President's Message: June 7, 2011

Dear Faculty and Staff:

Welcome back! It's good to see students and faculty in the halls again. I know it’s only been a few weeks but we missed you! Whether you just returned or remained here during the interim, I hope all our faculty and staff have a successful summer season.

Technical College Budget
Recently the Joint Finance Committee voted down a motion to award $35 million to the state's technical colleges so they can better fund high-demand courses and programs with waiting lists. That figure is about half of the $71.6 million cut given to the Wisconsin Technical College System in the governor's 2011-13 budget proposal. You can read the full story in the Capital Times.

World Series
Our baseball team recently competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division II College World Series in Enid, Oklahoma. Though the team lost 7 to 6 in extra innings, the WolfPack took third place in the tournament. This is the second consecutive World Series appearance and the program’s eighth appearance in school history. Congratulations to Head Coach Mike Davenport, his staff, and the entire team!

Continuing Student Scholarships
The Foundation received nearly 400 applications for the Fall 2011 Continuing Student Scholarship. I encourage you to join the Foundation in the reading of the applications, which will take place later this month. Watch Matters for specific dates and times. I would also like to invite you to participate in the Madison College Faculty and Staff Giving Campaign. The campaign is a College-wide effort to support institutional priorities such as scholarships, program support, equipment needs, facility improvements and more. Please consider making a gift now via payroll deduction or online. As a "thank you" to current and new donors, those that give a minimum of $5 per paycheck or $130-plus annually, prior to the end of the fiscal year, will be entered into a drawing to win a HP Mini computer. Please contact tweisheipl[at] matcmadison [dot] edu (Tricia Weisheipl) at (608) 246-6958 for more information..

Student Success
Jill Schroeder, a student in our Meeting and Event Management program, brought home the Silver in the IMEX Global University Student Competition, where she competed against four other university students from China, Taiwan, Ireland and Poland. Jill presented a case study on a sustainable event in the future and showcased her talent and skills as the next generation of meeting professionals. Congratulations, Jill!

College Marvels
Here are some faculty names given to me by students in recent weeks:

Simon Allard, Microbiology
Doug Dillman, Visual Communication
Brian Landers, Criminal Justice
Brad McDowell, Psychology
Kevin McGuinnis, Cultural Arts
Jack Pace, Criminal Justice
John Ribble, Commercial Art

More Marvels
Congratulations to Charles McDowell and his wife, Candace, who have been named as the inaugural recipients of an award in their honor, the McDowell Alumni Achievement Award presented by the UW-Madison Multicultural Student Center (MSC). According to MSC Interim Director Donte Hilliard, “The McDowells have provided us dynamic examples of leadership, service, and commitment to excellence and community that will serve as a blueprint for evaluating future recipients.” 

I received a letter from a former student who recently completed the Biotech Post Baccalaureate Intensive Certificate program, who says this is one of the finest programs of its kind in the country and wanted to recognize two outstanding instructors, David Shaw and Thomas Tubon.

Recent Activities
• Attended Downtown Madison Kiwanis where history instructor Jonathan Pollack discussed the “Early 20th Century View of Madison;”
• attended a presentation by Plunkett Raysich Architects of conceptual designs for the new Gateway entrance at Truax campus;
• met with Nick Meriggioli, President of Oscar Mayer/Kraft, and Doug Palm, Assistant Director of United Way, to discuss the 2011 United Way Campaign;
• attended the YWCA Women of Distinction luncheon;
• attended the groundbreaking ceremony for TDS Telecommunication Corporation’s new $14 million data center expansion at TEAM Companies in Fitchburg;
• was joined by District Board members Jon Bales, Jan Bultema and Jo Oyama-Miller at the 19th Annual High School Completion Recognition Ceremony in the Mitby Theater;
• participated as a celebrity cashier at the 2011 World's Largest Brat Fest;
• met with Stan Davis, President of the WTCS Board;
• attended a facilities project status meeting;
• met with Kaleem Caire, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison, to discuss workforce development ideas; and
• attended a Rotary meeting where Joanne Canton spoke on the problem with multitasking.

Here's a quote by Michelangelo that I saw in the program for the recent high school completion ceremony. “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

Thank you for everything you do for our students.

Bettsey