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WISCONSIN RAPIDS – During the Mid-State Technical College (MSTC) monthly board meeting, held Monday evening, board members heard a conceptual plan to develop approximately 55 acres of land on the Wisconsin Rapids campus into a Technology Park that would accommodate ten businesses. According to Dr. John Clark, MSTC President, the Technology Park would be located east of the current campus building locations. “This development would provide an area for targeted new businesses to locate and partner with the college to increase the number of high skill and high wage jobs in central Wisconsin.” Dr. Clark shared a drawing and discussed additional elements of the Technology Park concept. “This is a very bold step with great possibilities. We would make these properties available to select industries that are environmentally friendly, energy efficient, high tech and with occupations that correspond to our programs of study.” Dr. Clark said the college will move forward with the Technology Park proposal over the next few months.
In other news…
The Board learned that the college received final approval from the Wisconsin Technical College System Board to offer a new associate degree program at the Marshfield campus beginning in August. According to Dr. Sue Budjac, Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Laboratory Science Technician program will prepare students to provide laboratory support to the environmental, food processing and agriculture industries. Students will learn to conduct or assist in laboratory analysis of food, water, fuel, soil, drugs and other elements. “Graduates will have a strong basis in scientific principles, quality methodology and process management skills. In addition, the curriculum includes terminology, concepts and techniques used in analytical, research, quality control and processing laboratories,” said Dr. Budjac. She added that graduates from the Laboratory Science Technician program will be certified in HACCP (Hazardous Analysis and Critical Control Point) and be prepared for Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
MSTC is accredited by the North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission, through
the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). Under AQIP, colleges maintain accreditation by building a culture of continuous improvement. MSTC was accepted into the AQIP process in 2002. One of the central requirements of AQIP is the development of a systems portfolio, a 100-page document that summarizes the college's continuous improvement philosophy and practices. MSTC's portfolio was recently reviewed by a group of systems appraisers. Kenneth Urban, Director of College Development, provided a summary of the appraisers’ review. “The appraisal team identified general strategic issues at the college with the primary theme being our need to establish a more systematic process for continuous improvement. This includes using data to drive decisions in a more systematic approach and enhancing our communications about the continuous improvement process.” Urban said over the next few years MSTC will concentrate on two of the nine categories in the systems portfolio: category one is Helping Students Learn and category seven is Measuring Effectiveness.
Career Services and Campus Support Manager Kate Kaz presented data from the Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) annual report, Wisconsin Jobs 2007. Kaz outlined the top occupations with above average wages in Wisconsin, the number of jobs available in those occupations, the education or training needed and what the best job prospects will be through 2007. Kaz also provided information from the college’s job posting system, TechConnect. “MSTC has a tradition of providing qualified graduates to employers. Each year, MSTC graduates over 500 skilled employment candidates and TechConnect is a great way for those graduates to access an extensive job posting database.” “TechConnect is a collaborative effort among the 16 Wisconsin technical colleges where students can review the jobs posted specifically to MSTC, or they can broaden their search to view other technical college postings,” said Kaz.
The next Mid-State Technical College Board of Directors meeting will be held Monday, March 19, at the Wisconsin Rapids campus. Committee meetings are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m., with the regular board meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. To learn more about MSTC programs and services, please call 888.575.6782 or visit the college’s website at mstc.edu.
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