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MATC 2006 May Commencement Moves to Overture Center with Sunday Ceremonies,
Parade of Graduates, Entrepreneur Rebecca Ryan as Keynote Speaker
For Second Year, Live Streaming Video to be Provided on MATC Website
Madison Area Technical College (MATC) will recognize 1,963 graduates during two commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 21, 2006, at the Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State Street, Madison, Wis. The first ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. to recognize the college’s art, arts and sciences, and health, human and protective services graduates; the second ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. to honor agriscience, apprenticeship, technical and industrial, and business and applied arts graduates. The graduating class includes students from MATC’s Madison, Fort Atkinson, Portage, Reedsburg and Watertown campuses.
This marks the first time MATC commencement ceremonies will be held at downtown Madison's Overture Center. "Commencement is a magical moment for each graduate who crosses that stage, and we hope that bringing students and their families together in the memorable setting of our community's world-class performance hall will enrich the experience for everyone," states MATC President Bettsey L. Barhorst.
The graduates will gather to prepare for the ceremonies at MATC’s Downtown Education Center, 211 N. Carroll St. Fifteen minutes before each ceremony, they will proceed in parade formation, with royal blue flags held high to signal each group’s academic discipline, down the two blocks of Dayton Street to the Overture Center. The graduates will enter through the Overture Hall main doors and proceed down the theater aisles to take their places on stage. A shuttle bus will run continuously throughout the morning and afternoon to help transport guests between the city’s nearby parking garages and the Overture Center.
Barhorst and MATC District Board Chair Gerald McGowan will speak at both ceremonies, as will the guest keynote speaker, entrepreneur Rebecca Ryan. Ryan, the founder of Madison-based Next Generation Consulting, is a nationally known consultant and futurist who advises businesses on trends in the workforce, especially those involving young talent. She was named 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Ryan will share the program with the ceremony’s student graduate speakers.
Calista Lowe, a full-time student and single mother, and the first of eight children in her family to earn a degree, will speak at the morning ceremony. Lowe, who resides in Madison, is earning an associate degree in liberal arts and plans to continue her education and pursue work in the medical field. While her academic interests are focused on the health sciences, she retains a strong love of literature, music, history and her own Seminole heritage.
Ema Zajmi, who grew up in Kosovo and volunteered in a refugee camp in Macedonia before moving to the U.S. with her husband in 1999, will speak at the afternoon ceremony. Zajmi, who is fluent in Croatian, Albanian and English, is earning an associate degree in marketing and plans to pursue work in sales or advertising and eventually continue her education. She currently works full time, while also raising a son, and working toward U.S. citizenship.
Continuing an innovation it began last year, the college will offer a live video stream of the ceremonies on its website at http://matcmadison.edu, and a large screen projection of the ceremonies on stage. Following the ceremonies, the recorded video will be available for viewing for 30 days on the college’s website. It also will be available for purchase in DVD format.
Programs with the most graduates this year include nursing, nursing assistant, liberal arts transfer, accounting, marketing, early childhood education, criminal justice–law enforcement, emergency medical technician, barber/cosmetologist and veterinary technician.
MATC is one of the largest of the Wisconsin Technical College System’s 16 colleges. 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 offers associate degrees, vocational diplomas and certificates, and non-degree courses in more than 140 programs of study. The college serves portions of 12 counties located in southcentral Wisconsin and offers instruction through five campuses and numerous community locations throughout the district.
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Modified:
May 19, 2006
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