Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Tag: finance

Milligan and Wall are 2019-20 Ten Haken Faculty Fellows

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Exterior of Academic Office Building

The School of Business and Economics (SBE) at Michigan Technological University announces the appointments of Sheila Milligan, senior lecturer in accounting, as the Richard and Joyce Ten Haken Faculty Fellow in Accounting/Finance, and Jeff Wall, assistant professor of management information systems (MIS), as the Richard and Joyce Ten Haken Faculty Fellow in Business.

Photo of senior lecturer Sheila Milligan
Senior lecturer Sheila Milligan (center)

Dean Johnson, dean of SBE, says the fellowships shine a light on the important work Milligan and Wall do in the classroom and beyond: “Our faculty stand a part for being large enough to lead and small enough to care. They know our students’ strengths and goals, and they play integral roles in guiding them with hands-on learning and mentoring.” 

Milligan, a 17-year veteran at the University, says that Richard and Joyce’s giving inspire her every day. “I want to be my best for our hardworking students, who are very conscientious about their education,” she says. 

Photo of professor Jeff Wall with student
Jeff Wall (left). assistant professor of management information systems (MIS)

Fellowship funds will be used for student travel, experiential education, student scholarships and to provide teaching assistant positions and professional development for faculty. “Attending conferences in forensic accounting is critical to keeping my teaching agile and relevant to prepare students,” Milligan says. 

Wall intends to direct his fellowship funds toward undergraduate scholarships for students dual majoring in accounting or finance and MIS. “Using the funds–more than $8,000 in total–in this way can help support Michigan Tech’s enrollment goals for business students,” Wall says of the new initiative directed at growing the School of Business and Economics.

Trends in industry are placing a greater emphasis on the intersection of accounting and finance with MIS.  Wall anticipates seeing top-quality, interdisciplinary students through these scholarships.

The Ten Haken Faculty Fellowship positions were created in 2017 to attract and retain high-quality business faculty and to inspire teaching and research activity amongst business faculty. Both accounting majors with bachelor’s degrees in business administration, Richard and Joyce Ten Haken are pillars of support for SBE’s students and faculty. 

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Michigan Tech Mourns Loss of Stanford N. Phelps

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Amanda and Stan pose with a dinosaur at National History Museum
Stanford N. Phelps (right), late chair of S.N. Phelps & Co., with Michigan Tech alumna Amanda (Vogt) Conner ’10 (middle), vice president of S.N. Phelps & Co.

Stanford “Stan” Phelps, chair of S.N. Phelps & Co., passed away June 6, 2019, at age 84. A graduate of the Phillips Exeter Academy, Yale, and Harvard, Mr. Phelps was a pioneer of the Wall Street junk bond market and was known to Michigan Tech as a supporter of the Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP) and its students. He hired School of Business and Economics interns and graduates who went on to thrive in the financial industry, including Amanda (Vogt) Conner ’10, Vice President of S.N. Phelps & Co. She says of Stan: “He was my boss, mentor, and friend. Stan helped develop my investment skillset and shape my career, while also teaching me the importance of philanthropy. I am forever grateful for the nine years I was able to learn from him.”

Dean Johnson, dean of the School of Business and Economics, adds, “Stan lived a principled life and sought to pass these principles on to future generations. His impact on the careers of many APMP students is just one of his many legacies. We were pleased that this year’s APMP team was able to meet with Stan and Betsy this past spring in Greenwich. Our heartfelt condolences are with Betsy and the entire family.”

Stan Phelps’ obituary, which appeared in The New York Times and Greenwich Time, is below:

Stanford Newton Phelps died peacefully at home in Greenwich, Connecticut on June 6, 2019, at age 84. He is survived by his beloved wife, Elizabeth Richmond Phelps; his son, George; his daughter, Catherine, and son-in-law, Daniel McNamara; his grandchildren, Maxwell, Garrett, and Ford; his brother, Barry Phelps; his sister Jeanette, and brother-in-law, Whitney Evans.

Mr. Phelps was chairman of the board of S.N. Phelps & Co., Commonwealth Oil Refining Company (CORCO) and Clear Springs Land Company, home of Clear Springs blueberries. His earlier career in the bond business included stints with Citibank, F. S. Smithers and Drexel Burnham Lambert where he started their high-yield bond department. He served as the second lieutenant in the United States Army from October 1956 to April 1957.

Mr. Phelps was born in Rochester, New York, the son of Jeanette Coon and Stanford Newton Phelps. The family moved to Detroit and later back to Rochester when Mr. Phelps left to attend Phillips Exeter Academy in 1948. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1952, and subsequently from Yale University in 1956 and Harvard Business School in 1960.

Mr. Phelps was devoted to his church, First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich in Greenwich, Connecticut. Mr. Phelps was a generous supporter of his church and many educational and Christian organizations, including Hartwick College from which he received an honorary Doctor of Laws, Harvard Business School, Keck Graduate Institute where he was on the Board and received a Doctorate of Applied Life Sciences, honoris causa, The Madeira School, Navy Seal Foundation, Polk State College, and Yale Peabody Museum where he served on the Peabody Leadership Council. Throughout his life, however, his highest charitable priority remained his high school alma mater, Exeter.

