Posts Tagged ‘alumni’

The Par-Tee Time Golf Outing will be held on August 4th, 2012

It’s that time of year, get your golf clubs out … it’s time to golf!

The School of Business and Economics, along with the MBA Association (MBAA) and the student chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA), invite you to join us for this great opportunity to network with the new dean, alumni, students, staff, faculty and community members in a friendly competitive environment. Bring your friends, all are invited!

When:
Saturday, August 4th, 2012
9am registration and practice range
10am shotgun start; scramble format

Where:
Portage Lake Golf Course
46789 US Highway 41
Houghton, MI  49931

Cost:
$70/person (must be paid by August 3rd)
MTU student price – $40
Pay day of – $320/team, $80/person
Price includes golf, lunch, cart and two beverage tickets per person.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners in each flight (which means if you’re not a very good golfer, you are still eligible to win in your category). There will also be cash prizes for the three course games,  and a special $10,000 Hole In One Contest!

Our raffle list keeps growing, Michigan Tech departments and over 70 local businesses have donated some really great prizes … hotel jacuzzi suites, ski passes, oil change, wheel alignments, spa gift basket, Aroma Therapy Whirlpool to name a few!

To register, please print the registration form here.

You can find more detailed information, as well as  sponsorship opportunities by clicking on the appropriate links.

For questions, please call Tanya at 487-2668, or email golfouting@mtu.edu.

"A really good education is your ticket to opening up opportunities. When opportunities struck, I was well prepared to take advantage of them.” Jim Tretheway '67

Taking “the road less traveled” takes courage, especially for a college student. Many students come to Michigan Tech for engineering, but an elective can lead to a different career path. Such is the story of Jim Trethewey.

Trethewey, from Ironwood, began as a mechanical engineering major. Then he took an accounting elective from Professor Sam Tidwell. Because he did well in the course, Tidwell encouraged him to change majors. After some soul-searching, Trethewey switched to accounting.

As an undergraduate, Trethewey was involved in Theta Tau fraternity and intramural sports. His academic achievements led to the honorary accounting fraternity Kappa Sigma Iota. “I made many good friends and liked the students’ work ethic,” says Trethewey. “And, in my career, it turned out to be a very good thing to have a mix of business and technical courses.”

After graduating, Trethewey accepted a position as an auditor for Copper Range, a copper mining concern. He next joined Cleveland-Cliffs (now Cliffs Natural Resources), an iron ore mining company in an exciting growth period, as a financial analyst in its Ishpeming office.

Cleveland-Cliffs offered Trethewey a wide variety of opportunities. From Ishpeming to Ontario to Cleveland, Trethewey worked in positions of increasing responsibility and became vice president-controller and chief accounting officer. Along the way, he also earned his MBA from Baldwin- Wallace College.

In his final years with Cliffs, Trethewey was senior vice president of business development and worked with the senior corporate team in reshaping the company, adding international experience to his career. He retired in 2007.

Looking back, Trethewey says, “A really good education is your ticket to opening up opportunities. When opportunities struck, I was well prepared to take advantage of them.”

Being open to different types of jobs within a company is helpful, as many newly learned skills could be transferred to other areas, he says. “Mobility is also important. Don’t tie yourself down to one location.”

Being involved in both professional and community organizations has also been important to Trethewey. He networked with professionals in the American Mining Association, the Society of Mining Engineers, and other industry groups that gave him a broader understanding of his field.

“I worked with community organizations such as United Way and currently serve on the boards of two charities,” says Trethewey. “I was always looking for ways to give back to society. It’s important to stay active in other things besides work so you can expand yourself.”

Trethewey credits a lot of his success to family support, especially from his wife, Dee. The couple divides their time among a winter home in Florida, a summer home in Chautauqua, New York, and a townhouse in Cleveland, where three of their five children and five of their eight grandchildren live.

Trethewey has found time in his busy retirement to continue giving back to Tech. In 1994, he began serving on the School of Business and Economics advisory board, and since 2009 he has served as a trustee of the Michigan Tech Fund.

Trethewey reflects, “My newer role as a trustee lets me deal with the entire University. It gives me an opportunity to participate in activities with other devoted graduates who care where the University is going. We help raise funds for the University, network, and work to form corporate partnerships. These activities are important to maintain sound financial footing and ensure the University continues to advance.”

As an advisor to the School of Business and Economics, he has been involved in AACSB accreditation, which has been particularly gratifying for Trethewey. Providing input on curriculum and meeting with students and faculty have been valuable for him. He is excited about many School and University programs including the Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP) and Enterprise.

“I like that the School is getting involved directly with corporations and the hands-on nature of these programs,” he says. In addition, Trethewey has started two endowed scholarships for business students from Gogebic County. Other possible contributions are in the planning stages.

