Milwaukee Area Technical College is getting better at hiring, promoting, hearing complaints and collecting input.
But it can be even better, said MATC President Anthony Cruz, Ed.D.
“We continue to make progress on our action plan to build a caring culture centered on equity and excellence, including through how we hire and promote employees and how we address complaints,” Dr. Cruz said. “But there is still room for improvement.”
On Monday, February 24, Dr. Cruz introduced the first Voice of the College Live session, where faculty and staff shared barriers, challenges and concerns about the way the college hires, promotes and listens to complaints, and suggested ways to make those processes more transparent, equitable and efficient.
Faculty and staff gathered at each of MATC’s campuses at the same time to give their input and suggestions.
Dr. Cruz, who started as MATC’s 11th president in July 2024, said the session fulfilled two pledges he made after his first 100 days in office: to hire an outside firm to review the college’s recruiting and complaint processes, and to get more input directly from college faculty and staff.
At the session, Dr. Cruz announced that the college had hired the Waukesha-based MRA, a human resources solutions firm that serves more than 5,000 clients across the nation.
During the session, MRA personnel explained that their reviews and audits would determine what is and isn’t working in the hiring, promotion and complaints processes, said Kathy Krohn, MRA’s member relations manager.
MRA representatives would shadow several recruitments and review 30 past searches, said Kathy Seidel, manager of recruiting services. For the complaint process audit, MRA would assess timelines and review 24 investigations, said Samantha Siebenaller, MRA’s HR service manager.
Krohn added that MRA would collate their findings and input from the college and deliver a final summary report to Dr. Cruz and college leadership.
“Ensuring you have confidence and trust in these processes is critical as the college works to build a caring culture centered on equity and excellence,” Dr. Cruz said.
About MATC: As 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. More than 30,000 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 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
MRA staff appeared at the Voice of the College Live session on February 24.