The School of Business & Economics is pleased to welcome Dr. Deb Armstrong to the Michigan Tech campus March 13-15, 2016.
Her visit is sponsored by the Visiting Women & Minority Lecturer/Scholar Series (VWMLS) which is funded by a grant to Institutional Equity & Inclusion from the State of Michigan’s King-Chavez-Parks Initiative.
Dr. Armstrong earned her PhD in Information Systems from the University of Kansas in 2001. She is currently an Associate Professor of Management Information Systems in the College of Business at Florida State University. Her research interests include issues at the intersection of IS personnel and mental models involving the human aspects of technology, change, learning and cognition. Her CV is attached. Please contact Mari Buche (mwbuche@mtu.edu) if you would like to schedule a meeting with Deb while she is on campus.
Informal Coffee Chat on gender issues in STEM occupations in the Academic Office Building Conference Room 101. Stop by to welcome our guest from 2:00 – 2:45 PM.
Seminar Open to the Public: Women in the IT Profession: A Review of Research Findings. Monday, March 14th from 3:00 – 4:30pm in EERC Room 100.
This presentation will integrate the contributions of over 20 research studies spanning her 15-year-long academic career. Dr. Armstrong has used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and has presented her work to international audiences.
Light refreshment will be served following the presentation.
Michigan Technological University’s School of Business and Economics has been approved for an accreditation extension to 2021 by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools Business.
The AACSB is the longest-serving global association dedicated to advancing management education worldwide. Michigan Tech’s SBE is among 746 business schools across 51 countries and territories accredited by the organization. The accreditation was approved by the Continuous Improvement Review Committee of the AACSB.
Dean Johnson, interim dean of the School of Business and Economics, says the accreditation renewal is an affirmation of the job the SBE is doing.
“This extension is the culmination of five years of diligent effort by the SBE faculty and staff, combined with the essential support from the University administration,” Johnson says. “Since our initial accreditation in 2001, the SBE faculty has delivered high quality experiential programs and assured our students are achieving critical learning goals. I thank each of them for their service.”
The School of Business and Economics offers undergraduate majors in Accounting, Economics, Engineering Management, Finance, Management, Management of Information Systems and Marketing. Graduate degrees include an MBA, a Master of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.
Johnson explained why AACSB accreditation is important. “As the premier accrediting body of business programs, AACSB has strict standards of excellence for curriculum development and faculty qualifications, research and teaching. The output of this excellence is seen in our students. For example, students from AACSB programs score 9 percent higher on the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exams. It also documents that our educational programs are innovatively responding to the ever-changing demand of the business world and employers.”
AACSB provides internationally recognized, specialized accreditation for business and accounting programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. The accreditation standards challenge educators to pursue excellence and continuous improvement through their business programs.
A paper about the role that economic inequality may play on entrepreneurial entry, co-authored by Emanuel Xavier-Oliveira (SBE) and Andre Laplume (SBE) (as well as Pathak from KSU), was chosen as one of the top 10 papers of the year 2015 published in the Human Relations Journal (ranked #5 in Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary).
This recognition is awarded by the journal’s editorial team to the papers that best encapsulate broad readership appeal, sound methods and whose theories advance knowledge.
jbdonova@mtu.edu
Kaila Pietila points to Malaga, in southern Spain, where she will be studying.
December 14, 2015—
Kaila Pietila wants to push her boundaries by studying for a year in Malaga, in southern Spain. The competitive national Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is going to help her do it.
The Gilman Scholarships offer grants for academic studies abroad to US undergraduates with limited financial means. The program’s goal is to better prepare US students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.
And that’s exactly what Pietila, a fourth year marketing and management student in Michigan Tech’s School of Business and Economics, wants to do. “I want this to be my first step toward becoming a global citizen,” she says. “I plan to take this experience and make a difference by giving back and contributing to the increasingly interconnected community of our world, as I build my career in an international setting.”
She’s not quite sure what that career is going to be yet. “I haven’t quite figured out exactly what I want to do when I ‘grow up’ because I’m interested and passionate about so many things,” she says. “I know whatever path I take will most certainly involve people, but I’m hopeful this experience abroad will help clarify my next step.
Malaga, in Southern Spain
She’s going to Universidad de Malaga to study international relations and Spanish language. At this point, her knowledge of Spanish is limited to the basic vocabulary and phrases she learned in high school in Hartland, Michigan, “so the language barrier will most certainly be a challenge,” Pietila says. “However, I’m excited to focus on language while fully submerged within the culture through my Spanish coursework, daily interactions and travel abroad, and while living with my host family.”
What made her pick Malaga?
“Malaga attracted me with its melting pot of cultures and unique location as a pinnacle of European and African influences,” Pietila says. “It is a study abroad destination not chosen by many American students, allowing for more cultural immersiveness, but it’s a popular choice among students from elsewhere in Europe. It’s a perfect place for me to study, analyze, discuss and debate global business communication in an international setting.”
Pietila has been working in Career Services since her first year at Tech. The staff there are proud of her for winning the Gilman Scholarship—but not surprised at her success.
“Everyone at Career Services could see that Kaila was a star from the moment she started as a student assistant with us,” said Julie Way, assistant director for career development education in Career Services. “Throughout the last four years, she’s consistently gone above and beyond and exceeded our expectations. We’ve enjoyed seeing her grow personally and professionally and have very much appreciated the value she’s added to Career Services.”
Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.