Milwaukee Area Technical College

Nursing Programs Reaccredited
Congratulations to the faculty and staff of our Practical Nursing and Registered Nursing programs for earning the maximum eight-year reaccreditation from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc. (NLNAC). The commission conducted an extensive review of our nursing programs, including their mission and governance, faculty, students, curriculum and instruction, resources and educational effectiveness. A three-day site visit with extensive interviews took place last fall. This excellent outcome affirmed the quality, relevance and value of our nursing programs. Thanks to the diligent efforts of nursing faculty and staff, including Dean Dessie Levy and Associate Dean Nancy Vrabec.

Photo: Our Nursing grads can be proud their MATC program maintains the most rigorous standards.

Thanking Our Partners
On Tuesday, March 31, at the Italian Community Center, we recognize valued donors and acknowledge scholarship recipients at the MATC Foundation's Partners in Excellence banquet. The Foundation administers more than 150 endowment and scholarship funds. All help our students stay in school and are made possible through the generosity of individual and corporate benefactors. The March event also recognizes two longtime friends of the college: Bostik, Inc. (formerly Findlay Adhesives) and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. Our keynote speaker is Timothy Sheehy , president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. George Hinton, FACHE, MATC graduate and chief administrative officer, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, will be our master of ceremonies. Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. For tickets, call 297-6990 or e-mail anderstv@matc.edu .

Photo: Heartwarming speeches from our donors and scholarship recipients highlight every Partners in Excellence event.

An Essential Credential
Along with UW-Milwaukee, we are one of only two colleges in southeastern Wisconsin to offer state credentialing for child care administrators. Launched in January, this new requirement promotes quality and safety. Participants earn the credential by taking six courses totaling 18 credits, available in English or bilingual format. The credential is required for directors of centers serving 50 or more children, and they must complete it within the next three years. Directors of smaller centers must take at least one class. Thanks to Instructor Toshiba Adams, Early Childhood Education, for spearheading establishment of credentialing here at MATC and for helping spread the word to the provider community.

Photo: Here's something to smile about. Child care administrators across southeastern Wisconsin can get their new, required credential at MATC.

Students Make Season Less Taxing
A tradition of community service continues through April 15. Accounting students again are volunteering to help area residents prepare their personal income tax returns. This free service, now in its 27th year, is for people who earn less than $54,000 in annual family income. Instructors supervise the students' work. My thanks to Instructor Jim Benedum, Oak Creek Campus; and to longtime Downtown Milwaukee Campus coordinator Bobbie Sherrod, retired from Admissions but working part-time on VITA projects.

Photo: April 15 gets a lot easier when Instructor Jim Benedum and his Accounting students volunteer to help people prepare their taxes.

A Five Star Event
Great cooking will benefit a great cause at the Five Star Food and Wine Event, 5-8 p.m. Monday, March 9, at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. Our talented culinary and hospitality students, faculty and staff will coordinate the event and prepare cuisines from France, Italy, Asia and Latin America. Each featured dinner item will be paired with a complementary wine. The $45 advance ticket price and silent auction proceeds will fund culinary and hospitality student scholarships. Go to www.fivestar.matc.edu for more information or to buy tickets.

Photo: Our culinary geniuses create, coordinate and serve cuisines from around the world at the Five Star benefit.

ECAM Updates
The Center for Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing (ECAM) at the Oak Creek Campus hosted the annual Regional Sheet Metal Apprentice Contest on January 16, welcoming 200 apprentices and business owners. In other ECAM news, a new mezzanine in the HVAC lab has enhanced instructional possibilities by providing easy access to air handling units. Over winter break, the Advanced Manufacturing Lab hosted a three-day training session on new applications of the gold-standard in CNC software, MasterCAM. Educational Applications Engineer Will Slota traveled from the company's headquarters in Seattle, Washington. He showed instructors and students how to get the most from the new five-axis surface technology. MasterCAM's Wisconsin distributor, FIRST Technologies, is a major supporter of ECAM.

Photo: MasterCAM's Will Slota and MATC Instructor Chris Haase work on one of our five-axis CNC machines.

Graduate Earns Highest MATC Honor
Thanks to all faculty and staff who participated in winter commencement. About 1,000 students earned degrees and diplomas. We honored outstanding graduates in December, with Mary VanAckeren winning the President's Award for academic achievement and public service. A graduate in Accelerated Business Management at the Oak Creek Campus, Mary belongs to the Phi Theta Kappa academic honor society, has been active in student government and volunteers for several causes, all while working full-time as a supervisor at P&H Mining Corp. Little wonder that our students often are described as enterprising. Ms. VanAckeren proves the point.

Photo: Mary VanAckeren, winner of the President's Award.

Heartening Testimonial
Especially in these troubled times, it is uplifting to hear from successful graduates. One such instance happened recently at the Mequon Campus. Four years after graduating from the Horticulture Program, Josh Campion wrote to thank his former instructor, Mike Wendt. Campion now owns 4 Seasons Lawn Care, Inc., a full-service landscape company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. "You have given me the tools I needed to get ahead in this industry," Campion wrote. "I can't express my thanks enough."

