At MATC, I found a second family that transformed my fear into confidence and my uncertainty into true peace of mind.
Daniela Reyes knows very well what a welcoming place Milwaukee Area Technical College can be.
A native of Mexico, she came to an unfamiliar place and found support, purpose and a career path at the college.
“At MATC, I found a second family that transformed my fear into confidence and my uncertainty into true peace of mind,” said Reyes, who is serving as MATC’s state ambassador to the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) during the 2026-27 school year.
The WTCS Board felt those same welcoming vibes September 1-2, when it met at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus.
Each year, the WTCS Board, which coordinates and oversees the state’s 16 public, two-year technical colleges, meets at four technical colleges across the state on a rotating basis. The WTCS last met at MATC in November 2022.
“This provides a wonderful occasion for us to highlight our hospitality and the growing momentum taking place across our college,” MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz told board members, Interim WTCS Board President Lindsay Blumer, WTCS President Layla Merrifield and representatives from the WTCS Presidents’ Association.
At the Board meeting, Gabriel Schauf, director of MATC’s Funeral Service program, discussed how the program has rebounded in the past decade. In 2014, the program suffered from low enrollment and a lack of respect from industry professionals, said Schauf, who has been at MATC for 12 years.
“It was a rough go,” he said.
Slowly but steadily the program, the only publicly funded program offered in the state, worked to modify classes and increase enrollment, Schauf said. Today, MATC has shared program agreements with nine other technical colleges in the state, has nearly 400 students and will open a new facility in the 2028-29 academic year.
On Tuesday night, the WTCS board and MATC recognized We Energies with a Futuremaker Partner Award, which recognizes unique, long-standing connections between employers and technical colleges.
Before resuming their meeting on Sept. 2 , board members toured parts of the Downtown Milwaukee Campus, including the biohealth technology lab on the sixth floor of the Main Building, the recently completed esports arena and the Little Stormers Village drop-in child care center.
The board then discussed new programs and facilities at various colleges and the system’s 2027-29 biennial budget.
The WTCS board is scheduled to next meet November 10-11 at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton.
About MATC: 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 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 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 45 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
About WTCS: The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) offers more than 500 programs awarding two-year associate degrees, one- and two-year technical diplomas, short-term technical diplomas, certificates and related education for apprenticeships. The System is the major provider of customized instruction and technical assistance for Wisconsin employers. With nearly 300,000 people enrolling in a technical college each year, it is the largest higher education system in the state.