MATC Matters

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I hope many of you were able to catch MATC Performing Arts’ lively and delightful production of Oscar Wilde’s witty classic, “The Importance of Being Earnest.â€? It was directed over the past two weekends with great energy by our interim CIO and Vice President of Infrastructure Services, Rick Graves, who tapped into his theater roots for this additional assignment. In particular, I was very glad to see so many talented MATC students and staff cast in the production and given the opportunity to shine on the Mitby stage.

In addition, our wonderful Connoisseur’s Club, operated by our culinary arts students and faculty, created a delicious pre-theater meal before some of the performances. Great performances all around – from those on stage, behind the scenes and in the kitchen!

Some of you may have seen the news reports about a tragic hit-and-run accident in which one of our students, Lucas Peerenboom, was struck and critically injured the weekend before last while crossing Park and Regent Streets with a group of friends. Lucas remains hospitalized in Madison. I have visited with his parents to assure them that MATC will do whatever we can to help them through this difficult time. Please keep Lucas and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

MATC Marvels

Here are this week’s “favorite teachers” and staff, as mentioned to me by students:

Christine Yero, business technology instructional support
Guy Thorvaldsen, English
Donald Wegner, mechanical design technology
Gail Bailey, business technology
Gerald Lehman, accounting
Amy Minett, English
Michael Lussenden, communication arts
Michael Johnson, accounting
Brian Short, music
Ronald Dunbar, economics
Barbara Jensen, communications
Betty Hurd, fashion marketing
Turina Bakken, marketing
Jeffrey Noble, marketing
Matthew Renfro-Sargent, sociology
Christopher Dyszelski, psychology
Timothy Twohill, English
Ronald Koci, business technology
Michael Bender, information technology

Other MATC Marvels
Thanks to Lyn Hertel and the rest of the foundation staff and the staff at Portage for the First Annual Scholarship Breakfast. Hearing the stories of the students receiving the scholarships was, as always, heartwarming. I particularly enjoyed seeing photos of the Corvette project shown to me by the mother of an automotive technology student. A special thanks to Linda Fehd who donated and prepared all of the food for the breakfast.

Please congratulate Mark Finger and Jeff Quinlan, accounting instructors, for a successful Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference. MATC students finished in 42 top 10 places with 16 national conference qualifiers, six first-place winners, five second-place winners and eight third-place winners. Six of the qualifying students are planning to represent MATC by competing at BPA’s National Leadership Conference in New York City in May.

We have heard that these people have submitted grants recently and we wish them the best of luck: Holly Walter Kerby, chemistry instructor, and grants team members Dana Maya, Anne Scott, Amy Brown and Ed Clarke submitted a grant for informal science education to the National Science Foundation for a project called Fusion Science Theater. In addition, the grants team and Jonathan Pollack, history instructor, submitted a grant for teaching American history called Living in the Time of War, to the U.S. Department of Education.

Congratulations to Susanna Valtierra and the Educational Programming Board for coordinating the fun and educational Salsa Fiesta.

Highlights of my week

• Participated in Convocation.
• Presented at a meeting at the Madison Club of Town and Gown, a group that includes leaders of Madison’s higher education and civic organizations.
• Attended a special Urban League Board meeting
• Attended the MATC District Board community reception and meeting held at our Watertown campus.
• Attended the mayoral candidate forum held in the Mitby Theater sponsored by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc., is sponsoring a mayoral candidate forum at DTEC in room D240 on Thursday, March 22, 7 to 9 p.m.
• Gave an education report at the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce board meeting.
• Dropped in at the TEC Center Tenant Appreciation Luncheon.
• Hosted lunch in our gourmet dining room for a group of leaders from the Madison community: Mark Fraire (Wisconsin Arts Board); Amy Gribb (BT2 Inc Engineering and Science); Monique Heiser (MATC Foundation Board member and vice president of business process improvement and compliance at Covance); Michael Moskoff (consulting); and Paul Norman (Boardman Law Firm).
• Attended College Council meeting.
• Attended the UW’s Executive Briefing Economic Outlook.
• Participated in the WTCS Coalition WisLine meeting.
• Attended the Madison Symphony Orchestra and reception.
• Made an “appearanceâ€? as the guest of Betty Banks on her radio show, Heart and Soul, broadcast live on WTDY-AM Saturday night.

We are just this month starting to hit our stride with the start of our many spring and end-of-semester events. Like so many of you, I am looking forward to a brief chance to catch my breath and relax during spring break, which is timed later this year than usual. I hope you get a chance to have some fun and rejuvenate during this break in our semester. I will write to you next in April, after we return from break.

In closing, I would like to share a quote Mahatma Gandhi:

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”