MATC South Madison Campus
Campus coming of age
Campus coming of age
MATC staffers Lajai Coleman (l-r), Valentina Ahedo, Michael
Lozano, Nidia Villatoro Hundley, Claudia Mikkelson, Corina
Diaz-Suazo.
Lozano, Nidia Villatoro Hundley, Claudia Mikkelson, Corina
Diaz-Suazo.
By Jonathan Gramling
While Madison Area Technical College (MATC) has had a presence in South Madison
for many years, it has always been in a satellite capacity beginning with the classroom
space that was built as a part of the Madison Labor Temple on South Park Street and
offering some classes in the facilities of local non-profits. In 2002, the MATC presence
moved to the Village Mall as a part of the Campus Community Partnership with UW-
Madison, UW-Extension and Edgewood College. Its facilities were makeshift, in a way,
always fit into what was available in the existing structural space.
Now that the city of Madison has purchased the Villager Mall and has begun to
redevelop the complex beginning with the central Atrium area that housed MATC, MATC
has been holding classes in the basement in temporary facilities that had been prepared
for it. Starting in the middle of August, MATC will occupy its new permanent home when
the first stage of the Atrium redevelopment is completed.
“The South Madison campus is alive and well during construction,” proclaimed
Valentina Ahedo during an MATC open house held June 27. “We are undergoing a
transformation. But we are definitely here and definitely offering services. We're offering
While Madison Area Technical College (MATC) has had a presence in South Madison
for many years, it has always been in a satellite capacity beginning with the classroom
space that was built as a part of the Madison Labor Temple on South Park Street and
offering some classes in the facilities of local non-profits. In 2002, the MATC presence
moved to the Village Mall as a part of the Campus Community Partnership with UW-
Madison, UW-Extension and Edgewood College. Its facilities were makeshift, in a way,
always fit into what was available in the existing structural space.
Now that the city of Madison has purchased the Villager Mall and has begun to
redevelop the complex beginning with the central Atrium area that housed MATC, MATC
has been holding classes in the basement in temporary facilities that had been prepared
for it. Starting in the middle of August, MATC will occupy its new permanent home when
the first stage of the Atrium redevelopment is completed.
“The South Madison campus is alive and well during construction,” proclaimed
Valentina Ahedo during an MATC open house held June 27. “We are undergoing a
transformation. But we are definitely here and definitely offering services. We're offering
computer courses — both credit and non-credit. We have a couple of Microsoft Office certificates. If people want to hone their skills in computer
technology, now is a good time to do it. We’ve got child care courses going on for both certification and licensing for the state. They learn what the
state requires for women who provide care in their homes or work in a center. Plus we offer pre-school credentialing, which career ladders into our
two-year associate degree program. We have all of our ESL and GED high school completion classes going on. We are in full swing. It’s just that we’
re in full swing on a couple of different floors.”
As a community college, the South Madison campus has adopted to the needs and schedules of the people of South Madison. As a result, the
center’s class offerings have grown with the rising demand for classes and is open seven days per week with classes being held on Sunday
afternoons. “Believe it or not, we’re very busy,” Ahedo said. “People, for whatever reason, are able to put their family responsibilities aside for a little
bit and so they take classes. We’ve been so busy on Sundays, it’s been crazy.”
The new facilities reflect MATC’s growing commitment to having a permanent presence in South Madison. While before it was a satellite
presence, it is now becoming a regional campus akin to the MATC campuses in Fort Atkinson and Reedsburg. And with that status comes student and
financial services that South Madison students would have to go to the Truax office to receive.
“We’re going to start offering bursuring out here, which means students can come here and make payments,” Ahedo said. “That has been a
barrier for many of our students. We’ll have counseling and advising and career resources. People will be able to take the COMPASS test on site on
Friday and Sunday afternoons. COMPASS is a placement test for any of our courses that give credits for degrees such as college transfer, automotive
technician and most of the 144 fields we offer have COMPASS requirements. COMPASS is akin to the ACT. We’ll be able to do that here.”
The South Madison campus is also going to become more integrated into the MATC system instead of being an appendage to it. “We’re going to a
new telephone system,” Ahedo said. “In the past, we’ve been kind of hanging out here on our own. This new phone system is going to bring us
together with the campus. So we are going to get new phone numbers. We’ll publish those when they become available. It means that we’ll be
internal to the college. We will be just so more connected.”
MATC will have enough space to be able to offer 12 classes. But as a member of Campus Community Partnerships, MATC is committed to
sharing space with its partners. “We provide space for our partners and they let us use their space,” Ahedo said. “There are times when we will have
as many as 15 classes going on at once and we need to use other people’s space.”
With the plans to expand the programming at the South Madison site, MATC will need all of the space it can get. “We’ll be expanding our classes
particularly in the healthcare area,” Ahedo said. “As you know, Park Street is the healthcare corridor. So we are really going to try to offer
programming that supports those initiatives down Park Street. We will have medical technician, dental assistant and nursing assistant. We’ll be
doing a nursing assistant in the fall and a bilingual one in the spring. We’ll be expanding that type of training that meets the needs of area businesses.”
