President's Message: March 1, 2011

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I want to thank you, again, for keeping our College open and classes running smoothly despite the difficult situation we face. We encourage Governor Walker and our state lawmakers to address outstanding issues through a process that includes all of the stakeholders who might be impacted by the proposed changes. Today’s budget announcement should give us some indication of the difficulties our College faces regarding state aid and property taxes.

President’s Advisory Team
The President’s Advisory Team meets from 8 to 9 a.m. on Friday, March 4, in the Truax Lower Cafeteria (129C). As always, all are welcome.

College Marvels
Here are the names of faculty members mentioned to me recently as I spoke with students:

Maria Banuelos, Diversity and Community Relations
Patricia Marco, Marketing
Pete Nelson, Adult Basic and Developmental Education
Rebecca Parish, Architectural Technology
Christine Yero, Business Technology

More Marvels
Mathematics instructor Jeganathan Sriskandarajah had articles published in MathAMATYC Educator and the Journal of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.

Accounting and Business Instructors M. Jeff Quinlan and Brian Schmoldt, together with our students who competed successfully, attended the Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference this year. All of the students qualified and are planning to attend the upcoming National Conference in Washington, D.C.

Julie Gores sends kudos to the entire library staff for providing students with the help and resources they need to succeed.

Thanks to Ryan Helgeson and Rhoda McKinney for helping with the AKA Men Who Cook event over the weekend.

Highlights of My Past Week:

• welcomed new staff during their orientation session,
• met with Geoff Bradshaw to prepare for our participation in the Community Colleges for International Development (CCID) annual meeting,
• attended the Administrative “Brown Bag” meeting,
• participated in a meeting of the Facilities Master Plan Project Team,
• attended the United Way Board and Annual Meeting at Monona Terrace,
• attended an event at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery where Senator Kohl spoke about the Patent Reform Bill,
• hosted a table at the YWCA Circle of Women luncheon,
• participated in a Presidents Association WisLine meeting, and
• met with Diane Walleser to discuss strategic planning and the College’s Academic Quality Improvement Process (AQIP) accreditation process.

In closing, here’s a quote from self-help author Brian Tracy:

“You have within you, right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you.”

Thank you for everything you do for our students! Keep up the good work!

Bettsey