Moraine Park Technical College has extended their limited campus accessibility restrictions until at least Jan. 4, 2021.

In early June, Moraine Park announced its five-phased Reopening Plan and has safely and successfully transitioned through each phase. The College is still expecting to enter phase five as planned, on Oct. 1, with this revision.

 “Currently, COVID-19-related illnesses and exposures remain low on our campuses,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president said. “While we all know this could change quickly, our leadership team is hopeful the safety measures implemented, as well as our students and staff’s continued accountability for personal health and hygiene, will help these efforts.” 

While the College will remain closed to the general public, this change will not affect MPTC classes, events and activities. As this date gets closer, college leaderships will reevaluate the opening date following the health department’s metrics and guidelines. 

For up to date COVID-19 information, including the College’s full reopening plan, visit morainepark.edu/coronavirus.

**GREAT NEWS! Moraine Park was given the all clear on Monday afternoon. All Tuesday classes will run as scheduled!**

Earlier today—Monday, Sept.14— a gas leak was discovered on Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus. The area impacted, which was the Fond du Lac campus E wing, was immediately evacuated, and the College is working with the Fond du Lac Fire Department as well as contractors to repair the leak and decrease gas levels.  

To ensure the safety of our students and employees, E wing-scheduled classes at the Fond du Lac campus are canceled for the remainder of Monday, Sept. 14. This includes evening classes. Employees were appropriately relocated for the remainder of the workday. At this time, it is unknown how long crews will need to remedy the situation. However, there is no risk to those in the area or other parts of the Moraine Park campus. Classes outside of the E wing will continue run as scheduled. If you are on campus, please do your best to navigate around the area.  

Students should expect further communication from their instructors regarding location changes to classes on Tuesday, Sept. 15. 

Thank you for your understanding. 

In July, Moraine Park’s libraries will be staffed for appointments with students and staff to return and pick up materials or other tasks, such as purchasing a GED voucher or taking a typing test. Appointments are to take care of quick library business only, and at this time, the facilities remain closed to the public. Please see the limitations here.

Beaver Dam

Staffing will be limited due to construction.

Library staff will be available from 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on the following days:

• Wednesday, July 1
• Monday, July 6
• Wednesday, July 15
• Monday, July 20
• Wednesday, July 29
  

West Bend and Fond du Lac

Starting July 6, both libraries will be staffed from 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

For more information, visit morainepark.edu/library.

Moraine Park Technical College’s fall 2020 semester will begin, as scheduled, on Aug. 24, and end Dec. 18. As of now, the College is moving forward with a typical semester schedule. 

Fall classes will be offered in a variety of formats—face-to-face, blended (a mix of face-to-face and online), and online. Most program classes will continue to be offered in-person, while many general education classes will have both in-person and online options. The delivery format for all classes will be finalized by July 6. 

While a return to campus is a step toward regaining some normalcy, there will be some noticeable changes.  

• Face-to-face classes will have social distancing measures implemented. Classes typically offered online will remain on that platform.  
• Mask-wearing is strongly encouraged, but not required.  
• Cleaning protocols, as recommended by the CDC, have been enhanced.  
• Visitors on campus will be limited.   
• Virtual meetings and learning opportunities will be offered when possible.  
• Bookstore face-to-face operations will be open, with some restrictions.  
• Limited food service/catering and vending will resume Aug. 24, with restrictions.  
• Student activities and gatherings will be restricted to smaller groups. 

“The health and safety of the students and employees remain at the forefront and continues to drive the College’s decision making,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “Many accommodations have been put into place to help navigate a safe return for everyone. We look forward to welcoming students and staff back to campus this fall.”

The College is working its way through a phased-in reopening plan, which includes five phases. Currently, the College remains closed to the general public. Moraine Park will begin welcoming back limited staff throughout the summer to prepare for the fall 2020 semester. Details of the reopening plan can be found at morainepark.edu/coronavirus.  

For more information on Moraine Park, or to register for fall 2020, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College staff gathered on June 15 in small socially distant groups to assemble commencement boxes for the College’s 2020 graduates.

Earlier this year, Moraine Park announced the cancellation of their annual commencement ceremony and detailed the celebration from a distance, which included keepsake packages.

The packages include a cap and tassel, a commemorative commencement program, a diploma holder, Moraine Park memorabilia, and the opportunity to participate in MPTC’s virtual celebration.

Students can expect to receive their diplomas in the mail later this summer after all grades have been submitted, and the Registrar’s Office has done final degree audits/checks.

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

Moraine Park Technical College has developed a plan for a safe reopening of its facilities. In a communication to employees and students earlier this month, the College released its plan to reopen the College with a slow and phased-in approach. The plan, in its entirety, is dependent on directives from state and national authorities and the overall safety of the local community.

“Developing a fluid and phased reopening plan is necessary to ensuring overall safety,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park President, said. “This plan is a great foundation for a secure business reopening, and we are all looking forward to reuniting on our campuses again soon.”

The plan, which includes five phases, is expected to span the entire summer and into mid-fall. Phase one and two are being currently being implemented and focus on providing access to students and faculty needing to complete spring semester face-to-face courses. Thanks to the extensive planning by faculty and staff, all classes, including program and contract training, have made accommodations to complete the spring semester. The campus facilities will remain closed. However, Student Services will be open and accessible by appointment, and the schedule will be available on morainepark.edu. The bookstore reopened by appointment only starting on June 1. To make an appointment with the bookstore, visit morainepark.edu/bookstore.

Phase three is targeted for July and will allow for no more than 50 percent of Moraine Park employees to be on campus. The College will remain closed to the general public, and only individuals with college-related business will be allowed on any of the campuses. Services such as dining and library, and offerings on campuses will remain limited to mitigate gathering; social distancing accommodations will be made wherever possible; personal protective equipment will still be available and is strongly encouraged. Student Services and the Bookstore will remain accessible by appointment.

Phase four, which is targeted for August, will expand in-person operations. The College is hoping to resume to an operational state the week of Aug. 17. However, a variety of accommodations are being considered for both students and employees. Fall classes and programming will resume in the delivery format that makes the most sense. This information will be communicated closer to the start of the fall semester. Safety will remain a top priority, sanitation efforts will remain increased, social distancing should continue, and campus events and activities will be allowed but must adhere to local and state guidelines. Bookstore face-to-face operations will resume with restrictions.

Phase five, the planned final phase targeted for October, will reopen all of Moraine Park’s campuses to the public for events, rentals, community programming, on-site walking, and use of our services such as the library.

For additional details (and possible updates) to the phased-in plan, please visit moranepark.edu/coronavirus.