November 2009

Study Confirms MATC is a Hot Spot for Job Training
MATC is positioned to be the region's top education resource for future jobs, as noted in the recently released Workforce Alliance Study "Wisconsin's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs." The study reveals that more than half (54%) of current and projected new jobs in Wisconsin will require "middle skills" - those needing more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree. This puts the state's technical colleges, and MATC in particular, on the front lines of training tomorrow's workforce in existing and emerging industries.

The report comes in the wake of record enrollments throughout the Wisconsin Technical College System and MATC. Our full-time enrollments are up 17% from this time last year.

In addition to providing "middle-skills" education and training, we also continue to fulfill job-training needs while:

  • More Baby Boom-age workers retire, leaving a void in key skilled technical professions.
  • Many people seek new careers in a recovering economy, with continuing high unemployment.

More than ever, MATC is the region's resource for positive change. We make personal and professional success a priority for our students.

Dr. Vicki J. Martin
Interim President

 

 

Encourage Students to Register Early for the Spring Semester
Registration for the spring semester begins November 9 for returning program students (Priority Registration) and November 16 for all new and returning students. The spring semester begins Wednesday, January 20. Faculty and staff: encourage your returning students to register early for the spring semester - our recent record enrollments are expected to continue and classes will fill quickly. Returning program students also are encouraged to meet with their program faculty advisor prior to registration. Faculty advisors are our program students' best resource for current information on classes, programs and careers. The spring semester schedule is posted through INFOnline, and a PDF version of the print schedule is available via a tile ad link at matc.edu.

Photo: Spring semester registration starts this month.

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Gwen Moore to Deliver Commencement Address
U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (D-4th District) will deliver the commencement address at our winter graduation, December 22, 6 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Candidates for associate degree, technical diploma, Adult High School and apprentice will receive their degrees and diplomas. Rep. Moore represents the city of Milwaukee and adjacent southern suburbs. She was elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2006 and 2008. She is the second woman and the first African American elected to Congress from Wisconsin.  She is a former MATC student and earned an undergraduate degree from Marquette University. Please attend the ceremony. You help make a memorable event even more special.

Photo: Winter Commencement is set for December 22.

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Criminal Justice Faculty Prove These 'Crimes' Don't Pay
MATC's Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement faculty members brought "CSI: Milwaukee," a local take-off of the popular television series, to life through demonstrations at Discovery World in late October. Over three days, 10 instructors provided more than 3,000 Discovery World visitors with simulated crime scenes and the tools to solve them. When participants completed their "investigations," they were taught how a real investigation would unfold. The event helped to showcase our unique partnership with Discovery World and provided promotion for our Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement program. Fox-6 (WITI-TV) broadcast a live segment of their news programming from Discovery World, featuring the CSI event and the college's instructors. Thanks to the faculty members who participated: Mark Baganz, Preston Baity, Jim Dailey, Tom Hanratty, William Joers, Dave Madden, Jerry Plant, Connie Prange, Tim Talaska and Gerry Wawrzonek.

Photo: MATC faculty member Tom Hanratty speaks to "crime scene investigators" at Discovery World with a video screen showing clues from a crime. The presentation was part of a weekend series of events called "CSI: Milwaukee." Photo courtesy of Chris Winters/Discovery World.

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Criminal Justice Faculty Prove These 'Crimes' Don't Pay

Kronquist Collection Has New Sparkle
Thanks to the talent and skills of silversmith and former MATC student Shelly Culea, the college's Kronquist Silver Collection sparkles anew. Shelly spent two months restoring the multi-piece, two-case set. An important part of the college's metal artistry lineage, the collection was created and assembled by longtime metalworking instructor Emil F. Kronquist, who donated it to the college. Kronquist taught at what was then Milwaukee Vocational and Adult School from the 1920s until 1959, teaching mechanical drawing and metal arts. For the last several years, the collection has been displayed in Room M210 at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. Shelly also created a new arrangement of the pieces in their dedicated display cases.

