Did the College recently change its name from Madison Area Technical College to Madison College?
No, the College is still proudly named Madison Area Technical College. Madison College is just a shorter way to refer to the College in written second-reference and in conversation.

What is the official name of the College and what is the College’s nickname?
The official name of the College is Madison Area Technical College. The College’s nickname, or shorter version, is Madison College.

When will the new nickname become effective?
The new nickname is effective immediately.

But you are still Madison Area Technical College?
Yes, we are still Madison Area Technical College.

Did the College consider changing its legal name?
Yes, the idea was under review but in response to marketing research and the opinion of the public, students, faculty, staff, administration and the board of trustees, the decision was made NOT to change the name of the College.

I heard the nickname change took place for the College to distinguish itself as a liberal arts school instead of a technical school. Is this true?
No, it is not true. The College proudly remains Madison Area Technical College. We are a community college that provides a wide range of educational opportunities including very strong technical education and training programming. We offer five facets of education typical of community colleges.

Transfer Education – Students complete the first two years at the College before transferring to a four-year institution to pursue a baccalaureate degree.
Career Education – Students graduate with an Associate Degree or a Certificate and enter into the workforce.
Developmental – Students gain remedial education when they are not academically ready to enroll in college-level courses.
Continuing – The community has access to non-credit courses for personal development or interest.
Industry Training – Local companies contract with the College to provide specific training for their employees.

I am a graduate and my diploma states that I graduated from Madison Area Technical College. How will I explain that Madison College is the same thing as Madison Area Technical College?
The College did not change its name. Diplomas, certificates, transcripts and all legal documents will continue to reflect the College name of Madison Area Technical College. You would explain any confusion in a nickname the same way you would clarify the initials MATC.

Should I continue to make my student tuition and fees checks out to Madison Area Technical College or MATC or should I start writing Madison College?
You should make checks payable to Madison Area Technical College. You may also make them out to Madison College. If you have written a check to MATC in recent times or do so in the near future, it will not cause any problems.

What steps were required to change the name?
Because the name of the College did not change, no legal process was required. If a college in the technical College system changes its legal name it needs to be approved by the Wisconsin Technical College System Board and there are a number of legal requirements that must be met.

What is the difference between an “official nickname” and a nickname?
We can not control all of the nicknames people may use for the College, but we can ask for a specific—or “official” —shortened college name to be used in second reference or as a nickname by the media and the public. We have asked that MATC no longer be used to identify Madison Area Technical College. When one types MATC into an Internet search engine, the user is directed to MATC-Milwaukee. MATC-Milwaukee owns the matc.edu Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Madison Area Technical College is currently accessed through matcmadison.edu.

It is important to remember that the decision was made that at this time we will NOT change the name of the College but instead focus on changing the use of the initials MATC. In those situations where MATC may have been used, we are asking that the initials be replaced with either the full name of Madison Area Technical College, or the shorter version of Madison College.

Will the web address change and will employee email addresses change to @madisoncollege.edu? If so, when will that change happen and how long will the @matcmadison.edu email addresses still work?
Since the web address was part of the impetus for getting away from the use of MATC, yes, we will have new web and email addresses. The current addresses will continue to work for a certain transition period. More specific information will be provided when it is available.

What happens if someone still calls the College MATC?
Nothing happens, other than running the risk of people asking if you mean MATC-Milwaukee or MATC-Madison or perhaps asking what MATC stands for. We anticipate that it will take quite some time to complete the full transition from MATC to Madison College.

How much is a nickname change going to cost?
Because we are not changing the College name, there are only minimal costs directly related to a name change. There was speculation that we hired outside consultants to work on reviewing a name change and that we initiated a large-scale internal special project for the review. This is not true. The process was just part of the marketing department’s on-going efforts to make sure the community knows about our high quality and affordable education.

Should I change the name of my alma mater on my resume?
No, assuming you listed your alma mater as Madison Area Technical College. If you have listed it as MATC you should use the full name. If you have listed MATC as a second reference then you should change it either to Madison Area Technical College throughout the document or to Madison College in second reference.

