Dr. Emanuel Xavier-Oliveira (SBE) and other professors of economics from universities such as Purdue and Yale were asked by the financial web site WalletHub to comment on growth strategies that state economies can adopt in order to improve or return to full capacity. It was part of a WalletHub report just released on the states with the best and worst economies. News of the report has been picked up by Forbes and CBS News, among others.
By Mark Wilcox | Published May 3, 2016
Through the Robinsons’ philanthropy, the SBE will see significant improvements both academically and in the physical state of its building. What was initially an idea for renovation, ended up as a major improvement to the Academic Office Building, home of the SBE, and a planned bequest for the Edward and Betty Robinson Endowed Faculty Fellow in accounting. The bequest will fund what will be known as the “Robinson Fellow.”
Eric Halonen, Michigan Tech’s assistant vice president for advancement, said students are the beneficiaries of the Robinsons’ service and philanthropy.
“Ed and Betty are building the School of Business and Economics through two facets, with both a building renovation and the faculty fellow position,” he said.
Dean Johnson, interim dean of the SBE, noted Robinson’s past dedication to the school, particularly his work as chair of the Tidwell Center Endowment Campaign. Named after the legendary late accounting professor Sam Tidwell, the Tidwell Center consists of endowment funds to support scholarships and direct student services.
“Ed’s guidance and his generous gift will ensure a lasting bond between legendary faculty like Sam Tidwell and those who will have the honor of serving as the Robinson Fellow,” Johnson said.
Ed Robinson said he and Betty want to continue to help the School that has given so much to them.
“We want to do our small part in helping SBE on to greater achievements for the benefit of students now and into the future.”Ed Robinson
“Sam Tidwell and other SBE faculty were a great inspiration to me,” he said. “We want to do our small part in helping SBE on to greater achievements for the benefit of students now and into the future.”
Betty Robinson also acknowledges Tidwell’s influence on her husband’s success. “Fifty years ago, Michigan Tech invested in my husband’s quality education. … He blames Professor Sam Tidwell for steering him into a public accounting career. From that investment by Michigan Tech, he enjoyed years in public accounting.”
Betty Robinson said her husband spent 22 years in public accounting and became Deloitte’s National Industry Director-Transportation as a partner. He also became chair of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Transportation Committee.
“In his career, he went on to become the chief financial officer of two regional railroads in the Midwest from their inception and continues to serve in that capacity,” Betty said.
Noting that faculty are key to student success, Johnson went on to say, “Ed’s gift will support and attract high-quality faculty who are the interface for the next generation of accountants.”
Johnson said the gifts are doing more than looking out for the future of the SBE.
“The Robinsons are making additional annual gifts in order to have an immediate impact,” he said. “As a result, renovations in the Academic Office Building have recently been completed. We anticipate filling the Robinson Fellow position in the near future.”
In addition to the Robinsons’ philanthropy, Ed Robinson continues to serve on the SBE Dean’s Advisory Council and the Accounting Advisory Council and is a member of the School of Business and Economics Academy.
The Robinsons are members of the McNair Society and the 1885 Society, and Ed is a life trustee of the Michigan Tech Fund, as well as a current member of the President’s Advancement Council.
“The Robinsons are a true ‘Michigan Tech family,’” Halonen said. “Ed and Betty’s son, Decha, is a 2006 graduate of the School of Business and Economics as well. Their service and philanthropic spirit are matched by only a very select few.”
Betty Robinson said it’s only fair they give to back to the institution that has meant so much to them.
“The investment by Michigan Tech paid off, and now it is time we returned a payback to the School of Business and Economics at Michigan Tech,” she said.
Three Hockey Seniors Sign Pro Contracts
Three members of the Michigan Tech hockey senior class have signed professional contracts to continue their hockey careers.
Alex Petan signed with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, while CJ Eick (Utah Grizzlies) and Malcolm Gould (Indy Fuel) have inked deals to play in the ECHL.
Petan, who is a Hobey Baker Memorial Award top-10 finalist, led the WCHA in goals (16), points (29), goals-per-game (0.59), points-per-game (1.07) and power-play points (13) en route to WCHA Player of the Year honors. The Delta, British Columbia, native also secured All-WCHA First Team and WCHA Scholar-Athlete recognition this winter.
Eick, a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, moved to center this season and finished second on the team with 16 assists while appearing in all 37 games. The Appleton, Wisconsin, native tallied five multi-point games and career-high three assists on Feb. 20 at Bemidji State.
Gould earned a spot on an All-WCHA team for the second straight year after finishing second on the Huskies during the WCHA regular season with 22 points on seven goals and 15 assists. The forward collected five power-play goals and had a WCHA-leading plus-18 rating in conference action.
Michigan Tech men’s tennis senior Built Yumuang (Bangkok, Thailand) has been named to the All-GLIAC Honorable Mention Team, it was announced today Sunday by the league.
Yumuang compiled a 5-4 GLIAC record while playing at the No. 3 singles position for the Huskies this spring. Additionally, Yumuang notched a 4-5 in GLIAC matches at No. 2 doubles where he was paired with Nick Kremkow or Ricardo Paes.
The All-GLIAC Honorable Mention citation was the third in a row for Yumuang.
Michigan Tech finished the 2016 season with a 5-11 overall record.
For more on Michigan Tech Athletics visit michigantechhuskies.com.
On Wednesday, March 30, 12:00 – 1:00p.m., the Research Committee of the SBE will host its first brown bag lunch seminar. Assistant Professor of Marketing, Dr. Soonkwan Hong will present his latest research. Pizzas and pop will be provided. All interested members of the MTU community are invited.
Title: Alternative Food Consumption (AFC): Contributions to Food Well-Being (FWB), Marketing, and Public Policy
ABSTRACT
Planning to achieve sustainability in food consumption and a state of food well-being amongst the populace is the concern of marketing researchers and policy makers alike. To set a context for these goals, we propose a holistic framework articulating a transition from Mainstream Food Consumption (MFC) to Alternative Food Consumption (AFC) in which consumers engage with food practices divergent from those currently dominant. We adopt a multidisciplinary approach to identifying enablers facilitating the adoption of AFC: idiocentric (functional/situational, ideological, and experiential factors) and allocentric (sociocultural and institutional factors). The proposed framework provides a basis to discuss how AFC ultimately contributes to food well-being (FWB), with a focus on those particularly vulnerable to sub-optimal states of FWB, low SES consumers. Implications for marketing and public policy are also discussed.