And the most exciting addition will be the latest in distance-learning technology that will be housed at the campus. “We’re going to be receiving what
is called the tele-present technology,” Ahedo emphasized. “We’ll have a large video screen where you almost feel you are in the room with the
instructor. You aren’t even aware that you are in a totally separate area that could be 100 miles away. You can see and hear everything. If you’ve
ever taken an IT television class, it blows that technology away. Each of our campuses will be outfitted with one of these. It really connects people
much more vividly, closely and intimately over distance spaces.”
Ahedo encourages people to begin enrolling now for the fall semester which begins in late August. “There are many different ways to register,
Ahedo said. “They can come in here and talk to a person if they need to. That’s also available at the Truax and downtown campuses. If you’ve
registered with MATC before, you can register on-line. You have a student account and you can go in and access that. Or you can register by phone.
When you call into our phone registration, which is 246-6240, you do have to have that five-digit class number. You have to have that information in
hand.”
When MATC’s new facilities open in mid-August, when you walk through the door, you will know you are at an MATC campus with contiguous
office and classroom space. MATC has finally found a permanent home in South Madison.
For more information about South Madison campus offerings, visit MATC’s website at www.matcmadison.edu/offerings and scroll down to the South
Madison campus. People can also call Claudia Mikkelson the daytime office manager of the South Madison campus at 255-0426. After 5 p.m., people
can speak with Corina Diaz-Suazo.
technology, now is a good time to do it. We’ve got child care courses going on for both certification and licensing for the state. They learn what the
state requires for women who provide care in their homes or work in a center. Plus we offer pre-school credentialing, which career ladders into our
two-year associate degree program. We have all of our ESL and GED high school completion classes going on. We are in full swing. It’s just that we’
re in full swing on a couple of different floors.”
As a community college, the South Madison campus has adopted to the needs and schedules of the people of South Madison. As a result, the
center’s class offerings have grown with the rising demand for classes and is open seven days per week with classes being held on Sunday
afternoons. “Believe it or not, we’re very busy,” Ahedo said. “People, for whatever reason, are able to put their family responsibilities aside for a little
bit and so they take classes. We’ve been so busy on Sundays, it’s been crazy.”
The new facilities reflect MATC’s growing commitment to having a permanent presence in South Madison. While before it was a satellite
presence, it is now becoming a regional campus akin to the MATC campuses in Fort Atkinson and Reedsburg. And with that status comes student and
financial services that South Madison students would have to go to the Truax office to receive.
“We’re going to start offering bursuring out here, which means students can come here and make payments,” Ahedo said. “That has been a
barrier for many of our students. We’ll have counseling and advising and career resources. People will be able to take the COMPASS test on site on
Friday and Sunday afternoons. COMPASS is a placement test for any of our courses that give credits for degrees such as college transfer, automotive
technician and most of the 144 fields we offer have COMPASS requirements. COMPASS is akin to the ACT. We’ll be able to do that here.”
The South Madison campus is also going to become more integrated into the MATC system instead of being an appendage to it. “We’re going to a
new telephone system,” Ahedo said. “In the past, we’ve been kind of hanging out here on our own. This new phone system is going to bring us
together with the campus. So we are going to get new phone numbers. We’ll publish those when they become available. It means that we’ll be
internal to the college. We will be just so more connected.”
MATC will have enough space to be able to offer 12 classes. But as a member of Campus Community Partnerships, MATC is committed to
sharing space with its partners. “We provide space for our partners and they let us use their space,” Ahedo said. “There are times when we will have
as many as 15 classes going on at once and we need to use other people’s space.”
With the plans to expand the programming at the South Madison site, MATC will need all of the space it can get. “We’ll be expanding our classes
particularly in the healthcare area,” Ahedo said. “As you know, Park Street is the healthcare corridor. So we are really going to try to offer
programming that supports those initiatives down Park Street. We will have medical technician, dental assistant and nursing assistant. We’ll be
doing a nursing assistant in the fall and a bilingual one in the spring. We’ll be expanding that type of training that meets the needs of area businesses.”
And the most exciting addition will be the latest in distance-learning technology that will be housed at the campus. “We’re going to be receiving what
is called the tele-present technology,” Ahedo emphasized. “We’ll have a large video screen where you almost feel you are in the room with the
instructor. You aren’t even aware that you are in a totally separate area that could be 100 miles away. You can see and hear everything. If you’ve
ever taken an IT television class, it blows that technology away. Each of our campuses will be outfitted with one of these. It really connects people
much more vividly, closely and intimately over distance spaces.”
Ahedo encourages people to begin enrolling now for the fall semester which begins in late August. “There are many different ways to register,
Ahedo said. “They can come in here and talk to a person if they need to. That’s also available at the Truax and downtown campuses. If you’ve
registered with MATC before, you can register on-line. You have a student account and you can go in and access that. Or you can register by phone.
When you call into our phone registration, which is 246-6240, you do have to have that five-digit class number. You have to have that information in
hand.”
When MATC’s new facilities open in mid-August, when you walk through the door, you will know you are at an MATC campus with contiguous
office and classroom space. MATC has finally found a permanent home in South Madison.
For more information about South Madison campus offerings, visit MATC’s website at www.matcmadison.edu/offerings and scroll down to the South
Madison campus. People can also call Claudia Mikkelson the daytime office manager of the South Madison campus at 255-0426. After 5 p.m., people
can speak with Corina Diaz-Suazo.