Moraine Park receives $1.2 million Blueprint for Prosperity grant

On Wednesday, July 23, I was excited to welcome Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and Department of Workforce Development Secretary Reggie Newson to our Fond du Lac Campus. Lt. Governor Kleefisch came to campus to announce Moraine Park’s $1.2 million Wisconsin Fast Forward: Blueprint for Prosperity grant to train up to 126 workers for in-demand fields.

Pictured from left: Denise Devereaux, Mercury Marine VP of human resources; JoAnn Hall, MPTC dean of economic and workforce development; Kristen Finnel, MPTC dean of health and human services; Fred Rice, MPTC dean of applied technology and trades; Sheila Ruhland, MPTC president; Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch; and Reggie Newson, secretary of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

This award is part of $28 million in grants that Governor Walker recently announced as part of his Blueprint for Prosperity initiative to help Wisconsin Technical College’s train over 4,900 workers for jobs that employers need to fill.

Our training gets workers into the workforce quickly, and keeps them in the workforce, ensuring we will continue to keep moving Wisconsin forward. The Blueprint for Prosperity grant will allow Moraine Park and its partners to continue to expand its training and education efforts. We look forward to training workers for the positions that employers need to fill.

For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/1oiOFs3

Jackson Regional Center Site-Visit

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Joyce Natzke, Professor of Education for the College of Adult and Graduate Studies at Wisconsin Lutheran College located in Milwaukee.

Dr. Natzke was at our Jackson Regional Center conducting a review of our center as part of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation requirement for colleges with regional centers.  (Some of you may recall that last September we had an open house to celebrate the opening of our new site in Jackson.)  This visit allows HLC to be sure the programs and services we deliver at our regional sites are aligned with criteria for accreditation.

During the visit, Dr. Natzke toured the facility and met with Moraine Park administration, faculty and students to discuss the regional center, its role, and the education and learning experience.  Students who met with Dr. Natzke were at the center for a Fabrication class. Having the opportunity to experience and be a part of an accreditation review is something that doesn’t happen often for our students. As I listened to their conversation and responses to the questions, I saw firsthand the quality of students who choose to come to Moraine Park, and, more importantly, the excellent education and hands-on learning they are receiving. I would like to extend a thank you to these students for sharing in this experience:  Scott Bensemann, Dakota Grudzinski, Paul Haber, Cole Jungers, Casey Lamberg, Keith Lubner and Kori Siegl, as well as to Steve Henderleiter, their Welding/Fabrication Instructor.

 

 

If you have questions about our accreditation process or our Jackson Regional Center, please don’t hesitate to connect with me.