President's Message: March 8, 2010

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Here’s hoping the third time is a charm for our women’s basketball team. For the third straight year the WolfPack will be playing in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament! Last year, the women’s basketball team made it all the way to the championship game before falling to Rochester Community and Technical College. This year’s tournament is March 11-13 in Rochester, Minnesota. Please join me in cheering on our team! 

Facilities Master Plan Listening Sessions
Just a reminder, I am visiting every campus to discuss implementing the Facilities Master Plan. Please think about what part of the plan your community would support, how the college can build support for the plan within your community, and any other thoughts you have. The college needs all the suggestions you can offer to make this project successful. 

Here’s the schedule for the remaining President’s Listening Sessions. 

Monday, March 15
10-11 a.m.
Room 157
Fort Atkinson Campus

12-1 p.m.
Room 121
Watertown Campus

4:30-5:30 p.m.
Room 142AB
Truax Campus

Wednesday, March 17
10-11 a.m.
Reedsburg Campus

12:30-1:30 p.m.
Room 102
Portage Campus

College Marvels
Here are the names of faculty and staff mentioned to me recently by students:
Sarah Johnson, English
Debra Olsen, counselor
Timothy Krueger, criminal justice
Douglas Dillman, visual communications
Andrea Thalasinos, sociology
Marjorie Cook, center for adult learning
Martha Olsen, academic reading
Scott Strassburg, fire services
Leah Pomykalski, math

More Marvels
Lynn Konkel has won the Paraoptometric of the Year award from the American Optometric Association. Lynn will receive her award this June.

Eric Knapp has won the 2010 Wisconsin Technical College System Information Technology Special Award. Eric has been an instructor at Madison College since 2001.

Congratulations to Turina Bakken, Deb Vogt, Carol Moretti and our talented faculty in Graphic Design and Illustration for another outstanding ADDY Awards showing! Our students once again took home the top awards of the year.

Highlights of My Past Week:
• met with Londa Dewey and others from QTI to discuss strategies for filling the vacancy created by Becky Baumbach’s retirement in June,
• attended the Madison Business Luncheon where UW Hospital and Clinics President/CEO Donna Katen-Bahensky was the guest speaker,
• read excerpts from the book Freakonomics to students in two of Martha Olsen’s academic reading classes (Dr. John List from the University of Chicago is featured in the book),
• conducted listening sessions at the South and Commercial Avenue campuses,
• met with Phyllis Wilhelm, Director of Economic Development at MG&E,
• attended the weekly Rotary Club of Madison meeting,
• joined Joel and Linda Winn for the UW men's basketball team’s rout of Iowa,
• spoke to a group of CEO’s from the Wisconsin Association of Family and Children’s Agencies about leadership and problem solving,
• hosted Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce President Jennifer Alexander, City of Madison Economic Development Director Tim Cooley, and Madison College retirees Barb and Fred Arnold at a president’s table in the gourmet dining room,
• met with Mick Conners, president of our Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel (PSRP) Union,
• gave a presentation on college operations at a monthly “First Friday” meeting for new college employees, and
• participated in a conference call to prepare for next week’s Community College National Legislative Summit.

This quote is from a poem by Kurt Marti which was cited at the City of Freiburg Sister City event two weeks ago:

"What could we do
if everyone said
what will we do
and nobody stepped forward
to see
what might be done
if only we do."

Bettsey