Here & Now

Milwaukee Area Technical College Announces Free Tuition Plan

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW A THROWBACK TO JANUARY OF THIS YEAR.

BARACK OBAMA:

BY THE END OF THIS DECADE, TWO IN THREE JOB OPENINGS WILL REQUIRE SOME HIGHER EDUCATION. TWO IN THREE. AND YET WE STILL LIVE IN A COUNTRY WHERE TOO MUCH BRIGHT, STRIVING AMERICANS ARE PRICED OUT OF THE EDUCATION THEY NEED. IT’S NOT FAIR TO THEM. AND IT’S SURE NOT SMART FOR OUR FUTURE. THAT’S WHY I’M SENDING THIS CONGRESS A BOLD NEW PLAN TO LOWER THE COST OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO ZERO.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THOSE WORDS FROM PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA DURING HIS STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH SPARKED A PLAN HERE IN WISCONSIN THAT QUICKLY TOOK SHAPE. STARTING NEXT FALL, LOW-INCOME 2016 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO MAKE THE GRADE ACADEMICALLY CAN ATTEND MILWAUKEE AREA TECHNICAL COLLEGE TUITION-FREE. IT’S CALLED THE MATC PROMISE, PUT IN PLACE BY COLLEGE PRESIDENT VICKI MARTIN. SHE JOINS US NOW OUT OF MATC IN MILWAUKEE. AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

VICKI MARTIN:

WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I APPRECIATE IT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY THE QUICK PUSH ON YOUR PART TO PUT THE MATC PROMISE IN PLACE FOR NEXT FALL?

VICKI MARTIN:

RIGHT. WHAT WE DECIDED IS THE REASON WE WANTED TO PUT THIS OUT SO QUICKLY IS BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND WHAT WE’RE SEEING IS A PUSH BY OUR EMPLOYERS TO INCREASE THE TALENT PIPELINE. THEY’RE ASKING WHERE ARE THE EMPLOYEES THAT THEY DESPERATELY NEED SO THAT WE HAVE A VIBRANT ECONOMY. AND AT THE SAME TIME WE ALSO SAW ALL THE POVERTY IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND I’M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT EDUCATION IS WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF POVERTY. BY BRINGING STUDENTS IN, GIVING THEM THE SKILL SETS AND THE EDUCATION THAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. WE ALSO AT OUR COLLEGE, BECAUSE WE’RE COMPREHENSIVE, WE ALSO HAVE A TRANSFER FUNCTION. SO WE HAVE OVER 400 TRANSFER AGREEMENTS, INCLUDING ONE WITH A GUARANTEED TRANSFER TO UW-MILWAUKEE. SO WE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST THE RIGHT TIME TO AT LEAST GET OUT TO THE HIGH SCHOOLS, TO TALK TO THE SENIORS AND TO LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY. AND TO GIVE THEM THE CHANCE TO REALLY WORK HARD AND TO MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO THIS PROMISE SO THAT THEY COULD COME AND START SCHOOL IN THE NEXT FALL. WE WANT TO GIVE THEM THAT SENIOR YEAR TO REALLY, IF THEY HADN’T THOUGHT ABOUT COLLEGE, BECAUSE MANY LOW-INCOME STUDENTS AS WE KNOW FROM NATIONAL DATA DON’T EVEN THINK THAT COLLEGE IS EVEN AVAILABLE TO THEM OR THAT THEY CAN HAVE ACCESS TO COLLEGE. AND SO WE WANTED TO TURN THAT AROUND IN OUR COMMUNITY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW MANY STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FREE TUITION?

VICKI MARTIN:

WELL, THIS FIRST YEAR WE ARE TARGETING 1,000 STUDENTS. WE BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE THE STAFF AND THE RESOURCES FOR THIS FIRST YEAR TO AT LEAST DO THE WRAP-AROUND SERVICES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN FILL OUT THE APPLICATION, THE FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE REQUIREMENT AS WELL. WE ARE ALSO AT THE SAME TIME LAUNCHING A FUND-RAISING CAMPAIGN TO SEED THIS FIRST COHORT OF STUDENTS. AND IT’S PART OF OUR MILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGN. AND THEN LONG-TERM TO SUSTAIN IT, WE’RE GOING TO DO AN ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW MUCH DO YOU EXPECT THE TOTAL COST TO BE? CLEARLY YOU WON’T KNOW UNTIL YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, BUT WHAT ARE YOU BUDGETING?

