Category: Faculty and Staff

Impact Magazine Highlights College of Business Students, Faculty, and Alumni

The Michigan Tech Alumni Gateway Arch is lit on a cold winter night with a snowy campus in the background.
Michigan Tech’s College of Business celebrates student accomplishments, entrepreneurial spirit, and STEM-infused degree program innovations in the latest issue of Impact Magazine. 

Online and on kitchen tables, the new issue of Impact Magazine is ready to read wherever you are. Get the latest news from Michigan Tech’s College of Business (COB), including student accomplishments, research that helps communities steer toward a brighter economic future, and real-life advice from dynamic entrepreneurs and alumni.

Dean Johnson, dean of the College, said Impact’s theme this year highlights the Michigan Tech difference. “College of Business students study more than business,” he said. “Science, technology, engineering, and math are infused into COB courses and programs. Classes connect disciplines. Degree programs cross borders.”

Read all about it in the online version of the 2024 Impact Magazine. Your comments on the current issue and suggestions for stories in future issues are welcome. Email them to Cyndi Perkins, managing editor, at cmperkin@mtu.edu.

Retired College of Business Lecturer Paul Aho Passes Away

Michigan Technological University’s College of Business honors the memory of Paul Aho, a faculty member dedicated to student success.

The College of Business is saddened to announce that long-time College of Business faculty member Paul Aho passed away November 2 at age 71. Aho served as a lecturer in management information systems from 1987 until his retirement in 2006.

In 1978, Aho completed a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in information systems at Michigan Tech, then working in the accounting industry for several years. Later, he a earned a master’s degree in economics from DePaul University.

“Paul was a great inspiration to me as an undergraduate,” said Adam Mitteer ’03 ’17, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Management and a master’s in Data Science at Michigan Tech. “Taking his classes changed the course of how I looked at technology and really academia in general. It was a pleasure to get to know Paul through clubs, as a TA (teaching assistant) for his class, and taking many of his courses.”

Mitteer said Aho also served as a mentor to students through his connections to industry and University alumni, always helping students find the best path for pursuing fulfilling careers.

Read Aho’s full obituary.

Soonkwan Hong Is Editorial Advisory Board Member of Journal of Social Impact in Business Research

Michigan Tech campus in the fall.
The Michigan Tech Campus in the fall season

Soonkwan Hong, associate professor of marketing in the College of Business, is an invited editorial advisory board member of the Journal of Social Impact in Business Research, which was founded in July 2024.

The journal explicitly responds to AACSB’s new standards, which underscore “Societal Impact” as encompassing “…activities undertaken by business schools that over time lead to meaningful, discernible change for the betterment of people, economies and the environment” (AACSB and Societal Impact: Aligning With the AACSB 2020 Business Accreditation Standards, February 2023, p.2).

Jon Leinonen Appointed Assistant Dean, Director of Husky Innovate


The College of Business is pleased to announce that Jon Leinonen, teaching professor in management, has been appointed assistant dean for the College of Business and director of Husky innovate.

“I’m thrilled that Jon has accepted these new responsibilities,” says Dean Johnson, dean of the College of Business. “He brings a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to both of these roles.”

“I’m excited to be working more closely with the COB administrative team as assistant dean,” says Leinonen. “I look forward to working with the College of Business and partners across Michigan Tech to help students reach their goals and position them for future success.”

Jon Leinonen, assistant dean, teaching professor in management, and director of Husky Innovate

Gary Campbell, Professor of Natural Resource Economics, Discusses Resources Policy Journal in Podcast


Gary Campbell, Professor of Natural Resource Economics in the College of Business, was recently a guest on the podcast “Journals 101,” which hosts discussions about the world of academic publishing.

The podcast was hosted by Dr. Brian Lucey, professor of international finance and commodities, at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

Gary Campbell, Professor of Natural Resource Economics