From September 12 – 23, 2019, Moraine Park hosted 14 students and 2 instructors from the Peter Behrens Schule in Darmstadt, Germany.

This was a wonderful cultural opportunity for German and Wisconsin students, staff and volunteers to learn and have fun together! German students were hosted by MPTC families or stayed at the VUE Campus apartments. The students and instructors experienced a whirlwind of WI culture including Lambeau Field Tour, Lake Winnebago Tour, Just Fare Market, Harley Museum, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Bucks, WI Badgers, farmers markets, WI Dells, Trek Bike races, Culvers, Friday fish fries, WI supper clubs and more! Students also attended MPTC classes related to their fields of study at both Fond du Lac and West Bend Campuses.

A big thank you to our Culinary Instructor James Simmers for hosting this awesome opportunity, and all of our volunteers, Rachel Tease, Eric Ludwig, Heidi Sternig, Kevin Rodriquez, David Mulder, Kevin Niedfeldt, Jill Stiemsma, Bobbi Fields, Tina Cordell, Lisa Dougherty, Jim Daniels, Melissa Schmidt and Chris Frederick; and also to Tinesha Smith at the VUE for helping make this a tremendous experience for all!

Are you looking to jump-start your education and career?

If so, Moraine Park has a great opportunity for you!

232 years ago, on September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States of America was signed by the founding fathers.

Trivia: How many men signed the constitution?

If you guessed 39, you guessed correct. At the time, 12 of the 13 states sent representatives to the Constitutional Convention. A total of 74 were named, 55 attended, 39 signed.

This day not only recognizes the formation and signing, but also all who are born in the U.S. or by naturalization, have become citizens.

Who were the 39 signatures?

• Baldwin, Abraham, GA
• Bassett, Richard, DE
• Bedford, Gunning, Jr., DE
• Blair, John, VA
• Blount, William, NC
• Brearley, David, NJ
• Broom, Jacob, DE
• Butler, Pierce, SC
• Carroll, Daniel, MD
• Clymer, George, PA
• Dayton, Jonathan, NJ
• Dickinson, John, DE
• Few, William, GA
• Fitzsimons, Thomas, PA
• Franklin, Benjamin, PA
• Gilman, Nicholas, NH
• Gorham, Nathaniel, MA
• Hamilton, Alexander, NY
• Ingersoll, Jared, PA
• Jefferson, Thomas, VA
• Jenifer, Daniel St Thomas, MD
• Johnson, William Samuel, CT
• King, Rufus, MA
• Langdon, John, NH
• Livingston, William, NJ
• Madison, James, VA
• McHenry, James, MD
• Mifflin, Thomas, PA
• Morris, Gouverneur, PA
• Morris, Robert, PA
• Paterson, William, NJ
• Pinckney, C. Cotesworth, SC
• Pinckney, Charles, SC
• Read, George, DE
• Rutledge, John, SC
• Sherman, Roger, CT
• Spaight, Richard Dobbs, NC
• Washington, George, VA
• Williamson, Hugh, NCWilson, James, PA

Happy Constitution Day!

Learn more at https://www.constitutionday.com/

Moraine Park Technical College will host their Heavy Metal Tours event during October’s manufacturing month. This free event offers participants a behind-the-scenes opportunity to tour local manufacturing facilities and learn more about the skills needed to fill current employment gaps.

The events will run from 4:30-8:00 p.m. Participants will meet at the Fond du Lac campus, and after a brief introduction, they will be bussed to the Heavy Metal Tour event locations.

Tours will take place at the following Fond du Lac area manufacturers. A light meal will be served.

• Wednesday, October 2, Kondex Corporation
• Thursday, October 10, Fives Group and RB Royal Industries, Inc.
• Wednesday, October 16, Wells Manufacturing Corporation and Mid-States Aluminum Corp.
• Wednesday, October 23, BCI Burke Co. and Mercury Marine

“The manufacturing world is changing,” Marcia Arndt associate dean of manufacturing at Moraine Park said. “This is a fun opportunity to highlight our local partners, the advancing technology, and the overall changes within the industry. 

Space is limited for this unique opportunity, and registration is required. Interested individuals are invited to participate in all four weeks, or they may choose their preferred date(s). For more information, or to register, visit morainepark.edu/heavymetal or call (262) 306-5321.

Growing up in a small town, going to the county fair was something my friends and I always looked forward to! It was the place nearly everyone from the community gathered to check out a child, friend or neighbor’s 4-H project, listened to music or visited the barns to see animals.  

This year, Moraine Park was proud to be a fair sponsor at three of the counties that make up the MPTC District. Moraine Park Day at the Washington County Fair was a lot of fun and gave us a chance to engage with young and old alike. Visitors were able to spin the Diversity Wheel for prizes, (Did you know more than 22 different languages are spoken at our three campuses?), talk to our Veterans Specialist, try their skills on our virtual welder, play a game of bags or share a high five with MPTC mascot, Maximus!  

We were thrilled that Alex Prunty, 2018 Slinger Speedway Super Late Model Champion, and MPTC alumnus, hung out with us for the day with his #11 race car. Visitors were able get Alex’s autograph, collect some APR swag and even get inside his car! Alex was a big hit!  

We also were pleased to sponsor the tractor and demo derby at the Green Lake County Free Fair and the Pig, Duck and Goat races at one of three Family Stages at the Dodge County Fair. That’s the best thing about a county fair – there’s fun for everyone! If you were at any of these three fairs, I hope you were able to stop by our booth and say hello, or enjoy the great entertainment these community events have to offer. We were glad to be able to be a part of it!

Sometimes where you start, isn’t where you are destined to end up, and Catherine Holmes of Fond du Lac knows that first-hand.

