Skills, career and community

Skills, career and community embody the core of what Gateway stands for – and what we hope to continue through a renovation and expansion proposal. The Gateway board of trustees, at their January meeting, voted to take the proposal to a public vote through a referendum in the April election.

Through the proposal, we are looking at our future, making sure we are positioned to meet the future needs of our students, communities and businesses. The referendum proposal calls for improvements at all three of our campuses, in Kenosha, Elkhorn and Racine and the creation of a new Public Safety Training Center in the central part of our District.

The Elkhorn Campus proposal calls for adding programs new to the Campus in Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, and  and Computer Numerical Control; a new program to Gateway -Veterinary Technology;  as well as expanding labs and capacity for the manufacturing programs of Welding and Automated Manufacturing.

On the Kenosha Campus there is a need to improve and expand student support services to better meet the needs of students as they enroll in courses, seek career guidance, financial aid advice and engage in tutoring, testing and other tailored learning services. The proposal would create a remodeled Student Services Center and Learning Success Center and would also house an expanded bookstore.  

On the academic side, In Kenosha, an area would be remodeled for a new Interior Design lab and Barbering classrooms. We also would add a new Fresh Water Resources lab on our Racine Campus.

Supporting a safe community is at the core of our proposed Public Safety Training Center in the center of our district. A new facility would allow us to offer expanded and state-of-the-art training to students and professionals.

Skills, community and careers, for today – and into the future. That’s at the core of this $49 Million proposal, with a taxpayer impact of $9.73 per year, per $100,000 home. 

Gateway to hold grand opening
of workforce training center

Gateway Technical College will hold a grand opening ceremony of the newest workforce training facility, the SC Johnson integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology (iMET) center, 11:30 a.m. Feb. 12 at the center, 2320 Renaissance Blvd., Sturtevant.
 
Gateway invites you to attend the ceremony as well as concurrent sessions in the hour before the opening geared to manufacturers.
 
Speakers include Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO, SC Johnson; Brent Weil, National Association for Manufacturing; Tom Still, president, Wisconsin Technology Council; Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker; and Gateway President Bryan Albrecht. The center is a 15,000-square-foot addition to an existing Gateway building in the Renaissance Business Park, which will be a regional workforce training center aimed at addressing skilled worker shortage experienced by manufacturers today.
 
National experts will be on hand giving seminars on relevant topics for local manufacturers and demonstrations will be provided in the center prior to the ceremony, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Visitors can experience Tarnowski Hall, the region’s first flexible manufacturing training lab that includes computer numerical control machining, welding, metal fabrication, automated manufacturing systems and industrial robotics. Demonstrations will also be given at Gateway’s first Fab Lab, which focuses on industrial design and rapid prototyping.

Gateway, UW-Parkside partner
in dual admission effort

Gateway Technical College and UW-Parkside have partnered to offer dual admission for qualifying students in the 1-plus-3 General Studies certificate program beginning in the Spring 2013 semester.
 
Students pursuing the certificate would register at Gateway but also be dually enrolled at UW-Parkside – even receive a student Ranger card – and take General Education courses at Gateway.
 
This allows them the opportunity to seek financial aid through UW-Parkside, which they would have been unable to do at Gateway without declaring a program of study. Many students enter college undecided about their career path, but still desire to affordably earn their general studies credits, which would serve as required credits for a number of program areas.
Students must meet the standards of a 1-plus-3 General Education Certificate transfer agreement between Gateway and UW-Parkside, earning the 30 approved Gateway general studies course credits to meet the requirements of the certificate and transfer agreement.

Howell: King’s dream
is alive and well today

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is alive and well in the community and can be further revived through education, said Racine Police Chief Art Howell at Gateway Technical College’s 19^th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, held Jan. 21 at the college’s Kenosha Campus.
 
Howell, the event’s keynote speaker, provided three guiding principles for people to continue to revive and bolster King’s dream – to reflect, regroup and respond.
 
“As we consider our charge to revitalize King’s dream through education, we, too, should be careful to nurture character as well as intellect,” said Howell of reflection.
 
To regroup, citizens must continue to work together for the good of the community. “A great deal can be achieved when people of good will come together,” said Howell.
 
Finally, Howell said responding means engagement – and said that is alive and well in the community. “As we consider our challenge of reviving the dream through education, we must pause briefly to define the word ‘revive’,” he said. “Simply stated, revive is an action word that requires engagement … So, the task of reviving the dream through education is well underway in our community.”

Gateway honors four
as Dr. King Humanitarians

Jo Wynn, DaZahn Wilkerson, Jamy Koepke and Trevor Foster were selected as recipients of the 2013 Gateway Technical College Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.
 
The four were honored at the 19^th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Gateway Technical College’s Kenosha Campus. The four were selected for exemplifying the daily principles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
 
Jo Wynn, Kenosha, founded and now directs Walkin’ In My Shoes, a street outreach program that seeks out the homeless in the Kenosha community to help them to safely leave life on the street and secure permanent housing.
 
Jamy Koepke, Salem. Koepke is a Gateway Technical College Medical Assistant student who has overseen several fund-raisers to help out the less fortunate as well as those needing medical assistance for a number of ailments.
 
Trevor Foster, Bristol. Foster is a junior at Westosha Central High School and is the founder of the Westosha Central Habitat for Humanity chapter, the first high school chapter in the state. He was driven to begin the chapter after discovering the number of Kenosha County children living in poverty.
 