Photo: Instructor Mike Wendt gets high praise for paving the way to successful horticulture careers.

At West Allis, New Classrooms and Improved Cafeteria
Two of the three classrooms/labs in the 3,200 square-foot West Allis Campus addition opened with the start of spring semester. The third-floor science lab will be completed this spring. Space already was tight before our recent surge in enrollments, so this is welcome news for our students. Renovation of the cafeteria, which includes a new ceiling, lighting and furniture also was recently completed. Our talented Interior Design program students provided the concepts and shepherded these improvements.

China Teleconference Bridges Worlds
Coming up in several weeks, MATC takes another bold step into the frontier of technology-based teaching and learning. We will hold a live multimedia cultural exchange with students, faculty and staff from Shanghai Dianji University in China. The live, 90-minute, get-acquainted session is designed to share knowledge and build understanding between our institutions, students and staff. Our two schools have several similar technical programs.

The project stems from an Innovation Grant that the college received. Anthony Aveni, Television and Video Production, took the project's lead. Last fall, Dr. David Turner, dean of Technology and Applied Sciences, visited the university as part of an international conference on technical education. Through that, more connections were made. Pre-College Education Instructor Kevin Mulvenna also is actively involved. These experiences help our students better understand that we all are part of a world community.

Over the Holidays, Apprentices Kept Moving
Instructional space at the Oak Creek Campus is always at a premium. And so we took creative advantage of the holiday break to help roofing apprentices keep their education moving forward. "Block" scheduling condensed classes into just three weeks. Classes even met on New Year's Eve day. The Carpentry Department built mock rooftops for practice exercises, allowing students to learn how to apply asphalt shingles, slate, tile and cedar shake, as well as new, "green" materials.

Photo: Happy New Year from roofing apprentice students who spent the holiday perfecting their skills.

Hands-on Career Awareness
In December we showcased Information Technology and related career programs at the Washington High School of Information Technology. The occasion was iFair, a biannual, hands-on exploratory event for MPS middle school students. Larry Domine, IT instructor and a member of the iFair planning committee, spread the word that a serious shortage of IT and other technical professionals is projected in the next five to 10 years. Our active participation in these grassroots events is critical as we engage future students at a formative period. We plan to host an iFair at the Mequon Campus in May. Look for details in the April Communique.

Photo: Judging by these interested faces at iFair, many MPS students are well on their way to IT careers.

Students Attend State Summit on Access
Sponsored by the Lumina Foundation, a statewide summit conference in Madison on January 30 explored ways to open access to higher education and help more students graduate. Participating were students from the Wisconsin Technical College System, the UW System and state private colleges, along with leaders in business, education and government, including Governor Jim Doyle. Students Daniel Blake, Karla Cawthorn and David Sommers capably represented MATC. Thanks to Student Life Coordinator Jerry O'Sullivan for arranging their involvement.

Photo: Students meet with Governor Doyle at the higher education summit in Madison. From left - David Sommers, MATC; Daniel Blake, MATC; Jason Humke, MATC-Madison; and Karla Cawthorn, MATC.

Staff Notes
Congratulations to Dorothy Walker, associate dean, Technology and Applied Sciences, for receiving the 2009 Black Excellence Award from the Milwaukee Times newspaper.

Congratulations to MPTV General Manager Ellis Bromberg on his election to the national board of the Association of Public Television Stations.

We mourn the loss of current and retired faculty and staff: Catherine Trottier, Communication Skills faculty member; Gloria Villanueva, Financial Aid; Donna Beckstrom, retired Liberal Arts and Sciences instructor; Otto Schlaak, retired General Manager of MPTV; and Ernie Schnook, retired, Social Sciences instructor and president of Local 212.

Wellness Update
Employees Invited to Participate in Health Risk Assessments
All MATC employees will be invited to complete an online Health Risk Assessment (HRA) in March. This is basically a health profile. You will receive a personal, printable report. Participation is voluntary and your results are completely confidential. Periodic sampling will allow you to compare each HRA to the next, measuring progress toward a healthier lifestyle and identifying opportunities for further improvement.

The survey has about 60 questions and can be accessed from any Internet-compatible computer, even at your home. I will reserve computer labs throughout the district and provide in-person support for any employees who do not regularly use a computer. While individual reports are confidential, the University of Michigan will generate an aggregate health profile of the college. This data then will be shared with employees and used by the Wellness Committee in future planning of health information and activities. No one involved in any aspect of the HRA process ever receives identifiable or individual health risk information.

The first college-wide HRA takes place March 9 - 27. It is open to both full-time and part-time employees. I encourage full participation and ask all supervisors for their support. For more details, watch the "In Balance" Employee Wellness display case(s) at your campus and look for future e-mails. Let's make 2009 the year we all commit to improving our health.

- Anne Sheridan, RN, BSN, wellness coordinator

Anne Sheridan

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