MATC Matters

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Last week was an amazing week at MATC! Many exciting and heartwarming activities took place from the PK-16 Partnership Council meeting on Monday to the baseball and softball games held this past weekend. Everywhere I went, staff, faculty and students of MATC shined!

If your schedule permits next week, please honor our more than 40 employees retiring this year at our annual Retirement Reception. You can wish your colleagues well by joining the celebration, which is being held next Tuesday, May 8, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Student Lounge at Truax.

Activities began last week on Monday at 7:30 a.m. with the PK-16 Partnership Council meeting, which is a revival of our educational partnerships. MATC District Board trustee Jon Bales introduced MATC’s Guiding Principles for Serving the Educational Needs of MATC District K-12 Students.

On Tuesday, the WTCS held its inaugural Workforce Training and Economic Development Symposium, “A New Wave of Opportunity: The WTCS’ Emerging Role in 21st Century Economic Development” in Wisconsin Rapids. Marla Gamoran, Business, Industry and Community Services coordinator, served on the planning committee and also presented two different sessions. I participated on the Presidents’ and Business Leaders’ Response Panel on how educational institutions can better understand and meet the needs of manufacturers in the communities that we serve.

The Student Awards Luncheon was held Wednesday in the Redsten Gym. The Student Executive Leadership Team members were so well prepared. They added new and interesting elements to the event this year, such as dressing alike, playing music when the awards recipient approached the stage, and using a large projection screen. What a wonderful transformation from a gymnasium to a banquet hall! Thanks to the Student Life, Athletics and Facilities staff for all of their hard work.

The statewide SkillsUSA competitions were held at the Alliant Energy Center, with some events held at MATC. Many MATC students participated and received awards. Kudos to Paul Morschauser, our very own diesel instructor who serves as the competition’s State Director and Lead Advisor, and all our SkillsUSA instructors and advisors:

Melissa Brainerd, Barber/Cosmetology
Craig Lathrop, Automotive
Patrick Molzahn, Cabinetmaking
J.R. Colvin, Machine Tool
Tony Stute, Welding
Rod Kohlhepp, Collision Repair
Tom Wozniak, Diesel
Jeff Hein, Diesel
David Shonkwiler, Agriscience and Technologies Dean

Thursday was another exciting day and night. The MATC Foundation Scholarship Awards Breakfast was well attended by donors, students, faculty and staff. MATC District Board Chair Jerry McGowan and trustee Carousel Bayrd also attended. I would like to give a special thank you to the faculty and staff who are donors to the foundation and attended the breakfast to honor our students. Special congratulations to Anne Schacherl for receiving the “Distinguished Teacher 2007� award.

I was interviewed by Channel 15 WMTV last Thursday about our recently-published Graduate Employment Report, which was broadcast as the lead story on the 10 p.m. news. The news segment reported that technical colleges are graduating more students who stay and work in the state and that our “Real World Smart� education is a smarter route for college.

The Athletic Banquet, led by Athletic Director Steve Hauser and Sports Information Director Jason Verhelst, was held Thursday evening to honor our many students and their athletic and academic achievements. I only wish we could infuse the spirit of the coaches and student athletes into our daily lives. Special thanks to the Athletic Department staff and coaches: Dorothy Grant, Kris Mills, Mike Van Veghel, Mike Davenport, C.J. Thieleke, Lyle Hanson, Ben Scheffler, Justin Litscher, Tim Shafel, Jessica Pelzel, Steve Bentin, Mike Mayfield, Jim Thomas, Rodney Jenkins, Jeff Richardson, Larry Freidig, Boo Gillette, Mike Gillette, Toby Parker, Carina Saunders and Ashley Smit.

A special tribute was held at the Athletic Banquet honoring Lyle Hanson. Lyle has been involved with the MATC Baseball Program as a head coach, assistant coach or coordinator since 1977. Lyle was inducted into the MATC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. In addition to working with the MATC Baseball Team, he has been a full-time mathematics instructor at the college for 30 years. During the banquet, Lyle’s son, Erik, was inducted into the MATC Athletic Hall of Fame. Erik played an integral part on two MATC National Championship teams in 1995 and 1996. Thank you, Lyle, for your dedication to your students, your discipline of mathematics and your commitment to the college.

And triple thanks to Paul Algiers and Brad Kahn and their staff for preparing and serving the food at the Student Awards Luncheon, the Foundation Scholarship Awards Breakfast and the Athletic Banquet. They fed hundreds of people and did so without missing a beat! I am so proud of their fine work and hope many of you have enjoyed the fruits of their labor (quite literally!).

On Friday our Math Club celebrated Mathematics Awareness Month 2007 by inviting high school students from our district and beyond to participate in “Who Wants to be a Soduku Master?” Thanks to the several faculty and staff for making this year’s celebration another success: Jeganathan “Sri” Sriskandarajah, Al Lehman and Pam Larson, math faculty; and staff Jody Thrush, Bob Dinndorf, Scott Heiman, Jean Alt, Heidi Hillmer, Terry Christensen, Jessica Dyer, David Kasten, Becca Jeske, Margaret Foley, Corey Helser, Matt Breaux, Anastasia Metros, Keith Cornille, Judy Glaza, Janet Kelly and Robin Gee. Hopefully, I haven’t missed anyone.

Friday afternoon was the 102nd Law Enforcement Academy Graduation ceremony, held at our Commercial Avenue site. The class was made up of 22 men and 2 women graduates. Thanks to Martin Redmann, Gregory Ferguson, Jack Pace, and Garilyn Truttschel, police science instructors, for making the graduation an inspiring ceremony.

The Amazing Chemistry Circus was held on Saturday morning. This science outreach show combined entertaining circus characters (played by Madison actors), cool science demonstrations (performed by MATC instructors), and participatory segments during which kids came on stage to “act-out� the science behind the demonstrations. Many thanks to Holly Walter Kerby for bringing the circus back to town! Thanks, also, to technical directors Mike Lussenden and Joan Boyce; and Bill Hausler, chemistry instructor; David Shaw and Amy Payne, science instructors who conducted the experiments.

The week was topped off with the annual fundraiser and final exam presented by our culinary and hospitality students and faculty, “An Evening of Good Taste.” The evening was another great success with a total of 524 attendees. Even after increasing the capacity by 100 this year, tickets still sold out weeks in advance. You can read about some of behind-the-scenes action in Melanie Conklin’s Page Two column in this Wednesday’s Wisconsin State Journal. Special thanks to John Johnson who led the event, chefs Joe Gaglio, Paul Short, and Maureen “Punkyâ€? Egan. Also, thanks to all of the other volunteers who helped make the night such a success and one of our most valuable community public relations events.

Over the weekend, our women’s softball team won three out of four games against three different opponents to claim the 4th annual Jennie Guyer Softball Invitational in Grand Rapids, MN. Our men’s baseball team won its seventh straight game in seven innings over the UW-Madison Club Team.

Last week was also the celebration of Administrative Professional Week. As I mentioned, what a busy but marvelous week! WHEW!

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

Jane Clark, veterinarian technician
John Galligan, English
Pamela Larson, mathematics
Lynn Goetsch, dental hygienist

Highlights of my week
This week I also:

• Was interviewed by Fritz Grutzner regarding the WTCS brand.
• Attended College Council.
• Met with industrial maintenance instructors.

In closing, here is a quote by Bob Woodward, which he shared at the American Association for Community Colleges (AACC) Conference on April 14, 2007:

“The happiest people are those who have found the work they love.�

Thanks for all you do for our students!

Bettsey