Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Category: Alumni

Par-Tee Time Golf Outing: Success!

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The third annual Alumni Reunion ‘Par-Tee Time Golf Outing’ was a big hit among the alumni, students, staff, and faculty of Michigan Technological University as well as with local community members. The scramble was hosted by the student volunteers of the MBA Association and the American Marketing Association as well as the staff of the School of Business and Economics.  Ten four-person teams competed for a variety of cash and sponsored prizes in a fun-filled atmosphere on the greens of the Portage Lake Golf Course. The winners of the tournament were Michigan Tech School of Business and Economics faculty members Josh Filzen, Soonkwan Hong, Dean Johnson, and Joel Tuoriniemi.

Held on a beautiful summer afternoon, the event provided participants a great opportunity to network, golf, and enjoy delicious food and beverages provided by the golf course restaurant, Par and Grill. In addition to cash prizes and a 50/50 raffle, local businesses sponsored over  40 prizes for the post-tournament raffle.  Throughout the day, participants also had the opportunity to meet and interact with the School of Business and Economic’s new dean, Gene Klippel.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the School of Business and Economics, the MBAA and AMA student organizations, the support of the Michigan Tech community and the local businesses the event continues to be successful.  Plans for next year are already underway, and participants can look forward to another weekend of fun, friendly competition, and a valuable opportunity to expand their business network.

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Kasza Hired as Women’s Assistant Basketball Coach

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Maria KaszaMichigan Tech head women’s basketball coach Kim Cameron announced Monday that former Husky Maria Kasza has been hired as the team’s new assistant coach.

“I am extremely excited to have Maria on staff,” said Cameron. “Since she came to Michigan Tech in 2007, she has continuously shown an insurmountable passion for this school and this team. Her competitive nature, energy and her basketball mind will be huge assets to our team’s ultimate goal.”

Kasza has spent the previous two seasons coaching high school girls’ basketball in Michigan. She spent the 2010-11 season as the varsity assistant coach at Kalkaska High School where she helped the Blazers to a 23-2 record. That season she also coached the seventh-grade boys’ basketball team at Kalkaska Middle School. Last season she was the head coach of the freshman girls’ basketball team at Williamston High School.

Kasza was on the Tech squad for three years, competing only one season due to injury and transfer rules. She was an integral part in two of the team’s NCAA Division II Elite Eight Appearances.

“I am so excited for the opportunity to be back with Michigan Tech basketball, and I can’t wait to get up to Houghton and start working with Kim and the Huskies,” said Kasza. “I believe in everything that this program is, and I’m thrilled to be a part of continuing Tech’s tradition.”

She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Michigan Tech. Kasza was a member of the Dean’s List and Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Fraternity.

In addition to coaching, she spent the past two years working as a project lead for the Michigan Public Health Institute.

Kasza will begin her duties on June 1.

by Ian Marks, assistant director, athletic communications and marketing

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Economics Graduate Accepted into top 100 Law School

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Coleman Segal to attend McGeorge School of Law.

The School of Business and Economics wants to congratulate Coleman Segal for his acceptance into the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. We’re so proud!

Despite being accepted to UC Berkeley out of high school, Segal chose to pursue his undergraduate degree at Michigan Tech.  After visiting his Aunt and Uncle in the Houghton as a child, he has always loved the area. The wild, beautiful surroundings, the opportunity to participate in the vibrant folk music scene, and the impressive academic reputation were all factors in his decision to come to Tech.

After researching universities, he learned of the Economics program at Michigan Tech.  Economics interested Segal in high school because it can be applied to so many different aspects of life.  Segal said, “The study of economics is in large part an effort to understand the mechanics of a functioning society, and so it relates to many different fields. It also provides a good background for law school, which I have planned to attend since high school.” 

Segal is a California native and will soon return to his home state to pursue his law degree from one of the top 100 Law Schools in the nation.   Applying and being accepted to five law schools –Marquette University in Milwaukee, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, and Albany Law School– Segal selected the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and will begin classes next fall. In addition to their impressive reputation, Segal said he chose McGeorge School of Law based on their location in Sacramento, California.  He finds the area interesting as a center of government, with multiple courthouses at different levels in the immediate area. 

Crediting his experiences with extracurricular activities such as the iOMe Challenge and the Pavlis Institute for advancing his goals of attending law school, Segal noted that Michigan Tech prepared him well for continuing his education.  Mastering skills such as writing and researching papers, in many different subjects, have been instrumental for the pursuit of his law degree.

