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Breffle Earns Props for Profs Award

Published January 27, 2014

Associate Professor of Economics William Breffle recognized for going above and beyond for a student.

The Props for Profs program through the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning asks students to nominate an instructor who has gone over and above the typical in their teaching or mentoring duties for students.

This week’s Props for Profs winner is William Breffle, an associate professor of economics in the School of Business and Economics. The anonymous nominator started by explaining Breffle’s excellence as a professor, but when the student faced the death of a close family member, Breffle not only accommodated missed work and gave condolences, but contacted the Dean of Students Office and provided information about counseling services available to the student. This student felt Breffle provided a great deal of help and guidance at a very difficult and uncertain time, going well above and beyond the role of a professor–and for that he deserves some mad props.

Both Breffle and his nominator will receive a $5 gift certificate to purchase a snack or drink at the Library Café or several other locations on campus. If you know a prof who has gone over and above, send some props today and maybe you’ll be next week’s winner.

Business and Economics students compete in Global CFA Institute Research Challenge

Published March 29, 2013

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In 2013, Michigan Tech students qualified and competed in the CFA Institute Research Challenge for the first time.

Students in the Applied Portfolio Management Program are expanding their resumes by competing in another investment competition and gaining valuable real world experience.

The CFA Institute Research Challenge was introduced to a global audience in 2006 and is considered, “the investment Olympics” for university students. The event which hosted more than 3,000 students from over 650 universities, 89 businesses, and 106 societies in 55 countries and territories. This challenge is an annual global competition which provides hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics. Despite 2013 being the first year they competed in this challenge, our finance and economics students were able to advance to the global final of the event.

By compiling the highest combined report and presentation score and winning the regional competition, Michigan Tech qualified for global final. “As a team we set aside many hours of our time to research, compile, analyze, prepare, rehearse, and finally present our findings to a panel of judges. The true amount of work this project entailed is staggering, however we are thankful for the opportunity afforded to us,” said senior Finance major, Justin Wilson. Joining Justin to represent Michigan Tech was fellow Finance major Jessica Zaiki as well as economics majors Eli Karttunen and Anna Paul.

Each student was tested on their analytic, valuation, report writing and presentation skills and gained real-world experience as they assumed the role of a research analyst. Upon the team’s return, Jessica Zaiki noted that having the exposure to the CFA institute, investment professionals, and the high caliber of competition at the Americas competition expanded her knowledge of stock analysis and furthered my interest in pursuing a CFA in the future.

The experience was valuable for our students and it is a competition we look forward to having continued participation and success at in the future. Financial support for the student participation was provided via the James and Dolores Trethewey APMP Professorship.

Studying Across Cultures: Eli Karttunen

Published February 22, 2013

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Student Spotlight

Eli Karttunen, a fourth year economics major studied in Germany during summer of 2012.

Why did you study abroad?

Studying abroad allowed me to see how economics and finance courses are taught from a European perspective. Also, to take classes with foreign professors and students gives you a large networking advantage, as well as the chance to work in multicultural teams, all of which are invaluable experiences for graduate school, as well as later in life. All too often, it seems that economics has the potential of being taught from a politically skewed or nationalistic point of view,so understanding how Germans view different economic theories or events like the European Sovereign Debt Crisis was appealing.

What did you experience?

The first part of the program was a course on German language,culture, and business, which is designed to not only give the US students a working vocabulary and knowledge of German language and grammar, but also to provide insight to German culture and political institutions. Students present on a variety of topics and have to write a paper by the end of the program. I presented on “The German Banking Sector” and “The German Social Security System.”So far, the difference has been that homework and projects aren’t that big in German education. It’s all about the exam grade. In fact, for university classes, you don’t actually register for them here, you just attend the lectures you want, memorize the note packet the professor sends out, and you register for exams and take them. Nothing else is graded.

What was the best part of your trip?

The best part of the trip is simply being in Europe and being able to travel around and experience the culture. So far, we’ve been to Hannover, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Luneburg. With travel plans to Rotenburg, Munich, Heidelberg, and Helsinki the capital of the land of my ancestry in Finland.

Would you study abroad again? Would you go somewhere new or to the same location?

Study abroad is an invaluable experience in many ways: academically,professionally, personally, and socially. You learn of new ideas, new ways of doing things, and meet tons of people you’d otherwise never have known. I definitely would do it again, given the opportunity. Germany is a great place, and I’m sure I’ll return someday, perhaps for work—I’d definitely need to learn more German first—but for sure for vacation some day. But in order to see other places around the globe, I’d probably want to check out somewhere new!

Originally published in Impact, Fall 2012.

Economics Graduate Accepted into top 100 Law School

Published May 16, 2012

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Coleman Segal to attend McGeorge School of Law.

The School of Business and Economics wants to congratulate Coleman Segal for his acceptance into the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. We’re so proud!

Despite being accepted to UC Berkeley out of high school, Segal chose to pursue his undergraduate degree at Michigan Tech. After visiting his Aunt and Uncle in the Houghton as a child, he has always loved the area. The wild, beautiful surroundings, the opportunity to participate in the vibrant folk music scene, and the impressive academic reputation were all factors in his decision to come to Tech.

After researching universities, he learned of the Economics program at Michigan Tech. Economics interested Segal in high school because it can be applied to so many different aspects of life. Segal said, “The study of economics is in large part an effort to understand the mechanics of a functioning society, and so it relates to many different fields. It also provides a good background for law school, which I have planned to attend since high school.”

Segal is a California native and will soon return to his home state to pursue his law degree from one of the top 100 Law Schools in the nation. Applying and being accepted to five law schools –Marquette University in Milwaukee, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, and Albany Law School– Segal selected the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and will begin classes next fall. In addition to their impressive reputation, Segal said he chose McGeorge School of Law based on their location in Sacramento, California. He finds the area interesting as a center of government, with multiple courthouses at different levels in the immediate area.

Crediting his experiences with extracurricular activities such as the iOMe Challenge and the Pavlis Institute for advancing his goals of attending law school, Segal noted that Michigan Tech prepared him well for continuing his education. Mastering skills such as writing and researching papers, in many different subjects, have been instrumental for the pursuit of his law degree.

Economics Major Elected USG President

Published April 19, 2012

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Eli A. Karttunen, USG president, a senior in economics.

New members have been elected to the Executive Board of Undergraduate Student Government (USG) for one-year appointments. The School of Business and Economics is proud to announce that one of our own, Economics major Eli Karttuenen, has been elected to serve as president.

2012 USG members and Titles:

* Eli A. Karttunen, president, a senior in economics

* Donnie L. Palmer, vice president, a junior in chemical engineering

* Jennifer M. Zarzecki, secretary, a senior in mechanical engineering

* Abhishek Gupta, treasurer, a senior in civil engineering

As a member of the USG for the past 2 years, Eli has seen many ways in which USG could improve student life on campus by making student’s opinions heard, which is a big reason why he chose to run for president. USG is supposed to be the collective voice of students on campus. Eli hopes improve the current relationship between students, USG, and the administration during his time as president.

When we asked Eli about his goals as president, he responded “My first priority is to improve the relationship between USG and the students. An organization only has as much influence as its constituents afford, and this is one area USG has been lacking. I know how this organization works and what students need.”

We wish Eli and the rest of the Undergraduate Student Government the best of luck in attaining and surpassing their goals during their appointments!

Tag: economics