When first-year business students pair with returning student scholars, the result is peer-to-peer mentoring, networking, and scholarship and career opportunities.
The School of Business and Economics is pleased to announce that Ron & Linda Staley have established a new engineering management scholarship for incoming students. This endowed scholarship will recognize an outstanding first-year student in the engineering management major.
2017 has been a big year for Ron’s involvement with the School of Business and Economics. He was inducted into the Academy of Business which recognizes outstanding leaders in business and civic affairs, as well as those who have contributed significantly to the growth and development of the School of Business and Economics. He also joined our new Engineering and Supply Chain Management Industry Advisory Board.
Staley has been with The Christman Company for 33 years and is currently leading the reestablishment of a new construction management and general contracting office in the City of Detroit. He founded Christman’s Historic Preservation Group in 1992 providing construction services for high profile national historic landmarks across the US and foreign countries. Ron earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Industrial Management) and Associate of Applied Science in Civil Engineering Technology from Michigan Technological University. He is on the Board of Directors of The Christman Company and multiple non-profit boards and honored as a Fellow in the Association for Preservation Technology International and Honorary Affiliate of the Michigan Chapter American Institute of Architects.
Ron and Linda live in Brighton, Michigan and have two married children and two grandchildren.
“We are so fortunate to have alumni who are dedicated to giving back to the School of Business and Economics both financially and with gifts of time and expertise.” – Dr. Dean Johnson, Dean of the School of Business and Economics
The MIS Alumni Scholarship is an endowed scholarship that created and funded by Alumni of the MIS program within the School of Business and Economics. The criteria for selection is the following: an MIS major (or dual major) with a strong academic standing, a demonstrated commitment to the MIS degree program, and professional communication skills.
Two scholarships are awarded annually; one to a sophomore and one to a junior. The 2017-2018 recipients are sophomore Mackenzie Pirie, and junior Thomas Strome. Congratulations to both awardees!
Each year the School of Business and Economics recognizes two students who bring honor and pride to the School through high scholastic achievement and involvement. Students eligible for this honor went through an intense interview process that included an essay and interview with faculty. This year 8 men and 11 women applied. We are pleased to announce our winners: James Sturos, Accounting and Hailey LaFleur, Marketing and Management!
The Outstanding Man and Woman in Business award is sponsored by Peter Negro of Negro and Associates, CPAs.
Michigan Technological University is something of an Elliott family tradition. Dale Elliott, his older brother, two brothers-in-law, a sister-in-law as well as a niece and her husband all went to school there.
Elliott earned an MBA from Michigan Tech’s School of Business and Economics in 1979 and he has served on both the business school’s national advisory board and the President’s Advancement Council. He is also a Life Trustee of the Michigan Tech Fund.
Now he and his family have pledged $1.1 million in scholarship funding to help deserving business students—particularly first-generation college students—benefit from a Michigan Tech education.
“In today’s world, there are some very deserving young people who just need a helping hand,” he explains.
“A business person who understands technology, and a technology person who understands business is a skill set in great demand,” Elliott continued, “and Tech’s School of Business and Economics is doing an outstanding job of preparing students to benefit from that.”
Michigan Tech President Glenn Mroz thanked Elliott for his gift, saying: “Dale is a perfect example of someone who used his Michigan Tech education as a springboard to success and now wants to give back, to help deserving students prepare for their own future success.”
Elliott, who was the midyear Commencement speaker last December, currently is CEO of FCM Advisory Group, a consulting business he established. Prior to that he was President of the Global Bath & Kitchen Business for American Standard Companies and Chairman, President and CEO of Snap-on Tools for many years.
At Michigan Tech’s Dec. 20, 2014 Commencement, he was awarded an honorary doctorate.
About three years ago, Elliott, his wife and daughters established the Elliott Family Annual Scholarship, which helps pay for a business school student’s education.“ We made a modest start and now we’ve decided to expand the program and make it more permanent,“ Elliott said about the new Elliott Family Endowed Scholarships. “It reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the educational opportunities that Michigan Tech offers.”
Elliott’s wife, Judy said she is very proud of her husband’s accomplishments. “He was taught a strong work ethic early on and has applied that throughout his career. But even with hard work, to succeed, you have to start with a good education,” she said. “He is so grateful for the education he got at Michigan Tech that he wants to give others that same opportunity, someone who might not be able to afford it otherwise. We both feel really passionate about that.”
The Elliotts’ daughter, Nicole Peace, pointed out that their family has generations of history with Michigan Tech and the City of Houghton. “It is a source of tremendous pride that our father has demonstrated the significant value an advanced education can provide. By continuing his support of Tech students through this scholarship at the School of Business and Economics, more opportunities can be given to future graduates, who will learn and grow in the great setting Houghton and the Tech community has to offer.”
Jennifer Elliott, the couple’s other daughter, said “We are proud to be a part of this scholarship, which will enable first-generation college students to gain access to an advanced education at Tech and realize their potential for lifelong achievement. It is an honor to reinvest in the university community that has shaped our family for generations.”
Gene Klippel, dean of the School of Business and Economics said that the Elliotts’ gift could not come at a more opportune time. “The number of applications to the School of Business and Economics is up 23 percent from last year. A substantial portion of those applicants are Michigan residents, with the majority being from the Upper Peninsula.“
“Thanks to Dale Elliott and his family, we are now able to provide two incoming undergraduate students a renewable scholarship worth $2,500. Each year, two additional undergraduates will be selected to receive an Elliott Family Annual Scholarship.”
“The School of Business and Economics’ faculty, staff and current students greatly appreciate the generosity and support of the Elliott family,” Klippel went on to say. “They have been long- time friends and supporters of the School. So, we wish to thank the Elliott family for providing this opportunity to our future business students as they work to achieve their potential and place in the world of business.”
This article was originally published by Jennifer Donovan, student writing intern for Michigan Tech News.