MATC to Stream Virtual Commencement Beginning July 24; Ceremony to Air on Milwaukee PBS Aug. 1-2

Ginny Gnadt, Coordinator, Public Relations

July 14, 2020

MILWAUKEE (July 14, 2020) -- Milwaukee Area Technical College will graduate approximately 1,000 students in a virtual Spring/Summer 2020 Commencement which will be made available at matc.stageclip.com beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, July 24. It also will be broadcast by Milwaukee PBS on Aug. 1-2.

The decision to hold a virtual rather than in-person ceremony was made in the interest of health and safety due to the COVID-19 crisis. 

Students will graduate from associate degree, technical diploma, apprenticeship and adult high school programs. Each student has been asked to upload photos or video messages to be inserted into the program. 

Keynote speakers are Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Michelle Nettles. Barnes served in the state legislature before becoming the first African American elected lieutenant governor in Wisconsin. He is only the second African American elected to a statewide office in Wisconsin history. Nettles is chief people and culture officer at the international Fortune 500 company ManpowerGroup based in Milwaukee. Before joining the ManpowerGroup, Nettles served as the chief people & diversity officer at MillerCoors.

Other speakers include Mark Foley, chairperson of the MATC District Board; Dr. Vicki J. Martin, MATC president; and Marissa Nicholson, leader of MATC’s Student Senate. Martin will officially confer the degrees. 

Watch the commencement at matc.stageclip.com beginning at 6 p.m., Friday, July 24; or on Milwaukee PBS Channel 10 at  4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1; and on Channel 36 at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2.

Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. Nearly 35,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 150 academic programs; and transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 35 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.