Distinguished Michigan alumni return to share experiences
Students, guests hear diverse perspectives
Oct. 25, 2023
Few things resonate better than learning from experience.
Many Michigan Technological University (MTU) students, faculty and staff would agree, especially after hearing alumni recently share their experiences as part of MTU’s Time & Talent Initiative.
From Oct. 3 to 5, MTU hosted four alumni with backgrounds in diverse industries such as industrial water treatment, business development, operations management, trenchless technologies for sanitation, and oil and gas. The T&T initiative aims to foster alumni engagement by connecting Michigan Tech alumni with current students, faculty and staff through guest lectures, presentations and various learning opportunities.
“The valuable engagement of such distinguished alumni contributes to a rewarding experience for our alumni and the overall Michigan Tech community,” said Jordan Shawhan, assistant director of MTU Alumni Engagement, Philanthropic Programming. “We appreciate their time and insights.”
Paul Meneghini, a 1993 MTU graduate and now Enbridge’s community engagement manager, was among the alumni invited to participate in the October event. An Upper Peninsula native and Michigan resident, Meneghini has a degree in civil engineering.
“The university ultimately is a path that led me to Enbridge, and I consider it an honor to be able to share my experience with future MTU graduates.”
—Paul Meneghini, Enbridge manager of community engagement in Michigan
“MTU has been instrumental in establishing a solid, multi-faceted foundation for my career,” said Meneghini.
“The university ultimately is a path that led me to Enbridge, and I consider it an honor to be able to share my experience with future MTU graduates.”
Michiganders operate Line 5, will contribute to the Great Lakes Tunnel Project
Meneghini, who leads the team of professionals who facilitate stakeholder engagement and local community engagement at Enbridge, is among the approximately two dozen MTU graduates Enbridge employs. Many of them are dedicated to assuring the safe operation of Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac, as well as the engineering and design of the Great Lakes Tunnel Project.
Slated to house a replacement section of Line 5 in the Straits, the Great Lakes Tunnel will eliminate the chance of an anchor strike to Line 5 in the Straits, and essentially eliminate a release from Line 5. The tunnel also will be able to house fiber optic cable to increase connectivity in the Upper Peninsula.
“The Great Lakes Tunnel is the next common-sense step to continuing to provide this region the safe, reliable energy on which it has come to rely from Line 5,” said Meneghini.
“We understand the significance of Line 5, which is why we have a robust team of geologists, safety experts and engineers—many of them MTU graduates—working to make the Great Lakes Tunnel reality.”
Founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the Houghton-based MTU was the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula. MTU’s graduate engineering program is ranked among the top 100 in the United States, according to 2023-24 U.S. News Report rankings.
