Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Jon Leinonen Appointed Assistant Dean, Director of Husky Innovate

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Jon Leinonen, assistant dean, teaching professor in management, and director of Husky Innovate

The College of Business is pleased to announce that Jon Leinonen, teaching professor in management, has been appointed assistant dean for the College of Business and director of Husky innovate.

“I’m thrilled that Jon has accepted these new responsibilities,” says Dean Johnson, dean of the College of Business. “He brings a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to both of these roles.”

“I’m excited to be working more closely with the COB administrative team as assistant dean,” says Leinonen. “I look forward to working with the College of Business and partners across Michigan Tech to help students reach their goals and position them for future success.”

As assistant dean, Leinonen is helping to administer college courses, participating in collaborative efforts to establish an Essential Education entrepreneurial pathway, and working to support the college’s AACSB accreditation renewal process, among other duties.

As director of Husky Innovate, Leinonen is helping both current and future Michigan Tech students see Michigan Tech as a path to entrepreneurship.

“Many students may not realize the extent of entrepreneurial services that exist at Michigan Tech,” says Leinonen. “Husky Innovate was established in 2019, with roots that extend much further back. Throughout the program, many students have developed marketable products, refined their business models and pitches, won thousands of dollars through competitive awards, and attracted investment,” Leinonen says.

Husky Innovate students are currently working on a 2024-25 roster or activities, workshops and a business pitch competition. The events calendar will be announced soon.

Leinonen also advises a chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, which added 35 students to their roster at this fall’s K Day event.

“For the most part, students haven’t come to Michigan Tech with the intention of starting a business, but once they recognize the breadth and depth of support that is available, they can start to see their potential as business owners.”

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Husky Investment Tournament Engages High School Students in World of Investing

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College of Business identifier

The semi-annual Husky Investment Tournament, founded in 2019 and hosted by the Michigan Tech College of Business, takes place this fall from September 30 to November 8, 2024.

In the contest, teams of 3-4 high school students compete with teams at schools in their region, learning about business, finance, investing, and economics as they build an investment portfolio with $1 million virtual dollars. No experience is necessary and there is no charge to participate.

At the end of the tournament, the best performing team receives a $1,000 cash prize. All students who actively participate in the tournament receive a one-time $1,000 Michigan Tech scholarship.

The high school students, typically enrolled in economics, business, or personal finance classes, learn about investing step-by-step through a series of weekly videos and articles produced by College of Business students and faculty, which are presented in their classes and augmented by additional learning from their teachers.

To manage their investments, the student teams use Stocktrak, an all-in-one software package for financial education. The platform includes videos, lessons, and other tutorials on hundreds of investment-related topics. For trading, Stocktrak provides a paper-brokerage account that closely resembles the real brokerage accounts offered by investment firms.

“This is a great opportunity for high school students to learn about real-world investing and experience the hands-on learning that Michigan Tech and the College of Business are known for,” says College of Business undergraduate Luke Helsel, who is coordinating this fall’s tournament with business undergraduate Sydney Lurvey.

As coordinators of the tournament Helsel and Lurvey reach out to prospective schools and teachers to share details about the program and recruit students to participate. They register the student teams on Stocktrak, help teachers set up the program, and answer questions and provide resources as the contest progresses. During the tournament, Helsel and Lurvey monitor the students’ portfolios and periodically share highlights of the students’ progress.

At least 250 students are expected to participate in the contest this fall. Historically, participating schools span from the Upper Peninsula to across the nation.

“This program gives participating students a small taste of what Michigan Tech offers to students,” Helsel says. “Opportunities like these are a valuable resource, Students will gain a significant leg-up on their peers when it comes to their investment skills, which can translate to real life wealth building.”

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Business Students Present Investment Strategies to APMP Advisory Board

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Front row (Left to right): Connor Cook, Noah Jukuri, Josh Ackerman
Back row (left to right): Katerina Khardina, Sam Eisenman, Elijah Joseph, Nate Abel
(L to R) Marguerite Goldman, Joseph Petersen, Daniel Zweng, Hunter Oswald, Sam Newman, Josh Terrian

Two teams of College of Business students met with the College of Business Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP) advisory board on September 23, 2024.

