Congratulations to Cody Anderson, HVAC student for having the winning ticket to "pie" the Pres.  This fundraiser for SkillsUSA was a good opportunity to introduce the program to MATCers.  You may wonder about the lack of a plastic bib.  I figured that they earned the right to get the full effect.  Over $200 toward their $3,000 goal is a good start.  On a personal note, that pie was COLD, and, when I ran home to change clothes and clean- up before the Scholarship Luncheon my dog Gracie, thought I was some kind of sweet treat.  Next year, I'm seeding the pot, so beware.  Click the small arrow in the bottom left corner to run this video and the circled arrow after it runs if you want to watch a second (or third or fourth) time.

Our Billboard is up and looks great.  You can see it as you come into town from the airport across from Stagg Hill Golf Club.  Thanks to Nicole for getting this done and to all those who contributed ideas for design.

It is time once again to judge the Chrismas Tress that will be donated to the Manhattan Christmas tree to Pawnee Mental Health Services to be given to needy area residents. Thanks to Donna Hobbs for coordinating this again this year.

The SGO fed us biscuits, gravy, and pastries yesterday.  It was a terrific breakfast, as always, and great to be able to sit and chat in the Commons with our students. 

Speaking of food, we had a winter scholarship luncheon yeasteray in the Commons (busy day out there).  Lunch was sponsored by Waddell & Reed who handle several of our Foundation portfolios.  The scholarship winners are: Bruce Peil Memorial Scholarship; Jason Thomas (EPD), Jeffrey Tryon Memorial Scholarship; Alan Wilson (EPD), Westar Energy; Sean McNally (EPD), Kansas Line Superintendents Association; Lance Gosser (EPD), Nicholas Buxton Memorial Scholarship; Chase Carlson & Zeb Peak (EPD), Richard Shelly Memorial Scholarship; Cody Ellis (EPD), Human Resource Management Network Scholarship;  Janie Gilmore (BA), Lewis & Ernest BrAun Merit Scholarship;  Christine Bryan (ADN) & Braden Erickson (PN), and the Lewis & Ernest BrAun MATC Ambassador Scholarship goes to Louisa Asbury (ADN).  Congratulations to all of you.

Laurie Johnson spearheaded a food tree campaign for the Business Administration students to bring food this holiday season that will be donated to the Flint Hills Breadbasket. The attached photo shows Laurie and a few students from one of her classes that took time out to “build” their food tree.

ADN Pinning this afternoon at University Christian Church and Commencement tonight at McCain Auditorium for the last time.  Starting in May, we will be using the Hilton Conference Center for our large ceremonies. 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Rob

Good news/bad news...Justin Pfeifer, our Vice President of Student Services will be relocating to Wichita soon and has accepted the position of Dean of Students at Wichita Area Technical College.  While our loss is their gain, we appreciate all that Justin has done for us as a Counselor, Director of Admissions, and VPSS.  We wish both he and his fiance Annie the best as they move on.

Our latest traveling exhibit Kansas on the Home Front is on display in the library.  From "the day that will live in infamy" until victory in 1945, all Americans were profoundly affected by World War II. More than 200,000 young men and women from Kansas enlisted in the armed forces. Kansans who remained at home also helped the war efforts.

World War II brought about many changes in America, including the breaking down of resistance for women in the work place. The War ended the Great Depression by stimulating the economy, spurring technological advances in industry and agriculture, and mobilizing the entire country.

This exhibit seeks to tell the story of Kansas on the home front during World War II and following. It was produced by Emporia State University with funding provided by the Kansas Humanities Council.

Visit or call the Manhattan Area Technical College Library for details. Kansas and the Home Front will be open for viewing until December 7. Admission to the exhibit and related programming is free. The exhibit is part of the Kansas Traveling Exhibit Service sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council and the Kansas Historical Society.

Thanks for the team effort by the MATC Faculty, Staff and Students; Manhattan Area Technical College will be contributing $1.652.12 to the United Way of Riley County this year.

We were able to help a local Boy Scout Troop recently when the pack leaders wanted to help the scouts learn about tools.  In this photo you can see some of the exercises where the youngsters had to figure out what some antique tools were used for as compared to their new battery operated counterparts.  Imagine...having to actually turn a screwdriver by hand. 

We should find out later today who will be the lucky recipient of the pie in the face fundraiser that will help send three of our program participants to Skills USA this year.  I hear that it is a close race between our HVAC Instructor Frankie and myself.  Here is a link to a terrific article published by the League for innovation in the Community College about SkillsUSA.   http://www.league.org/blog/post.cfm/skillsusa-in-the-community-college-a-significant-workforce-development-partner.

We would like to welcome two new employees to MATC:  Stephanie Wall comes to us from California with her Master's in Dental Hygiene Education and years of experience in the field and teaching in the classroom.  Greg Cranford is our new Head of Maintenance and comes to us with a strong background in facility maintenance at the Manhattan Parker Hannifin plant.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Rob