Classes Launch at Discovery World
I am thrilled, both for our students and faculty, about the opening of MATC classes at the new Discovery World. We now have a state-of-the-art teaching tool at a premier lakefront venue. In the realm of interactive communications, it will offer a whole new way of teaching and learning, while showcasing our command of technology. We are making a statement to the world that MATC stands for innovation.

This fall, for starters, two entire courses will be taught at Discovery World: VICOM 135-001, Interactive Multimedia Systems; and VICOM 162-500, Database Driven Web Design. Alain DeMars is teaching both classes. In addition, about 20 other programs will use Discovery World's facilities for special projects. As an early occupant, we will benefit from ongoing public exposure as new exhibits roll out one by one in the coming year. Through the vehicle of Discovery World, I envision doors being opened to new partnerships with major employers.

The guiding philosophy behind all of our efforts at Discovery World is called "HIVE" - Human Interactive Virtual Education. An idea, not a place, it describes a new kind of learning that makes highly creative use of interactive media. The most talked-about feature will be a gallery of virtual reality pods, which our own students are helping to design and build. A prototype pod now in progress will introduce visitors to the science of weather. In the future, another pod may take visitors on a virtual tour of Milwaukee.   

Students will love the technology, but derive even greater benefit from the new teaching model our faculty has developed. So often in the classroom, the teacher lectures, students listen and take notes, study textbooks, and are tested in the form of quizzes, papers and final exams. The Discovery World experience will be more like real life. Students will take on projects far more challenging and meatier than a typical internship assignment. Instructors will act more as project managers than lecturers. Student success will be measured in terms of project outcomes.

The idea is to ignite students' creativity and passion by placing them in a production environment similar to what they can expect to encounter in the commercial world. We will redefine what it means to provide real-world experience. In short order, employers will start seeking out these students as they graduate, and even before. To have been trained in the interactive digital arts by MATC at Discovery World will be seen as the gold standard.

Congratulations to all the faculty and staff who helped get this project off the ground. Thanks again to the entire Discovery World team and its leaders - Paul Krajniak, Christine Rodriguez and especially Mr. Michael Cudahy.

At right, top: Discovery World benefactor Michael Cudahy and MATC President Darnell E. Cole tour MATC's new digital arts lab.

At right, bottom: Discovery World opens young minds and invites exploration of new technologies.

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Governor Keynotes ECAM Ground Breaking
We welcomed Governor Jim Doyle, other elected state officials, project partners and community leaders to the July 10 ground breaking for the center for Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing (ECAM). Scheduled to open at the Oak Creek Campus in fall 2007, the applied technology center will help employees better compete in a rapidly changing global marketplace. ECAM is a public-private partnership between MATC, local businesses, organized labor and area organizations. Private industry and labor unions donated $4 million in cash and equipment toward the $9 million facility. Said Governor Doyle, "ECAM will help ensure that businesses have the highly skilled workforce they need to grow and succeed here in Wisconsin."

At right: Governor Jim Doyle, MATC President Darnell E. Cole, and District Board Directors Jeannette Bell and Mark Maierle, along with business leaders and local public officials, break ground for the new ECAM center.

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Students Can Make Tracks to UW - Madison
MATC students now have a clear and convenient pathway into the state's leading public university. The Badger Track transfer program between MATC and UW - Madison was signed on June 21 in ceremonies at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. Chancellor John Wiley and other UW - Madison officials attended.

Through this landmark agreement, MATC students who declare their intent to transfer, complete 54 selected 200-level Liberal Arts and Sciences credits and maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average are guaranteed admission into UW - Madison. MATC students who earn GPAs of 2.6 - 2.99 are given special consideration.

"MATC does an exceptional job of preparing students to transfer to UW - Madison," said Chancellor Wiley. We could not agree more. With this agreement, we now have almost 400, four-year college transfer options for our students, with another major agreement soon to come. We will soon formalize an agreement with UWM modeled after Badger Track, containing similar provisions for guaranteed admission. This follows a new joint pilot venture already in place with UWM, in which select students who were denied admission earn guaranteed acceptance through satisfactory completion of MATC courses.

More good news on this front: We also have opened a dialogue with Marquette University on a transfer agreement that would follow the Badger Track model.

Many thanks to Barb Cannell, director of curriculum and instructional support, and Interim Provost Jim Walsh for driving the development of these new educational opportunities.