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Annual APMP Scholarships Awarded

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APMP students hard at work.

The School of Business and Economics awards annual scholarships to students who participate in the Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP).  The scholarships are made possible by generous donors who have setup funds to recognize specific skill sets and characteristics in the recipients.  Each scholarship is awarded in the Spring of the academic year. We are very grateful to the generous donors that provide excellent opportunities to stand-out APMP students at Michigan Tech.

2012 Scholarship Recipients

Clarence Fisher APMP Scholarship – Jessie Patrick

Chester Reault APMP Scholarship – Todd Storm

Norb Verville APMP Scholarship – Mike Harri

Joe Dancy LSGI Scholarship – Dan Eskola

Hugh Makens APMP Scholarship – Pat Carroll

Jeff Call Memorial APMP Scholarship – Rachael Ristau

Scholarship Descriptions

The Clarence Fisher, Chester Rheault, and Norb Verville APMP scholarships recognize the impact these three former Advisory Board members had in founding APMP.  Recipients of these scholarships this year were: Jesse Patrick, Todd Storm, and Mike Harri, respectively.

As an APMP Board member from origination through today, the Hugh Makens APMP scholarship honors Hugh’s continual support of the students and the program.  Pat Carroll is the 2012 recipient.

Dan Eskola was the recipient of the LSGI Fund Scholarship, also known as the Joe Dancy LSGI Scholarship.  This scholarship is awarded to the student who displays excellent academic achievement, expresses an interest in finance or applied mathematics, and demonstrates high moral and ethical characteristics.  The LSGI Fund is a hedge fund managed by Joe Dancy, a Michigan Tech alumnus from Dallas, TX.

Finally, the Jeff Call Memorial Scholarship was given to Rachael Ristau.  Jeff Call, a 2002 graduate of the School and the APMP, passed away unexpectedly in 2006.  To honor Jeff’s contributions to the School and the APMP Advisory Board, together with Jeff’s parents, the groups established the Jeff Call Memorial Scholarship.  It is awarded annually to the senior who demonstrates the highest degree of commitment to APMP—a commitment Jeff displayed every day during his time at Michigan Tech.

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Michigan Tech Students Break for Silicon Valley

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While many college students spent their spring break on sandy beaches, Michigan Tech students escaped 130 inches of snow (a mild winter) to tour high-tech companies in Silicon Valley.

Thanks to Brocade, which sponsored the trip, the Michigan Tech students immersed themselves in all things tech as they toured several leading companies. A Michigan Tech alumnus, Dave House, is on the board of directors at Brocade. The students arrived Monday and began with a tour of Kyocera and Autodesk.

“The trip has been eye-opening for the types of industries that are really booming,” said Kelsey Waugh, a materials science and engineering major. “It’s giving us a picture of where corporate America is heading.

Eli Karttunen, an economics major, agreed. “We saw a diverse array of successful companies with different management styles. It showed us what is possible for our future career opportunities.”

Touring google with Michigan Tech alumnae, Danielle VanDyke.

Cisco Systems and Plug and Play were toured before a meeting with another alum, Danielle VanDyke ’06 at Google and a visit to Brocade in San Jose, finishing the high-tech portion of their whirlwind tour.

“Seeing the different atmospheres and productivity showed me what companies do to support creative, productive engineers and employees in their working environment,” said electrical engineering major Josh Lehman. “This trip gave us the opportunity to see and network with west coast companies.

As the trip’s exclusive sponsor, Brocade wrapped up the students’ week-long Silicon Valley Spring Break Experience with an executive panel discussion, data center tour, and hosted a networking social where students were able to interact with Brocade employees, including reps from human resources, some with immediate opportunities for these top students.

The students also toured the Computer History Museum in Mountain View before flying back to the snow banks of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on a redeye at midnight Friday, to continue preparing to make a little high-tech history of their own some day.

Their California adventure wasn’t all tech-related—another Michigan Tech alumnus, Tom Porter, arranged a tour of his Porter Creek Vineyard led by his son, Tim, in the Napa Valley, Cal. area. The 17,000 square foot underground wine cave is unusually sophisticated with an environment completely controllable by iPad. Tim Porter toured the students through the technological complex and hosted a social gathering in the cave itself.

At Porter Family Vineyards, owned by Tom Porter a Michigan Tech alumnus.

The late Michigan Tech School of Business and Economics Professor Bob Mark started the Silicon Valley trip last year. The 2012 trip was organized by the School of Business and Economics and the Office of Innovation and Industry Engagement. View more photos from the trip on Facebook.

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