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Madison Area Technical College Starts 2005-06 Academic Year with
New President, Expanded Programs and “Students First” Focus
On Monday, August 29, thousands of Madison Area Technical College (MATC) students will officially end their summers as they head toward the college’s five campuses, located in Madison, Fort Atkinson, Portage, Reedsburg, Watertown, to start fall classes. MATC begins the academic year with a new president, expanded programs and frontline staff wearing new “Students First” name tags to offer students a more personalized welcome. This August marks the first start of an academic year at the college for President Bettsey L. Barhorst, who joined MATC last January.
In a presentation this week to all faculty and staff, Barhorst shared progress on a reorganization of the college she has initiated to “position the college to grow in markets that are emerging, to stand ready to innovate when the community and business world need us to do so, and to prepare our students for work in the 21st century.” She explained that her vision for MATC includes:
- A sharper focus on what MATC students actually learn, rather than merely what is taught;
- An on-ramp for MATC students to “Gold Collar” high-skill, high-wage jobs that combine technical skills with business savvy, science and entrepreneurship;
- Express lanes both to and from the UW–Madison and System;
- A college that grows as our communities grow, and serves the needs of a diverse population in a dynamic economy;
- A lean, efficiently-run college that provides taxpayers high value and a substantial return on their investment.
Programs with some of the strongest enrollments this year include those that prepare individuals to become health care, paralegal, biotechnology, commercial art, diesel, automotive, and hair, beauty and cosmetology professionals. This is the second year that MATC is able to offer an evening section of nursing classes to help meet continuing demand for nursing education.
In addition, the Liberal Arts Transfer Program, which prepares students to transfer to four-year degree programs, remains very popular. This year marks the third year MATC’s Liberal Arts Program also has accepted students for dual enrollment through the UW–Madison Connections Program. This program offers qualified students selected through UW–Madison’s application process guaranteed admission to the university after successfully completing two years at MATC, while enjoying UW–Madison student privileges. The number of students in this program at MATC has grown from an initial enrollment of 6 students to approximately 50 individuals active in the program this year.
Expanded MATC programming this fallincludes three new short-term information technology certificates for Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA), CompTia A+ Computer Essentials and LAMP Open Source Development. In addition, the Barber/Cosmetology Program has doubled the number of students it has accepted this year. Strong employer demand for hair and beauty professionals and a waiting list for this program prompted the college to open a new salon site this summer for student training on Madison’s west side. This new facility has allowed MATC to offer a new late start class section beginning in October for 28 students.
MATC is one of the largest of the Wisconsin Technical College System’s 16 colleges and serves about 50,000 people annually. It provides a comprehensive curriculum of technical, liberal arts and science, adult basic education and life enrichment studies and activities, as well as customized employee training. MATC provides training in more than 100 career programs. It awards associate degrees, vocational diplomas and certificates, and offers non-degree courses. The college serves all or parts of 12 counties located in south-central Wisconsin and offers instruction through five campuses and various other locations throughout the district.
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Last
Modified:
August 26, 2005
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