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. 14, at the Fond du Lac campus. Space is limited, and those interested in attending must pre-register at morainepark.edu/discover. 

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. 11, at 5 p.m. Registration is also required. 

For more information on Discover Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu/discover.

**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. 

Dear MPTC students and staff,

Today we want to share with you how MPTC has responded to the U.S. Department of Education’s new rules on investigating complaints of sexual assault and misconduct that take effect on August 14, 2020.

First and foremost, we remain committed to preventing sexual misconduct, supporting survivors and investigating complaints in a timely and fair manner that respects the due process rights of all involved. Sexual misconduct is completely unacceptable and can have a tremendous impact on students and employees who experience it, personally as well as academically and professionally. We respect the rights of those who experience sexual misconduct- to process the trauma in the way that is best for them and their healing and to choose to bring forward a report for formal resolution or to seek supportive measures and resources from the College and/or the larger community.

Fair process is a priority, as is repairing harm and facilitating healing and safety for all members of the community regardless of race, sex, gender identity/expression, age, ability, religion, socio-economic status, or the other qualities/identities that we value within a diverse community.

MPTC has created an Interim Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Grievance Procedure. To learn more about the Interim procedure, please click here. If you have questions about the process or wish to talk to someone about your options to report or seek support, please contact either Kim Schwamn or Paula Stettbacher.

We wish you a healthy and safe 2020-2021 school year and remind you that the Title IX Coordinators are here for you if needed.

Kim Schwamn and Paula Stettbacher, MPTC TIX Coordinators

Kim Schwamn kschwamn@morainepark.edu , 262. 335.5881 or Paula Stettbacher pstettbacher@morainepark.edu , 920.924.3232.

This year, over 800 Moraine Park Technical College students completed their college education and earned their Associate of Applied Science degree or Technical diploma. This semester introduced new challenges and opportunities for both students and staff as they adapted many changes, including a virtual learning environment and the cancelation of the 2020 commencement ceremony.

Recently, the College made accommodations for small, socially distant classes to temporarily resume and complete face-to-face labs and coursework. The hard work and patience by staff and students resulted in the ability for all spring semester classes, including contract training, to be completed.

“Our students’ ability to persevere and continue to work toward their college degree during such uncertain times is something that they should all be very proud of,” Baerwald said. “We are grateful for their tenacity and patience, and we are proud that they have stayed committed to their educational goals and the College. I have no doubts that our communities will be greatly influenced by their skills.”

Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, shared a personal message with the graduates in May that acknowledged their accomplishments, congratulated them on their graduation, and detailed how the College plans to help them celebrate from a distance. Additionally, she invited them to participate in the 2021 commencement ceremony.

For more information, 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.

As we see so often during difficult times, people always find ways to keep a light shining by helping others.

Such is the case at Moraine Park Technical College. With the coronavirus continuing its grip on local communities, our nation and the world, the College is doing what they can to help.

Nearly 37,000 healthcare and safety-related supplies, including N-95 masks; disposable gloves and gowns; surgical gowns, hats and shoe covers; face shields and more, were collected from each of the College’s campuses – Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac and West Bend – and have been donated to local healthcare facilities in those communities including Marshfield Medical Center (formerly Beaver Dam Community Hospital), Froedtert and SSM/St. Agnes.

The healthcare supplies came from several of the College’s more than 60-plus programs, including:  Associate Degree Nursing, Nursing Assistant, Respiratory Therapy, Surgical Technologist, EMS and Cosmetology.

The College is also loaning respirators SSM/St. Agnes according to Barb Jascor, Moraine Park’s dean of health and human services.

“In addition to the need for healthcare and safety supplies, we were also seeing an ever-increasing need for ventilators,” said Jascor. “We wanted to do what we could to help and it made sense to loan our ventilators in advance, as a precautionary measure, should the local need for ventilators surpass current capacity of our community health care partners.”

For COVID-19 updates at Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu/coronavirus.

Engaging with our communities is a Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC) priority. That was evidenced as the College honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the College’s inaugural MLK Week of Service Literacy Project.

Throughout the week of January 20-24, more than 70 Moraine Park employees spread the joy of reading to elementary school students. Some read culturally responsive books to classrooms and individual students at three elementary schools — Chegwin in Fond du Lac, Green Tree in West Bend and Jefferson in Beaver Dam. Others personalized MPTC bookmarks to distribute to the schools’ nearly 1,000 students. Additionally, each school received more than 150 culturally responsive books for their libraries, thanks to donations from MPTC and Kiwanis of Fabulous FDL. What a great week it was!

morainepark.edu

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

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

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.