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President’s Message - January 23, 2007

January 23, 2007 | Editor
 

Bettsey BarhorstDear Faculty and Staff,

Please take time this week to add three items to your “to doâ€? lists - one to help others, one to help yourself, and one to do both plus have fun! First, MATC is making it easy for you to donate coats, hats, mittens and other warm clothing or bedding to local shelters through the Volunteer Center’s Winter Warmth Drive. Please take a look through your closets and place items you no longer need, but others do, in the collection barrels outside the Student Life offices at Truax and DTEC.

Second, if you haven’t done so already, please sign up for your free Employee Health Assessment by contacting Cindi Rutten. Appointments start today and continue as follows by location:

Tuesday, Jan. 23 - Portage and Reedsburg
Wednesday, Jan. 24 - Fort Atkinson and Watertown
Thursday, Jan. 25 - DTEC and Commerical Avenue
Monday, Jan 29 - Friday, Feb. 2 - Truax

During a 20-minute appointment, you can have your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels checked, receive a customized seven-page report on your health and review your results with a health educator. What a great way to start the year by making a commitment to take care of your health for you and all the people who depend upon you - your family, friends, students and co-workers.

Third, come to the “Jam the Gymâ€? on Saturday, February 3. It will begin with a Chili Tailgate at 11:45 a.m. (cost is $5, free for those who donate to the MATC Foundation) followed by our men’s basketball game at 1 p.m. and women’s basketball game at 3 p.m. vs. Milwaukee Area Technical College. This year’s “Jam the Gymâ€? marks the 20th anniversary of the first basketball game played in the Redsten Gym. Admission is $2 for students, $4 for adults. The game is free to children under 10 and also with your OneCard. Let’s jam the gym on February 3!

MATC Marvels
Each week, I like to highlight some marvelous people I encounter or learn about here at the college. Here are this week’s “favorite teachers,â€? as mentioned to me by students:

Peter Berthold, business technology
Todd Zimmerman, physics
John Galligan, English
Amy Whitcomb, medical coding
June Sarbacker, business technology

Other MATC Marvels
Thank you to all the volunteers who helped to make this semester’s Welcome Back Event on the first two days of school a success. Faculty, staff and administrators volunteered to staff the hallways and help students with directions and quick questions. Thanks to our volunteers, hundreds of our students were assisted and welcomed to campus. As the saying goes, the first impression is the most important! We want to thank everyone for helping to create a more welcoming campus for our new and returning students.

MATC Foundation Update
As mentioned above, let’s “Jam the Gymâ€? on Saturday, February 3!

Thank you to Amy Payne (science instructor) and her husband for starting a new scholarship to support students studying chemistry and/or engineering.

Highlights of my week

  • Met with the MATC Foundation Board.
  • Met students during the Welcome Back event during the first two days of class.
  • Networked at Downtown Madison Rotary Club.
  • Participated with College Council in our first session of CQI Senior Leadership Training, based on the renowned Six Sigma quality improvement methodology. Our own Keith Clark, business instructor, led the training and shared his deep experiences in quality processes gained during his career at John Deere.
  • Attended the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Board meeting.
  • Attended a meeting with representatives from Kahler Slater, which provides architectural and interior planning services, and MATC staff regarding master planning.
  • Met with a community member about our insurance certification offerings.
  • Visited one of our major foundation donors, Spike Ehlers, who is recovering in the hospital from a broken ankle.
  • Attended the Wisconsin Technical College System District Boards Association spring meeting in Elkhart Lake.
  • Attended the League of Women Voters of Dane County meeting during which MATC student Mikk Lukk was recognized for his work with student voter registration.

In keeping with our opportunities this week to plan – to help others, ourselves and our quality processes – I’d like to share a quote by author Alan Lakein:

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.�

Have a great week!
- Bettsey

Bettsey L. Barhorst, President