Why did this change take place?
There are many reasons why a college would want to be referred to by a name instead of initials. At the top of the list is the nature of how information about the College is accessed. When one types MATC into an Internet search engine, the user is directed to MATC-Milwaukee. MATC-Milwaukee owns the matc.edu Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Madison Area Technical College is currently accessed through matcmadison.edu.

Another common topic in name-change discussions over the years, is that having “technical” in the name of a community college where almost half of the students are in liberal studies, can confuse people or send the impression that we only teach technical studies.

For these and many other reasons, the idea of either changing the College’s name or no longer using the initials MATC, has come up repeatedly over the years.

It is important to remember that the decision was made that at this time we will NOT change the name of the College but instead focus on changing the use of the initials MATC.

Why now?
The need to make a decision about the name at this particular time in history became necessary because of the College’s implementation of a Facilities Master Plan—it’s first since 1973. Tasks included in the first stages of implementation include replacing out-of-date signage. During the development of the signage and way-finding portion of the exterior campus design guidelines, the steering committee for this project and the College’s executive team requested that a separate more in-depth process be pursued to pull together existing on-going marketing department efforts to assure appropriate college identity (name, logo and brand). In short, they didn’t want to replace signs with a name, nickname and/or logo that may change before the signs reached the end of their lifecycle.

Why did the two groups anticipate that the name, nickname or logo might change?
They didn’t anticipate a change, but as good stewards of the College’s financial resources, the executive team and steering committee members wanted to make sure that the name and logo on new signs would be around for a long time—at least as long as the lifecycle of the signs. Installation of new signs presented a logical time to review the College’s name and logo.

Can you summarize some of the informal discussions about the adoption of a new nickname?
The College has a rich history as a cornerstone of the south-central Wisconsin district we serve, and we have been serving families in the district for close to a century. Because we are in the hearts and on the minds of those we serve, people have opinions about our name.

Also this is an academic institution and in such an environment, people are paid to think, analyze, hold opinions and share those opinions. There is a strong sense of college pride coupled with differing philosophies between technical and liberal arts programs. College personnel have been among the strongest supporters and the most ardent critics of a potential name change. We are proud—and rightly so—of our students and of the quality of education and training our students are receiving here. Some employees feared that we would remove the word “technical” from the college name, giving credence to the nonsensical myth that “technical” implies “easy” or “lower class.” Some employees feared that keeping “technical” in our name would prevent transfer students from feeling that we are the most appropriate choice for the first two years of their studies toward a baccalaureate degree.

Another element of this discussion was timing. When the Facilities Master Plan became part of public discussion, a local newspaper brought the potential name change into the story—introducing the idea to both the internal College audience and the general public before the College had time to fully vet the issue.

What is the history of the College’s name changes?
Almost every name change that has occurred over the years has been in response to a change in the conventional terminology used to define the type of education and training we provide, or the demographic of the students we educate and train.

1912 School of Industrial Education (The school was founded in 1912.)
1917 School of Vocational Education
1937 School of Vocational and Adult Education
1961 Madison Vocational, Technical and Adult Schools
1967 Area Vocational, Technical and Adult Education District No. 4
1993 Madison Area Vocational, Technical and Adult Education District
1993 Madison Area Technical College (*based on a legislative change in the name of the statewide technical education system)

*In November of 1993, the legislature introduced and adopted Senate Bill 510 and Assembly Bill 866 which changed the name of the Vocation, Technical and Adult Education System of which we are a part, to Technical College System. Since the system became a technical college system, we became a technical college. Madison Area Vocation, Technical, and Adult Education District became Madison Area Technical College.

What was the process used to decide to keep your current name and get away from the use of the initials MATC to identify the College?
As part of the development of the exterior campus design guidelines and on-going marketing efforts, in the summer of 2009 the marketing department conducted an identity audit. We asked ourselves a series of questions.

Is our current name working for us?
Is our current logo working for us?
What do our name and logo mean to us?
What do our name and logo mean to our community?
Considering the prevalence of web search leading to MATC-Milwaukee, how should we distinguish ourselves?
Do our name and logo reflect who we are in this point in history?
Can our name and logo withstand the test of time?
Has the use of MATC past its expiration date?

We looked at the history of our name—the driving factors for the six name changes (i.e. WWII meant more women began working outside the home, the Great Depression meant more adults needed retraining, state statutes regulating the technical College system were amended…).

