MATC Matters

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Just last week I stood in a veritable sea of people—hopeful, excited people—for as far as the eye could see. We were gathered together in the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to witness a remarkable and historic event—the inauguration of Barack Obama as our nation’s first African-American president. The excitement was palpable, as were the feelings of hope, pride and the revitalization of a torn American spirit. People stood side-by-side with others who voted for a different presidential candidate. There were shared smiles and hugs between strangers whom might not acknowledge each other in their daily lives. People from all walks of life demonstrated that one common belief or a single shared value can link people of all skin colors, races, cultures, physical abilities, socio-economic backgrounds, and ages—and for those few hours we all felt, and acted, like we were in our youth. From the newborn baby to the 105 year-old woman who risked her frail health to see Barack Obama become President, we shared the innocence, wonder and hopefulness of youth. 

I noticed the parallel between this event and our daily lives here at MATC. Every day I see the determined faces of people from different races, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, physical abilities, and ages—students who have youth in common—not actual youth in years, but the youthful feeling of going back to school to learn a new trade that will lead to a new job, of stretching and challenging one’s mind after spending five years talking only with young children, of knowing that their education will lead to employment, food on the table and a restored sense of pride, of refreshing one’s skills to become more relevant now that the children have grown, or of beginning a new and exciting phase of life after graduating from high school. Students share the college experiences that define the time of hope and optimism in one’s life that is unmatched only by the time of youth.  

Back here at the Truax campus students celebrated the inauguration by gathering together to watch it on television. In the Student Lounge guest speakers opened the event. Two students shared their determination to make this moment in their lives meaningful and transformative, and MATC alumnus and State Representative Joe Parisi inspired audience members to take seriously their responsibility for creating positive change through non-violent means. Thank you to all who made this and other inaugural events on campus so memorable.

This past week I also attended a luncheon hosted by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce that featured Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (I was invited to sit at the head table). Congresswoman Baldwin offered insight on the new congressional agenda and potential solutions to some of the pressing issues facing the nation.

Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)

This spring, MATC has an opportunity to participate in a national survey focusing on teaching, learning, and student engagement in technical and community colleges. The project is housed within The Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin. 

MATC Marvels

There was an outstanding cross-functional response to the overheating of the data center over the weekend. The data center was recovered and the restart of applications was completed shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday night. There appear to be some lingering issues with student e-mail, but overall we appear to have been very fortunate. We should not presume that MATC will continue to be so lucky. This failure was detected by the Help Desk–just before the end of Saturday support hours. Had it occurred off hours on a Sunday through Friday night, we would have had to shut the district’s computing infrastructure down over the following school day. So, heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who worked through the weekend so we could be up and running on Monday morning.

The following MATC employees deserve kudos for their role in the recovery of our data center this weekend: Technology Infrastructure, Rod Byer, Michael Gabriel, Martin Gaines, Randy Hammer, Jody Olah and Jim Patton; Facilities, Gregory Crook, Wes Marquardt and Randy Schulte; and Client Services, Dan Martin and Patricia McDaniel.

Jackye Thomas and H. Mark Thomas led the Leadership Academy Retreat, with a visit from recovering Patrick Barlow.

Congratulations to the Leadership Academy class: Laurel Anderson, HR Specialist (Human Resources); Dennis Baskin, Associate Dean-Business Center (Business and Applied Arts); Carlotta Calmese, Associate Dean-Retention and Student Services (Learner Development); Thomas Collins, Manager-Cisco Infrastructure; Michael Conners, PSRP Union President/Senior Computer Specialist (Tech Services); Sherry Cunningham, Clerical Technician  (Reedsburg); Deryl Davis-Fulmer, Associate VP-Learner Success; Stephanie Dean, Associate Mgr-Admissions/Records; Andrea Deau, Manager-Academic Applications (Tech Services); Sandra Docter, Part-time Faculty Coordinator (Diversity & Community Relations); Ellen Foley, Foundation-Director of Development; Marcia Forbes, Project Leader-Marketing & Enrollment Services; Phil Gasper, Admin-Faculty and Support Services (Diversity and Community Relations); Thomas Heaney, Supervisor-Institutional Research and Effectiveness; Carolyn Jarrett, Internal Auditor/Counsel; Lisa Jones, Child Care Center Planner (Learner Development); Sharon Kelley, Management-Process Analyst (Strategic Advancement); Amy Krumenauer, Management-Process Analyst (Infrastructure Services); Charlene Longino, Child and Family Center Manager (Learner Development); Michael Lussenden, Communication Arts Instructor (Arts and Sciences); Rhoda McKinney, Custodial Associate (Facilities); Malika Monger, Employment/Workforce Diversity (Human Resources); Fran Moritz, Project Leader (Learner Success); Richard Schneider, Civil Engineering Instructor; Ana Turk, Bilingual Instructor (Business Tech); Theresa Valencia, Plastics Instructor (Portage); Kathy Waters, Mail Center Coordinator; Barbara Wise, Clerical Technician (Human Resources); Nancy Woodward, Part-time Faculty Coordinator (Diversity and Community Relations); and Ana Zambie, Senior Instructional Support Coordinator (College Preparedness and Academic Advising).

Kudos to Medical Coding Specialist instructor Loretta Brunell. Loretta was the featured member in the AAPC Coding Edge, a monthly publication of the American Academy of Professional Coders. AAPC is an organization with more than 74,000 professional coders across the country.

“Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less.  It has not been the path for the faint-hearted…rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things…� 
- President Barack Obama

Have a great week!

Bettsey