Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Category: Seminars and Events

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program is back for 2014!

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KSI will be doing their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program again this year. VITA is designed for students that have been through Foundations of Taxation to assist with simple income tax returns for low-income families and students who couldn’t otherwise afford to hire a CPA. KSI will be starting the program  today & will go through Tuesday, April 15th.
VITA is available February 24th - April 15th. No appointment needed!
All sessions will take place in G010D of the AOB, and there is no need to make an appointment. Just stop on in & see them! No sessions will be held over spring break, but otherwise the schedule is as follows:
  • Monday: 3-5pm
  • Wednesday: 12-2pm
  • Thursday: 12-5pm
Please pass this along to anyone you may think may be in need of this service!
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Spring 2014 Grads: Order Cap and Gowns now!

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Spring 2014 Gradfest is from 12:00 - 5:00 on 2.26.14 in the Campus Bookstore!

Cap & Gown Orders

You can order your regalia online or during Gradfest at The Campus Bookstore.  Just need a tassel or want an extra one?  You don’t need to order anything!  Stop by the store during regular hours the week before the ceremony.

  • Undergraduate Degree Regalia Order Form
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  • Graduate Degree Regalia Rental Form
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  • Faculty Regalia Rental Form
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    If you have any questions, contact the Campus Bookstore at (906) 487-2410.

    For online orders you should receive a confirmation email within 2 business days.  If you do not, please contact Beckie at the Campus Bookstore to make sure she received your order capandgown@mtu.edu.

    Once you receive your order, check out an instructional video for your:

    Cap And Gown Pricing

    For orders placed by midnight on March 2:
    Undergraduate Package $31.00 (plus tax)
    Masters/PhD Package Rental $55.00 (plus tax)

    Orders placed after March 2:
    Undergraduate Package $50.00 (plus tax)
    Masters/PhD Package Rental $55.00 plus expedited shipping (plus tax)

    Prices subject to change.

    Undergraduates will have “green” gowns – not in color, but in spirit!  They will be black, as usual, but made of Repreve, 100% recycled yarn made from plastic water bottles.

    Spring 2014 Gradfest

    February 26, 2014     12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

  • Enjoy free popcorn and refreshments
  • Take 25% off Michigan Tech insignia items – diploma frames, clothing, and souvenirs
  • Undergraduates: order your cap and gown!
  • Grad students: order your rental regalia
  • Talk to representatives from Alumni Relations and the Career Center
  • Order your class ring and printed announcements

    Can’t make it to Gradfest?  Place your order now using the appropriate form above!

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    For more information about commencement, visit www.mtu.edu/commencement.
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    Finance Club Fosters Financial Literacy on Campus

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    On November 20th, the Michigan Tech Finance Club in partnership with the Michigan Tech Office of Financial Aid and Wells Fargo held the second edition of FinanceU at the R. Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library. In line with the 2012 edition, this event aimed at fostering financial literacy on campus and was specifically tailored to students, regardless of class and major. It offered advising and information related to personal finance, financial aid opportunities (e.g. grants & scholarships), the relevance of starting  a retirement plan as early as possible, and useful tips on how to benefit from several online tools such as CashCourse – a free online personal finance program sponsored by the Alumni Association.

    Students were asked to complete a short survey covering areas such as their current method of budgeting, Federal Direct Student Loan knowledge and any additional areas that they may have questions in. Financial Aid Advisor, Cindy Cowell noted “as a piece of our financial literacy initiative on campus, the financial aid office is pleased to partner with the Finance Club to implement programming designed to increase the financial literacy of Michigan Tech’s student body.” The club does an effective job of promoting the message to students that topics such as  budgeting, credit, responsible borrowing and retirement are critical to know in order to remain on a financially stable path.  Financial education now will enable students to make sound financial decisions and enable them to live the life that they desire later.

    Well Fargo Store Manager Ellie Freeman also participated in Finance U noting that it is a great opportunity for students to ask questions, because it is a casual environment without any pressure. Freeman also added, “it’s important to know while you are in school the importance of building credit in a positive manner.” She also recommended that students have a minimum of three savings accounts: long term, short term, and 3 months salary. This event is great because it brings together people who have a great deal of knowledge about financial planning into one place that is easily accessible by students.

    Financial Aid Advisor Cindy Cowell talks with a student about personal financial management.

    The partnership between Financial Aid and the Finance Club is effective in delivering a critical financial message to Michigan Tech students. For example, hearing about a topic such as retirement and the need to start saving at a young age, is received by students much more readily when the message is coming from a peer. Michigan Tech students often have the opportunity to contribute to a retirement plan as part of their co-op job benefits. We hope to educate students to take advantage of these kinds of financial opportunities at as young an age as possible.

