Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Tag: Michigan Tech

Alumni Spotlight: Maggie Chen

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In late April 2014, Associate Dean and Professor of Economics, Tom Merz, met up with School of Business and Economics alum, Maggie Chen, while he was visiting Hong Kong.  Chen was very involved as a Tech student, participating in the Applied Portfolio Management Program before earning her BS in Finance in 2004.  She also completed a fellowship at Columbia University and continued on to receive her MBA from Yale University in 2010.  Chen currently resides in Hong Kong with her husband Max and their two-year-old son Mickey, where she is a foreign equities portfolio manager in the State Administration of Foreign Exchange Investment Company.  She aspires to be a visiting lecturer in finance at Tech’s School of Business and Economics.

Are you an alum of Michigan Tech’s School of Business and Economics?  We’d love to hear your story!  Send it to business@mtu.edu today!

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FinanceU Is Most Exceptional!

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At the 20th Annual Student Leadership Awards on Friday, April 18, FinanceU received the honor of Exceptional Program of the Year.  FinanceU, an event in financial literacy put on by the Office of Financial Aid and the School of Business and Economics’ Finance Club on November 20, owes some of its success to its partnership with Michigan Tech’s Office of Financial Aid and Wells Fargo Bank.

The Finance Club and the Office of Financial Aid have partnered to produce the successful FinanceU events in order to help students make informed financial decisions.  FinanceU’s mission is to foster a greater sense of financial literacy among all students, regardless of major.  Topics discussed at this year’s event included financial aid opportunities, how to manage one’s personal finances, starting and continuously funding a substantial retirement plan, and provided students with online tools to help manage all of these aspects.  Financial Aid Advisor, Cindy Cowell, and Wells Fargo Store Manager, Ellie Freeman, were on hand to answer questions from audience members, but the main focus of the event was for students to present information to other students, since research shows that individuals are better able to understand a message when it is delivered by a peer.

This second consecutive FinanceU event held at its roots the same message as last year’s activity; Michigan Tech students were given the knowledge and power needed to enable them to begin making sound financial decisions before even graduating from college.  Similar to the previous year’s event, a survey was administered to participants, asking them to rate their knowledge of budgeting.  This year’s FinanceU event was so successful that the number of participants doubled, with over 200 students completing the surveys.

Brett Ludwig, 2013/2014 President of the Finance Club was extremely proud of FinanceU’s accomplishments.  “With this year being the second time FinanceU has put on the event,” Ludwig remarked, “we were hoping that it would be bigger and better than last year.  Mission accomplished.  With Donzel Dixson [Finance Club member] on the bullhorn outside, the flow of students coming to the booth as well as Finance Club members going throughout the library to ask people questions were astounding.  We’re excited to host more events in the future.”  Ludwig will be graduating in a few weeks, but will leave the Finance Club in the capable hands of Heath Johnson, 2014/2015 President.

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No Longer ‘Broke and Hungry’

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Front left moving clockwise: Heath Johnson, James Sturos (Treasurer), Daniel Olson, Derek Menard (Secretary), Brett Ludwig (President), and Cory Sullivan pose with Shelly Larson and Dan Dalquist, Edward Jones advisors

On Wednesday, April 9th, The Michigan Tech Finance Club hosted their second event of “Broke and Hungry?”.  53 students attended the event, lured by the promise of knowledge and pizza.  This year, local Edward Jones advisors Dan Dalquist and Shelly Larson took the time to talk to students about investing their money.  The main topic for discussion was the transition from college life to getting that first job, as well as the importance of saving for retirement.  Dalquist preached to students from all majors about technical financial topics such as tax savings, retirement plans, and asset securities.  Presenting some scary statistics about the current financial situation of most Americans, Dalquist and Larson appealed to audience members about the merits of getting their finances in order.  Since Tech students are numbers-driven, students were able to clearly see the drawbacks of waiting to save for retirement.  Ensuing the presentation was a barrage of questions.  Students were very interested in both advisors’ opinions of the future states of the market, social security, inflation, and how Edward Jones operates.  Even after the session concluded, both advisors spoke with many students one-on-one to answer specific questions.

Brett Ludwig, President of the Finance Club, talked to a few of the students in order to gauge their reactions to the presentation.  Overall, everyone seemed to enjoy the event and got a lot out of it.  One student, who is going to work for a company in Texas after graduation commented, “I’m looking at all this right now and this is exactly what I needed to know.”  The event was a hit and the Finance Club hopes to be able to host more events of this nature in the future for students.  A huge thank you goes to Dan Dalquist and Shelly Larson for making this one possible.

On behalf of the Finance Club, we hope you don’t wait until you’re broke and hungry to join us for the next event!

**This article was written by Brett Ludwig, with contributions from Emanuel Oliveira and Laura Bucci.

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Vote for SBE in the iOme Challenge!

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For the 3rd consecutive year, Michigan Tech’s School of Business and Economics has been picked as one of 6 finalists in iOme Challenge‘s #moneysmartweek video competition.  Students in SBE’s Macroeconomics and Banking & Financial Institutions courses did the hard work by putting this stellar video together.  But they need YOUR help to win a $250 prize!  Tech is currently in last place, but we can easily pull ahead with your help!  Voting is simple:

Step 1: Like iOme Challenge on Facebook

Step 2: Scroll through their page and find Michigan Tech’s video.  Make sure you like it to cast your vote!

Step 3: Share the video on your own Facebook page so that all of your friends can help us win.

It’s that easy!!  The poll closes on Friday, April 18 at 11:59 pm CST, so cast your vote NOW!  GO HUSKIES!

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Business Insider: Overachieving Tech Is Most Underrated College in Michigan

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Business Insider Chooses the Most Underrated College in Every State

Michigan Tech has earned itself another title: The Most Underrated College in Michigan.  In a national review, Business Insider recently chose the 50 most underrated colleges in the United States.  They toted Michigan Tech as the champ for Michigan, stating of the winners:

Oftentimes, these schools’ strong academic programs are overshadowed by the popular perception that a college is better if it’s tough to get into.  These colleges challenge that myth, and are smart – and potentially safe – options for student applicants.

Several factors helped decide which schools made the top of the list for each state, including academic rankings, in-state population, and acceptance rates.

It’s true: we have an acceptance rate close to 75%.  Also true: on average, our incoming students have a 3.66 GPA on a 4.0 scale, and an ACT composite score of 26.7.  Our students are crazy smart, and we were recently recognized as #11 in the nation for public schools with the smartest students.

Are you a Tech alum, current student, or future student?  Let me know in the comments below what your most favorite underrated thing is about Michigan Tech!  Mine’s the starting salary of graduates from the School of Business and Economics: they make $53,000 on average!

For the full list of the 50 most underrated institutions nationwide, check out the picture below.

Courtesy of Business Insider
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