Photo: Shelly Culea spent two months restoring the college's famed Kronquist Silver Collection.

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Phoenix Rises to Win Awards
Congratulations to the students, faculty and staff of the Phoenix literary magazine. The recently published 2009 edition earned two American Scholastic Press Association Awards - a first-place Merit Award and the Most Outstanding Technical College Literary Art Magazine award. For more than 40 years, the Phoenix has annually published student short stories, essays, poetry, art and photography. The 2009 magazine is available from the MATC Bookstore for $4. An effort of the English and Printing Services departments, the advisor is English faculty member June Roque. Thanks to June and faculty readers/judges Pat Ramdeen-Anderson, Jason Kolodzyk, Ron Clohessy, Guadalupe Solis and Marianne Szabo. Printing Services' Dana Cooper-Davis provided prepress work and the 96-page book was printed by the MATC Press. The inspiring publication was a true team effort by our talented student writers and artists and the creative guidance of our faculty and staff.

 

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Phoenix Rises to Win Awards

Appointment Set: Healthcare Discussion November 19
The nation's top current issue - healthcare - will be the topic of a panel discussion at Stormer Hall (T Building Auditorium) at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus, November 19, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. "America's Crisis: Care, Cost and Competition" will include an overview of the healthcare system and how it relates to the future of public health and economic policy. Panelists include MATC Nursing instructor Evelyn Merriet and Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dr. Susan Hornshaw. They will be joined by Scott Adams, UWM Economics professor; Gary Colpaert, a Vice President at Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin; and Paul Nannis, a consultant with Health Care Solutions, LLC. The event is sponsored by the MATC Health Occupations and Liberal Arts and Sciences divisions. It is free and open to the public. Students are encouraged to attend. For the convenience of district students and employees, it will be broadcast live to the Mequon (Room 202), Oak Creek (Room A241) and West Allis (Room 345) campuses.

 

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Celebrity Photographer Visits Campus
John Dominis - the iconic photographer of LIFE magazine whose published work includes John F. Kennedy giving his "I Am a Berliner" speech and the "Black Power Salute" of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics - was a featured guest at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus October 29. Dominis provided a retrospective of his significant and historic work and answered questions. His appearance was sponsored by the college's Creative Technologies programs and featured his photographic work of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, Robert Redford, Mickey Mantle and many other luminaries. His work also appeared in Sports Illustrated and People magazines.

Photo: Legendary photographer John Dominis meets with students after his Downtown Milwaukee Campus presentation. Photo by Drew Van Wyk

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National Convention Focused on American Indian Education
MATC had a featured presence at the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Convention held in Milwaukee at the end of October. Our staff from the American Indian Student Services Office and Liberal Arts and Sciences provided MATC academic and student service information for the national convention attendees. NIEA works to increase education opportunities for its populations. Pat Logan and Greg Johns, American Indian Student Service specialists, served on the convention's local planning committee.

 

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Society of Broadcast Engineers Recognizes Program
In another affirmation of the quality of our programs, the National Certificate Committee of the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) granted a three-year recertification to the Electronic Technology (Communications Emphasis) associate degree program. MATC's program is one of only a small number from throughout the country that has received this significant designation. The recertification was granted after an extensive evaluation of the program's curriculum and related academics. As a benefit of the SBE award, program students who achieve a B grade or better are eligible for certification as Certified Broadcast Technologist. Mark Porubsky is the program's instructional chair.

 

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WKLH Broadcast a Classic MATC Effort
An all-college effort welcomed Dave Luczak and Carole Caine and their WKLH/96.5 FM morning show to the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. They broadcast their popular program October 23 live from the third floor of the Student Center as part of their "Back to Campus" promotion. The 5-10 a.m. show featured MATC segments including:

  • An overview of the Animation program and Virtual Milwaukee with instructors Tim Decker and Brian Mennenoh, who presented caricatures of Dave and Carole that were drawn by an Animation student.
  • Culinary Arts instructor Mary Dess and two students prepared omelets for the radio hosts; Baking instructor Debra Socha provided baked goods.
  • Pre-College instructor and former WKLH "Morning Minstrel" Kevin Mulvenna talked about adult high school opportunities.
  • Interim Provost Dr. Evonne Carter provided a college overview and presented Dave and Carole with honorary degree plaques and custom-made chess sets crafted by CNC instructor Chris Haase.

