January 4, 2022

Currently, all faculty and staff are required to complete training workshops to serve on search committees. Members of a faculty search committee complete Diversity Literacy Online Workshop (DLOW) and Faculty Legal Aspects. Members of a staff search committee complete the Staff Hiring Process Training Program, which has a Legal Aspects component. These workshops must be completed every three to four years.

The Legal Aspects components explain the University's commitment and obligation to a fair and respectful hiring process for all applicants, in compliance with federal and state laws and University policy.

Starting in the spring 2022 semester, Institutional Equity, Human Resources and the Provost's Office are requiring that a new Legal Aspects Refresher Course be completed each time someone serves on a search committee (but not more than once per year). This requirement is to ensure that these issues, policies and procedures are at the forefront when committee members complete their important work. This course is typically completed in one hour or less and is completely asynchronous.

Please contact Institutional Equity at equity@mtu.edu for further information or with questions.

The City of Houghton will be removing the covers over the parking area east of the Subway parking deck this week (Jan. 3-7). These 28 spots will not be available for Michigan Tech employees during this time.

Michigan Tech permit holders who typically park in that covered area and the very next adjacent spots (so that the workers have some clearance) are asked to park in other available Lakeshore Center designated Michigan Tech spots. If none are available you may park in the following areas:

• The lot immediately south of Dee Stadium along Lakeshore Drive
• The outdoor portion of the Subway parking deck, which is accessed from Shelden Avenue. (There are stairs inside the garage portion which go down to the level behind the City Center.)

If, for some reason, someone cannot find parking at the Dee or on the Subway deck, please call Polly at the Houghton Police Department at 906-487-5912.

Students interested in jump-starting their cybersecurity career are invited to apply now for Michigan Tech’s 2022-23 cohort of cybersecurity scholars. The deadline to apply is Feb. 1.

This generous CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service (SFS) opportunity provides up to three years of tuition and an annual stipend to Michigan Tech students. Then, following completion of your degree, you’ll work in a cybersecurity-related position for a federal, state, local or tribal agency for up to three years — a period equal to the length of your scholarship.

See full guidelines, requirements and application information on the CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service website.

The Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience (ISR) would like to remind potential submitters that proposals for the Sustainable and Resilient Communities Early Career Award or New Research Directions Award, announced in November 2021, must be submitted no later than Monday (Jan. 10). 

Proposals are invited from Michigan Tech faculty and staff for these awards. ISR expects to award two to four awards for faculty and staff who aim to make significant contributions to research addressing sustainability and resilience. This is potentially a one-time opportunity for researchers to grow their engagement with sustainability and resilience in new ways! 

Before You Submit a Proposal
Full details of the awards and the submission process are available on the Sustainability Blog. Given the flexible nature of this award, potential submitters are encouraged to reach out with questions or to pitch ideas before developing a proposal. ISR looks forward to receiving your inquiries! 

Proposal narratives, potential mentors, budgets and budget justifications should be submitted as a single document via email to Chelsea Schelly at cschelly@mtu.edu. 

Deadline
Submissions via email are due no later than Monday. A second round of awards may be available in spring 2022, pending funding availability. 

Don’t forget to complete your Husky Health Checklists with the activities you completed between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2021, to earn up to $450 to use toward health-related expenses.

Monday (Jan. 10) is the last day to submit your Husky Health Checklist to receive your Husky Health payout incentive in early 2022.

Check out the Husky Health website or follow us on Facebook at Michigan Tech Wellness for more information about Husky Health, Lunch and Learns, wellness tips and fitness programs that count toward the Husky Health incentive. Find out more about Husky Health and other wellness benefits online.

Questions? Contact the Benefits Office at benefits@mtu.edu or call 906-487-2517.

There is still time to complete your full or refresher Diversity Literacy training in spring 2022.

The Diversity Literacy Workshop is part of Michigan Tech's ongoing commitment to faculty diversity in building a supportive campus climate. Successful completion of the Diversity Literacy Workshop is required to serve on faculty hiring and tenure promotion committees.

The full workshop is organized as a three-week asynchronous online course in Canvas (with two to three hours of work per week) building literacy in recognizing unconscious bias, and culminates with a one-week seminar on the legal aspects of diversity-centered hiring practices. For those who have already taken the full three-week diversity literacy course, a one-week Diversity Literacy Refresher Workshop is required every four years. See the Diversity Training Status page for more information and a list of current training status for all faculty.

The spring 2022 workshop dates are listed below and can also be found on the training website, which is also where you can submit your request for workshop registration. Please note that Legal Aspect training will immediately follow the Diversity Literacy training, and faculty will be registered for them both at the same time.

If you have any questions about the Diversity Literacy workshops and training, contact Diversity Literacy Workshop administrator Amy Marcarelli at ammarcar@mtu.edu.

Spring 2022 Dates for Diversity Literacy and Legal Aspects of Hiring:

Spring Refresher 1:
Jan. 17-21 — Diversity Literacy Refresher Workshop
Jan. 24-28 — Legal Aspects of Hiring – Online Course

Spring Full Course:
Feb. 7-25 — Diversity Literacy Full Course
Feb. 28-March 4 — Legal Aspects of Hiring – Online Course

Spring Refresher 2:
March 21-25 — Diversity Literacy Refresher Workshop
March 28-April 1 — Legal Aspects of Hiring – Online Course

No. 18 Michigan Tech hockey tied against No. 3 Michigan and fell in overtime to Michigan State last week in the Great Lakes Invitational Showcase (GLI).

