Open Invitation
I urge faculty and staff to participate in our annual district-wide open house, Saturday, Nov. 10, 8-11:30 a.m. at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. There is no better way to self-market your program. We will be advertising heavily on local radio, so expect lots of customers.

Prospective students will visit our classrooms and labs and learn about their many options. Guests can park free in the structure at 8th and State. For anyone who applies for admission at the event, the usual $30 fee will be waived. Our last open house was a huge success. This one promises to raise the bar even higher. To volunteer, please contact Recruitment Director Brunnetta Soward.

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'Empty Bowls' Back at Oak Creek Campus
The Oak Creek Campus will host the ninth annual Milwaukee Empty Bowls fund raiser for local hunger organizations Saturday, Oct. 13 from 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Soup is served in handmade ceramic bowls that guests take home as reminders that "someone's bowl is always empty."

Chef Paul Carrier and his Pre-College Culinary Arts program students will set up the kitchen and prepare 20 gallons of their famous gazpacho soup. Culinary Arts associate degree program students, Culinary Arts apprentices and Food Service technical diploma students also will participate. Criminal Justice Organization students will provide security and direct parking. See event details here.

Milwaukee Empty Bowls is the largest event of its kind in the United States, having collected more than $220,000 for area food pantries and hunger programs. Beneficiaries this year are the Agape Community Center, Bay View Community Center, Friedens Community Ministries, Hope House, Interchange and the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. For more information, visit www.milwaukeeemptybowls.org.

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Student Success Abounds
Our students continue to demonstrate their talents, skills and professionalism. Some recent examples:

Photography program student Stacey Genaw won the 2007-08 national Mac-On-Campus Resource Guide photography competition. Stacey's portfolio of work was judged the winner over more than 500 college student entries.

Practical Nursing students Louann Heard and Jennifer McCallum received academic scholarships from the Wisconsin League of Nursing.

Our renowned student-run restaurant/learning lab, Cuisine, received well-deserved recognition from Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christensen. In her September "Dish on Dining" column, Christensen praised the quality of Cuisine, writing it is "absolutely" worth your time and money.

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Stacey Genaw's award-winning photo

Transfer Fair: Spread the Word
About 30 of our four-year college partners will be on campus Oct. 15-18 to meet with students and provide updated transfer information. Please encourage interested students to attend. The schedule is as follows:

• Oct. 15, Downtown Milwaukee Campus, Room S120, 5-7 p.m., Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• Oct. 16, Mequon Campus, Cafeteria, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Oct. 17, Downtown Milwaukee Campus, Student Center, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m.
• Oct. 18, Oak Creek Campus, first floor, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m.
  

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Career Fair Serves Hispanic Students
Hispanic students are an important and growing part of our campus populations, currently accounting for 13% of enrollment. It's fitting that MATC will host the annual Hispanic Youth Career Fair on Oct. 12 at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. This event targets high school juniors and seniors. Hispanic MATC alumni - professionals from a variety of career areas - will be on hand to talk with visitors.

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MPTV Marks 50 Years
This fall, Milwaukee Public Television celebrates 50 years of service in a big way. Anniversary activities include a major fund raiser featuring Jim Lehrer of the PBS NewsHour on Oct. 12 and an open house with alumni and staff reunion on Oct. 27, noon to 3 p.m. The public is invited to this free event. In the years since Channel 10 signed on the air Oct. 28, 1957, MPTV has become an incredible resource for education, entertainment and cultural enrichment.

Award-winning local programming, great PBS offerings and community involvement continue the legacy. Also, our Television and Video Production degree program provides students with actual work experiences. In a related matter, I want to to assure students that we are not shrinking the program. Changes at the senior management level are being considered - nothing more.

Another big reason to celebrate MPTV this year: Their productions have been nominated for six regional 2006-07 Emmy awards. Congratulations  to all the nominees for their fine work on "Interchange," "Black Nouveau" and "The Making of Milwaukee."

Know a Student Who Needs Work?
Students seeking part-time, seasonal or weekend jobs may find the right fit Oct. 18 at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus "General Jobs" fair. It will highlight job opportunities for working students. The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center.

