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 4 men and 7 women applied.
We are pleased to announce the 2018 winners: Joe Platz (accounting) and Emma LaFleur (engineering management).
Each year Michigan Tech’s OSM4200 Advanced Project Management course competes in the West Michigan Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI) competition in Grand Rapids Michigan. This year, two Michigan Tech teams competed: “Lettuce Taco ’bout Food Waste” and “Squash the Waste”.
This year’s project plan was to design, create and package an educational program that draws current practical information from the national, state, and municipal levels to show what people can do to reduce food waste. Michigan Tech’s “Squash the Waste” placed 3rd out of 8 teams in THE Project 2018 project management plan competition on Monday, April 9. The team’s mentors were Ginger Connin and Thomas Conquest. Roger Woods, Senior Lecturer was the team’s Project Champion and Faculty Advisor. The team members were:
John Carey: undergraduate student – engineering management major
Shelbie Koenitzer: undergraduate student – management major with a concentration in entrepreneurship
Emma LeFleur: undergraduate student – engineer management major
Austin Riipli: undergraduate student – engineering management major
Nihar Brahmbhatt: graduate student in electrical engineering
MENOMINEE — The Menominee High School Business Professionals of America (BPA) team has its second student in six years be a national qualifier.
Senior Coleton Kotecki, president of Menominee’s chapter of BPA, is the school’s sole qualifier for nationals, which will be held May 8-13 in Dallas, after placing at state in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“I’m honored to be able to represent Menominee, the U.P. and Michigan because I’m only the school’s second national qualifier in the past six years,” he said.
Kotecki competed in the category of extemporaneous (extemp) speech. In this event, participants are given limited-preparation time to develop a speech based. Topics in BPA extemp tend to be focused on business aspects.
“BPA’s extemp category is very similar to impromptu speaking,” he said. “First, I go to the prep room. I have eight cards lying face down with business related topics on the other side. I choose two of them, not knowing what the topics are. Once I see the topics I have to choose one of the two to give my speech on.
“I am provided with three index cards. I’m not allowed to use any references besides my brain. I have 10 minutes to prepare my speech. Once my time is up, I must deliver a two-to-four minute speech relating to my topic to a panel of two to three judges.”
The first competition the team attended was the Regional Leadership Conference at Bay College in Escanaba, Mich. At regionals, he placed first.
“The top four at this event move on to states,” he said. “Roughly 25 students compete at this level.”
Those students who made it to state competed at the State Leadership Conference at the Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids.
“I competed against 40 kids at this level and the top three made it to nationals,” he said.
Kotecki will be competing against 77 students from 25 states and Puerto Rico in a little over a month.
“It’s going to cost about $1,400 for my advisor (Mary Fay Daigneau) and I each to go,” he said. “The National Leadership Conference is not only a great honor to be a part of, but it’s quite expensive.”
Kotecki is in need of donations in order to compete in Dallas.
For those interested in donating to help him make the trip, contact Kotecki at 715-923-6778 or koteckicoleton@gmail.com or Daigneau at 906-863-7814 or dagineaum@gomaroons.org. Donations can also be accepted on Kotecki’s Go Fund Me page.
“While participating in this event, I plan on expanding my leadership skills, mastering my speaking skills, and developing relationships with new people,” he said. “I plan to take what I learn from the National Leadership Conference with me to Michigan Technological University this fall, where I plan to major in marketing at their School of Business & Economics.”
– Chelsea Ewaldt, EagleHerald Staff Writer
Comments on the nominees are due by Monday, March 26, and can be completed online. The process for determining the Distinguished Teaching Award recipients from this list of finalists also involves the additional surveying of their spring classes.