ECAM Is on Track
The greatest new business opportunity for MATC and the greatest new learning opportunity for technical students is rapidly nearing completion at the Oak Creek Campus. ECAM will kick-start recruitment for Tool and Die, HVAC and Welding. Companies desperately need workers in all of these fields, and this visionary facility will fill a leading role in providing them.

The Center for Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing also will enable our Office of Corporate Learning (OCL) to expand contract training opportunities. It will help us forge new business partnerships and strengthen existing relationships. Watching this dream take concrete shape - literally - has been tremendously fulfilling. Now comes the really fun and rewarding part: the teaching and learning.

OCL will offer the first classes at ECAM in mid-September. ECAM's eight learning labs will be phased in over the next few months. We expect it to be fully operational for spring semester. John Stilp, the new Oak Creek Campus vice president, has taken over from Dr. Vicki Martin as project manager, having been closely involved with ECAM from the beginning. Watch for continued updates in this newsletter. A grand opening event is in the planning process, date pending.

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Public Safety - Continuing the Discussion
The Public Safety Department conducted a district-wide management and operations assessment in early August with help from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. The assessment team consisted of three specially trained and uniquely qualified campus security chiefs from institutions similar to ours.

I hope this process furthers discussion of my proposal for a new class of armed officers. My thinking is being driven not by Virginia Tech, but by our own specific security concerns. The college has a duty to provide our students, our employees and the public with a safe and secure campus environment.

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Shining a Light on Grad Success
It pays to go to MATC, as our 2006 Graduate Success Report clearly shows. Sixty percent of graduates participated in the annual survey. Among the highlights:

• Average starting salary of associate degree graduates was $34,221.
• Average starting salary of technical diploma graduates was $29,498.
• Six months after completing their studies, 90% of graduates were employed or furthering their education.
• 97% were living and working in Wisconsin - the vast majority in the Milwaukee area.
• 96% were satisfied or very satisfied with their MATC education.

Read the full report at http://matc.edu/documents/grad_report06.pdf

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Fall Enrollment Update
Fall enrollment is now even with last year's tally. Still, we are concerned that we may be losing market share to other educational providers. College Advancement will take a close, research-driven look at our market position. We also may want to adjust our approach toward "deregistering" students who are behind in paying their tuition.

Meanwhile, MATC faces a new, very serious threat from an unlikely source. The UW Extension is pushing to open new campuses in Milwaukee and Madison. Here, they plan to target two of our core service groups: African Americans and students in liberal arts and sciences. This would be a duplication of service, which we will oppose vigorously.

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Certificate Opportunities Grow
Certificate programs continue to attract strong interest because they offer rapid, job-centered learning opportunities. This fall we are pleased to add several new ones, including:

Healthcare Informatics is a 12-credit, online, accelerated, advanced technical certificate that trains people how to manage computerized medical records. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development projects that job demand in this field will rise more than 50% in the next five years. Our program is ahead of the curve.

Our American Indian Studies certificate (12 credits) explores Native American culture, languages, literature, arts and legal sovereignty. Credits can apply toward selected associate degree programs and are transferable to many four-year colleges.

The Adobe Creative Suite Digital Publishing certificate (11 credits) allows students to learn at their own pace online from home, at work or on campus in an MATC lab. Credits can apply toward a diploma in Desktop Publishing or other degrees.

Our new Deaf Awareness certificate (11 credits) prepares students to interact with deaf people in personal or professional settings. Among other skills, students learn beginning American Sign Language. All credits apply toward the Interpreter Technician A.A.S. degree.

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Graphic Design Now Offered at Mequon
One of our strongest programs, Graphic Design, is expanding to the Mequon Campus starting this fall. This again demonstrates our commitment to better serve north-suburban residents. Expansion of nursing programs to the Mequon Campus has been a huge success. I predict that Graphic Design will do equally well there. Graduates typically work in print, Internet and multimedia design. Job demand remains high. Startup recruitment at Mequon has well exceeded the goal, with 22 students already enrolled.

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Bridge Program Holds Promise
Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guarantee Corporation, 49 randomly selected new students took part in a free, eight-week-long "summer institute." They upgraded core academic skills and were asked to write up to 12 papers. By the end, 36 had met all the indicators for success and were able to complete, earning $250 stipends for school expenses. Their progress will be monitored relative to a control group. If favorable outcomes can be shown, we may expand on this innovative initiative, which was put together by the Just One mentoring program.

Photo (left to right): William Campbell, summer institute assistant director; LaToya Sykes, Great Lakes Higher Education Guarantee Corporation; and Rose Freeman-Massey, coordinator, Just One program.

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Mequon Forum Explores Global Warming
The First Fridays Forum series at the Mequon Campus resumes September 7 with a discussion of global warming. Our own Dr. George Stone and Rep. Jim Ott (R-23rd district) will present in the campus's lecture hall, 7:30 - 9 a.m. The moderator will be Don W. Korte, Jr., professor and chair, Department of Natural Sciences, Concordia University. Sponsors of the series are MATC Mequon Campus, Ozaukee County Board and the UW-Extension. The public is invited. The $5 cost includes continental breakfast.

