Congratulations to the 2021-22 Moraine Park Student Senate Officers.

Beaver Dam

Pictured left to right:

President: Jeffrey Bemis of Beaver Dam – Electrical Power Distribution

Secretary: Garrett Nesheim of Madison– Electrical Power Distribution

Vice President: Izak Gruber of Elmwood- Gas Utility

Fond du Lac

Pictured left to right:

President:  Eva Knappenberger of Oshkosh – Cosmetology

Vice President: Mina Vang-Xiong of Fond du Lac – Information Technology (Network and Technical Support Specialist)

Secretary:  Emily Vick of Beaver Dam – Criminal Justice

West Bend

Pictured left to right:

Vice President: Wesley Kane of Fond du Lac– HVAC

President: Aspyn Koslowski of West Bend – HVAC

Secretary: Haley Van Raden of West Bend– IT Web Design

Moraine Park Technical College will be hosting its annual community event, Discover Moraine Park, to help attendees jump-start their education and career. High school students, displaced workers, and individuals looking for a career change are encouraged to attend.

Discover Moraine Park event is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the West Bend campus; Tuesday, Oct. 12 at the Beaver Dam Campus; and Thursday, Oct. 14 at the Fond du Lac Campus. Space is limited, and those interested in attending must pre-register.

Attendees will have the opportunity to explore different programs of study offered at the College and tour the campus, labs, and classrooms. Program instructors and staff will be available to explain program details, admissions requirements, and more.

The event is also designed to familiarize attendees with resources outside the classroom, including diversity relations, student life, veteran resources, tutoring, and counseling. One-on-one assistance from Financial Aid specialists will be available to help attendees submit their FAFSA. 

Face coverings are required for participation in the Discover Moraine Park event. As a reminder, Moraine Park requires face coverings on all of its campuses.

A virtual option is available on Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 5:30 -7 p.m. Registration is also required. 

For more information or to register, visit morainepark.edu/discover. 

Moraine Park Technical College has earned the eighth spot on the Military Times Best for Vets college rankings as a Midwest, 2-year College. This honor recognizes colleges across the country for their commitment to educating and providing opportunities to America’s veterans.

Moraine Park has made this list for more than six years and serves as one of two technical colleges in Wisconsin to earn a place on this list. The Military Times surveys colleges and universities annually, and more than 350 schools participated in the latest Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges survey, which seeks details about the school’s costs, programs, policies, and services that impact military-connected students. Federal data from the U.S. Departments of Education, Veterans Affairs and Defense, were also considered.

“The College is committed to making sure every veteran who steps onto our campuses are provided everything they need to be successful,” Steve Pepper, student veteran specialist said. “I truly believe having someone our veteran students can turn to who can speak their language or understand some of their frustrations is important to their college experience and overall success.”

Moraine Park offers many programs that qualify under Veteran Administration (VA) benefits, with flexible scheduling options. The College is continuously working to maintain a culture that supports the challenges that veterans may encounter.

“This nationwide recognition confirms the proactive work Moraine Park has been doing,” Lt. Col. Scott Lieburn, U.S. Air Force, and dean of students at Moraine Park said. “As both a veteran and current active-duty service member, I am thankful to be part of a team of staff at the college that truly cares about creating and preserving a supportive campus culture for our student veterans.”

The College also ranked 31 among all public colleges and universities in the Midwest and 38 among all colleges and universities in the Midwest.

The “Military Times Best” ranking is published in the Military Times magazine and is available to subscribers, as well as online at MilitaryTimes.com and other affiliated websites.

Congratulations to Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park’s President, for being named a Fond du Lac Area Women’s Fund ‘SHEro’. Bonnie was recognized for her strong leadership throughout the community during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

You can watch the Fond du Lac Women’s Fund video-featuring Bonnie- here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNvfwpls7Yc.

For more information on the Fond du Lac Area Women’s Fund, visit fdlwomensfund.com.

Moraine Park Technical College student, Austin Seidel of West Bend, earned third place at the 2021 National SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference during the week of June 21.

Seidel, an electricity student at the College, competed at the regional conference last April in the Industrial Motor Controls category. He earned first place- advancing him to nationals. More than 16,000 students from across the nation participated in the weeklong event.

SkillsUSA is the showcase for the best career and technical students in the nation. Their philosophy is to reward students for excellence, involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and keep training relevant to employers’ needs.

morainepark.edu

Moraine Park instructor, Gus Boyle-Gustavus, has been named a 2020-2021 Educator of Promise. This qualification has awarded her the opportunity to participate in the Educator Leadership Rendezvous this July.

