Milwaukee Area Technical College

Guaranteed Transfer: a Clear, Straight Path
In June, MATC and the University of Wisconsin-Madison launched the Badger Track guaranteed transfer and admission program. Now, it's my great pleasure to announce Panther Tracks with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Both agreements guarantee admission of MATC students who take prescribed courses and maintain good grades. At least 30 but not more than 54 credits in liberal arts and sciences must be earned, allowing students to complete nearly half their baccalaureate studies at MATC.

The UWM agreement includes an alternate means of entry, by which students initially denied admission there can be referred to MATC for their first courses. Completion of that sequence with good grades likewise guarantees UWM admission. This semester we successfully ran a pilot version of the referral program.

Students now have a clear, straight path from MATC to the leading public university in southeastern Wisconsin. Come here, stay on the path, get good grades, and you become a student there.

UWM is our biggest transfer partner, enrolling more than 500 MATC students per year. Ties strengthened in 2002, with UWM adding us to their bachelor's degree completion program, College Connection. It allows students to complete their baccalaureate studies in three majors by taking classes on campus with us or online; they do not need to attend the UWM campus.

Dr. Carlos Santiago, UWM chancellor, has my deepest gratitude for exerting the leadership that brought about this long-sought seamless pathway between our two great institutions. Also, thanks and congratulations to Barbara Cannell, director of curriculum and instructional support, and Interim Provost Jim Walsh. Please contact Barbara for more information.

Panther Tracks brochure
Panther Tracks website

NC A&T in the Fold
North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro is the sixth partner in our transfer program with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Dual study will allow students to earn bachelor's degrees in nine engineering fields. They will spend about three years at MATC, then two years at NC A&T.

A land-grant, high-research university, NC A&T is a nationwide leader in preparing African Americans for careers in engineering, certified public accounting, technology and many other fields. Fortune 500 firms such as Gillette and Merck pay regular visits to recruit tomorrow's best and brightest leaders. The university offers 99 undergraduate degrees, 50 master's degrees and five Ph.D.'s

Its campus has a small-town feel amid a culturally rich metropolitan city, built on 188 acres in the heart of North Carolina's Piedmont, on the edge of Downtown Greensboro. Aggie sports are a proud focal point of student and alumni life. Enrollment is 11,000-plus. Nine out of every 10 students receive financial aid. The learner-friendly student/teacher ratio is 15:1.

Next spring we expect to announce another new transfer agreement with Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. We also are in talks to add Jackson State College and Florida A&M University, both in Tallahassee, Florida. The five HBCUs already in the fold are: Bennett College for Women in Greensboro; Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee; Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama; Paine College, in Augusta, Georgia; and Texas College in Tyler, Texas.

It's tremendously satisfying to now watch the first MATC students graduate from these partner colleges.

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Hundreds Hop on 'Express Ramp'
Recruitment response to our fast-track training project in heavy-plate welding has been phenomenal, with more than 500 people applying. This is far more than the 100-plus job openings at client employer Bucyrus International, Inc. But we know from experience that only a portion of applicants will qualify. For those who don't qualify, I am committed to offering other opportunities. All of these people need to be provided with alternate training paths that lead to good jobs.

Express Ramp is a partnership of MATC, Bucyrus International, the Private Industry Council of Milwaukee County and Esperanza Unida. Because this highly specialized training carries a high price tag for materials, the company and the PIC have agreed to underwrite up to $500,000 of our expenses. Esperanza is leading the community recruitment effort and donating the use of its welding shop to expand our current welder training capacity.

To assure a high success rate for accepted candidates, the company is helping us screen them. The first class of 12 students started Dec. 4 at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus welding shop. Express Ramp kicks into high gear in January, with sections starting at Esperanza Unida and the West Allis Campus. The possibility of using Milwaukee Public Schools facilities also exists.

Photo: The first Express Ramp class began Dec. 4 at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus welding shop.

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Packing the House
On Saturday, Nov. 11, more than 1,200 visitors thronged to MATC to explore our educational offerings. We received 446 new applications for admission. More than 125 faculty and staff participated, showcasing 110 of our programs and services. These numbers shatter all records for previous open houses. Our downward applications trend has undergone a dramatic about-face.

It all came about thanks to some innovative promotion, which included invitations mailed to all high school juniors and seniors in the district. WMCS-AM radio, one of our biggest supporters, also got the word out. Then, a cross-divisional team designed the event to flow nicely for our guests. As the halls teemed with prospective students and many parents, the high energy was contagious.

