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.
The 2019-20 school year saw Moraine Park establish and present its inaugural Employee Community Engagement Awards.
In all, seven employees were recognized, with recipients earning gold, silver and bronze awards. “The goal of community engagement at Moraine Park is to make an impact on and give back to our communities, and to build and grow partnerships within our communities,” said Judy Urben, communications manager for the College. “We were very pleased to be able to present this award to a solid group of employees in just our first year.”
11Steve Pepper, right, Community Engagement Cross Functional Team member, presents Bradley Mitchell, recruiter, with the Silver Award.
Amy Wiedmeyer, Disability Resources specialist, is presented the Silver Award by Community Engagement Cross Functional Team member Steve Pepper.
Award winners were announced in May 2020 with awards presented in fall. “Being engaged with your community is rewarding and a great way to give back,” said Brenda Raad, dean of General Studies, who received the Gold Award. “I appreciate working for an employer that encourages community engagement. My service has given me the opportunity to grow as a leader and has served as the impetus for many mutual collaborations between MPTC, the YMCA, Froedtert Health, and the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets.”
The following MPTC employees received awards at the designated levels based on hours earned from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019:
Gold – 100-199 Hours: Brenda Raad, Dean of General Studies
Silver – 50-99 Hours: Bradley Mitchell, Recruiter; Anne Lemke, Student Community Impact Coordinator; Amy Wiedmeyer, Disability Resources Specialist
Bronze – 25-49 Hours: Donna Freund, Payroll Manager; Kim Spartz, Admin Assistant, Health & Human Services; Rachel Tease, Basic Ed Instructor.
Feature photo caption: MPTC employees were awarded for their 2019 Employee Community Engagement efforts. Pictured left to right are Steve Pepper, Community Engagement cross functional team member and award presenter; Kim Spartz, Admin Assistant, Health & Human Services, Bronze; Anne Lemke, Student Community Impact Coordinator, Silver; Donna Freund, Payroll Manager, Bronze; Brenda Raad, Dean of General Studies, Gold.
Moraine Park Technical College awarded its first business and industry partnership awards, recognizing valued partners of 2019. The College’s Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) team has implemented five separate partnership awards to be presented each fiscal year; Excellence in Partnership, Employer of the Year, Innovation, New Partner of the Year, and Workforce Development Champion.
The Excellence in Partnership award is given to an organization involved in several areas of the college including advisory committees, Foundation donations, TechConnect, EWD contracts, and boot camp internships. The 2019 award recipient is Mayville Engineering Co. (MEC). As a longtime partner, MEC has supported its employees serving on Moraine Park advisory committees; welding fabrication, IT applications developer, and mechanical design technology. Their generous contributions to the Promise program were vital in meeting fundraising goals, ultimately helping fund tuition for students who otherwise couldn’t afford it. MEC has been utilizing TechConnect and partnering with EWD both in contracted services and as a boot camp internship site for several years. All of these reasons, and more, earned them the inaugural Excellence in Partnership award. The College presented the award to MEC representatives Alex Crimmings, Charles Francis, and Kevin Smith, during a small, private gathering.
The Employer of the Year award is given to an employer who has made a significant investment in their staff through a partnership with Moraine Park Technical College. The 2019 award recipient is Mercury Marine, for being a valued and consistent partner with Moraine Park. Mercury Marine has partnered with the College to launch the following development programs: Basic Shop Math, CNC Machining Fundamentals, CNC Machining Level 2, Core Skills, Forklift Train the Trainer, Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, Inspire Supervisor Series, Intro to Engine Fundamentals, Nims Review, and Dealer Training. The College presented the award virtually to Andres Gonzalez, vice president of human resources at Mercury Marine.
The Innovation Award is given to an organization that implemented an innovative solution to a workforce challenge. The 2019 award recipient is Bike Friendly West Bend, for their work and collaboration that surrounded the implementation of bike racks around the city of West Bend. The racks were created by students in the mechanical design and welding programs at Moraine Park. As a result of this project, the students gained valuable real-life experience and earned service learning hours. As well, the City of West Bend was positively impacted and can move forward in their bike-friendly efforts. The College recognized Bike Friendly West Bend and representatives Andrew Schumacher and Jeff Puetz with a virtual recognition.
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. The 2019 award recipient is Envision Greater Fond du Lac for their collaboration and engagement in the development and delivery of the new Leading Through People and Processes (LPP) program. Envision began working with Moraine Park in the winter of 2018 to create an innovative approach to leadership development within the Fond du Lac community. Their existing program had been in direct competition with the College’s offerings, and the goal was to show the community the value of collaboration and partnership while creating a new best practice opportunity. The Leading Through People and Processes (LPP) program, launched in summer 2019, was the first training program developed and delivered collaboratively with Moraine Park. The College presented the award to Envision Fond du Lac representatives Holly Brenner, Allen Buechel, James Cleveland, Sadie Parafiniuk, and Paul Reetz at a small, private gathering.
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 impacted workforce issues around recruitment, training, and career development. The 2019 award recipient is Harley Lemkuil from Specialty Cheese. Specialty Cheese Inc. first partnered with Moraine Park, as a boot camp internship site, in 2019. Since then, under the leadership of Lemkuil, they have created additional partnerships with the College including machining onsite training and participation in the EWD’s podcast. Lemkuil is always looking for ways to help provide resources to improve the lives of employees including a rideshare program, training in Spanish and English, and child care services. Additionally, Lemkuil is exploring having onsite English Language Learner (ELL) classes. The College recognized Harley in a virtual setting.
For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.
*In person photos were taken prior to the statewide mandate.*
Moraine Park Technical College staff members, Michelle Duran and Bonnie Baerwald, were honored for their contributions to technical education during the Wisconsin Association for Career and Technical Education’s (WACTE) annual conference held in Madison.
Moraine Park sent students from the CNC/Tool & Die club and the Electricity club to the State Skills USA competition in late April. The CNC/Tool & Die students competed as a team in the Automated Manufacturing Technology category while the Electricity students competed as individuals in the Industrial Motor Control or Residential Wiring categories.
Moraine Park had students take all 3 top spots in Industrial Motor Control. Zach Heberer placed 1st, Jacob Stamm placed 2nd and Ramon Cruz-Nagera placed third. Continue reading
Several students were recognized for their contributions to MPTC and the Student Nurse’s Association on the West Bend campus at the annual awards banquet. Receiving awards were Joey Jaeger, Jessica Corbett, Jessica Bach, Ashland Morecki, Emily Ewe, Nicki Stavrakis, Kristine Gould, Melissa Meyer and Erica Breitenstein.
To learn more about our nursing program and other career options, visit morainepark.edu/programs.
The Moraine Park Association for Career and Technical Education (MPACTE) honored six individuals for their dedication and professional excellence at Moraine Park Technical College during its annual awards banquet Feb. 23.
This year’s banquet was held at the College’s Fond du Lac campus. So, who took home awards? Continue reading
What gives TRIO students an “EDGE”? And what is TRIO?
TRIO is a group of programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education to assist low-income and first-generation students through their educational career. The EDGE at Moraine Park Technical College is one of the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) programs that serves 140 MPTC students. Continue reading
We are MPACTE! The mission of MPACTE (Moraine Park Association for Career & Technical Education) is to provide leadership for the promotion and enhancement of high quality career and technical education, at all levels, in a diverse and changing economic, social and technical environment. Continue reading
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