MATC Interior Design students created the set for the broadcast, a coffeehouse/bookstore look. The set's lighting was designed by Television and Video Production students. During the broadcast, the hosts often called MATC "an essential part of Milwaukee's fabric."

Photo: The WKLH morning show featuring Carole Caine (left) and Dave Luczak broadcast from the Downtown Milwaukee Campus Student Union October 23.

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Employee Giving Campaign Nears Goals
As of early November, MATC's annual Employee Giving Campaign was closing in on its goals for number of participants (600) and dollar amount ($180,000). More than 450 employees and retirees contributed almost $165,000. There is still time to donate. Pledge forms were distributed and are available by request from quirmbaw@matc.edu. Among the seven organizations that benefit are the MATC Foundation and the MPTV Friends. An end-of-campaign celebration will be held November 12 at 2:30 p.m. in Room M616 at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. Campaign participation prizes will be drawn and volunteers recognized. Special thanks to 2009 co-chairs: Lucia Francis, dean, Business and Steve Holloway, counseling.

 

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Giving Campaign

Staff Notes
AFT Local 212 and Dr. Michael Rosen, LAS faculty member, received the Joe Rody Labor Activist award at the recent "Reaching for the American Dream" event sponsored by Voces de la Frontera. The award recognizes work and achievement in education, especially for those on society's margins. Voces de la Frontera is a Wisconsin nonprofit that educates workers about their employment rights and organizes to protect and improve the quality of life for low-wage and immigrant workers.

David Ruszkiewicz, Liberal Arts/Math, won a "Stemmy" award for his work in developing a highly functional math curriculum for high school students. The award is part of the annual SySTEMnow Conference held in October. The event highlights careers in science, technology, engineering and math, especially to high school students. As a SySTEMnow co-sponsor, a number of MATC faculty and staff were involved, and the Downtown Milwaukee Campus was a conference site.

MPTV staff and TV and Video Production students have been nominated for multiple Emmy awards from the Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, one of the most prestigious awards a television or cable station can earn.
The nominees:

  • Raul Galvan, co-producer, Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Programs of Current Significance (Nature in the City)
  • Michael Garvin and Jack Abrams, co-producers; Judy Nugent, reporter and Dan Small, host - Outstanding Achievement in Informational Programs (Outdoor Wisconsin: Black Bears)
  • Students Ethan Lightner, James Magee, John Neighbours, Kyle Schwenn and David Turner - College Student Production (The Making of Virtual Milwaukee)
  • Student Dwight Morgan - College Student Production (Missing Elements of Hip Hop)
  • Student Thomas Sennholz - College Student Production (The Steve Peplin Group)
  • Student Ethan Lightner - College Student Production (An Urban Exploration Documentary)

Ellis Bromberg, General Manager of Milwaukee Public Television, reports that five graduates of the TV and Video Production program, who are working at stations throughout the Midwest, have been nominated for Emmy awards in various production categories. Results are scheduled to be announced November 7.

Photo (top): MATC Latino Organization students Fernando Garcia and Pamela Morales-Fuentes join faculty member Michael Rosen at the Voces de la Frontera "Reaching for the American Dream" event. Dr. Rosen and AFT Local 212 were recognized for their contributions to local education.

Photo (bottom): Faculty member David Ruszkiewicz receives a Stemmy award at the SySTEMnow conference, honoring his contributions to curriculum development.

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Note: The wellness column by Anne Sheridan is now available through the Human Resources quarterly e-newsletter HR Smart. The first issue was published in October. Read it here: HRSmart Newsletter (PDF)

 

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