MATC Matters

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Thanks to Terry Webb for posting last week’s message updating us on what’s happening in learner success.

Election 2008:
The results are in. Get ready for some big changes in the Wisconsin state legislature. Democrats are in the majority in the State Assembly for the first time in 14 years. When the new Legislature is seated in January, Democrats will run the Assembly, Senate and governor’s office for the first time since 1986. In the MATC 12-county district, voters passed the majority of school referendums. Here’s another interesting note– higher education has played a key role in the lives of the President-elect, First Lady, Vice President-elect and his spouse.    

Equity and Faculty Awards Update:
The Association for Community College Trustee’s Leadership Congress in New York went well. Although we didn’t win the national faculty (Lisa Seidman) or equity awards, we were honored in winning the regional awards. MATC Board Chair Jan Bultema and Maria Banuelos, associate vice president for learner success, diversity and community relations, co-presented with me at a concurrent session entitled, “Achieving Equity in Student Outcomes and Success.â€?

Honoring Our Veterans: 
Veterans Day is Tuesday, November 11. We have about 350 veterans attending MATC this semester and some of them will soon be deployed to Iraq. Please help our servicemen and women overseas by donating DVDs, magazines, playing cards, pre-packaged non-perishable snack foods and other items now through Friday, November 14. You may drop these items off at the Student Life Offices in Room 140 (Truax) and Room 237 (Downtown). John Kinsler, Learning Programs Advisor at Portage, and Michael Shumway, Enrollment Center Technician, have been instrumental in developing MATC’s Veterans Club and establishing ‘Vets for Vets’ email postings during the past month. We are also attempting to identify faculty and staff who have served in the military. Contact Tim Jacobson, financial aid advising coordinator, if you have served in the military and would like to participate in veterans outreach activities. We want to thank all veterans for their service to our country, and we wish those who are currently serving overseas a safe return home from duty.

Condolences:
I’m sad to inform you that one of our Graphic Design students, Craig Finley, was killed in a shooting this past weekend. Craig graduated from our Graphic Design program in 1997, but was back this semester to refresh his skills. Dave Zentner was his instructor. Our condolences to the Finley family.

New Employees:
We welcome new employees Tom Collins, Cisco Infrastructure Manager; Michelle Downer, administrative specialist in the Foundation office; Donna Edge, enrollment facilitator; Stephanie Koteles, enrollment facilitator; Nicole Soulier, enrollment facilitator; Jessica Wisdom, clerical technician at Fort Atkinson.

MATC Marvels:
Ed Clarke, grants/special projects director, has been reappointed to the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin.

Marketing instructor Jeffrey Noble has become a co-author of Pearson Prentice Hall’s best selling “Business Math� textbook.

Doug Kirchberg and his Clarion student newspaper staff have done it again. The Clarion received two national awards at the recent Associated Collegiate Press National College Media Convention in Kansas City. The Clarion received a second-place award in “Best of Show” and a third-place award for “Special Sections.” This is the seventh straight year the Clarion has taken home a national award. Kudos to Doug and the Clarion staff.

Congratulations on another successful Girl Tech Camp. The camp gives middle school girls a chance to explore high-tech careers though fun, hands-on activities. The October camp included 45 girls from the MATC district. Activities included: building a bridge with pasta (Rebecca Parish, architectural technology); tracking the transmission of a simulated flu virus (Jessie Bathe, biotechnology); surveying and map creation (Jerry Mahun, civil engineering); alternative electrical generation (Ann Thompson, electronics); robot day at the Lego zoo (Lori Kelley, IT Department); making movies using Alice software (Peri Mills, Technology Services) and ”Think Inside the Box: Explore the inside of a Personal Computer” (Ron Koci, IT Department). Thanks to IT Department PSRP Staff Cheryl Halle and John Tomczak for help with organizing and running the camp. Special thanks to Nina Milbauer (IT department faculty) who served as camp director.

The first of MATC’s 2008-09 Career Pathways events was a big success. More than 500 high school students and teachers visited our Truax campus on November 6 to learn about careers in Health and Human/Protective Services. More than 400 prospective students filled out registration cards! Thanks to all the faculty and staff who helped make this event a success, including Paul Renzi, Corey Helser, Matt Breux, Betsy Rais, Robin Gee, Logan Strandner, Kallie Kramer, Jason Wiedenhoeft, Gretchen Arneson, Erin Thornley, Marjorie Cook, Meaghan Sawle, Bill Bessette, Wendy Sauve, Teresa Werhane, John Hanson, Andy Kuruzar, Dave Kasten, Paul Algiers, Brad Kahn, Nancy Munter, Sue Pitts, John Pigeon, Drew Seeley and Corey Schmid.

Here are two wonderful examples of how MATC gives back to the community. This past Halloween, graduating dental hygiene students gave free dental work to nearly 130 Dane County children who do not have dental insurance. Most of them received sealants to protect their teeth from cavities (just in time for Halloween). MATC students and instructors have been providing this free service for more than 10 years. Kudos to Lynn Goetsch and her staff. 

Meanwhile, for the sixth straight year MATC automotive students held their free car care clinic at the Truax campus. Not only did they check nearly 60 vehicles in just four hours, they also collected 315 pounds of nonperishable food (252 meals) for local pantries. Congratulations to Craig Lathrop and everyone who helped make this event a big success.

Speaking of cars, I would like to recognize Dennis Michaelis (shipping/receiving) for his random act of kindness. On his way to work there was a stalled vehicle at the intersection of Hoffman and Anderson, where the main parking lot entrance is located. It was 7:30 in the morning, the worst possible time and place to stall. Dennis stopped his car to single handedly push the two young students’ car out of harms way. These students would have likely been rear-ended had they stayed to wait for help. Talk about STUDENTS FIRST, that act says it all!

Of the many quotes we have heard during the last few months, I find these two certainly relate to our mission and vision:

President-elect Obama, from his victory speech: “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.�

Presidential candidate John McCain, from the Republic National Convention: “We’re going to help workers who’ve lost a job that won’t come back, find a new one that won’t go away. We will prepare them for the jobs of today. We will use our community colleges to help train people for new opportunities in their communities. For workers in industries that have been hard hit, we’ll help make up part of the difference in wages between their old job and a temporary, lower paid one while they receive retraining that will help them find secure new employment at a decent wage.â€?

Have a great week!

Bettsey