Madison College Embarks on Series of Changes

Madison Area Technical College Embarks on Series of Changes, Not All of Them Popular

By DEBORAH ZIFF | dziff[at] madison [dot] com | Wisconsin State Journal | Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2009 9:00 pm

At a recent Madison Area Technical College board meeting, administrators faced a formidable crowd.

Outside, part-time faculty members marched with signs, calling for better pay. Inside, students packed the room to complain about curriculum changes.

It was a departure from the usual hushed tones and sparse attendance at the board's monthly meetings.

The local community college is embarking on a series of major changes, not all of them popular with the public.

Within the past year, the college has experienced unprecedented enrollment, adopted a new nickname and logo and unveiled an ambitious, $350 million facilities plan that will likely require a community referendum.

For a school that has remained a steady, if low-profile, presence in the Madison area for decades, it's as if the long-dormant institution has recently awakened.

President Bettsey Barhorst said she has a clear mission: evolve or become irrelevant.

"We really did try to wake up people," said Barhorst, who is in her fifth year as president. "We saw where enrollment was going. Nothing had been happening for a while. This is a new age, with change happening faster than ever before in human history. If we don't keep up with it, then we become an anachronism and not needed."

Push back

But inevitably, the public has pushed back against some of decisions leaders are making at MATC, now known as Madison College.

As the college struggles to manage an 11 percent increase in enrollment this fall, it has had to make some tough cuts.

That includes quietly eliminating some adult continuing education courses, which are non-credit, skills based courses. Sometimes considered hobby courses, administrators say they need to make room for programs that will help people get jobs.

The recession has driven waves of people to the technical college, both students who can't afford a four-year university and laid-off workers looking for new careers.

"We're trying to accommodate everyone as best as we can, but when push comes to shove, we have to take care of workers who don't have jobs first," Barhorst said.

MATC has traditionally been the place for people to learn everything from jewelry-making to baking French baguettes to a foreign language. Some students wonder who will fill that role as the college cuts back.

The number of adult continuing education programs decreased from 261 in fall 2008 to 224 this fall, with about 250 fewer course sections offered.

"It's been disheartening to see a lack of class options in adult education over the last few years," said Karen Bell, an independent artist from Spring Green.

Students and staff were particularly upset about the college's plans to close the upholstery studio in the Downtown campus, a popular course that has a perennial waiting list. They engaged in a letter writing campaign and attended board meetings in an attempt to save their studio.

Precious space

The problem is that space is a precious commodity at MATC, and the upholstery lab takes up prime real estate Downtown.

Officials say the college is "bursting at the seams," which is why they have embarked on a 10-year plan to expand and renovate the college, the first such plan in 35 years. Some programs have waiting lists that are hundreds of students long - a circumstance of both lack of staff and space.

The plan offers a sweeping vision for the college that includes a new campus to the west or south of Madison, a health education building, a permanent home for fire and protective services, and improvements to the college's four regional campuses. If the college were to complete the plan in its entirety, it would cost around $357 million.

Barhorst said the college doesn't have a firm plan yet to go to referendum, although she admits it is likely.

Technical colleges must get approval from the community for building projects that cost more than $1.5 million. MATC gets about 52 percent of its budget directly from property taxes.

Already, there has been controversy over parts of the proposed expansion. In particular, some students and staff objected to plans to tear down the 1,000-seat Mitby Theater to make room for a "student success" center at the main Truax campus on Madison's North Side.

When the college also recently announced it was going to begin using the nickname Madison College, rather than the acronym MATC, some district board members wondered if the community could embrace so many changes so quickly.

"I'm concerned we're going down this path of branding when we're also considering a referendum," said Joel Winn, a board member, at a recent meeting.

'Sensitive to needs'

If administrators hope to convince the public to fund a major facilities expansion, they need to make sure not to alienate the people they count on for support, said Mike Kent, president of MATC's part-time teachers' union.

For instance, many of the people who take the continuing education courses are seniors - the same people who pay attention to community issues and vote in local elections.

"The college needs to be sensitive to the needs of all the different stakeholders in the community," Kent said. "The folks taking these courses are definitely a group the college needs to be sensitive to. People who are paying property taxes. People who are going to be voting in every election."

The college is also butting heads with Kent's group, which argues that the pay gap between part-time and full-time teachers is too large.

And a save Mitby Theater group will likely start lobbying the public if the plans included in the referendum still call for the destruction of the theater.

"When they start talking about having a referendum, we want to let the public know, if they vote for this, they're voting to destroy not to add," said Jeff Peronto, a former MATC music teacher.

Reasons for change

Despite simmering opposition, there are many reasons for college leaders to feel optimistic, they say.

In addition to strong enrollment, MATC has already begun to receive federal grant money aimed at retraining the unemployed, and could get a huge influx of money if a $12 billion federal community colleges bill is passed.

In recent years, the college has increased its efforts to help students transition to a school where they can get a bachelor's degree.

Transfer agreements between the college and four-year institutions such as UW-Madison have gone from only a handful five years ago to hundreds now, said Terry Webb, vice president of learner success.

"We don't want students to meet a dead end here," he said.

Barhorst said some controversy is expected, but she insists the college must change or risk extinction.

"We have to get out there and take risks to be innovative," she said. "We hope we're headed to a new day where we're answering the needs of not just today but also the future."