At right: MATC President Darnell E. Cole and Dr. John Wiley, UW-Madison chancellor, sign the Badger Track transfer agreement.

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TCF Bank Opens On-Campus Branch
Our partnership with TCF Bank has grown to provide more convenience to students and employees. A full-service branch bank is now open at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus on the third floor of the Student Center. Hours are Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. We began our partnership with TCF Bank last year adding banking privileges to the student Campus Card. TCF Bank partners with colleges and universities throughout the country. MATC is the first Wisconsin college to open a TCF branch.

At right: The new TCF Bank branch in the Student Center offers a full range of services and convenience to students, faculty and staff.

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Cuisine Fine Dining Introduces Lighter Menu Options
A great way to help students and our famed Culinary Arts program is to do lunch at our Cuisine Fine Dining facility. This unique and tasteful learning lab showcases the many talents of our Culinary Arts students and is a mandatory and important part of their program curriculum. Lunch is served beginning on August 31, and is available most Tuesdays - Thursdays through early December. New this semester: more a la carte selections and salads. In addition, every effort will be made to keep the Cuisine lunch experience to one hour, mindful of our busy schedules.

For information or reservations, visit Cuisine Fine Dining.

At right: Expect more a la carte selections and salads at Cuisine.

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Webber Elected Board Chair; We Thank Former Chair Bell
Bobbie Webber was appointed chairperson of the MATC District Board for 2006-07 at a recent organizational meeting of the board. Chairperson Webber was appointed to the board in 2003 and served as vice chairperson in 2005-06. He is a captain with the Milwaukee Fire Department. Chairperson Webber also holds the distinction of being an MATC graduate - he trained here as an EMT in addition to earning a four-year college degree. Other officers for 2006-07 are: Jeannette Bell, vice chairperson; Lenard Wells, secretary; and William Hughes, treasurer.

We thank Director Bell for her tireless volunteerism as chairperson. At the August 22 board meeting, her fellow directors presented her with a plaque and resolution, recognizing her many accomplishments on behalf of students and the district.

At right: Board Chair Bobbie Webber

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LPN Program Expands to Oak Creek
Continuing our effort to address the statewide nursing shortage, in September we are expanding the Licensed Practical Nursing program to the Oak Creek Campus. This follows the highly successful expansion of the Registered Nursing program to the Mequon Campus two years ago. The LPN courses at Oak Creek will increase total annual program capacity by 48 students. That represents the number of new students taken off the waiting list. The expansion was made possible by the creation of a new lab and the hiring of an additional full-time instructor. While students will be able to fulfill all their LPN requirements at Oak Creek, they may be required to take some prerequisite courses at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus.

Dessie Levy, dean of Health Occupations, said the Oak Creek program attempts to respond to students' campus preference. She added that it also is designed to address patient care needs in our south metro communities. Over time, we expect the program to be populated by students from the Oak Creek area and a diverse representation of students from other metro communities. Many will go on to work for health care providers located in our district.

At right: Dean of Health Occupations Dessie Levy in the new EMT/nursing/science lab at the Oak Creek Campus.

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Please Welcome Our New Foundation Director, Karen Coy-Romano
This summer we welcomed Karen Coy-Romano, CFRE, as director of fund raising and development/executive director of the MATC Foundation. The foundation plays an increasing and important role in the college's continued vitality, especially through student scholarships, faculty and staff professional development, and equipment/technology acquisitions. Previously, Karen was director of major and planned giving at UW-Milwaukee. With 36 years of professional expertise in fund raising, she also headed a private consulting firm that specialized in capital campaigns and endowments for organizations and institutions.

At right: Karen Coy-Romano

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Leadership Day Highlights Management Development
Workshops on effectively handling stress, understanding and resolving workplace conflict and diversity issues were keys parts of the recent successful Leadership Development Day for management staff. The event was sponsored by the Employee and Legal Services Division. Special thanks to Christy Brown, executive vice president and general counsel; Pablo Cardona, associate vice president, Human Resources; Theresa Jones, director, Employee Relations; and Lynn Fugina, director, Compensation and Benefits.

At right: Archie Graham, director of Student Life, and Brunnetta Soward, director of Recruitment, at Leadership Development Day.

