Michigan Technological University
| File:Michigan Tech Seal.jpg | |
| Motto | Create The Future |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1885 |
| Endowment | $67.8 Million [2] |
| President | Glenn Mroz |
Academic staff | 412 |
| Undergraduates | 5,629 |
| Postgraduates | 915 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Rural |
| Colors | Silver, Black, and Gold |
| Mascot | Huskies (Blizzard T. Husky) |
| Website | www.mtu.edu |
Michigan Technological University (abbr. Michigan Tech or MTU) is an American public university with a broad range of degree offerings. Michigan Tech's main campus is in Houghton, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula.
History
Michigan Tech was founded in 1885 as the Michigan School of Mines. Established by the state of Michigan to train mining engineers to operate the local copper mines, Michigan Tech started with four faculty members and twenty-three students. In 1964, greatly expanded academic offerings propelled Michigan Tech to its current designation as a university. Although engineering still accounts for some 55 percent of all enrollment, the University now offers more than 120 degree programs.
The average overall ACT scores for incoming students is 25.2, compared to 21.1 nationally. Undergraduate enrollment in environmental, geological, and mechanical engineering all rank in the top eight nationally, and the scientific and technical communication program is one the nation’s largest. According to the US News and World Report, Michigan Tech graduates leave campus with some of the lowest debt in the nation.
Academics
Michigan Tech is known for academic excellence in engineering, science, computing, business, technology, environmental studies, and communication. The university is divided into several schools and colleges—
- The College of Engineering has majors in many fields of engineering. Environmental engineering, geological engineering, and mechanical engineering all rank in the top ten in enrollment nationally. [3]
- The College of Sciences and Arts includes one of the largest technical communications programs in the United States [4]
- School of Business and Economics students invest $1 million in the stock market each year in the Applied Portfolio Management Program. [5]
- The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science has been recognized nationally for excellence in its research program, and its PhD program was ranked fourth in the nation by Academic Analytics in 2007. [6]
- The School of Technology features the BS in Computer Systems and Network Administration and other four-year degree programs. [7]
Michigan Tech is ranked among the top half of all 249 national universities in U.S. News & World Report’s "America’s Best Colleges" and is ranked a "tech powerhouse" by the Princeton Review's "Best 361 Colleges." Michigan Tech is also ranked among the top 500 universities in the world by Shanghai Jiaotong University and number 159 in the nation by Washington Monthly Magazine. In 2007, PC Magazine ranked Michigan Tech the seventh most wired campus in the nation, and U.S. News and World Report ranked five graduate engineering programs among the best in the nation: earth sciences, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and materials science and engineering. [8]
Michigan Tech has also developed an innovative enterprise program which fosters engineering skills by allowing students to work in business-like environments on real-world projects while completing their education. Different enterprises include Hybrid Transportation, Aerospace, Blue Marble Security, Husky Game Development, Integrated Microsystems, and Wireless Communications Enterprises. [9]
Research
Michigan Tech is ranked 179th of 600 US colleges and universities in research and development expenditures (NSF, 2004). Michigan Tech ranks ahead of Michigan State, the University of Michigan, Wayne State, and benchmark universities RPI, Georgia Tech, and Carnegie Mellon, and Notre Dame in invention disclosures per $10 million of research.
Examples of recent research include studies in climate change, osteoporosis in bears, biofuels, calculus rules, disaster planning, tree genomes, and high-tech security communications.
Research expenditures exceeded $44 million in 2006.
Seaman Mineral Museum
Michigan Tech is home to the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum. There are plans to move the museum to the Quincy Mine in Hancock, Michigan in the near future.
School Songs
Michigan Tech has both an official fight song and an official Alma Mater. At most sporting events, however, both the "Engineers Song" and "In Heaven There Is No Beer" are played by the Huskies Pep Band, and many students consider these to be the unofficial school songs.
Fight Tech, Fight!
- Fight Tech, fight Engineers.
- For banners bright Engineers.
- From Northern hills, we'll sound our cry,
- We'll ring your praises to the sky!
- Fight Tech, fight Engineers.
- For right with might Engineers.
- We'll win the game in the glorious name
- of the Michigan Michigan Michigan Engineers!
Hail Alma Mater
- Hail alma mater; hats off to you.
- Ever you’ll find us loyal and true.
- Firm and undaunted always we’ll be.
- Hail to our MTU, Here’s a toast to thee.
In Heaven there is no beer The first verse of the song "In Heaven there is no beer" is copyrighted by the polka artist Brave Combo. The rest of the verses are a unique creation of the MTU pep band and, while they follow the same melody, they are not copyrighted. The first verse is available on Brave Combo's website.
- In Heaven there is no snow
- That's why we want to go
- And when it's 10 below
- Our friends will be freezing in the snow!
- In Heaven there are no refs
- But here they're blind and deaf
- And when we all have left
- Our friends will be bitching at the refs!
Campuses
The main Michigan Tech campus is located mainly on US 41 in Houghton, Michigan. It is the safest campus in Michigan, and the among the safest in the United States [10]. Michigan Tech also maintains a building in Hancock; the Ford Forestry Center and Research Forest in Alberta, Michigan the Keweenaw Research Center at the Houghton County Airport in Boston, Michigan (site of vehicle testing, the Winter Driving School)[11]; the Portage Lake Golf Course in Portage Township, the Mont Ripley ski hill in Ripley, Michigan and the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI) in Ann Arbor. Michigan Tech opened a campus in the New Delhi area, India in 2003.
