The Michigan Tech Board of Trustees, the highest level of governance at MTU, held their fourth official meeting of 2026 on Friday, Oct. 2, in MUB Ballroom B. A wide variety of faculty and staff were present along with a few students. Many significant university leaders were there to present their reports to the board.
Board Chairman Jon Jipping called the meeting to order at 9 a.m., delivering opening remarks shortly after. He focused on the five-point strategy President Richard Koubek had introduced: growing graduate enrollment, aligning campus operations with institutional demands, investing in the student experience, elevating recruitment and competitive financial aid strategies, and expanding non-traditional revenues and industry partnerships. Koubek himself followed, echoing Jipping’s comments and introducing several donors to the Board, including Chang Park, the donor and namesake behind the future Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness.
The Academic Affairs Committee was the first committee to speak, with Trustee John Bacon reporting that student retention was down to 85 percent from 88 percent the previous year. Trustee Steve Tomaszewski presented for the Audit and Finance Committee, who are undertaking a financial audit in the midst of a nationwide decline in college enrollment. Lastly, Trustee Monique Wells presented for the Leadership Committee, which works on the transition of members and the 2026-27 initiative. Trustees John Bacon and Jeffrey Littmann are leaving at the end of year, and are being replaced by appointees Christine Roberts and Jen Flood in Jan. 2027. Trustees are nominated by the Governor of Michigan and confirmed by the Michigan Senate.
Following committee reports, the Board unanimously passed the consent agenda, which included previous minutes, degrees in course, Daniell Heights Early Recontracting, 2027 meeting dates, board policy updates, and contracts for one million dollars or more.
Action and discussion items followed the consent agenda. Tomaszewski introduced a resolution to appoint Timothy Scullion, Associate Vice President for Finance at MTU, as the new Treasurer of the Board. This is a position that may not be filled by a Trustee. Other resolutions included granting Dr. Adrienne Minerick the rank of Professor Emerita in Chemical Engineering, and a formal appreciation of alumni Mike and Liz Pulick. All resolutions passed unanimously.
The meeting concluded with reports from other governmental bodies. The Undergraduate Student Government President Ford Schoonover presented on the triannual Student Activity Fee review, which collects various data on the cost of living with the goal of recommending changes to the fee. Graduate Student Government President Sam Jensen discussed the upcoming Three-Minute Thesis event, and advocated for a graduate student-focused career event. Lastly, University Senate President Dr. Holly Hassel went over improvements to the University Senate’s bylaws and meeting schedule.
The next Board of Trustees meeting will be Dec. 18, 2026 at 9 a.m. Meeting agendas can be found at mtu.edu/bot/meetings/agendas/, and the minutes at mtu.edu/bot/meetings/minutes/.