In Mr. Phelps, Exeter lost one of its most loyal and enthusiastic supporters. The breadth of his commitments grew from a heartfelt devotion to education, his desire to improve opportunities for Exeter students and his deep respect for Exeter’s faculty. He was most proud of his Phelps Scholar-Athlete program through which he provided one hundred seven students with scholarships to attend Exeter. Through his philanthropy, Mr. Phelps sought to inspire others to support the school he loved. In an address to the student body in 2001, he put it this way, “You will be remembered for what you give – not for what you get”.

In all aspects of his life, Mr. Phelps was guided by two principles he learned while a student of Greek and Latin at Exeter: Athanatos esti psyche, “The soul is immortal,” and Nil sine Deo, “Nothing without God.” All those who knew Mr. Phelps will remember him and take comfort in these two phrases. He will be deeply missed by his family, his friends and by the school he loved.

A service in celebration of the life of Stanford Newton Phelps will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, at First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, One West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be directed to the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich (pcg.org).

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Full-Circle Moment: MLK Day Speaker, Alumnus Reflects on Husky Experience

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Speaker Donzell Dixson stands before an audience
Dixson Dynamics founder, Donzell Dixson, got his first speaking experience as a Michigan Tech business student.

Heading back to campus as the keynote speaker for the 30th annual Michigan Technological University Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration banquet was a pinch-me moment for 2014 finance graduate Donzell Dixson. It wasn’t that long ago, where instead of inspiration and confidence, Dixson waded through self-doubt.

“At times as a student, I felt inadequate. I felt less than. In class, I wasn’t the smartest. Other students seemed to be more prepared for college than I was,” Dixson says. “But my professors in the School of Business and Economics seemed to recognize I had a willingness—an eagerness—to learn.”

Michigan Tech alumnus Donzell Dixson
Today, Dixson resides in Minneapolis and is employed by Target Headquarters.

The Saginaw, Michigan, native first experienced campus by way of the MiCup Scholars Program, a collaboration between three Michigan community colleges and Michigan Tech, which encourages low-income and first-generation college students to continue to follow their dreams of higher education. The initiative is specifically geared toward students interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

“MiCup was really the first and only time I got to see firsthand what Michigan Tech was all about. That’s how I knew it could be for me,” he recalls.

Coursework was rigorous and with support Dixson rose to the challenge. “Getting connected with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion was critical for me. My relationships there helped during times of struggle,” he says.

In his senior year, Dixson applied and was accepted into the competitive and nationally recognized Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP). “It is a hands-on trading experience that really opened my eyes to possibilities in business. The thought processes and strategies I learned in APMP apply to just about every facet of my career and life now. I tend to approach everything a little bit differently—asking, ‘how can I be a producer instead of a consumer’?”

A college internship with Target headquarters has evolved into a diverse technical career for Dixson. “Colleagues will often assume that as a business graduate I might not have a handle on the highly technical aspects,” Dixson explains. He became even more motivated to learn, challenging himself to master coding and develop mobile apps. Management took notice. He has thrived in software engineering roles with the company and is now a business analyst.

In 2017, Dixson, who recalls his first-ever public speaking experience as an APMP student, founded Dixson Dynamics, whose mission is to educate, motivate and guide others to achieve their goals through a plan. He and his business partners have spoken to schools, colleges, organizations and businesses about how to not only create a plan but to put it into action.

Donzell Dixson poses with Dean Johnson, dean of the Michigan Tech School of Business
Reconnecting—Donzell Dixson stands with his former finance professor, Dean Johnson, now dean of the School of Business and Economics.

Dixson calls Minneapolis home now, but he still has family back in Michigan rooting for him, just as they have since his days as a Husky. “In a lot of ways my mom barely recognizes me. I was a kid who at one time was expelled from school. She is proud of me. And she is proud that my success is centered on serving others.”

Just as Donzell Dixson has evolved, campus continues to, too. Dixson believes in President Koubek’s leadership and his mission to diversify Michigan Tech, providing more opportunities and experiences like his to even more students.

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Goldsworthy Selected to Don Hansen All-Super Region Three 3rd Team

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unnamedBROOKFIELD, III. – Michigan Tech defensive lineman Cody Goldsworthy has been selected to the 2017 Don Hansen All-Super Region Three 3rd Team, announced this week by the Don Hansen Football Committee.

Goldsworthy, a junior defensive end from L’Anse, Michigan, averaged 4.2 tackles per game, led the Huskies in sacks (3), and was second in tackles for a loss (9.5). His tackles for a loss totals cost opposing offenses 48 yards and his three sacks resulted in a loss of 27 yards. Goldsworthy also recovered a fumble which set up a touchdown in Tech’s win over Davenport. His tackle totals of 46 were a single-season career high as well as his 9.5 tackles for a loss.

Goldsworthy will enter his senior season in 2018 with 106 career tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 18.5 tackles for a loss. Goldsworthy was named to the All-GLIAC 2nd Team and was recently selected as the Defensive Lineman of the Year when Tech football announced the end of the year team awards.

The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988. Don Hansen’s Football Gazette began selecting Division II All-Region squads in 2003.

The first-team and second-team All-Region selections advance to a national ballot from which the 2017 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America team will be selected.

Cody is a senior finance major who will be continuing his studies with us as MSA student in the fall.
The official press release can be viewed by clicking here.

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