MATC Matters

Dear Faculty and Staff,

These are busy times! Several upcoming events offer you the opportunity to participate and visit with college staff. For example, the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Solar Transit Shelter, made possible by the efforts of many but most notably the Student Senate, is Friday afternoon. Also coming up (and I understand there are a few tickets left) is the “Evening of Good Tasteâ€? on Saturday, April 19. More events coming soon include Math Club’s “Lingo…It’s Not Just Words” on April 18, the Spring Awards Luncheon on April 23, Foundation Scholarship Awards Breakfast and Athletic Banquet on April 24, the Earth Week events (PDF: 248KB) next week, and the Spring Portfolio Show on May 1.

Our efforts continue to pay off
At a meeting last week, the Learner Success Leadership Team was greeted by an array of cupcakes representing each of the approximately 460 new FTEs added since we began our enrollment management efforts in 2006-and, since so many of our students attend school part-time, the cupcakes actually represent nearly three times as many new lives transformed! The team was asked to share the cupcakes with their Center and department faculty and staff because everyone at MATC has a role in this success. Congratulations and thank you for working so hard to make our college accessible and supportive to all students.

MATC part of federal Teaching American History grant
MATC is one of a group of education partners who have received a $900,000 Teaching American History grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant funds a proposal titled “Life During Wartime” that will develop content and mentoring services for fifth- through twelfth-grade teachers. The goal of the project is to improve students’ knowledge of American history by improving teachers’ knowledge of the subject.

Congratulations to the “Life During Wartime” development team: Jonathan Pollack, project director; Amy Brown, grants accountant; and the Grants Department: Ed Clarke, director; Dana Maya, grants officer; Anne Scott, administrative specialist; and Jan Van Keuren, clerical technician.

Stem cells revisited
As many of you know, MATC is one of the first colleges in the U.S. to offer its students hands-on training in handling stem cells. When we first received the cells, they were frozen away in liquid nitrogen. Lisa Seidman, biotechnology instructor, says the students now have begun working with the cells.

MATC Marvels
Here are this week’s “favorite teachers,” as mentioned to me by students:
Janet Sperstad, meeting and event management
Flynn Dustrud, mathematics
Thomas Kaminski, industrial maintenance
Steve Wilcox, automotive
Jonathan Pollack, history

Other MATC Marvels
Special thank you to Veronica Delcourt for playing the piano during the state board dinner last week!

For many years now MATC students have been competing in the annual SkillsUSA competition, and each year we do very well. This year, our students have done an exceptional job winning several gold, silver and bronze medals. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the winners and all the MATC instructors involved who did a fantastic job and were excellent hosts.

Highlights of my week:

• attended the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) annual conference;
• met with members of the President’s Cultural Diversity Council;
• welcomed participants to the SkillsUSA statewide competition held at the Alliant Energy Center and at MATC (we hosted competitions in welding, machining, and auto collision repair);
• visited the Asian Cultural Expo and lunch hosted by the Asian American Student Association which featured art work, cultural clothing and fashion shows, dance and musical performances;
• attended the Student Art Show reception in the library following the District Board meeting;
• welcomed staff participating in an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) training session (these employees serve on selection/hiring committees to ensure that the selection committee functions well and within the process and legal guidelines for hiring);
• participated in the WTCS President’s monthly meeting;
• hosted a luncheon gathering in the Gourmet Dining Room with guests Phyllis Wilhelm, Madison Gas & Electric; State Representative Gary Hebl and Home Health United’s Rick Bourne, president and CEO, and Sue Winer, human resources director; and
• joined District Board Trustee Carolyn Stoner at the scholarship awards and groundbreaking ceremonies at Fort Atkinson campus (the weather could have been more cooperative, but we had a good turn-out, and the event went well).

In closing, here is a quote by Brian Tracy that came to mind as we prepare for the many celebrations and activities this time of year:

“When you create a clear mental picture of where you are going in life, you become more positive, more motivated, and more determined to make it a reality. You trigger your natural creativity and come up with idea after idea to help make your vision come true.”

Bettsey