The APMP program gives students the opportunity to manage and invest approximately $2.5 million dollars of real money in the U.S. stock market.

At the board meeting, each team gave a presentation about their investment philosophy and the plan for implementing that philosophy into a strategy. Following each presentation, questions were taken from the board.

The board members challenged the teams on their philosophy and implementation strategy, which prompted further discussion following the meeting.

Preparation for the board meeting began many days before the actual event. The student teams were responsible for ordering food, reserving a room, providing parking passes, preparing presentation materials, and more.

COB student Marguerite Goldman says that through the preparation process the teams gained a deeper understanding of what is required to host events like this one in industry.

“There was much anticipation leading up to the meeting, but both teams were well-prepared for the event,” says COB student Elijah Joseph.

“Among many other things, we learned how to prepare and give a professional presentation, how to organize a professional meeting, and how to greet our guests and ensure they had a quality experience,” says Goldman. “We also learned how to improve our investment philosophy and presentation skills through feedback and questions from the board members.”

“My personal experience has been fantastic,” says Marguerite “It is incredible to be able to apply classroom knowledge to the management of a real portfolio and engage in intellectual conversation with other bright business students.”

The teams have been involved in the APMP class since May of 2024.

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Dan Batten Joins Dean’s Advisory Council

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The College of Business is pleased to announce that Dan Batten ’88 ’90 has joined the College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC). The DAC is composed of business professionals with experience and expertise in leading businesses or public and nonprofit organizations, and for their commitment to the College of Business.

Batten graduated from Michigan Tech in 1988 with an associate’s degree in mechanical design technology, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis on finance in 1990.

Batten is a seasoned strategic business and technology executive with over 34 years of experience driving IT transformations for global organizations. Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated expertise in aligning technology solutions with business strategies, ensuring operational efficiency, fostering innovation, and enhancing customer engagement.

Most recently serving as vice president and chief information officer for Ampacet, Batten has earned a reputation for leveraging cutting-edge technology to drive business growth, enhance customer engagement, reduce costs, and deliver visible ROI. His extensive expertise spans ERP systems, business process reengineering, digital IT strategies, Industry 4.0, cybersecurity, cloud computing, AI integration, and cross-functional team leadership.

Batten’s leadership style is rooted in collaboration, with a firm belief that business success is achieved through teamwork. Prior to his role at Ampacet, he held CIO positions at SAF-Holland and Kautex America, where he spearheaded IT transformations and modernized IT capabilities.

Batten also holds an executive MBA with high honors from Northwood University’s DeVos Graduate School of Management. He is a proud father of three adult children. In his spare time, he enjoys home renovation and building furniture.

The Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) is dedicated to helping the College of Business to be a top choice for business education among students and employers. DAC provides a link to individuals and organizations that possess the resources, knowledge, and contacts the College requires to achieve its mission.

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Rajath Nagaraj ’21 to Present Talk on Project Management in Data Science and AI Innovations in Insurance on Sept. 23

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Rajath Nagaraj ’21 MS in Data Science will present a talk by on Monday, September 23, 2024, from 12-1 pm, in MEEM 403. His talk is titled, “Nagaraj will discuss, “Navigating Project Management in Data Science and Exploring Al Innovations in Insurance.”

The talk is presented by the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems’s Center for Artificial Intelligence.

Rajath Nagaraj is a senior data scientist at Liberty Mutual Insurance, working with Al and ML, including LLMs. In this session. Rajath will first dive into the essentials of industry-level project management in data science, exploring best practices for successfully managing complex projects from initiation to execution. The second part will focus on the transformative role of Al in various domains, with a deep dive into how Al is revolutionizing the insurance sector through applications like claims processing, fraud detection, quoting, underwriting, and personalized customer experiences.

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