MATC Matters

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Administrative Reassignments
In preparation for the new academic year, the following administrative reassignments have been made. Kathleen Radionoff has been appointed Dean, Continuing Education. Turina Bakken will assume the role as Dean of Business and Applied Arts and Nancy Meyer has been assigned the role of Part-time Faculty Coordinator. A search is currently underway for the Associate Dean of Business and Applied Arts.

These changes are effective immediately and arrangements for smooth transitions are underway.

MATC and the world
As many of you already know, we recently hosted a group of visitors from Germany, and this week we will welcome visiting students from Egypt. These events serve to remind me that we truly are a part of the international community. Thanks to new grant funding, international partnerships and, of course, the Internet, the college is able to offer a global education to both students and staff.

Whether taking a language class, attending a lecture on another culture, participating in a travel tour or exchange program or serving as a host or guide for some of our international visitors, opportunities are plentiful right here on campus for all who are interested in broadening their horizons. Be sure to take ideas for improving our campus globalization to Geoff Bradshaw.

Convocation reminder
Fall Convocation is August 19 and 20, and the theme is “Fostering Student Success: Concrete Ideas/Concrete Action.” We are at the starting point for many important projects in the coming year, and Convocation is an excellent place to learn about these new efforts as well as catch up with colleagues. I look forward to seeing you and meeting some of our new employees.

Employee Spotlights
Speaking of new employees, we mark the return of a popular MATC Matters feature, Employee Spotlights. Matters is including some short profiles of employees who were new as of January 2008, and plans are underway to highlight key new and newly promoted employees on a regular basis. I look forward to reading these and learning more as we welcome new employees into our community of learning.

Harnessing the power of the sun
You may have seen or participated in the Solar Car Wash earlier this month at Truax. A group of middle school students, here through an MATC-sponsored program, provided the labor, and Tom Kaminski (along with Mother Nature) provided the power with a portable solar-powered car wash station. Second-year Industrial Maintenance students built the solar array device as a final class project. Tom plans to use the device to help in the recruiting of new students to MATC who are interested in alternative energy.

Proceeds from the car wash went to victims of the recent Wisconsin flooding, and there is still time to donate even if you missed the event. Contact the MATC Foundation.

Thanks to instructors Tom Kaminski, Don Gilbertson and Paul Harrison (the solar array crew) and our students; Ananda Mirilli and her seventh- and eighth-grade volunteers; Campus Security; Eric Lauersdorf, Robert Fumoso and Tom Riffle from Facilities; Susana Valtierra, Doug Kirchberg, Shaylea Stensven from Student Life; and Vicki Saffran, Paula Symons, Robin Gee, Amy Kittleson, Andy Kuruzar and Bill Bessette from Marketing for help with the event.

MATC Marvels
Portage hosted 15 middle-school students at its second annual Tech College 4 Kids event in July. The students participated in hands-on activities designed to provide them with opportunities to explore potential careers. Faculty John Palacios, Randy Sellnow and Emmalee Pearson volunteered their time to help. Thank you to all Portage staff for this great community event.

Photography instructor Mario Quintana had a nice surprise when he returned from vacation this week. Waiting for him were 12 boxes of new photographic equipment from Canon. The equipment is part of the company’s long-term technology loan program and valued at about $40,000. Based on the reputation of our program, Canon selected MATC as one of only 30 photography programs to participate nationwide. Congratulations to our photography instructors and the Business and Applied Arts Center for this wonderful donation.

Art faculty member Tom Murphy is showing his paintings at Madison’s Fanny Garver Gallery this month in a show titled “Wisconsin Landscapes.” Congratulations, Tom.

Highlights of my last two weeks:

• attended the Joint Legislative Council’s Special Committee on Building Wisconsin’s Workforce;
• dropped in at the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce’s business and government reception;
• attended a special gathering with the Kassel delegation, hosted by Dane County;
• welcomed Lea and Craig Culver at their VIP scholarship reception;
• attended our District Board meeting;
• visited Cisco to view their telepresence demonstration;
• Interviewed final candidates for the position of Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences;
• participated in a two-day training session for leadership staff that focused on “crucial conversations” and improving the quality of dialogue within the college;
• videotaped a “welcome” message that will be used during our annual “Student Daze” event;
• hosted a meeting requested by UW Chancellor David Wilson to discuss collaboration with the UW Colleges, especially in the Watertown area;
• presented to 65 Ph.D. faculty, students and their mentors at Edgewood College about my doctoral research and mentoring experiences;
• participated in a conference call regarding a program for students with autism (Senator Herb Kohl’s office has been lobbied by a coalition of community colleges for funding for a Transition to Independent Living [TIL] program);
• stopped in to give encouragement at a retreat for the college’s infrastructure services administrators;
• visited with UW–Whitewater Chancellor Richard Telfer and toured the campus;
• attended the WTCS State Board meeting;
• participated in the College Council retreat; and
• welcomed Jessica Doyle as she toured the campus with a prospective student.

In closing, here is a quote from a forward by Stephen R. Covey in Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High:

“Nothing fails like success. In other words, when a challenge in life is met by a response that is equal to it, you have success. But when the challenge moves to a higher level, the old, once successful response no longer works-it fails; thus, nothing fails like success.”

Bettsey