MATC’s 50-year story in Oak Creek is really a story about people. It’s about the students who have walked through our doors, the employers who have partnered with us and the community that has supported us.
Jim Mihal was there the day it all started at Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Oak Creek Campus.
Mihal grew up in Milwaukee. In school, he excelled in math, physics and science. After earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he taught at St. John’s Northwestern Academy in Delafield.
In the summer of 1976, when Apple Computers Company was founded, Rocky opened in movie theaters, and a gallon of gas cost 61 cents, MATC came calling.
That year, the college finished constructing two regional campuses in Oak Creek and Mequon. Now MATC was looking for instructors of all kinds for the Fall semester.
“They were hungry for new faces to fill the classrooms,” Mihal recalled. “I was in the right place at the right time with the right degree.”
Mihal was 25 years old when he took the job at the Oak Creek Campus. He never left, working as a full-time instructor for 30 years and as a part-time instructor for another 20 years before finally retiring for good in August.
“My goal was to teach for 50 years and I was able to do that,” he said. “I’m also happy to see that the campus is still going. It still looks beautiful to me. You’d never know it was 50 years old.”
For half a century, the Oak Creek Campus has served as a valuable resource to surrounding communities, offering technical and career-focused education to all kinds of students; a meeting place for employers, industry groups and nonprofit organizations; and scenic, landscaped grounds with a 1.5-mile walking trail for district residents.
On Tuesday, October 6, the college celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Oak Creek Campus with several events, including classroom tours and instructional demonstrations.
“When the Oak Creek campus first opened its doors, it was with a specific vision: to be a cornerstone of opportunity. Today, as we look back on fifty years of growth, I can proudly say that MATC operates as the economic engine of southeastern Wisconsin, and this campus is a vital part of that ecosystem,” said MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz on Tuesday.
“Everything we do here is driven by our civic duty to bridge the gap between ambition and employment,” Dr. Cruz added. “Through internships, apprenticeships, and deep partnerships with local employers, we ensure that our curriculum adapts quickly to high-growth fields. We listen to what the workforce needs, and we build the training to match.”
The Oak Creek Campus houses the college’s Protective Services programs — Fire Protection Technician, Criminal Justice Studies and Emergency Medical Services — and is home of the Center for Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing, which provides hands-on training in energy efficiency and advanced manufacturing programs.
Community residents, college administrators, MATC Foundation board members and local officials, including Oak Creek Mayor Daniel J. Bukiewicz, toured the campus on Tuesday. On Wednesday, October 7 and Thursday, October 8, students and staff enjoyed free food and t-shirts to celebrate the anniversary.
“MATC’s 50-year story in Oak Creek is really a story about people,” said Jonathan Mies, the college’s assistant vice president of regional campuses. "It’s about the students who have walked through our doors, the employers who have partnered with us and the community that has supported us.
“Our campus has become an important part of the region’s workforce infrastructure, serving thousands of students and preparing them for careers that matter,” Mies said. “We’re proud of that history, but our responsibility now is to make sure the next 50 years are even more impactful.”
People impacted by the Oak Creek Campus included Gary Kuenzle, who already had a degree from Marquette University when he enrolled at MATC to study graphic arts in 1974. Instead, he was convinced to try a new program at the college, visual communications.
He graduated in 1976 and heard the college needed staff at the new Oak Creek Campus. “When I interviewed, the dean had a stack of applications on his desk,” Kuenzle said. “They took a chance on me.”
For three decades, Kuenzle served as coordinator of instructional media in Oak Creek, keeping track of filmstrips, movies, videos and all the audio visual equipment.
“I hit the ground running,” he said. “I didn’t have much to go on, but we made everything work.”
When he retired in 2006, Kuenzle had seen the development of videotapes, digital cameras and plasma screen televisions. “The media techs at the campus came in on the ground floor of the digital age. We saw it all happen. I never thought I’d see the day when slides would go away, but then we had cameras that didn’t need film anymore.”
That was just one of many things that have changed at the campus since Mihal and Kuenzle first walked through the door. In 2022, the MATC Stormers baseball and softball teams got a new artificial turf field to call home. For years, the teams played on a natural grass field, which was subjected to the whims of Wisconsin’s wet, cold and sometimes snowy springs, making meaningful maintenance almost impossible and severely limiting the number of practices and games.
In 2025, the college finished a new truck driving track across from the main entrance of the campus. MATC’s Truck Driving program started 10 years ago and has already produced nearly 500 graduates, said Becky Alsup, dean of MATC’s Manufacturing, Construction and Transportation Academic and Career Pathway.
In the spring of 2026, MATC opened a dedicated relaxation-study area for students in the Protective Services programs. The space includes desks, comfortable chairs, televisions and an area where students can exercise, do yoga, pray, meditate or simply think good thoughts.
And looking back, Mihal and Kuenzle have nothing but fond feelings toward the campus they called home for decades.
“I don’t regret that I didn’t look for something else,” Kuenzle said. “I was happy with what I was doing and I made some great friendships with the people I worked with. I give MATC a lot of credit for providing me with an education and an opportunity to make good use of it.”
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 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.