Her educational journey began after she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and started her career working with special needs children. She left the workforce for a short time when she relocated to Fond du Lac and began raising her family. Catherine then joined the team at Agnesian HealthCare in Fond du Lac, where she has been an employee for over 10-years. It was there that she was introduced to the business analyst career field, a high demand job that is considered one of the best-kept career secrets.

The beauty of this career path is that it wears many hats. In fact, you may have never actually seen the job title of business analyst. However, jobs like project manager, business systems analyst, functional analyst, process analyst, market research analyst, or management consultant, are all actually business analysts.

Catherine enrolled in Moraine Park’s business analyst program in August of 2017 and was hired as a business analyst for Agnesian prior to graduating.

“I love that no two days are the same,” Catherine said. “We call ourselves the engineers of change, but my role is to reevaluate processes and offer guidance.”

More specifically, she is helping to navigate a change in computer systems by holding conversations and being the liaison between her employer and the computer system company.

One of the best parts of this career path is that it is considered in high demand by many industries, including healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, finance, and retail. Employers throughout the United States will need 861,400 analysts by 2024. That is a growth of 14% compared to all occupations at 6.5% growth. In Wisconsin, employers will need 13,151 analysts by 2024, and the median annual wage is $71,230 for an experienced analyst. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

Today, Catherine is a college graduate, with goals to continue her educational journey.

“I highly recommend this career field,” she said. “My instructor, JoAnn, was supportive and flexible, and set me up for success in the field.”

morainepark.edu

Congratulations to the winners of our Spring 2019 Next magazine trivia contest!

• Tom Otte, Family 4 Pack of Field Level Tickets to a Brewer game, donated by Magnum Radio (WMBZ)
• Heidi Christensen, 2 Brewer tickets, donated by WBEV/WXRO
• Sandy Schmitz, 2 tickets to Dock Spiders Baseball, donated by KFIZ/WFON
• Jane Best, 2 Brewer tickets , donated by AFFIRM
• Diane Simon, Fond du Lac DockSpiders Prize Package, donated by DockSpiders
• Joan Mayer, 4 tickets to the Washington County Fair, July 23-28, donated by the Washington County Fair Park & Conference Center

CORRECT ANSWERS ARE:

• What program is Janine Williams enrolled in? Substance Abuse Counseling
• What award did Renee receive? Newman Civic Fellow
• Who are the paramedic instructors? Drew Novak and Andy Baus
• What program is Isaac enrolled in? CNC Tool & Die
• What community outreach organization is utilizing Beaver Dam’s Energy Education Center? Second Harvest Food Bank
• Who is the 2019 Student of the Year? Ashley Martin

Stay tuned for the Fall/Winter 2019 NEXT magazine, set to release in November 2019.

“I started this college adventure at a more advanced stage in my life than I ever thought I might. I came back to Moraine Park Technical College in search of getting 60 college credits for a promotion at work. I received that promotion, so now that I am into the educational process once again, I am continuing on for myself and finally earning a college degree. As a nontraditional student in the Criminal Justice program, I am looking at the educational process through different eyes than a lot of students. While there are many students in the college setting that are nontraditional, a great deal of them are following a career change and not searching for a degree in the field that they are currently employed in. Moraine Park Technical college has made me feel at ease through this adventure. I have been welcomed into the college atmosphere by staff and students as well.

The Think Critically and Creatively class offered through the college and the instructor Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss is another area where I feel welcomed in class each week. While over the years working in corrections, and as an EMT/Firefighter I have had to think outside the box.  I never really took into consideration that thinking critically and creatively was a learned process. I always took it as common sense. Dr.  Leichtfuss and the way she has her class designed has taught me that I can still improve daily on the thinking process – that thinking critically and creatively is a growth process that we should strive to improve on throughout our lives regardless of our career status or education.

I am looking to wrap up my degree after the Fall semester of 2019. While it has been a journey, I am glad I undertook the personal challenge of pursuing my degree. Taking the Think Critically and Creatively class is turning out to be an asset. I wish I would have registered for the class a little earlier on in my college career. I am sure that it would have assisted me in juggling work and school with a little less stress and a more open mind. I am appreciative of what Dr. Leichtfuss has taught me, and I can see myself improving in my thinking skills from here on out.”

Written by:  Bruce Harned

Greek poet Archilochus stated, “the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”

Let me elaborate on this parable as it relates to a Moraine Park Technical College education, career, learning and life.

It is impossible to know everything, so most of us find an area of interest and become very good at one thing. Perhaps, as a plumber, electrician, nurse, accountant, cosmetologist, etc.

We are a hedgehog, a singular point of expertise and discipline. The hedgehog specializes in areas that they enjoy and produce value for others and makes a living for self and family and it spills over into the community. The skills of a hedgehog are focus, precision, reliability, tenacity, purpose, and completion. Hedgehogs take pride in their work. Technical College education offers this focus.

What value does the fox offer? The fox knows many things that may be connected or not. Curiosity is a favorite trait of the fox. Always looking for new ways to find solutions to complex issues, figuring out problems that did not exist before, taking a different point of view than the majority, questioning why and how things can be improved. The fox knows how to communicate well with others, understands trade-offs, values diversity of thought and ideas, works with uncertainty when things change, knows that ethical dilemmas exist, adopts and values team dynamics, can make computations and thinks critically. These skills are for careers, life and relationships. Thus, the need for the General Education courses offered at a technical college.

The primary focus and credits earned at a technical college education is a major or trade and becoming great at one thing, hedgehog, but the fox knows how to continue to learn, self-improve and contribute to a complex and changing society with General Education skills.

Both expertise is needed for tomorrow’s opportunities and challenges. Read more about General Education and the different programs offered at Moraine Park.