In addition, the offices of the Michigan Tech Fund are located in the Citizens Bank Building in Hancock.[12]
Faculty are involved in several distance education programs, with clients such as General Motors.
Student body
Michigan Tech students are primarily from Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, and about 9 percent are from outside the United States. The student body is approximately 90 percent Caucasian, 2 percent African American, 1 percent Asian, 1 percent Native American and 1 percent Hispanic. [13] The university has recently focused on achieving a more diverse student body, in terms of ethnicity, gender, and areas of study. A key step in this effort was the recent introduction of several new academic majors, including psychology, biochemistry and molecular biology, sound design, cheminformatics, communication and culture studies, pharmaceutical chemistry, exercise science, and theatre and entertainment technology.
Notable student activities and organizations include:
- WMTU-FM, an entirely student-run radio station
- The Michigan Tech Lode, an award-winning, weekly published student newspaper
- The Huskies Pep Band, an integral part to football, men's and women's basketball, and ice hockey
- Blue Key, an affiliate of the National Blue Key honor society, which organizes the annual Winter Carnival
- Many fraternities and sororities.
- Keweenaw Pride, the campus' Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally support, activism and social group
Special events
- The first Friday of the fall term is K-Day (Keweenaw Day), a university-sponsored half-day holiday. This is primarily celebrated at nearby McLain State Park, which is overrun by Michigan Tech students and organizations for the day. Activities include a student organizations fair, games, swimming, and music.
- Each fall, the Parade of Nations highlights the more than eighty nations represented on campus with a parade, food, and performances by a multitude of groups.
- In February Michigan Tech hosts its Winter Carnival, where students compete in a variety of artistic and athletic events. The highlight of Winter Carnival is a snow statue competition in which students construct snow and ice sculptures consistent with an annual theme. Some groups of students complete their work in a single evening, while the more grandiose are one month in the making. Carnival also features a queen competition, NCAA Division I ice hockey, and other special events.
- In spring, Michigan Tech hosts Spring Fling, which celebrates the coming end of the school year. Local talent plays on stage, carnival games are offered, free food can be found, and the entire campus is transformed into a festival. Recent Spring Fling events have included MTU Idol, a pig roast, a water balloon fight, a comedy routine, a pool tournament and more. The event is planned annually by the Memorial Union Board.
- In the summer Michigan Tech hosts the Summer Youth Program (SYP), Women in Engineering (WIE), American Indian Workshop (AIW), and Orchestra Fellowship Programs (OFP) to introduce high school students to college opportunities.
- During June and July, Michigan Tech's Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts is one of the main venues for the Pine Mountain Music Festival, with many musical and operatic performances. The Rozsa Center also holds performances by university, local, and touring companies during the school year.
- Michigan Tech holds two world records, the largest snowball (21' 3" circumference) and largest snowball fight (3,745), which they accomplished in 2006, as verified by Guinness World Records officials. They originally held three world records, the third of which was the most people making snow angels simultaneously in a single venue (3,784). This record was taken from the city of Bismarck, ND, but about a year later, Bismarck took the record back with 8,962 snow angels.[1]
Varsity Athletics
As the school mascot is the husky (specifically, Blizzard T. Husky), the school's sports teams are known as the "Huskies". MTU competes in the NCAA's Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The hockey team competes in Division I as a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. MTU has its own downhill ski/snowboard hill, Mont Ripley, just across Portage Lake from campus, and maintains extensive cross-country ski trails (used for mountain biking in summer).
Men's Football
The football program at Tech has been around for over 80 years. On March 18, 2003 the football program was eliminated due to budgets cuts made by the university, but through alumni funding, the program was brought back on March 28, 2003. The 2004 football season brought the Huskies into the spotlight with the winning of a GLIAC championship. The 2004 season was also a highlight for the football program due to the "Bash at the Big House," a football game played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor against rival Grand Valley State University attempted to set an all time attendance record. The team were the 2004 GLIAC Champions.
Men's Ice Hockey
The Men's Ice Hockey program has had a storied history from its inception in 1919, producing three national championships. The program has played in five different home arenas including the Amphidrome, Calumet Colosseum, Dee Stadium, and the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The Husky hockey program became a national powerhouse under the leadership of Coach John MacInnes during the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s.[14] The program, under the leadership of head coach Jamie Russell, is entering a renaissance after many seasons of disappointment. [15] The team has won many NCAA Division I and WCHA championships, especially during the 1950's through 1970's.
Residence Halls
- Wadsworth Hall
- McNair Hall[2]
- Douglass Houghton Hall
Distinguished alumni
- Melvin Calvin, Nobel Laureate and discoverer of the Calvin Cycle
- Chris Conner, NHL Player - Dallas Stars
- Tony Esposito, former NHL Player - Chicago Blackhawks
- Andy Sutton, NHL Player - Atlanta Thrashers
- David House, former Vice President of Intel
- Randy McKay, former NHL Player - Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars, and the New Jersey Devils when they won two Stanley Cups.
- Kanwal Rekhi, successful businessman and entrepreneurship promoter in the Silicon Valley; recently donated $5 million to MTU for its new computer science building.
- Donald G. Saari, Prominent game theorist
- Joe Berger, NFL Player - Dallas Cowboys
External links
- Michigan Technological University
- MTU Lode (Student newspaper)
- MTU Winter Carnival
- Michigan Tech Research Institute (formerly ERIM) in Ann Arbor
References
- ^ [1] accessed on July 29, 2007.
- ^ McNair hall was formerly known as Co-ed Hall. It was built to attract more females to the mostly male university.(http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/alumnusmag/02dec/smith.html)