MTU and No. 3 Michigan skated to a scoreless tie Dec. 29 in their GLI game at Yost Ice Arena. There were four breakaways in the game as goaltender Blake Pietila stopped 30 shots for the Huskies and Erik Portillo had 27 saves for the Wolverines.

"It was a good hockey game, especially for being the first after the Christmas break," Tech coach Joe Shawhan said. "A lot of guys battled and competed hard. I thought both goaltenders were tremendous. I'm appreciative to Michigan for playing us."

The Huskies fell 3-2 in overtime at Michigan State on Dec. 30 in their GLI game at Munn Ice Arena.

"We dominated for stretches but just couldn't score," Shawhan said. "We're as good as most teams in 5-on-5 but we've struggled in the 3-on-3 all year. We made some adjustments as the game went on, but we just couldn't find the back of the net with 45 shots on goal."

The Huskies are now 10-8-1 overall and are off until Jan. 14-15 at Lake Superior State.

Read more and see game highlights at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

The Michigan Tech Nordic ski team is in Soldier Hollow, Utah, for the L.L. Bean U.S. National Cross Country Ski Championships, which started Jan. 2 and will conclude Friday (Jan. 7). The Huskies will race in four events.

The freestyle sprint kicked off the week Jan. 2. The mass start skate distance race is today (Jan. 4), with the individual start classic distance race on Thursday (Jan. 6). The championships wrap up with the classic sprint on Friday.

Start lists, results and live timing will be available online throughout the championships. Watch live starting at 10:45 a.m. each race day.

Hear predictions from Nordic ski coach Tom Monahan Smith at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. For more information regarding staff positions, call 906-487-2280 or email mtujobs@mtu.edu.

For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted. 

Administrative Aide 7 (12 months/ 40 hours/ first shift) #21275RP, Financial Services and Operations (UAW posting Jan. 4 to Jan. 10, 2022 — internal UAW applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal UAW posting dates). Apply online.

Administrative Aide 7 (12 months/ 40 hours/ first shift) #22000, Human Resources (UAW posting Jan. 4 to Jan. 10, 2022 — internal UAW applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal UAW posting dates). Apply online.

Michigan Technological University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Equal Opportunity Employer that provides equal opportunity for all, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Accommodations are available. If you require any auxiliary aids, services, or other accommodations to apply for employment, or for an interview, at Michigan Technological University, please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or mtujobs@mtu.edu.

Adam Wellstead (SS) is a co-author of a paper titled "(Re)Thinking think tanks in the age of policy labs: The rise of knowledge-based policy influence organisations" published in the Australian Journal of Public Administration.

The paper also lists Michael Howlett of Simon Fraser University as a co-author.

The idea of think tanks is one of the oldest in the policy sciences. Although the topic has been studied for decades, recent works dealing with advocacy groups, policy and behavioral insight labs and into the activities of think tanks themselves have led to discontent with the definitions used in the field, and especially with the way the term may obfuscate rather than clarify important distinctions between the different kinds of knowledge-based policy influence organizations (KBPIO) operating in the contemporary policy landscape.

The paper examines the traditional and current definitions of think tanks utilized in the discipline and points out their weaknesses. It then develops a new framework to better capture the variation in the kinds of knowledge-based organizations which operate in many sectors.

Face Coverings Required Indoors on Campus

While Michigan Tech is at Health and Safety Level Two, face coverings must be worn indoors. This applies to all students, employees and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. 

Michigan Tech strongly recommends that all employees and students continue with handwashing and hand-sanitizing practices, especially in light of the virulence of the COVID-19 delta variant. Please be aware that if you are exposed to COVID-19, quarantine guidelines vary depending on vaccination status. 

In Level Two, students and employees are not required to monitor their symptoms daily prior to coming to campus. But, individuals should be mindful of their own symptoms. A useful monitoring tool is available from the CDC. 

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On-Demand COVID-19 Testing on Campus

Testing on Michigan Tech's campus concluded for the fall 2021 semester on Dec. 16. 

For COVID-19 testing during winter break, please reach out to a local health care provider to schedule a test. You do not need to have a preexisting relationship with the health care provider in order to get tested.

Local sites offering COVID-19 testing can be found using the state of Michigan's Find a Test Site web page.

More COVID-19 Testing Information for the Michigan Tech community is available on the MTU Flex website.

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ChE Welcomes Write-D Facilitator

Writing in the Discipline (Write-D) and the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) are pleased to welcome Tinu Folayan as the department’s Write-D facilitator beginning in the spring 2022 semester.

Write-D provides a dedicated time and space for graduate students to get work done and receive support on writing projects within their discipline, such as manuscripts, research proposals, etc. Guest speakers from the department and industry visit to briefly present research, writing and publishing tips.

Current departments and facilitators include:

• Biological Sciences / Biomedical Engineering:
  Laura Schaerer, lgschaer@mtu.edu
  
  
• Chemical Engineering:
  Daniel Kulas, dgkulas@mtu.edu
  Tinu Folayan, tfolayan@mtu.edu
  
  
• Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering:
  Brian Rivers, bwrivers@mtu.edu 

Write-D is a free program open to all graduate students. If your department is not listed but you would like to participate, contact Write-D coordinator Sarah Isaacson at sisaacso@mtu.edu.

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

US Cross Country Ski Championships (Soldier Hallow - Utah)

January 4, all day

US Cross Country Ski Championships (Soldier Hallow - Utah), Skate Sprint