Dear Faculty and Staff,
The political ads and pre-recorded phone calls are about to end — now, it’s our turn to get in the last word. Election Day is Tuesday, and with very close races expected up and down the ballot, your vote has never been more important. If you are not registered to vote, you can still register on Election Day with proof of your voting address. For details, contact your city, town or village clerk or see the Dane County Clerk website.
If you think your vote doesn’t matter, consider the results of this election: MATC’s Tool Kit has been chosen to go in the Madison 150 Time Capsule! Our entry, containing items used in a wide variety of MATC programs, was chosen by more than 4,000 online voters. The capsule will be sealed November 16 and opened on Madison’s bicentennial in 2056. Thanks to all the voters who pushed us over the top!
Services will be held Wednesday for a respected and beloved former MATC dean, Dr. Sara Sherkow, who died last Friday. Dr. Sherkow retired as dean of general studies in 1992 and was a member of the MATC Foundation Board. The funeral will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Cress Funeral Home on Speedway Road in Madison.
We were honored to host First Lady Jessica Doyle at our Downtown Education Center (DTEC) last Wednesday. Mrs. Doyle visited students in Terrie Thompson’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Curriculum Planning class and Karen Natoli’s ECE Activity Planning II class. She then toured the DTEC Child and Family Center with Ken Backus and met with Janie Wimberly, Valentina Ahedo and four students from our grant-funded teacher training programs, including the UW-Whitewater and Edgewood College Bilingual Institute partnerships and the Refugee School Children Impact Grant program. Thanks to everyone for making this a smooth and enjoyable visit for Mrs. Doyle: Kris Rauls, administrative assistant; Karen Natoli, co-program director, early childhood education; Kathy Raschke, co-program director, early childhood education; Terrie Thompson, faculty, early childhood education; Renee Zamen, part-time faculty, early childhood education; Bobbi Curtis, faculty, early childhood education; students from the Early Childhood Education Program. Thanks also to: Marty Crabbs, administrative assistant, DTEC; Ken Backus, child care center director; Valentina Ahedo, administrative clerk, diversity & community relations; Janie Wimberly, associate dean, arts and sciences; and the DTEC facilities staff.
Each week, I like to highlight some marvelous people I encounter or learn about here at the college. Last week, students told me their “favorite teachers” included:
Ronald Koci, business tech
John “Luke” Matthews, anthropology
Brian Schmoldt, accounting/management
Jeganathan “Sri” Sriskandarajah, mathematics
Timothy Twohill, English
Bobbie Curtis, Karen Natoli, Kathleen Raschke and Terrie Thompson, child care
Mary Schranz, economics
I met with another new group of employees at their first day orientation and, again, I am amazed at the quality of staff members we have at MATC. This group came from varied places and backgrounds, but all seemed eager and enthusiastic to pursue our vision of transforming lives one at a time. Thanks to CETL, HR and all who helped to attract and develop such good staff. Please welcome: Jamie Schlachter (part-time), Watertown disability resource services specialist; Kathleen O'Connell (part-time), CETL; Amy Gile (part-time), enrollment center facilitator; Jane Griswold (part-time), business and industry training liaison; and Kathleen Barry (part-time), auxiliary services clerk.
I also met with a group of new and enthusiastic staff and faculty members at First Friday. Their questions were probing and illuminating. They make up another example of a great group of new employees: Maurice Sheppard, political science; Karena Curtis, mathematics; Julia Haseleu, psychology; Mara Eisch-Schweitzer, practical nursing; Tricia Weisheipl, annual giving/alumni coordinator; Laurie Beardsley, support, education and career planning center; Holly Mercier, marketing; Gia Euler, DTEC educational support specialist; Brian Short, music; Aaron Dushack, ADN instructor; and Laura Osinski, philosophy.
And finally, the members of the men’s soccer team are marvels for cheering on the women’s volleyball team. The nationally-ranked Wolfpack women captured their first state championship in ten years.
- Met with the President’s Advisory Team.
- Hosted guests at the President's Table in the gourmet dining room, along with Bob Dinndorf and Rick Graves. We met with former instructors Larry Sager (real estate) and Adrienne Sager (art), current French instructor Mary Haight, Sheridan Glen, branch manager of First Weber’s Capitol Corridor office and Chuck Barkow, an IT consultant who is revamping the web-based information systems for the Department of Justice.
- Met with College Council.
- Met with the Phi Theta Kappa executive team.
- Met with Tim Reilley, VP Emeritus of the UW Foundation, who shared his insights for enhancing our fundraising efforts.
- Traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to be the keynote speaker at the University of Iowa’s WAYUP Conference, designed for women who are interested in careers in higher education administration.
- Spoke with our new employees at First Friday.
In closing, I would like to share a quote that I used in my WAYUP speech:
“If you want to get ahead, you must work longer, harder and more compulsively than the other guy. I don’t know of any shortcuts.” — Barbara Walters
Have a great week, and remember to vote!
— Bettsey
Bettsey L. Barhorst, President |
Bettsey L. Barhorst, President
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