Alex Prunty (left) awards Zach Prunty (right) with the 2018 Alex Prunty Racing scholarship.
Congratulations Zach Prunty, winner of Moraine Park Technical College’s Alex Prunty Racing $500 Scholarship!
Moraine Park Foundation receives a generous donation from National Exchange Bank Foundation. From left to right, Dana Bourland, director of college advancement at Moraine Park Technical College; Peter Stone, chairman of the board at National Exchange Bank & Trust; Adam Stone, senior vice president at National Exchange Bank & Trust; Bonnie Baerwald, president at Moraine Park Technical College.
The Moraine Park Foundation has received support from a long-time community partner, the National Exchange Bank Foundation, with a $50,000 contribution to benefit low and middle-income students.
Moraine Park Technical College hosted an open house for their new Energy Education Center, located at the Beaver Dam Campus, on Wednesday, May 9.
Attendees had the opportunity to view and tour the new Energy Education Center, learn about the new Gas Utility program, speak with Moraine Park representatives, and network with community peers.
The event included a brief program, where Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce and Moraine Park Technical College officials, as well as major donors for the project, participated in a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Recently, due to an aging workforce, the demand for gas utility technicians has grown much faster than the supply of skilled workers. Moraine Park Technical College, with help from generous donors, was able to find a solution, the Energy Education Center. Major donors include Alliant Energy, KS Energy Services, Madison Gas and Electric, Michels Corporation, We Energies, and Wisconsin Public Service.
“Michels has a long history of being a leading gas distribution contractor and employer, locally and throughout the country,” said Sean Nicholson, vice president of health, safety, and environment at Michels Corporation. “We are proud to be in a position to support programs that will teach the skills required of the next generation of gas utility technicians. This is important and much-needed work; safe and reliable gas distribution infrastructure is essential to everyday life.”
This fully functioning state-of-the-art gas utility lab will house the Gas Utility Technician program and will serve as a critical pipeline for skilled workers to companies in natural gas, utilities, gas contractors, and propane suppliers over the next decade.
“The Energy Education Center isn’t just another classroom. Inside is a fully functioning gas utility lab and outside is a hands-on Training Neighborhood,” said Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president. “Students in this program will work through real gas utility scenarios in the Training Neighborhood, have access to the latest technology, and undergo thorough training to get them ready for the field.”
Donors contributed a combined total of $325,000 to make the Energy Education Center and the Gas Utility Technician program a possibility.
“We are proud to support Moraine Park Technical College’s efforts to enhance training and skills development for students through the Energy Education Center,” said Vern Peterson, vice president of field operations for We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service. “It is vital for us to have a highly-trained workforce so that we can continue to provide safe and reliable energy to our customers. The addition of the Energy Education Center will help us meet this growing need for many years.”
Reuben Srinivasan, vice president of human resources at Alliant Energy, said “This new program will create the next generation of energy workers. We’re excited about our investment in these students, and we can’t wait to congratulate the first graduating class.”
The first cohort, starting this June, is at full capacity. This means that soon there will be skilled workers to fill the needs of the industry.
Information on the second cohort, set to begin June of 2019, will be available in fall 2018.
For more information on Moraine Park programs and service, visit morainepark.edu.
Don Charleston is the epitome of a Moraine Park success story. He came to the College in 1973 looking for more career opportunities and a better life. At the time, his family was living on his wife’s $4 per hour nursing wage.
Do you remember Hannah Koepp? She was featured in a foundation appeal video in 2016, as a scholarship recipient. You can view the video here.
Hannah’s family had been through some tough times after her mother was diagnosed with cancer, but she had big dreams for herself. The Moraine Park Foundation was able to help Hannah with a scholarship to help her start her schooling. At the time, Hannah was taking her general education courses with hopes of being accepted into the radiologic technologist program.
So, where is she today?
I caught up with the very excited, soon-to-be graduate at the Moraine Park Fond du Lac campus. After she passes her boards this July, she will officially be a radiologic technologist RT(r). She is eager to begin working in the field, to gain some more hands-on experience. She will be able to apply for jobs after graduation.
On May 19, Hannah will walk the Moraine Park stage and accept her diploma. But, she isn’t the only one in her family that is graduating.
“My sister Maddie is graduating from high school and my sister Zoe from middle school,” Koepp said. “It’s a milestone year for all of us.”
There is sure to be a fun Koepp family celebration this summer!
Hannah benefited from two scholarships through the Moraine Park Foundation. These scholarships are available thanks to contributions from generous community donors. And, students like Hannah are exactly who donors want to help, you will find her name on the most recent Dean’s list!
“I am so thankful,” said Koepp. “The scholarship money helped so much and allowed me to focus on my schooling.”
Congratulations Hannah on your upcoming graduation, we wish you success in your career!
For more information on scholarships or how you can help students like Hannah, visit morainepark.edu.
Moraine Park Technical College will be able to award 15 students with one-time scholarships thanks to the success of the 2017 Man of the Ledge event, which raised nearly $8,000.
The family-friendly competition, held in Eden, challenges participants in a series of lumberjack activities. One hundred percent of event proceeds support the Man of the Ledge Scholarship, established through the Moraine Park Foundation. This scholarship, which works to make education more accessible and affordable for students, focuses on engineering, manufacturing, and technology at Moraine Park.
“We started this event because we have a lot of fun doing it, ” said Tyler Oestreich, co-founder of Man of the Ledge. “It’s hard to beat spending a Saturday in October outside with great people, competing in out of the ordinary events, all while raising money for local tech education.”
Man of the Ledge 2018 is scheduled for Saturday, October 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on this event and how to help benefit the Man of the Ledge scholarship, please visit manoftheledge.com.
Individuals enrolling in engineering, manufacturing or technology for the 2018-2019 school year are eligible to apply for this scholarship. To be considered for a Foundation scholarship, students must have a Moraine Park Technical College cumulative or high school GPA of 2.75 or higher and enroll in a minimum of six credits per semester. Application deadline is April 15 for high school seniors and May 26 for all other applicants.
For more information on Moraine Park scholarships or to apply online, visit morainepark.edu/scholarships.
The Moraine Park Foundation’s Garden Party Gourmet Dinner is sure to be an evening to remember. Guests are invited to dress in their favorite floral or spring attire, and will be entertained by local talent, bid on great auction items, and try their luck at our popular wine cork pull and heads-or-tails 50-50 raffle.
The event, presented by the Moraine Park Culinary Arts program, will be held Friday, April 27, at the Fond du Lac campus. The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.
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Whether you’re looking forward to launching your career or you’re returning to school, receiving a Moraine Park Foundation scholarship is a significant relief to your pocketbook and a great accomplishment!
Foundation scholarships are funded by generous gifts from alumni, Moraine Park faculty and staff, businesses, service clubs, and friends of the College who believe in higher education and who are passionate about making Moraine Park Technical College affordable for students. Unlike some forms of financial aid, scholarships do not have to be repaid.
To be considered for a Foundation scholarship, you must:
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