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Giving Campaign Needs Your Support
I encourage faculty and staff to support our annual Giving Campaign, which runs through Oct. 13. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to local organizations that make a difference for many individuals in the community. In selecting your charities, please consider giving to one of the best causes anywhere: the MATC Foundation. Also, please consider a gift to the MPTV Friends. The campaign offers many other avenues to give, including the Community Health Charities of Wisconsin, Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee, United Performing Arts Fund and United Way of Greater Milwaukee. My thanks to the many volunteers across the college who pitch in to make the campaign a success year after year. Please thank and congratulate Bill Hodgkinson and Cathy Adams for serving as campaign co-chairs.

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Info Sessions Boost TAS Enrollment
As we continue to work to build enrollments, the recent efforts of faculty and staff from the Technology and Applied Sciences Division deserve special notice. A series of successful information sessions for prospective division students were held throughout the summer. They featured opportunities to meet program faculty and learn about student services. Those who had recently applied to programs, new GED graduates and students from Community Based Organizations were invited. About 300 new students attended; many brought their parents.

The model worked so well from a recruitment standpoint that we have launched a project to use it as the foundation for "one-stop enrollment." This might well represent the future of how we move students from inquiry, to application, to admission, to registration. Student Services Vice President Theresa Barry is heading the effort. To learn more about how the TAS information sessions were planned and executed, I urge you to talk to TAS faculty and also to Interim Dean David Turner. I am told reliably that they did a fantastic job.

Dean Turner asks me to pass along his many thanks to the teachers who made the sessions work:  Mike Bova, Rich Curley, Terese Dressel, Phil Grau, Larry Gross, Roger Hasler, Tom Heraly, Ron Hornik, Dale Howser, Dan Inyang, Jim Jagmin, Sue Laehn, Tim Losey, Mark Moen, Jalal Nuruddin, Tom Olson, Heidi Peterson, Jim Piech, Mark Porubsky, Tom Pscheid, Kay Rollings, Mitch Schuttke, Jim Simpson, George Slattery, Joe Spitz, Ed Stanclik, Don Starr, Dan Stich, Paul Stich, Tim Stich, Pete Stojanovich, Paul Stuhmer, Jeff Szymanski, Tim Talaska, Jim Thompson, Pat Yunke. 

At right: Prospective students learn about MATC at a recent Technology and Applied Sciences information session.

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NCA Team Cites Many Strengths of AHS Program
A three-person North Central Association evaluation team identified a number of strengths and "next steps" of the Adult High School program in a follow-up report to their May site visit. In reaccrediting the AHS, the NCA cited these strengths:

• A flexible, creative and adaptive faculty and staff that serves a unique student population
• Academic support centers that augment student instruction
• Educational offerings well based on student needs
• A built-in recruiting system that helps students transition into occupational programs
• Faculty who know their students as individuals with multiple responsibilities

At right: John I. Hedstrom of the North Central Association evaluation team speaks about our Adult High School program.

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AHS Online Program Recognized as Among the Best
Important national recognition for our programs continues. Dr. Vincent Kiernan, senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, includes MATC's Adult High School online program in his recent book, Finding an Online High School. This prestigious publicity is another affirmation of the high-quality opportunities we offer students. Thanks to all the online Pre-College faculty and staff for their work in developing a top-flight program, including Kevin Mulvenna, instructional chair.

At right: AHS Instructional Chair Kevin Mulvenna shares the benefits of an MATC education at the college's 2006 Wisconsin State Fair exhibit.

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Luna Completes Leadership Program
We often tell our students that their ongoing success depends upon their lifelong commitment to learning. Al Luna, assistant dean, Technology and Applied Sciences, is another example of how we practice what we preach. Al recently completed the 12-month Academy for Leadership Development (ALD) program, which targets community and technical college professionals interested in advanced leadership training.

At right: Technology and Applied Sciences Assistant Dean Al Luna, second from left.

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Producer Abrams Earns National Award
The Outdoor Writers Association of America, an outdoor communicators' organization founded in 1927, has honored MPTV Executive Producer Jack Abrams with the 2006 Excellence in Craft award. Abrams earned a third place in the Sports Shooting video category for the recent "National Archery in Schools" program. Abrams produces "Outdoor Wisconsin," which airs weekly on MPTV and is seen on public television stations in 10 other states.

At right: MPTV Executive Producer Jack Abrams.

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