This event is offered annually by the Wisconsin Army National Guard (WI ARNG), the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and Wisconsin Association for Middle Level Education (WAMLE). The three-day leadership retreat is designed to engage Educators of Promise to build leadership skills and strategies, connect with educators across the state, and learn how to uplift teacher voice and leadership in their roles.

Participants will learn through hands-on activities and leadership labs about topics such as:

• military life, and especially the lives of military families and children in our schools
• common leadership lessons and scenarios
• building culture and community
• applying leadership to problem-solving, to improve student outcomes, schools, and communities
• the effects on us all of PK-12 academic and career planning, equity and trauma-informed decision-making, and college and career readiness
• Curricular connections to classrooms, including STEM, Social Studies, and history
• Professional networking and relationship-building that live on far beyond the event

“I am hoping to learn more about leadership skills in a college setting, inside and outside the classroom,” Gus said. “I am especially looking forward to learning more about how to connect with, and uplift, the lives of military families and underprivileged students.  I am always looking to better myself, just as most instructors are.  I’m looking forward to doing this by connecting with other educator’s, outside of Moraine Park, and learning a tremendous amount of information from them.  I want to learn how to help build a stronger sense of culture and community at Moraine Park.  I believe Moraine Park is an amazing place to work.  How do I help get others to believe this?”

Congratulations Gus on your commitment to education, leadership and Moraine Park! We look forward to hearing about your experience at the Educator Leadership Rendezvous.

Moraine Park Technical College has selected the Department of Corrections- Taycheedah Correctional Institution (TCI), as the recipient of the 2020 Innovation award. The College’s Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) presents five Business and Industry partnership awards each fiscal year; Excellence in Partnership, Employer of the Year, Innovation, New Partner of the Year, and Workforce Development Champion.

The Innovation Award is given to an organization that implemented an innovative solution to a workforce challenge. Jason Lederhaus, education director at TCI, continuously promotes educational opportunities for the incarcerated women at their facility. Lederhaus continued to advocate for the women in the welding cohort when COVID-19 created many restrictions and created a plan to allow them to safely complete their welding program. Additionally, the welding program became approved as a pre-apprenticeship program with Department of Workforce Development (DWD). Lederhaus has advocated for two new programs at TCI. These innovative solutions create real opportunities to enter the workforce in high demand fields upon release from TCI. The College recognized TCI and Lederhaus during a small gathering at TCI in late May.

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College has selected Nathan Glander of Wabash National, as the recipient of the 2020 Workforce Development Champion award. The College’s Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) presents five Business and Industry partnership awards each fiscal year; Excellence in Partnership, Employer of the Year, Innovation, New Partner of the Year, and Workforce Development Champion. 

The Workforce Development Champion award is given to an individual focused on improving the skills and retention of personnel in the region and has positively influenced workforce issues around recruitment, training, and career development. Glander has been a consistent advocate for the College and the boot camp programs throughout the last year, even when that proved difficult with the pandemic. During the pandemic when others weren’t able to offer internships, he stepped forward to make sure there were internship spots available to provide the students with learning opportunities. In fall 2020, Glander demonstrated his commitment to the College and the program- and provided services as the sole business partnership for the boot camp welders. This semester, Glander has opened nine fulltime positions for the College’s boot camp completers. As a result of his support, students who complete the program have a greater opportunity to obtain fulltime positions in the welding field. Glander was recognized during a small ceremony in late May.  

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College has selected the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), as the recipient of the 2020 New Partner of the Year award. The College’s Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) presents five Business and Industry partnership awards each fiscal year; Excellence in Partnership, Employer of the Year, Innovation, New Partner of the Year, and Workforce Development Champion.

The New Partner of the Year award is given to an organization that supports Moraine Park through contributions, sponsorships, or involvement for the first time. Moraine Park Technical College, in partnership with The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Bureau for Drinking & Groundwater, worked to develop and conduct three online training courses comprised of four training modules to aid the DNRs Water Utility Management program. The purpose of these training modules is to increase the technical, managerial, and financial capacity of municipal water systems in Wisconsin, and to help decision-makers at these water systems make informed decisions. These programs are free for participants. This 3-year partnership between Moraine Park and the DNR is a first of its kind in Wisconsin, and its structure paves the way for future training opportunities. In addition, the College supports continuing education training for certified operators of small public drinking water systems and provides 55 continuing education courses around the state each year.

The College presented the award during a virtual ceremony on May 27.

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.