MATC Matters

Looking at AQIP
Category 2-Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objective

AQIP has identified nine Categories of related key processes that provide a framework for the assessment and improvement of higher education institutions. The second Category, AQIP Category 2-Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives, addresses the processes and systems that complement an institution’s main function of helping students learn. Each institution determines what the processes and systems are based on its distinctive mission. Within Category 2, MATC has chosen to focus on the second of two legislatively-defined primary purposes for technical colleges: that purpose being, to foster economic development and expand employment opportunities.

The College has created four internal units (each having both distinct and overlapping groups of stakeholders) that help us fulfill this purpose:

• Business, Industry and Community Services (BICS)-BICS provides customized training, technical assistance and skills assessment to businesses and industries in the District.
• Business Procurement Assistance Center (BPAC)-BPAC provides counseling services and procurement training events throughout the state as well as technical and marketing assistance to Wisconsin businesses seeking to win government contracts.
• Regional Economic and Workforce Development Directors-The College created these director positions to coordinate and manage economic and workforce development initiatives at regional campuses, focusing on specific geographic areas to better understand community needs and build partnerships within the area.
• Technology, Education and Commerce (TEC) Center-The TEC Center is a private-public collaboration providing a business incubator designed to support and promote new and emerging technology firms in our district.

Some of the measures that MATC has implemented to document improvement in these four units include:

• Customer satisfaction related to customized training – 95.5% report satisfied or very satisfied (from the College Balanced Scorecard)
• Value of contracts awarded to BPAC-assisted businesses – $358+ million in 2006-07
• Number of economic development partnerships created or maintained – still in progress as the positions were recently created
• Percentage of incubator businesses showing an annual net profit (TEC Center) – 48% (16 of 33 tenants) in 2006-07

In the Systems Appraisal, a feedback report on MATC’s Systems Portfolio, the assessment team identified both strengths and opportunities for improvement related to economic development. One strength of note was the creation by the College Council of a cross-functional Economic Development Work Team. The team’s mission is to create an Economic Development mission statement; take an inventory of our current economic development activities; research the changing nature of work; identify best practices and to recommend strategies, initiatives, processes and measures for improvement.

Key opportunities identified include the development of a clear process for determining distinctive objectives beyond helping students learn, determination of staff and faculty needs in relation to these objectives, better communication of these objectives and improvement of data collection and measurement in regards to these objectives.

The College believes that the continued investment of resources to support the four main units focused on economic development and expanding employment opportunities address the concerns identified in the Systems Appraisal. Although the College does not currently have any Action Projects to specifically support the work associated with our Other Distinctive Objective, the College is firmly committed to improving the economic health and workforce opportunities of the District.