    The Finance Club and partners collected 165 surveys this year-- double what they collected the previous year!

    This event is the outcome of the continued efforts by the Finance Club and the Office of Financial Aid to foster financial literacy on campus. Dr. Oliveira said “our fantastic Finance Club members put significant effort to disseminate to their fellow students, knowledge and resources available either at MTU or in the world wide web that can significantly impact the betterment of personal financial management.” This year the Finance Club has also invited the local Wells Fargo manager to share her experience with tailoring retirement plans according to each individual’s life stage and goals. Oliveira also noted that the students’ interest and participation has been outstanding this year.  The Finance Club collected 165 surveys on finance-related practices and demographics this year –  an increase of 100 relatively to the prior year. Besides disseminating information our club members get a chance to practice their communication skills and ability to test their know-how with real world questions. We are looking forward to learn from this year’s experience and continuously improve this annual event.

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    Experience Silicon Valley over Spring Break!

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    Sign-up by December 5th for the 2014 Silicon Valley Experience!

    The Experience of a Lifetime

    Each spring 15 students travel from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, to the world hub of start-ups and entrepreneurs- Silicon Valley. This eye-opening experience focuses on immersing students in real companies, with real players, and the current challenges they face.

    This year, you can to go Silicon Valley during Spring Break (March 8-14). Visits with entrepreneurs, inventors, managers and companies including Brocade, Cisco, and Google will provide you with a first-hand understanding of technology built enterprises that are revolutionizing global business.

    Take Advantage of This Opportunity

    Brocade is once again sponsoring the trip bringing the cost to $300 per person including airfare, hotel accommodations with breakfast each morning and transportation throughout the duration of the trip.

    This trip is open to all Michigan Tech students. Please pass the information along. Student participation is based on a two minute interview on “Why you want to work and live on Silicon Valley.” If you are interested in participating, please email Karen Foltz at ksfoltz@mtu.edu. You will be assigned interview time starting at 4:00 pm on December 5, 2013.

    Click here to view the PDF Brochure:  SiliconValley2014

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    Winning Pitch Cleans up at Competition

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    Entrepreneurship Club hosts another successful Elevator Pitch Competition.

    Today’s university students are reminded to be careful about what they put up on their Facebook or Twitter accounts. Sometimes they forget, and that’s a job for Clean It Up, the winning entry in the fifth annual Bob Mark Elevator Pitch Competition held Thursday night on the campus of Michigan Technological University.

    The late business professor Bob Mark created the competition so students could polish their 90-second, new business pitches, emulating the length of an elevator ride.

    The brainchild of accounting major Nikoli Wiens, assisted by chemical engineering major Zach Eckert, Clean It Up promises to clean up content and profiles on the Internet, even beyond the cleansing that Facebook and Twitter claim to do upon request.

    “Companies will still dig deeper and get the info,” said Wiens. “We know it’s important to remove certain content, and we would do it cheaper than other services.” The team claimed there was more than $1 million in revenue possible with their $25 fee; such is the need for their service.

    Their motto? “Don’t let one crazy weekend ruin your life forever.” They won $1,000 for their efforts.

    Second place and $500 went to a device to which university students could also relate. FairShare promised a simple plug-in to calculate individual electric power usage, an important consideration for students sharing living spaces and expenses.

    FairShare was created by an elevator-pitch veteran, Abhilash Kantamneni, who won last year’s competition with an Indian dating service.

    “This can help college students save money,” Kantamneni said. “It would only cost $25, so most can afford it.” Kantamneni is a PhD student in computer science.

    The bronze medal and Audience Favorite Award went to the ingenious Flashion, an app for your cellphone that can take a photo of a pair of shoes, for example, and instantly find their source, price, and more.

    This mobile app would be free, according to creators Armando Flores, majoring in communication, culture, and media, and Allison Strome, a management major. They credited teammate and finance major Natalia Lebedeva for their inspiration, with whom they will share $250.

    “She had the idea and we just built on it,” Flores said. “We might try to get funding on Kickstarter [the online funding site] to form an LLC.

    Safety Straw targeted chemicals added surreptitiously to people’s drinks. Green Receipts sought to eliminate paper receipts at businesses. And more student-friendly businesses included Experience University, to help choose the right courses and teachers; and Food Now, to get groceries and fast food delivered to their rooms when they are in mid-cram for that final exam.

    Michigan Tech entrepreneurs can also set their sights on the New Venture Competition, held at Central Michigan University in March and providing $65,000 in prize money.

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