“The School of Business and Economics was my foundation, my beginning on the road to success,” he says. “So it’s really important for me to have a part in its growth. The current direction of the School is right on track. Being involved has given me the opportunity to have a voice in where the School is going and ensure it’s constantly getting better. And that’s very fulfilling.”

This article was originally published in Impact, the Michigan Tech School of Business and Economics magazine.

Business Administration grad Tonina Clements with her dad, John '86.

It’s always great to see the generations converge at graduation, even more so when there are alumni from two or more generations gathering. Such was the case at Midyear Commencement.

Tonina Clements (left) will be an assistant manager at Walmart in Houghton. The business administration grad was happy to remain in the Keweenaw and dad, John ’86 was up from Alpena with the family to celebrate the day. John’s degree was in industrial management back in the day.

See Tech Alum for full story.

Students at Brocade in Silicon Valley.

In spring 2011, students from across Michigan Tech had the opportunity to glimpse the professional possibilities that await them, thanks to a special spring break trip organized by the late School of Business and Economics Professor Bob Mark.

“While attending a conference in Silicon Valley a few years ago, I toured a high-tech business and saw technology that blew my mind,” said Mark. “It hit me that Michigan Tech students would really benefit from seeing what’s out there.”

To expose students to businesses that hire technologically savvy graduates, Mark organized tours of Silicon Valley companies, including Google, the Porter Family Vineyards, Plug n’ Play, the Stanford Research Institute, and Brocade Networks.

“Each and every site visit was a huge success,” he said. “The students asked great questions, and the company representatives were thrilled to have in-depth discussions. This type of technical expertise is not something they see in standard student groups—but then, Michigan Tech students are a cut above the rest.”

Participating students came from departments across campus, creating an interdisciplinary experience that Mark saw as beneficial for the entire group. Of the fifteen students, there were undergraduates and graduate students from business, computer science, mechanical engineering, and physics. Four were from China, one was from India, and one was from West Africa.

Michigan Tech alumni played a large role in the success of the trip, lending their time and expertise to enhance the students’ experience. Dave House ’65 led a presentation and data center tour at Brocade Networks, Tom Porter’s ’68 son, Tim, gave an in-depth tour of his family’s Napa winery, and Danielle VanDyke ’06 acted as a tour guide at Google’s Mountain View campus.

To wrap up the week, the Michigan Tech Alumni Association set up a reception at the Computer History Museum, which was attended by more than thirty alumni. Shankar Mukherjee ’86 and Dale Luck ’79 gave testimonials and entrepreneurial words of wisdom to the students at the reception.

“Our alumni love to talk to current students,” said Mark. “They went above and beyond to get us unique access, and we were treated like royalty everywhere we went.”

The spring break trip received positive feedback from both students and participating businesses—so much, in fact, that it will be offered as a one-credit class through Michigan Tech starting in spring 2012. The new structure will allow students to use their financial aid to cover the expenses. Mark expressed hope that the class will expand in the future to include faculty and students from all across campus. “We have great, smart students here at Michigan Tech, and it’s great to get them out into the world.”

The hard work, planning, and logistics that went into the trip were well worth the effort, said Mark. “The students’ reactions were unbelievable. When I was dropping off the last student, I asked what he thought. What he said summed it up perfectly: ‘It was life-changing.’”

Editor’s note: Bob Mark passed away after this article was written; we have included it to showcase his dedication to his students and his interest in their futures.

This article was originally published in Impact, the Michigan Tech School of Business and Economics magazine.

Dr. Paul Nelson and Dr. Mark Roberts discussing the Economics Major.

For the first time ever, students were given a unique opportunity to explore the seven undergraduate majors within the School of Business and Economics in individual, hour long session for each field of study.

Meet Your Major Night consisted of  three evenings with faculty, alumni, and current students from each major to explain more about the degree options.  Faculty members discussed curriculum and what to expect from each major. Alumni described their Michigan Tech experience—internships/co-ops, participation in student organizations, their present careers, and plans for the future—either in person or by video conferencing.

Meet Your Major Night was well received by students, as they had a chance to talk with Michigan Tech alumni that are working in their fields of study, and learn what companies are looking for when hiring.

Business management and marketing student, Alix Rugg, commented,  “It helped me learn how MIS fits into the large picture of the business world”, and also learned how important internships are for future employment.

Finance student Warren Kesti mentioned that, “The session gave me a solid foothold to make a decision on what major to pursue.”

Carly Benson, Recruiter and Outreach Coordinator for the School of Business and Economics, orchestrated the first time event to present the seven majors within the school to current students studying business and economics as well as other students who may be interested in changing their major.

After the event, Benson noted, “This event was a great opportunity for our faculty and alumni to showcase the great things that can be done with each individual School of Business and Economics degree. It was a great success and we look forward to repeating the event.”