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Michigan Tech men’s basketball player Ben Stelzer (Manitowoc, Wis.) has become the program’s fifth player to earn Academic All-America recognition. The senior guard was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Second Team today.

Stelzer, who was the preseason GLIAC Player of the Year, leads the GLIAC in scoring at 22.1 points per game. He has posted 552 points this season to run his career total to 1,689—seventh-most in program history. The 6-1 guard leads the nation in 3-point field goals per game (4.0) and broke the Huskies career record for 3-pointers made (now with 352). In the classroom, Stelzer has a 3.69 cumulative grade point average in finance.

He joins an exclusive group of men’s basketball players who have earned Academic All-America status. Austin Armga (2014), Wayne Helmila (1985), J.T. Luginski (2002 and 2003) and Russ VanDuine (1980 and 1981) are the others.

Michigan Tech concludes its 2014-15 regular season today at arch rival Northern Michigan. The Huskies will then host a GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal game at the SDC Gym next Wednesday, Mar. 4.

The Academic Advisor for the School of Business and Economics, Carly (Benson) Harrington, was one of 10 new inductees into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame.  The official induction ceremony won’t be taking place until May 9, 2015 at the island Resort and Casino in Harris, Michigan, but Carly is already being hailed a local hero.

Carly attended Carney-Nadeau High School, where she was an all-state basketball player and led the Wolves to a Class D state title victory as a 2001 freshman.  She was a two-time U.P. Class D player of the year, and after scoring a total of 1,864 points, she remains Carney-Nadeau’s all-time scoring leader.  Adding to her high school sports resume, Carly was a four-year letterwinner in volleyball, cross country and track.

Carly went on to score an impressive 1,020 points during her career as a four-year regular on the University of Michigan women’s basketball team.  She set a school record during her senior year in 2008-2009, with 192 three-point field goals.

Congratulations on your upcoming induction, Carly!

August and Elizabeth Skultety [weren’t] the only ones in their family wearing caps and gowns at  Michigan Technological University’s 2014 Spring Commencement Saturday.  Their 3-year-old daughter, Charlotte, [was] right there with them in a miniature cap and gown in honor of her parents’ graduation from Michigan Tech.

“All of college has been a family experience for us,” said Elizabeth, who is receiving her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, “so it feels like she is graduating too. She has put up with all of our studying and other commitments.”

August is receiving a Bachelor of Science in Management with a concentration in supply chain and operations management. Yoopers born and raised—August from Gladstone and Elizabeth from Escanaba—the Skultetys will be moving to Midland, Mich., to start jobs at Dow Chemical.  August will be a supply chain analyst for Dow, and Elizabeth will be a production engineer with Dow AgroSciences.

Both Skultetys have fond memories of their days at Michigan Tech. Elizabeth found the chemical engineering department very hands on and the professors very personable. She is especially grateful for the mentorship of Professor Julia King , under whom she conducted research. King not only helped Elizabeth with her studies, she helped the family find day care for Charlotte when they found themselves struggling with that.

Elizabeth was also very involved in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and is currently the president of the Michigan Tech chapter.

August said he enjoyed working with the School of Business and Economics. He had special praise for Professor Dana Johnson, who he said was very helpful throughout his Tech experience.

Houghton also proved the perfect place to pursue some of their favorite activities; hiking, camping and playing in the snow.

The couple chose to work with Dow Chemical after positive experiences as interns there. “We both chose Dow because we really liked the company as a whole,” said Elizabeth. “They are a family oriented company, and we like the Midland community for that as well.”

The Skultetys are looking forward to the next chapter of their lives, at Dow. “We were able to both get internships, and I was able to go to a career fair after my sophomore year and immediately get a great internship with Dow,” said Elizabeth. “I was really happy that the job opportunities were so good.”

August called Dow “our first choice, so it [the career fair] enabled us to get positions with our first-choice company,” said August. “We both got hired in August, so we haven’t had to worry all year.”

Though the Skultetys are leaving, they have a bit of advice for the students who come after them: time management and a stable support system are the keys to success at Michigan Tech.

Although the family enjoyed their time in Houghton, they are ready to start the next part of their journey. “It is a relief [to graduate]. We are ready to move on and start the next chapter in our lives,” said Elizabeth. “We are closing on a house this summer in Midland. We are ready to settle down in a community and get some roots.”

As for the littlest cap-and-gown wearer, Charlotte is just a little sad to have to cover up the sparkly new dress she got for the occasion. She’ll get to show off a little bit of sparkle, though, with the sparkly white shoes she got to complete her ensemble.

Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.

*This article was written by Erika Vichcales for Michigan Tech News, and was re-posted with the author’s permission.  Please click here to see the original posting.

Michigan Tech placed second in THE Project 2014‘s competition on April 14.  The event was held at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, MI and involved ten teams from around the country.  Competing students had been asked to prepare a recommendation to Governor Snyder to make it easier for Michigan’s Military Veterans to connect with their Federal Benefits.

2014 marked the third annual Project competition; both of Michigan Tech’s teams made the final four in 2013 (placing second and third), and Michigan Tech’s Team B placed second in 2012.

For 2014, Michigan Tech sent one team, consisting of:

• Angela Barr, double major in Marketing and Management
• Destine Clark, majoring in Operations and Systems Management
• Shivaram Kannimangalamviswanathan, Graduate student in Mechanical Engineering
• Min Li, majoring in Operations and Systems Management
• Cole Smith, majoring in Management
• Robert Strobel, majoring in Engineering Management

The team worked diligently over the course of two semesters to prepare for the presentations.  Smith noticed that his public speaking skills steadily improved over the course of the year.  He stated, “It was a great experience from the beginning.  I now have a better understanding of project management concepts, and feel confident I can use what I learned from this competition in the real world.  It also helped me become a stronger leader and improved my communication skills.”

Smith offered up some advice for next year’s team: “Preparation is key, and you have to know your audience.”  Want to be involved in THE Project 2015?  Apply by October 2014!