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Providing Second Chances
In keeping with a longstanding part of our mission, MATC offers college classes and other instruction to inmates through a partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, the Corrections Educational Association and the Transforming Lives Satellite Network. The program is for young offenders and uses satellite technology to broadcast our Liberal Arts and Sciences Associate in Arts program classes via College of the Air.

Our first graduate, housed at Redgranite, Wis., earned a Liberal Arts certificate in September after completing 22 credits of the 66-credit program. I and WTCS President Dan Clancy visited him recently to offer our congratulations. It was a moving experience that, appropriately, focused on second chances. This young man's credits now can be applied to the Associate in Arts degree. Fourteen other inmates have completed 12 or more credits, and 305 new students around the country have registered for the fall semester. Thanks to Rich Busalacchi, associate dean, Business Division, for moving this new initiative forward.

New Mequon Campus VP
We welcome Dr. Michael Townsend as the new vice president for Mequon Campus. He starts work Oct. 22 and is an outstanding addition to our management team. Most recently in Illinois, Michael has been dean of student services for Kankakee Community College since 2004. Before that, he served in top academic posts at DePaul University and the Joliet Community College. He also has community college and university teaching experience.

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Dr. Michael Townsend

'Foundations of Excellence' Enhances Students' First Year
A self-study aimed at enhancing students' first year at MATC is the focus of the new "Foundations of Excellence" initiative, part of a national program. Dr. Deryl Davis Fulmer, assistant provost and interim dean, Liberal Arts and Sciences, leads the committee that will define programs and services needed to improve and ensure student academic success and retention.

Other Foundations of Excellence Leadership Team members are Dr. Tom Pilarzyk, Jill Crowder, Sarah Adams, Patrick Godin and Arturo Martinez. The team will examine institutional behavior and educational quality as it relates to retention, linking academic and student life. Four one-credit, six-week courses related to the initiative will be offered to faculty and staff beginning Oct. 22:

• Rethinking the First-Year College Experience
• Creating Campus Culture for the First-Year Experience
• Building on Diversity Through Learning for the First-Year College Experience
• Enrollment to Graduation: Transitioning the First-Year College Student.

Input gathered during these courses will guide committee recommendations. General information is available at www.fyfoundations.org.

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Dr. Deryl Davis Fulmer

Generous Spirit at the Heart of Giving Campaign
Please contribute to our annual Giving Campaign. Your support makes a strong, positive impact throughout our community. Through Oct. 19, you can donate to your choices among hundreds of local organizations including the MATC Foundation and MPTV Friends. Also, please consider the Foundation's new Children's Center Scholarship Fund. Its goal is to build a $50,000 endowment. Proceeds will fund up to $5,000 annually in scholarships to qualified students for the purpose of offsetting child care expenses at MATC.

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Faculty and Staff Notes
Congratulations to Dr. Wilma Bonaparte, associate dean, Liberal Arts and Sciences and Health Occupations at the West Allis Campus, and Brunnetta Soward, Recruitment, for completing the Leadership Training and Development program. This 12-month course develops new leaders in postsecondary education. Its rigorous, project-based curriculum focuses on skills acquisition for current careers and career advancement. Dr. Bonaparte also recently received one of two Outstanding Service Awards from the Wisconsin Division of Early Childhood and Wisconsin Workforce Development.

Visual Communication/Computer Graphics instructor David Thomas received the Shining Star Award from the Media Communications Association - International Milwaukee Chapter. The award recognizes chapter leaders who have made significant career-related contributions. The group recognized David's work in connecting students with working professionals.

Graphic Arts faculty member Tairan "Jackie" Sun spent five weeks this past summer in China through our innovative Occupational and Academic Currency program, working and learning at one of China's largest web development companies. Her work at China's leading Internet search portal, Baidu.com, gave her the opportunity to observe the development of innovative web-based products. The experience provided valuable insights toward developing new MATC courses.

Pharmacy Technician program instructor Mary Congdon Worley was named Wisconsin Pharmacy Technician of the Year by the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin for her significant contributions to the practice of pharmacy and to the community.

With the departure of Synovia Youngblood, Jim Gribble is now director of marketing and heads the Office of College Events.

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Dr. Wilma Bonaparte