While this can be a model for future such events, we are developing a program of year-round smaller open houses called Start Smart, another cross-divisional project involving Student Services, Recruitment, Public Relations and Marketing, Strategic Planning and Research, and our academic divisions. Congratulations to everyone who helped make the open house such a big success, with special thanks to co-chairs Brunnetta Soward and John Lopez.

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Short-Term Training: an Integrated Model
MATC has won a $120,000, two-year grant from the Helen Bader Foundation to hire a manager of economic development. This person will demonstrate a more integrated model for short-term training by forging partnerships among the Office of Corporate Learning, workforce development agencies, employers and our own adult basic education providers.

The long-term goal is to more rapidly identify and address current and future labor market needs. We intend to bridge the gap that now exists between the high skill levels needed by companies and the low skill levels in the labor pool. Guiding the project will be a committee that includes members from MATC, the City of Milwaukee, the Greater Milwaukee Committee, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and the Helen Bader Foundation.

OCL will provide the training at MATC, community sites and company sites. Trainees will be recruited from our basic skills population, job centers and workforce development agencies. Graduates will receive skills certificates and be placed in jobs. We will work with employers to offer further training to all participants, potentially leading to an associate degree or technical diploma.

This is an important new venture for the college, and I will keep you updated as it unfolds. Congratulations to Dr. Russell Prust and the Grants and Development team for crafting a strong and compelling proposal.

Photo: The Office of Corporate Learning is providing short-term welder training to W-2 clients destined for Tramont Corp.

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Excellence Squared
Partners in Excellence, the MATC Foundation's annual recognition banquet, scored a big hit with distinguished guests Dec. 5 at the new Discovery World. About 200 people came to honor student scholarship recipients and donors. Johnson Controls, Inc. won the Partner in Excellence award for its support of our heating and ventilation program and ECAM, the center for Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing.

Michael Cudahy, Discovery World co-chair, and Tim Sullivan, president and CEO of Bucyrus International, Inc., received Partner in Innovation awards. Mr. Cudahy also will be our winter commencement speaker. Mr. Sullivan partnered with MATC to develop the Express Ramp welder training program.

Congratulations to the more than 100 scholarship winners recognized at the event. They represent only a portion of the total students receiving Foundation scholarships in 2005-06. Special thanks to Foundation Trustee Max Dermond for his masterful job as master of ceremonies. Thanks also to the many other trustees who attended. They and our donors saw firsthand, close up, some great examples of how scholarships advance individual lives and the community at large.

Photo: Scholarship recipients and their families toured Discovery World before the banquet.

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College Supports New Workforce Initiatives
We are pleased to be major participants in two important new initiatives that are helping to build the area's workforce.

The Workforce Development Leadership Team is a partnership of the Department of Workforce Development (coordinator), the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, the Private Industry Council of Milwaukee County, the Greater Milwaukee Committee and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. I was pleased to be invited to participate in this important committee, along with Sandi McClary, Office of Corporate Learning director and Rob Hartung, College Advancement vice president. Our key goal is to develop a coordinated approach to respond to business and worker needs.

The Regional Workforce Alliance is an outgrowth of the Milwaukee 7 economic development organization, spanning southeastern Wisconsin's seven counties. Its mission is to promote economic development, skills training, planning and business growth. I serve on the core committee and was joined by John Stilp, Mequon Campus interim vice president, at our most recent meeting. Featured speaker Emily DeRocco, assistant U.S. secretary of Labor Employment and Training, spoke about the alliance's application for a federal workforce economic development grant.

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Sweet Competition
Baking Production and Culinary Arts students displayed their talent grandly at the Gingerbread House contest Nov. 29. Congratulations to all of the 17 students who entered. The MATC Foundation auctions the houses to community purchasers, with proceeds going to support baking production scholarships.

RBC Dain Rauscher Corp. once again bought several houses thanks to Vice President Jim Wozniak, MATC graduate and longtime Foundation trustee. Another longtime Foundation trustee, Knut Apitz, served as a judge along with Dave Schmidt, executive director of the Wisconsin Bakers Association. The WBA was also a sponsor of the contest.

Winning Bid
PBS has honored Milwaukee Public Television's Great TV Auction as the best in the country, competing against 60 other public television stations. Congratulations to MPTV and the Friends for setting the bar so high. MPTV remains a precious civic asset, and it could not continue without viewer support. The 2006 auction increased earnings by 27 percent over 2005. That's something to be proud of.