We collected ideas from students, staff, faculty and community stakeholders. We looked at how we need to change in response to changing times and we determined that the College must:

remain cutting edge so we can keep our community strong and working;
not only keep up, but move forward;
fulfill the expectations of President Obama and the Congress to produce more community college graduates through more rigorous and accountable curricula;
help get our country back to work;
inform the public of an affordable four-year college degree;
project an image that reflects forward thinking; and
inform the public that, as WISC-TV Editorial Director Neil Heinen stated in an editorial about Madison Area Technical College, "This is not your father's college."

We reviewed ideas and information, held extensive internal and external discussions and determined that Madison Area Technical College should remain our formal name.

All of the information gathered lead to the conclusion that Madison Area Technical College continues to be the best fit for the College—but the use of MATC as the college name needed to be examined. There is a lot of equity in “Madison” which is the capitol of our state and the first word in our name since 1993.

We then turned to a review of our identity through nicknames and other graphic elements, so the College’s executive team asked JJR—the company with which we have been working on the development of a facilities master plan—to develop a proposal that would result in the design, development and delivery of a signature logo suite for the College.

Did you create a new logo with the new nickname?
JJR subcontracted with ZD Studios through agency principal Mark Schmitz, a 1987 graduate of Madison Area Technical College’s commercial arts program. ZD Studios specializes in visual design and corporate identity. We paid the firm $25,000 for logo and usage guidelines development. Mark Schmitz understands the value of the College as a student, community resident, employer and expert in the field of visual identity. His firm has produced logos for the University of Wisconsin, Dallas Cowboys, Duke University, Green Bay Packers, Noodles and Company, Ocean Grill, Sub-Zero-Wolf, WEAC, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison Symphony Orchestra, American Family Children’s Hospital, State Street, and Hilldale Plaza.

To aid ZD Studios in their work we conducted a formal survey with students, staff and faculty at all of our campuses, asking for input on color, nickname, image, and what we wanted our nickname and logo to say about us.

Using this information and research, ZD Studios came up with a logo that incorporates the full college name and the color blue we have been using. It marries our 100-year history with our bleeding-edge technology future.

The new, modernized logo helps us usher in a new era. It tells the story of who we are today, the essential and various roles we have played over the past 98+ years in the communities we serve, and the lead we are taking in getting people back to work. The new logo also helps tell the dual plot-line story of technology and liberal arts education.

The new logo is a better visual representation of the College and embodies:

quality
credibility- 98 plus years of educational excellence
vision for the future
strength
journey
a community College with commitment to both technical and liberal arts learning

The board of trustees reviewed the logo at their October 28, 2009 meeting.

Was there discussion about getting rid of “Madison” since there are campuses in Reedsburg, Portage, Fort Atkinson and Watertown in addition to the many campuses in Madison?
Yes, the discussion took place. Since we are not a coalition of colleges, but an assemblage of accessible campuses that make up one community college it made sense to focus on the right name for the college in general. The new logo has been adapted for each campus so that both Madison Area Technical College and the specific campus name are both prominent.

Will you still offer the programs you have traditionally offered?
Yes, our focus has not changed just because we are asking to no longer be referred to by a set of initials. We remain not only a part of the state technical college system, but the second largest college in the system and the top source of transfer students to both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin system. We will continue to transform lives one at a time, and fulfill our community college mission to provide accessible, high quality learning experiences that serve the community.

What is the broader community’s reaction so far?
Very positive. There is strong support for using Madison College instead of MATC for a nickname. Changing the nickname has garnered positive public attention and it signals growth that will help us in the competitive market for enrollment. This small change retains all the positive associations that Madison Area Technical College has accumulated over 98 years and captures our vision for the future.

Will all of the building signs, billboards and highway signs change?
Yes, over time most signage will be changed to reflect Madison Area Technical College or Madison College where appropriate. The College is developing a replacement schedule to update these signs in the most cost-effective manner. Much of the outdoor signage must be replaced periodically as a part of normal maintenance, and the updates will be done according to schedule.

Will the mascot change?
No. Wolfie will continue his energetic cheers and dances at all athletic events and many other college events. Go WolfPack!

Last Modified: September 17, 2010

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