Congratulations to Fiona Chow, recipient of the Management Information Systems (MIS) Alumni Scholarship. The MIS Alumni Scholarship is an endowed scholarship created and funded by College of Business MIS graduates. Selection criteria include being an MIS major (or dual major) with a strong academic standing, a demonstrated commitment to the degree program, and professional communication skills.
“Being honored with this scholarship makes my final semesters at MTU much more meaningful. With the support of this scholarship and our alumni, I feel confident in my ability to fully focus on academics while giving back and making an impact through campus involvement,” Chow says. 
The fourth-year MIS student, who will graduate in December 2022, is interning this summer as a data engineer with Polaris, Inc. Chow is researching and integrating a new weather data source into the powersports leader’s analytics database and creating an application to better understand supplier capacity information, while learning new programming languages including SQL and R.
Jeff Wall, associate professor of MIS, says that Chow is ambitious, focused, and driven—with a bright future ahead. Her career interests include data analytics, data science, brand management, entrepreneurship, and research and development. She says that she is a curious person who is interested in learning about ways to bring people and solutions together through technology. 
On-campus, Chow serves as project manager of SENSE Enterprise (Strategic Education Through Naval Systems Experiences). She is responsible for overall Enterprise strategy, leadership, direction, and growth. She is also an Orientation Team Leader, a founding member of the MTU Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) chapter, a College of Business student ambassador, IRHC broomball player, and participant in swing club lessons and Ridge Roamer climbs.
About the College of Business
The Michigan Tech College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing, as well as a general business option. Graduate degrees include the TechMBA®, a Master of Engineering Management, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.
Fourth-year management information systems (MIS) major Chris Arbuckle is the 2020-21 Outstanding Man in Business. 
The Lake Orion, Michigan, native serves as vice president of the Organization for Information Systems, treasurer of Phi Kappa Tau, vice president of administration for the Interfraternity Council, a member of the Order of Omega Honor Society, and was an Orientation Team Leader. He says that being involved in these campus organizations has given him opportunities to work with others, developing the leadership skills required for the future.
As an MIS student, Arbuckle has applied his classroom knowledge into a company website, consulted for a local business, and created a database for his fraternity to better manage membership information.
One of Arbuckle’s MIS professors, Jeff Wall, had this to say: “Chris is an excellent student and an active participant in the campus community. He demonstrates vision and carefully plans his path toward the future. He’s developing into an amazing leader.”
This summer Arbuckle is interning with 3M in the Transformation, Technologies, and Services program where he’ll be working with cloud computing migration. Upon graduating next spring, he plans to pursue a career in business analytics, using his skills and experiences to find technical solutions for business needs.
Outside of his academic and career experiences, Arbuckle enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, and being outdoors.
About the College of Business
The Michigan Tech College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing, as well as a general business option. Graduate degrees include the TechMBA®, a Master of Engineering Management, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.
Fourth-year management information systems (MIS) major Macy Pawielski is the 2020-21 Outstanding Women in Business. Originally from Marquette, Michigan, Pawielski says choosing Michigan Tech has been one of the best decisions she’s ever made. 
“I’ve not only had amazing career and leadership opportunities, but I’ve made friendships and professional connections—it’s beyond anything I could have imagined for my college career,” she says.
During her time in the College of Business, she restarted the Organization for Information Systems (OIS) Enterprise, providing fellow MIS students with networking opportunities while developing a close-knit community within the major. Today, Pawielski is president of OIS and serves on the Dean’s Student Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Women in Computer Science organization and has been named to the Dean’s List every semester.
Jeff Wall, associate professor of MIS in the Michigan Tech College of Business, says, “Macy is an outstanding student and leader on and off campus. She has demonstrated time and time again that through her passion and dedication she can make things happen. Macy will have a strong career as a leader in industry.”
Pawielski has interned at 3M for two summers—once within the IT optimization team, followed by a role on the enterprise data quality team.
“I’m very proud of all I have accomplished over my years here at Michigan Tech and I’m honored to receive such a prestigious award.”
About the College of Business
The Michigan Tech College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing, as well as a general business option. Graduate degrees include the TechMBA®, a Master of Engineering Management, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.
Emily Kughn is a second-year student in Michigan Technological University’s College of Business, dual majoring in marketing and management with a concentration in supply chain and operations management. The Horton, Michigan, native is also a member of the American Marketing Association. Below is her piece about what it’s like living and learning on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walking onto campus to start my first year, I felt a huge mix of emotions: happy to start a new chapter, sad to leave my family and friends back home, anxious about what’s to come, and excited about my new independence. Just like any other first-time college student, I had my guesses about what college might be like, but I really had no idea what to expect. I can assure you the last thing I anticipated was a global pandemic!
Fast forward now into my second year at Michigan Tech—my everyday campus life looks much different than it did last year. Obviously, I wish more than anything that this virus never existed, but I’ve learned to forge a new path and create a new normal.
The sense of community on Michigan Tech’s campus is especially strong this year. We’ve found creative ways to come together and show support for one another. Since we can’t attend sporting events, have large gatherings, or socialize much outside of class, it makes the interaction we do get extra special. My favorite ways to safely socialize now include our outdoor movie nights, bonfires, going on hikes, and Zoom calls with my friends. 
In order to thrive in online classes, I find it vital to establish a routine to stay organized. I treat my classes the same way I would if they were all in person. I make sure to mask up and head to the library at least twice a week in order to get a change of scenery while studying. I am also still very much involved in student organizations, which keeps me busy.
In the American Marketing Association, we participated in a virtual marketing competition and the Women’s Rugby Club competed against our conference in a virtual season. My student org involvement has been a major blessing; being able to stay connected with others in new ways while also staying involved in things I enjoy.
The most challenging part of the year so far has been not being able to attend all classes in person, not being able to see all of my friends, trying to meet new people, and constantly dealing with the many unknowns.
Finding opportunities to learn and grow given our current circumstances is important. Living and learning on campus during a pandemic definitely comes with challenges. However, I am thankful to be on the campus I love, still doing the things I enjoy (even if virtual for now).
Three student members of the Michigan Tech chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA)—Ryan Calkins (Management), Emily Kughn (Marketing), and Jaxon Verhoff (Marketing)—recently demonstrated their marketing strategy competence at the 2020 AMA regional conference hosted virtually by the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.
The students were selected as top-10 finalists at the online conference where more than 800 students from 64 universities participated. They went on to place third on October 9, winning a cash award of $250.
In addition to this achievement, Michigan Tech was represented in the AcuRite Digital Marketing Strategy Competition and Gartner Sales Competition, where managers from the sponsoring companies served as judges.
Although COVID-19 disrupted the learning environment, Associate Professor of Marketing, Jun Min, who advises the marketing organization on campus, states, “I am continually impressed with our students’ willingness to try something new.”