In the 2023-24 academic year, two College of Business faculty received endowed fellowships and students selected Roger Woods as Teacher of the Year. Scott Blecke ‘13 was named CEO of an electric cooperative.
Manish Srivastava Reappointed as David L. and Marilyn A. Bernard Faculty Fellow in Business
The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs announced in July that Manish Srivastava, professor of strategic management and innovation, was reappointed as the David L. and Marilyn A. Bernard Faculty Fellow in Business.
The fellowship supports a diverse range of activities to foster academic collaboration and support student education, including funding for travel to research conferences and workshops, professional development, and student scholarships. Srivastava's research focuses on technological innovations, business models, and strategic alliances. He has fostered academic collaborations with researchers from around the world, and he holds editorial board positions on several prestigious journals, including the Journal of Management.
Laura Sieders Named Edward and Betty Robinson Endowed Faculty Fellow in Accounting
Laura Sieders, assistant teaching professor in accounting, was named the Edward '66 and Betty Robinson Endowed Faculty Fellow in Accounting, as announced by the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs in July 2024. The fellowship is intended to attract, reward, and retain highly talented faculty who focus on growing the College of Business accounting program. Sieders is director of the MS in Accounting program and co-teaches the Applied Portfolio Management Program. Her teaching unites experiential education, mutual respect, and progressive expectations to assure her students' success. She is the faculty advisor for the Kappa Sigma Iota (KSI) Accounting Club. Off campus, she is an accounting advisor for two local nonprofits.
Students Name Roger Woods Teacher of the Year
Roger Woods, teaching professor in operations management, received the 2024 College of Business Teacher of the Year award. The award recognizes Woods' extraordinary dedication and unparalleled commitment to students, which extend far beyond the classroom. To select the Teacher of the Year, College of Business senior-level students nominate a faculty member who has made a meaningful impact, and all students vote to select the winner. Woods was also featured in the Deans' Teaching Showcase this spring.
Alumni News
Scott Blecke '13 Tech MBA® has been named CEO of Yampa Valley Electric Association, a member-owned electric cooperative based in Colorado serving over 23,000 members. He was selected from a candidate pool of about 200 applicants. Blecke has more than 20 years of experience as a strategic engineering executive. He previously served as the chief strategy officer for the Great Lakes Energy Co-operative headquartered in Boyne City, Michigan.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