In other MPTV news, a new, monthly public affairs show called "Redefining Smart" premieres Friday, Dec. 29 at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 10, with a repeat broadcast Sunday, Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. on Channel 36. "Redefining Smart" is a series of half-hour programs addressing topics including education, workforce development and the local economy. It is not just about MATC, although we will be a big part of the stories in which we play a major role.

Each show tells one story and ends with a panel discussion moderated by veteran broadcaster Mark Siegrist. The premiere episode explores the genesis of our Express Ramp fast-track welder training project, which has received extensive media coverage. Thanks and congratulations to MPTV's Raul Galvan and his entire production team.

We Give Generously
MATC people have big hearts. We recently completed another successful Giving Campaign, in which 513 faculty, staff and retirees contributed $160,00 to six area agencies that make a positive difference in our community. The largest share went to the MATC Foundation. Thanks to everyone who helped the campaign surpass its fund-raising goal, with special thanks to co-chairs Cathy Adams and Dr. William Hodgkinson.

On another front, thanks to the employees who gave more than $900 to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission's Thanksgiving appeal. This fundraiser is an MATC tradition begun by recent retiree Bobbie Sherrod. Barb Robinson, Student Services, and IT Instructor Pat Feder now have carried on admirably.

Also thanks to the Black Student Union for donating two turkey-laden Thanksgiving food baskets to the Hillside Family Resource Center, 1452 N. 7th St. MATC District Board Director Ann Wilson, building manager for the center, selected the two families who received the baskets.

Photo: Dr. Cole with Bill Hodgkinson and Cathy Adams at the Giving Campaign victory celebration.

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Gourmet Fund-Raiser
Big thanks to our faculty and the Milwaukee chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF) for the recent five-course dinner benefiting Culinary Arts scholarships. About 70 people attended. Culinary student Eric Owley received a $750 scholarship from the MATC Foundation. I want to especially acknowledge instructor John Reiss, Foundation board member Knut Apitz and the AIWF's Santo Saliture.

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Bilingual Multiple Offender Program is a First
In March we will begin offering the first Spanish bilingual rehabilitation program in the U.S. for multiple drunken driving offenders. Run by our Traffic Safety Department, this course is for people who have been convicted of OWI twice or more. The new bilingual program will increase access to personal recovery plans and help participants address life issues.

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College Honored for Energy Conservation
We are pleased to be one of eight WTCS districts recognized for energy conservation in 2005-06. MATC sustainability initiatives include our Mequon Campus wind turbine, ECAM and our proposed West Allis Campus expansion, which will feature a plant-covered roof. Conservation has helped us cope with steeply rising heating and electric bills. We need to make it an even bigger emphasis going forward.

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UMOS Christens New Job Center
On Nov. 2, I represented the college at an open house for the new UMOS Job Center-Southeast, which last summer moved into the new UMOS corporate center at 2701 South Chase Ave. The guest speaker at the event was Roberta Gassman, Wisconsin secretary of Workforce Development. This expansive, modern facility will better serve the agency's customers.

All job center operations were consolidated into 38,000 square feet, on one level, for greater customer convenience and at a cost savings for the agency and its funders. The center houses more than 100 UMOS employees, along with the Job Resource Center, Wisconsin Job Service, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, a child care drop-off center and other job center partners. Congratulations to my valued friend, Lupe Martinez, UMOS president and CEO.

Photo: Dr. Cole with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett; Juan Jose Lopez, UMOS board chair; Roberta Gassman; and Lupe Martinez.

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Black Nurses Association Supports Our Students
Community support of our college and programs continues to grow. A shining example was the recent scholarship awards dinner sponsored by the Milwaukee Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association. More than 500 health care practitioners and educators attended. Seven of our current students and graduates (pursuing bachelor's degrees) were among 16 area nursing students to each receive a $1,000 scholarship. MATC faculty and staff are closely involved in the association; Health Occupations Dean Dessie Levy serves as president. Nursing faculty members Josie Veal, Evelyn Merriett and Melanie Gray also are active members and helped plan the event. Thanks to them for supporting the association, and thanks to the association for supporting our students.

Communique is a monthly online newsletter of Milwaukee Area
Technical College. Got an item for Dr. Cole? Please contact
Dan Reszel, coordinating editor.