, with intermission SEATING | Reserved PUBLIC TICKETS | Pay As You're Able ($45 Full Fee) What is Pay As You're Able? MICHIGAN TECH STUDENT RUSH TICKETS | Request from the Rozsa Box Office in advance or walk up What is Student Rush? CONTENT GUIDANCE | None Rozsa Lobby is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. M-F and 1-8 p.m. on Saturdays. Seating begins a half hour prior to the event start time. View Rozsa Box Office Hours. PARKING ON CAMPUS Free parking is available on Michigan Tech’s campus on weekends, and after 4 p.m. on weekdays. For the closest spots to the Rozsa Center, we recommend Lots 8, 10W, 14, and the metered spots along Cliff Drive. Cliff Drive is a one-way street, accessible from the west side of campus marked by the Michigan Tech Gateway Arch. Please obey all postage parking and road signage. You can find additional free parking in Lots 1, 3, 12, 13, and on the other side of US Highway 41 in Lots 15E, 15W, and 16. For a campus parking map (PDF) and interactive campus map, visit mtu.edu/rozsa/plan/directions-parking/ for more details. We encourage all guests to arrive early to allow plenty of time to park and find your seats. Thanks to Our Sponsors Support for this Rozsa Presenting Series Event provided by: and the Rozsa's Circle of Supporters. About the Performers With sold-out performances from coast to coast, Talmi Entertainment consistently delivers exceptional productions, including classics like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. The Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet features award-winning principal dancers and a corps de ballet of 40 Vaganova-trained ballerinas and dancers. Learn more by following @nutcrackerdotcom or visit at talmientertainment.com/nutcracker Founded in 1971, the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra (KSO) is the Upper Peninsula’s oldest orchestra and one of five symphony orchestras in the Lake Superior region. The KSO is a college-community ensemble composed of Michigan Tech students, faculty and staff, and community musicians. The orchestra performs four to five concerts per year—including orchestral masterworks, choral-orchestral, music theatre, ballet, opera, and pops—in the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. The KSO is led by Dr. Joel Neves. About the Presenter The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts cultivates a vibrant and connected community through experiences that bring the Keweenaw together. Located on Michigan Technological University's campus in Houghton, Michigan, the 80,000-square-foot arts center's design is inspired by the inclined look of the local copper mine hoists and shaft houses inside and out. Event spaces include the Rozsa Lobby, James and Margaret Black Performance Hall, Rozsa Backstage, Rozsa Art Galleries, and McArdle Theatre. As the largest theater in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Rozsa dramatically expands the region’s access to large-scale performing arts events including Broadway tours, ballet, cirque, music, and more. Plan Your Visit to the Rozsa Rozsa Box Office InformationAccessibility Services Find a Digital ProgramPlan your Parking Get Involved Volunteer to UsherDonate to Support the RozsaMeet Our DonorsGet Updates via Email View All Upcoming Events Personal Responsibility Statement Not all productions may appeal to or be appropriate for every person or for all ages. The Rozsa Center provides content guidance to alert audience members to common potentially sensitive or distressing material. Guests are encouraged to familiarize themselves with each event in order to make informed decisions prior to attending an event. Views Expressed Statement The views, information, thoughts, or opinions expressed in this program or event are those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent the policies of the Rozsa Center or Michigan Technological University. Effective Date: 2025/26.
