Sharing Diversity with Our Communities

Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus was filled with the sights, sounds and tastes of over 20 different cultures as the College celebrated Multicultural Day on Wednesday, April 18. It was wonderful seeing the College and community come together in celebration of diversity.

Tou Ger Xiong represented one of the many cultures being shared at Multicultural Day. I had the opportunity to meet with Tou Ger Xiong, or “Hmong Boy” as he also refers to himself after his presentation. He and I shared the importance to bringing humor into our daily life and to not just others too quickly.  I was inspired by the message he shared with all of us.  He is a role model for others!

Tou Ger Xiong shared his Hmong culture through storytelling, humor, folklore and even a rap number. He involved the audience members in his dynamic performance which was very entertaining. During his performance, we learned about his life from the jungles of Laos, to the refugee camps of Thailand, to the public housing projects of America and to his life today as a national performance artist.

In addition to Tou Ger Xiong, the Tamarind Tribal Belly Dancers of Milwaukee made an appearance, sharing their tribal-infused dancing talents. There were also student performers, a fashion show and a wonderful assortment of international food from our Culinary Arts area. This event made me proud to be part of such a diverse campus and community; thank you to all who participated and made Multicultural Day such a success!

Achieving Academic Excellence

Moraine Park students were recently inducted into Beta Mu Kappa, Moraine Park’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, which is an international honor society. It was wonderful attending the event and joining in the celebration with these students.  Guests in attendance were enthusiastic as students signed the official book recognizing them as a member of PTK and accepted the traditional rose.  As I congratulated each student I could see how proud they felt and more importantly their goal to complete their education at MPTC.

To be eligible for Phi Theta Kappa, students have to achieve and maintain a GPA of 3.5. It’s pretty amazing because many of these students are balancing a family, job and other life commitments – all while achieving academic excellence.

Everyone at the College is proud of the hard work these students have put forth throughout the semester. I hope final projects and exams go well for everyone as the semester comes to an end. Keep up the good work!

Time to Refocus - Second Eight Weeks

It’s hard to believe Spring Break has already come to an end.  It seems like we just started in August, made it through a mild winter and in eight weeks we will have finished the spring term.  I’m sure your spring semester has been keeping you busy. Whether you are preparing for graduation, actively seeking, or soon to be seeking employment; or beginning to look at classes for the summer; I hope your educational experience has been a good one. 

A couple of students will be especially busy in the spring semester because they are moving on to national competitions they qualified for during the fall semester. A big congratulations goes out to Tyler Benvenuto, who took first place in the ABC of Wisconsin Construction Skill Competition. Tyler will be heading to the national competition in Texas this April. Moraine Park Business Professionals of America (BPA) students Ariel Kritz and Theresa Gumz are heading to Chicago in May for the National BPA Leadership conference.

Also keeping busy are the nine Culinary Arts students who participated in the Wisconsin Restaurant Association’s College Culinary Arts competition March 12. Moraine Park’s Hot Food team placed third and there were a couple individual winners as well.

If you have any thoughts to share or suggestions for change, I would appreciate hearing from you.  We are well into planning for the 2012-2013 academic year and always welcome input from our students.

Celebrating Career and Technical Education

February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month and to celebrate Moraine Park held its annual Moraine Park Association of CTE awards banquet February 20 at the Columbian in West Bend.

The banquet recognized individuals and organizations for their dedication to and excellence in career and technical education. The following Moraine Park staff were honored with awards: Brenda Nickel, Outstanding Support Professional; Bonnie Bauer, Outstanding CTE Leader; Lisa Pollard, Outstanding Instructor; Brenda Schaefer, New Instructor; Mary Pat Thompson, Ann Torgersen and Bonnie Weiland-Hare, Longevity.  

A couple Moraine Park MPACTE award winners (from left to right): Lisa Pollard, Brenda Schaefer and Bonnie Bauer.



 The Business Awards of Merit went to: Briggs and Stratton, Kohler Company and Mercury Marine for their support of the Moraine Park Foundation and our Engine Research and Development Technician program. We are very proud of the relationships we share with these companies and look forward to building on those partnerships.

I hope if you know one of these award winners you will take a moment to say hello and congratulate them on their commitment to technical education and for the hard work they do to keep the CTE spirit alive at Moraine Park and our communities.

As February comes to a close and we welcome spring, let's think of ways to keep the CTE spirit going, whether it's in the classroom, office or in the community.

Showcasing MPTC Students at the Capitol

On Tuesday, January 31^st I had the opportunity to attend A Celebration of Student Engagement at the State Capitol Rotunda.  Along with college staff, four students participated and shared projects and information about the degree programs they are enrolled in.  I was most impressed with their professionalism and the excitement they shared as they met with legislators, guests and students and staff from the 16 Wisconsin Technical Colleges.  Students shared the learning environment, integration of technology and ways to give back to their communities.  I asked each of the students to share a thought from the day’s event:

Amanda Finstag – Waupun

Interactive Media Design

“. . . great experience, I would do it again!”

Tina Pawicz – Beaver Dam

Build a Bear and Friends Charity Event

“. . . this was an excellent opportunity to meet future leaders!”

John Lippold – Jackson

Interactive Media Design

 “. . . enjoyed being in the Capitol Rotunda with the design, beauty and reflection.”

Lee McClendon – Chicago

Changing our Community through Service Projects (Culinary Arts)

“. . . tremendous way to meet new people and learn about the different technical colleges in Wisconsin.”

Lee is also featured in the Showcase video http://youtu.be/YwzhQW6bylY

I hope you will take a few minutes and view the video!

Welcome back students!

It was a week of excitement and vibrancy as students returned for spring semester classes. Hopefully everyone had a restful winter break and feel ready to get back into the swing of things with their new classes.

I had the opportunity to be a “semester greeter” where I helped answer questions and direct students to their respective classrooms.  As I assisted with this task I was impressed with how students helped the president learn things that I still have not had the opportunity to learn or inquire about.  The enthusiasm from students returning to the Fond du Lac, Beaver Dam and West Bend campuses is great to see as we begin another academic term.

One way students and staff were welcomed back was with lunch events on the three campuses. There were comedians, an interactive inspirational speaker, Lunch n’ Learn event, and opportunities for students to stuff and bring home their very own gray wolf mascot. What a fun way to kick off the new semester!

Students, how did the first week of classes go for you? Do you have anything that you are especially looking forward to this semester?

Connecting Students and Employers - Part III

Happy New Year to everyone who has been following my blogs and to those of you who are first time readers! For those of you who have been here before, you know I have been sharing feedback regarding visits I have had with employers throughout the Moraine Park District.  Meetings and plant tours continued into December at Kohler Co. (Kohler, WI), Kondex Corporation (Lomira, WI), and Metko Inc. (New Holstein, WI).

The conversations I’m having with these employers continue to reinforce the job opportunities for MPTC graduates.  Whether you are attending MPTC to complete an Associate of Applied Science Degree, Technical Diploma, or Certificate, employers are seeking employees who come ready with the technical skills required of the job, and who have the ability and willingness to take the next step to grow within the company.  Amy Adams, Vice President – Engineering at Kohler, indicated showing an interest in the company is key. “We look for employees who are capable of learning and have a willingness to learn.” 

I also heard from employers the importance of providing students with internship opportunities within program areas.  These companies reinforced the idea that it is the students who have participated in internships that they look to hire after graduation.  Internships provide students with on-the-job work experience and reinforce the importance of coming to work on time and team work -- skills often not found in today’s new hires.

As we begin the spring term, I continue to reflect on the importance of connecting with MPTC students and employers, and working together with a focus on technical education and training.