DaZahn Wilkerson, Racine. Wilkerson is a Carthage College student majoring in Physics and Mechanical Engineering, and is a youth mentor in the YMCA Young Leaders Academy in Racine. He mentors third through fifth-graders and works with their teachers and parents to promote equal opportunity and access to quality education. 

Gateway to host
Second Annual Safety Day

Gateway Technical College will host an event for employees and business managers to learn about safety and health requirements for their workplace, beginning with 7:30 a.m. registration March 13 at the Racine Campus Conference Center, 1001 S. Main St. Racine.

The Second Annual Safety Day conference is designed to provide the resources and information to enhance safety through awareness, design, delivery and evaluation. It is sponsored by Gateway, the Milwaukee Area OSHA office, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Wisconsin Chapter, and WisCon.
 
Three concurrent sessions will be held directly after the registration, and a networking lunch at 12:20 p.m. following the sessions. Sessions will include training on various topics such as injury and illness prevention, electrical safety, fall protection, hazard communication, material handling, record keeping and violence in the workplace. Vendors will also be on hand.

Welding/Fabrication boot campers
to be honored at ceremony

A total of 11 completers of the current Welding/Fabrication Bootcamp will be honored at a 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. ceremony Feb. 1 at the SC Johnson iMET Center, 2320 Renaissance Blvd., Sturtevant.
 
Students complete a rigorous, 15-week training program which provides them the solid foundation in welding/fabrication principles, such as print reading, welding and advanced welding, fabrication, math safety, lean principles and applied math. Students also worked toward industry-approved certifications.
 
The primary purpose of the camp is for unemployed and underemployed individuals to gain entry-level skills to earn a family-sustaining income in a trade. Students can take multiple paths upon graduation from the boot camp: They can seek a welding/fabrication job, be hired as an apprentice, and/or enroll in Gateway to continue their studies in the Welding technical diploma program. When they return to Gateway, they will have earned 16 credits toward a technical diploma. Employers will be on site to interview the boot camp students following the ceremony.

Conference provides training
for horticulture industry professionals

Landscape architect Craig Bergmann illustrated how he creates gardens appropriate to their site and its surroundings at Gateway Technical College’s 21st Annual WinterGreen conference held January 25.
 
“The talks are great, but it’s the networking with people which makes this event so popular,” said Horticulture Instructor Kate Jerome.
 
More than 100 people attended the annual event which brings together top speakers and industry officials to provide training and resources to landscape, flower and other horticulture-related industries. In addition, many members of the public attend each year.
 
Other speakers included Rebecca Nelson, co-founder of aquaponic technology company Nelson and Pade Inc.; Nathan Gingrich and Shannon Flaherty of Applied Ecological Services; and Jeff Epping, Director of Horticulture at Madison’s Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

New program helps working
students, those with families

Gateway Technical College students are able to earn all of their General Studies credits during the weekend, providing a flexible option for those with families and jobs to obtain their degree and more quickly enter their career.
 
Gateway, beginning with the Spring 2013 semester, has increased the number of course sections students can enroll in from 4 p.m. Fridays through the end of the working day on Saturdays. During these times, students would have the opportunity to earn courses needed for the 21 General Studies credits required for an associate degree.
 
College administrators created the new weekend format as a means to continue the college’s mission of providing flexible scheduling, giving students even more opportunities to earn their degree or diploma. Many of Gateway’s students work full-time jobs or have families to consider as they schedule their courses. Among other scenarios, this would allow the student to work fulltime, daytime hours during the week and still be able to take their General Studies courses Friday evening and Saturday.

Albrecht selected to serve
on national occupations board

Gateway Technical College President Bryan Albrecht was recently selected to serve on the board of trustees for the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute, also known as NOCTI.
 
NOCTI is a leading provider of high-quality technical competency assessment products and services for secondary and post-secondary educational institutions in the United States and around the world. Their services include job and task analysis, standards development, assessment development and delivery, scoring and analysis services, and student recognition. NOCTI also has expertise in specialized reporting, professional development services, and state assessment program management at both the local and state levels. 

Those a few credits short
can still obtain high school diploma

Adults a credit or two short of completing their high school diploma should consider enrolling in the Adult High School program at Gateway Technical College’s Racine Campus.

Reasonably priced classes are available now in math, history, government, social sciences and English. Classes are offered in the daytime as well as evening to accommodate working adults. To qualify, students must be at least age 18 and not currently enrolled in high school.

Those interested should contact Rosalva Santana (262) 619-6612 or Kevin Gerou at (262) 564-2348 to have their high school transcript reviewed before registration.

Area provider effort helps
Gateway Nursing students

An effort by area health providers has paved the way for standardized health requirements for Gateway Nursing students to enter their clinical experiences, resulting in reduced costs and a more efficient way for them to complete their degree.
           
Kenosha Community Health Center has even stepped forward to offer their professional services to Gateway students at little cost and decrease the health exam fee to $25 a student, much lower than the $200 to $300 cost some students may have had to pay to go through their private medical providers.

“I find strong value in partnering with the community,” said Gateway dean of Nursing Diane Skewes. “This presents a great opportunity provided to us by Kenosha Community Health Center, not only to reduce the cost to our students, but to also provide them with a heightened career awareness for groups such as these.”

Gateway recognizes 527 in first
fall semester graduation ceremony

Mark Dirr, director of Research and Development at Xten Industries, LLC, Kenosha, told Gateway Technical College graduates at the college’s first December graduation ceremony that they are a component to revitalizing America’s economy.
 
“Graduates, you are the ones to keep the infrastructure of our economy advancing,” Dirr said at the ceremony.

The ceremony recognized 527 candidates for graduation.