Category: News

New Dean’s Advisory Council Member

This fall, the School of Business and Economics is pleased to welcome a new member to the Dean’s Advisory Council, Michael A. Pulick Jr.

Michael Pulick graduated from Michigan Technological University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.  He later received a master’s degree in business administration from The University of Chicago.

Pulick spent the first twelve years of his career at General Electric (GE), spending time in a number of divisions which included: Appliances, Medical Systems, Motors, and Industrial Systems.  He also completed GE’s Manufacturing Management Program.

Pulick joined W.W. Grainger, Inc., North America’s leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products in 1999. In his time at Grainger, Pulick held a number of roles with increased responsibility including Vice President, Product Management; Senior Vice President of Customer Service; President Grainger U.S.; and President, Grainger International.

In 2015, Pulick joined Warburg Pincus as an Advisor for the Industrial and Business Service sector.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Harvery Tool, TriMark, and Wencor Group.

Previously, Pulick served as a member of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Board of Trustees and board member for Junior Achievement of Chicago.

 

unnamed

SBE Awards Sponsored by Peter Negro of Rukkila Negro and Associates, CPAs

Peter Negro has agreed to sponsor the School of Business and Economics Outstanding Man and Woman in Business awards.  This award is given to students who bring honor and pride to the School of Business and Economics through high scholastic achievement and involvement.  Students eligible for this honor go through an intense interview process that includes an essay and interview with faculty for the school.

Peter is the owner of Rukkila Negro and Associates, Certified Public Accountants here in Houghton, Michigan. He has over 25 years of public and private accounting experience, as well as industry experience in manufacturing, retail, and finance.

This sponsorship is continuing to foster the relationship that Rukkila Negro and Associates has with the School of Business and Economics. The firm has hired one of the SBE’s Applied Portfolio Management (APMP) students, as well as several interns.  Rukkila Negro is looking forward to future opportunities to hire School of Business and Economics students for internships.

 

AACSB Accreditation Extension Approved Until 2021

Michigan Technological University’s School of Business and Economics has been approved for an accreditation extension to 2021 by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools Business.  

The AACSB is the longest-serving global association dedicated to advancing management education worldwide. Michigan Tech’s SBE is among 746 business schools across 51 countries and territories accredited by the organization. The accreditation was approved by the Continuous Improvement Review Committee of the AACSB.

Dean Johnson, interim dean of the School of Business and Economics, says the accreditation renewal is an affirmation of the job the SBE is doing.

“This extension is the culmination of five years of diligent effort by the SBE faculty and staff, combined with the essential support from the University administration,” Johnson says.  “Since our initial accreditation in 2001, the SBE faculty has delivered high quality experiential programs and assured our students are achieving critical learning goals.  I thank each of them for their service.”

The School of Business and Economics offers undergraduate majors in Accounting, Economics, Engineering Management, Finance, Management, Management of Information Systems and Marketing.  Graduate degrees include an MBA, a Master of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.

Johnson explained why AACSB accreditation is important. “As the premier accrediting body of business programs, AACSB has strict standards of excellence for curriculum development and faculty qualifications, research and teaching.   The output of this excellence is seen in our students.  For example, students from AACSB programs score 9 percent higher on the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exams.  It also documents that our educational programs are innovatively responding to the ever-changing demand of the business world and employers.”

AACSB provides internationally recognized, specialized accreditation for business and accounting programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels.  The accreditation standards challenge educators to pursue excellence and continuous improvement through their business programs.  

Portage Health, Michigan Tech Join Hands to Solve Problems

Dr. Dana Johnson's Six Sigma and Quality Engineering courses worked with Portage Health last semester to applied what they learned in the class room to real-world situations.
Dr. Dana Johnson’s Six Sigma and Quality Engineering courses worked with Portage Health last semester to apply what they learned in the class room to real-world situations.

When Portage Health turns some of its problems over to Michigan Tech students, it’s a win-win situation. The hospital gets innovative solutions, and the students gain real-world experience.

Business and engineering students from Professor Dana Johnson’s Six Sigma and Quality Engineering courses worked with Portage Health on a series of projects last semester, enabling them to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life situations.

Six Sigma Fundamentals is a course on Six Sigma methodology, a data-driven approach for eliminating mistakes. Quality Engineering covers concepts and methods for quality and productivity improvement.

Johnson worked with Portage Health to find projects that challenged the students to put their classwork into practice.

“My role is to be the customer,” explains Mark Randell, director of rehabilitation and sports medicine at Portage Health. “The students meet with us, and we present the project ideas to them, saying ‘here is an issue we are having difficulties with.’ They act as consultants, investigating it and coming up with more questions, identifying the causes of the problem, and then they put together a plan for making changes.”

In one of the projects, the pediatric physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy department was facing an issue with the scheduling of appointments. They had noticed that they had a high cancellation or no-show rate, which was ultimately affecting their bottom line. The goal of the project was to see if the students could find a trend or common problem that explained these cancellations, and then to find a way to change how scheduling is done to address that issue.

Was the problem a particular date or time? What were the reasons for the cancellations? Did the rate go up when appointments were scheduled too far in advance? The students examined all of these questions. The information they gathered was used to implement some changes, and time will tell if the changes show an actual impact on the problem.

Another project took a look at employee transfers. Its goal was to help Portage Health find ways to automate the process of completing employee transfers. Destin’e Clark, a Michigan Tech alumna who majored in Operations and Systems Management and Marketing, applied Six Sigma tools to determine the root cause of inefficiencies and improvement opportunities for the employee transfer process. She is now working with the team to develop and recommend alternatives.

Portage Health and the students found the projects mutually beneficial.

“I have done projects with other departments and the experience working with the students has been fantastic,” said Randell. “They are very professional as consultants. It’s a win-win for Portage Health and Michigan Tech because the students get real-life experience solving real business problems. The students get to be a part of something useful, and we benefit from getting an outside view.”

The projects with Portage gave the students a look at what working in real business situations is like and how to handle themselves, both on the business side and the problem-solving side. “Experiential learning is critical to student experiences,” says Johnson. “It does come from more than Enterprises and Senior Design.”

The students are also very grateful for the opportunity to have this experience before stepping into their post-graduate careers. “Six Sigma and Lean practices are vital to a company’s success,” said Clark. “Being able to gain this knowledge and experience while still in school is exceptional and something employers will admire. The information and experience I obtained in this course is very applicable to my career. I currently work in transportation where Six Sigma techniques are used daily in improving our processes.”

This story was originally written by Erika Vichcales, student writing intern for Tech Today.

Tech Grads Get Huge ROI

All business students know the value of a high Return on Investment.  But did you know that Tech graduates may earn a larger Return on Investment (ROI) for their education than their peers hailing from other alma maters?

PayScale’s recent findings show that out of all of the public institutions in the United States, graduates from Michigan Tech receive the 13th highest ROI in the nation, and the #1 highest in the state of Michigan.  For comparison, Michigan State University was ranked 66th on ROI, Western Michigan University fell in at #177, and Northern Michigan University ranked at #372.

This news doesn’t just bode well for alumni wallets; these statistics should directly correlate to an increased demand for Tech graduates.  And those graduates are making big impressions on employers nationwide.  215 companies registered to recruit and interview Michigan Tech students at the spring Career Fair last month!

Congratulations, fiscally responsible Huskies!