Community well-being. Energy innovation. Informed conversations and meaningful partnerships that lead to optimal choices for people of all ages now and in the future. Below are just a few of our success stories - read about some of our favorite initiatives, and join us in creating another.
Selected Success Stories
JED Campus Initiative
Michigan Technological University joined the JED Campus program to support student well-being and mental health. The program identifies opportunities to enhance emotional health and offers substance abuse and suicide prevention efforts on campus to ensure that schools have the strongest possible mental health safety nets.
By joining the program, Michigan Tech demonstrates a commitment to the emotional well-being of its students, explains Laura Bulleit, the University’s associate dean of students. JED Campus schools embark on a multi-year strategic collaboration to assess and enhance the work already being done and foster positive, lasting, systemic change in the campus community. The program provides schools with a framework to support student mental health, along with assessment tools, feedback reports and ongoing technical assistance from the JED Campus team of clinicians.
Michigan Tech’s involvement in the JED Campus is supported by the JED Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and the Children's Hospital of Michigan.
Mi-STAR: Michigan Teaching and Assessment Reform
Mi-STAR is a partnership of universities, school districts and professional societies—led by Michigan Technological University—that works together to develop new curriculum, assessments and professional learning programs that supports teachers who are implementing the new Michigan Science Standards. Mi-STAR’s work is made possible by a donation from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.
Support from the NCAA
NCAA Strategic Alliance Grant
The National Collegiate Athletic Association offers a competitive grant program focused on providing financial assistance to Division II conferences and member institutions committed to enhancing ethnic minority and gender representation in mid- to senior-level intercollegiate athletics administrative positions. With the support of the NCAA Division II Strategic Alliance Matching Grant, Sarah Dowd was hired as the Director of Student-Athlete Wellness and Clinical Counselor in July 2019.
Michigan Tech recognizes that medical care for student-athletes has grown beyond just the care of physical injury. Health care must use a whole-person approach that includes both the mind and body to produce positive outcomes. Dowd serves as an in-house therapist to counsel student-athletes in balancing mind, body, and sport for optimal mental health and well-being. She also works with coaches and athletic trainers on best practices for the health and well-being of the Huskies.
NCAA Choices Grant
Michigan Tech previously received support in the form of an NCAA CHOICES grant to initiate an informed, university-wide supported, and consistent conversation (#MTUStepsUP) that creates an athlete driven campaign where making legal, healthy, appropriate, and safe choices about alcohol become the socially accepted norm.
Mines as Pumped-storage Hydropower
With funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a multidisciplinary research team has designed a project that scopes the feasibility of using decommissioned mines as underground pumped-storage hydropower. Led by Roman Sidortsov, the team says the effort can help struggling post-industrial mining communities to transform decommissioned mines from environmental and economic liabilities into productive assets.