Photo: Dr. George Stone.

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Statewide Service Learning Summit
MATC hosts the first annual statewide service learning summit, "Transforming Lives," Sept. 13 and 14 at the Radisson Hotel, 6331 S. 13th St. The conference brings together two-year-college teachers, administrators and service learning practitioners. Service learning students perform an approved community service project. Instructors help them tie their direct experiences to course objectives.

Our initiative is led by Dr. Courtney Marlaire, associate dean, Liberal Arts and Sciences; Dr. Deryl Davis-Fulmer, associate provost and interim dean, Liberal Arts and Sciences; Suzanne Goodrich, psychology instructor; and Jamie Racine and Emily Adams, MATC-based VISTA workers.

See a short video here

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Easier to Pay - And to Get a Ticket
Some streets around the Downtown Milwaukee Campus have new, digital, multi-space parking meters that accept both coins and bank cards. The city has been touting the added convenience, but please also be aware that this system increases ticketing efficiency, which may speak more to its true purpose. Exact locations of expired spaces are beamed directly to the parking jeeps. Please tell students: Don't take chances - pay your meter and keep it plugged.

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Grant Provides for Manufacturing Skills Training
A Workforce Advancement Training grant from the Wisconsin Technical College System will fund standardized skills training for 47 supervisors and employees at four area firms. First Lady Jessica Doyle announced the project Aug. 24 at Vulcan Industries, Germantown. Other participants are Argon Industries, Milwaukee; Federal Tool and Engineering, Cedarburg; and Master Lock, Milwaukee. MATC will conduct the training, which will allow workers to gain national skills certification.

Photo: Jessica Doyle (second from left) and Jeannette Bell, District Board vice chairperson (third from left) toured Vulcan Industries in Germantown.

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Gift Strengthens Printing Apprenticeships
The Milwaukee Graphics Arts Education fund, through the Graphic Communications Conference International Brotherhood of Teamsters, this summer gave $66,400 to our printing apprenticeship program. The gift went to the MATC Foundation and will be used to purchase new printing and graphic arts equipment for the Milwaukee Graphic Arts printing lab, 633 South Hawley Rd., a leased instructional site.

Photo (from left): Jim MacDonald, associate dean, Business Division; Perry Kettner, vice president of Graphic Communications Conference (GCC) International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 577; Michael Sippy, president, GCC Local 577; Karen Coy-Romano, executive director, MATC Foundation Inc.; Dr. Rick Kettner, West Allis Campus vice president; Bob Hanson, Printing instructor.

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New Name for PR Group
Public Relations is now Communications and Creative Services. Besides its longtime work in media relations, two years ago this department became responsible for corporate communications, official publications and reports, speech writing, in-house-produced print advertising, informational literature, Internet services and integrated promotions. The new title is designed to be more descriptive. Jim Gribble is Communications and Creative Services director.

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Faculty and Staff Notes
Robert Ilk, Culinary Arts, conducted a grilling/cooking demonstration at Divine Mercy FunFest, a parish festival in South Milwaukee. Bob offered tips, explained techniques and prepared numerous hot-off-the-grill samples for hungry fair goers.

Sandi McClary, director of Corporate Learning, was named to the board of examiners for the 2007 Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. The board reviews applicants and is composed of about 500 leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education, health care and government.

Congratulations to Al Luna, Business Division, for receiving an award from UMOS for helping the organization "fulfill its mission of building better futures for individuals, families and communities where we live, work and serve."

Photo (left to right): Hugo Cardona, president/CEO, La Causa; Al Luna; and Rafael Acevedo, executive director, Latino Health Organization.

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Culinary Arts Earns ACF Accreditation
Our Culinary Arts department's great reputation was reaffirmed recently through accreditation by the American Culinary Federation. An ACF team conducted a site visit and gathered other program information. That process resulted in accreditation being granted through June 2011. Congratulations to faculty and staff for effectively showcasing one of our top programs.

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High Marks for Oak Creek Campus Children's Center
The National Association for the Education of Young Children already was the gold standard for accreditation within the child care industry. Now they have enacted new, much higher standards. That should give you some perspective on their stellar review of our Oak Creek Campus Children's Center. The center recently received a five-year NAEYC re-accreditation - through July 2012 - earning highest marks in key evaluation areas. Congratulations to staff members and Carol Seaman, child care centers manager. 

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Sept. 27 Is Safety Day
We have invited school groups and the general public to learn about safety practices and protective services careers at our first Safety Day, September 27. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oak Creek Campus, people will learn how to be safer at home, school and work. We will also offer career information about our protective services programs: Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement, Fire Protection Technician and Emergency Medical Technician. Sponsors include our Public Safety Department and the Criminal Justice Student Organization.

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