Dr. Rose Ann Findlen, who hasserved as MATC provost for learning since January 2002, has been named acting president of the college. She also willcontinue in her role as provost.Findlen’s diverse management,teaching and academic back-ground provides her a unique per-spective as a college president.With a Ph.D. from theUniversity of New Mexico,Findlen has taught ESLandEnglish to students as diverse asofficers on U.S. military bases,teachers in Yugoslavia, NativeAmericans in government-spon-sored programs, business execu-tives at a private institute in Parisand grads and undergrads inMissouri and Louisiana. She hasheld staff positions in studentservices at several colleges andas an academic dean and chief operating officer at MATC.Her broad background in edu-cation is responsible for her deepappreciation of a gift she received

MATC

Madison AreaTechnicalCollege

For Alumni and Friends of Madison Area Technical College

WINTER 2003•2004

Whats inside...

New Alumni RelationsCoordinator

Scholarship MatchingChallenge

Alumni Profile:Mark Schmitz ’87

Alumni Updates

Program Profile:Electron Microscopy

Special Recognitions

Calendar of Events

Gift Form andPersonal Info Form

Dr. Rose Ann Findlen:

Building Bridges to the Future

continued on page 2 >

from colleagues soon after stepping into her newrole. The gift was a framed photograph of theBrooklyn Bridge by Walter Evans that now hangsin her office. Findlen says it’s a great representationof her philosophy and vision for the college.“The form and function of great architecturalworks are so melded, so harmonious, that they can-not be effectively separated. The design is elegantand suited to its environment; the engineering com- ponents ensure its functionality. What we need to dohere at MATC is to make sure the underpinnings arein place, so that our students, our community, canwalk across the bridge to the future. We must strivefor quality that will stand the test of time,” she says.“All the lines of the bridge in the photographseem to converge and that is what I want to seehappen here,” she says. “We have a lot of wonder-ful energy, some great initiatives and projects butsometimes we need a little more work to bringthem together, to create the leverage we need toget to the next level of excellence.”For example, a joint work team composed of college and high school leaders has developed amission and vision statement for the future of highschool/college interactions and partnering. Thisstatement creates a basic framework to guide theaction plan to be established in the spring semester and is strategically related to the college’scommitment to access and excellence.Another instance of this bridge-building activityis the college’s emphasis on using assessment prac-tices to enhance the institution’s quality. ExplainsFindlen, “Beginning with faculty and staff develop-ment sessions at the beginning of fall semester, weare committed to a year-long series of planning andlearning activities to enhance our knowledge andskill in using data and assessment techniques tomake decisions and improve processes.“We also are establishing basic systems to providestudents the information and guidance they need toachieve their academic goals. Our extensive studentsuccess project will result in assessment and place-ment of students into the appropriate level of math,reading and writing coursework, which will improvethe quality of student learning. It will also provide amore integrated and accessible approach to the many pathways students take at MATC to reach their goals.”For these and other initiatives, Findlen says,“Amaster planning design team and an economicdevelopment work team will forward recommenda-tions to create the systems and processesfor action planning and implementation at theinstitutional level. The architectural blueprintsthey provide will lead the way to MATC’sfuture development as a college. Together, allof MATC’s stakeholders—board members,community members, alumni, staff and studentswill be working with us to create the systemswe need to take us into the future.”

Rose Ann Findlen…

(continued from page 1)

The Madison Fire Department kicked off its annualOctober activities for National Fire Prevention Month by donating a fire engine to MATC. City of MadisonMayor Dave Cieslewicz and Fire Chief DebraAmesqua presented the gift to college officials.

Madison Fire DepartmentDonates Fire Engine toMATC Fire Programs

MATC has appoint-ed Sarah Fowles asannual giving andalumni relationscoordinator. Ms.Fowles will focuson increasing theMATC

Foundation’

s$1+ million annualgiving campaignand growing its alumni relations programs.Fowles’key objective will be to generate support for the MATC Foundation from alumni, cur-rent donors, MATC faculty and staff and other friends of the college. She also will play a role inhelping link the school’s market-driven learning programs with the business community by offer-ing companies and organizations the opportunity

MATC Appoints New Annual Givingand Alumni Relations Coordinator

to provide a wide array of scholarships, facilityenhancements and additional support.Fowles previously worked as developmentofficer for New York University, a privateresearch university located in New York City.She was also a development manager at the Lark Theatre Company in New York City, develop-ment assistant for the Madison Civic Center andcoordinator for Sunday Afternoon Live at theElvehjem at the Elvehjem Museum of Art inMadison, Wisconsin.Born in Germany and raised in the Midwest,Fowles earned her bachelor’s degree fromGrinnell College (IA) and master’s degree in business from the University of Wisconsin– Madison. She lives on Madison’s east sidewith her husband, Matthew Poulson.She can be contacted at 608-243-4334 andsfowles@matcmadison.edu.This year donors can double their impact atMATC by making a new or increased gift tothe MATC Foundation! On July 1, 2003, theFoundation Board announced a new initiative:All new or increased gifts designated for studentscholarships or the Forward Fund between July1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, will be matcheddollar for dollar.To date, the MATC Foundation has raisedover $25,000 towards this matching challenge.We need your support! Afull 100% of your giftto the MATC Foundation is tax-deductible and100% is used to directly support student scholar-ships and key learning initiatives. No portion of your gift is used for administrative expenses.Join hundreds of other generous donors who,last year alone, funded over 1,000 scholarshipsto deserving and needy students. Our goal for the 2004–2005 is to provide at least 100 morescholarships to students in critical programs, particularly those studying in the HealthOccupations division. The need for qualified personnel in the health industry is extreme;MATC is going to meet that need and we needyour support to help us.

Please note,if you contributed to a scholarshipaccount or the Forward Fund last year and increase your gift this year,the amount by which your gift increases will be matched by the Foundation.

MATC Foundation Board Announces$40,000 Scholarship Matching Challenge