VICKI MARTIN:

WELL, WE’RE BUDGETING – OF OUR MILLION DOLLAR CAMPAING – WE’RE BUDGETING JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, BECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN TO PELL GRANTS FOR THE SECOND YEAR THAT THEY’RE IN THE PROMISE YEAR, SO WE’RE TARGETING BETWEEN $350,000 TO $500,000 OUT OF THAT $1 MILLION SEED MONEY CAMPAIGN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ONCE ELIGIBLE STUDENTS GET IN AND THEY’RE PART OF THE MATC PROMISE PROGRAM, YOU ALSO HAVE REQUIREMENTS IN PLACE, I THINK YOU CALLED THEM WRAP-AROUND PROGRAMS, ONCE THEY ARE THERE AT MATC.

VICKI MARTIN:

RIGHT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

DESCRIBE WHAT THOSE ARE.

VICKI MARTIN:

SURE. SO THAT WOULD BE THINGS LIKE CAREER PLANNING. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE ON THE RIGHT PATH. WHERE THEY HAVE AN INTEREST IN AND PASSION FOR WHATEVER THEIR CAREER FIELD MAY BE. WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE ANY TUTORING THAT THEY NEED. ANY FINANCIAL LITERACY WORKSHOPS THAT THEY NEED. ANY JOB PLACEMENT SERVICES. AND WE’RE ALSO GOING TO BE OFFERING MENTORING. WE DO ASK THAT THEY EACH SEMESTER DO EIGHT HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY IS THIS A GOOD THING FOR THE COLLEGE AS WELL?

VICKI MARTIN:

WELL, IT’S GOOD FOR THE COLLEGE IN THAT WE WILL HAVE — WE WILL BE ATTRACTING A YOUNGER STUDENT POPULATION. THE AVERAGE AGE OF OUR STUDENT IS 30 RIGHT NOW. AND THOSE STUDENTS TEND TO GO PART-TIME TO SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY’VE GOT FAMILY OBLIGATIONS. THEY HAVE WORK OBLIGATIONS. AND WITH THE ECONOMY IMPROVING THEY ARE GOING BACK TO WORK. SO OUR POPULATION RIGHT NOW IS 70% PART-TIME. WE KNOW THAT IF STUDENTS COME RIGHT DIRECTLY FROM HIGH SCHOOL THAT THEY TEND TO BE RETAINED. THEY STAY LONGER AND THEY COMPLETE AND THEY DO MUCH BETTER IN COLLEGE. SO WE THINK FOR US, TOO, IT WILL HELP US TO REALLY MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS WHY WE EXIST. IT’S OUR PURPOSE. IT’S OUR MISSION FOR OUR COLLEGE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM OTHER STATES THAT HAVE SIMILAR PROGRAMS IN TERMS OF STUDENT DEGREE ATTAINMENT AND CAREER SUCCESS?

VICKI MARTIN:

RIGHT. WELL, WE LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OF COURSE WE LOOKED AT TENNESSEE AND THEY’RE JUST STARTING AS WELL. BUT THEY PREDICATED THEIR PROGRAM ON THE FEW SCHOOLS WHERE THEY DID SEE IN FACT MORE COMPLETION BY STUDENTS. AND THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT. AT TWO-YEAR COLLEGES WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY STAY IN SCHOOL AND THEY GET THE GOOD JOB AND GOOD CAREER THAT WE ARE REALLY OFFERING THEM AT THE END OF THE TWO YEARS. OR IF THEY WANT TO TRANSFER TO A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE, THAT THEY HAVE A GOOD, SOLID EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION. AND SO WE BELIEVE THIS PROGRAM WILL REALLY HELP TO DO ALL THAT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT KIND OF REACTION HAVE YOU HAD FROM STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES?

VICKI MARTIN:

OH, VERY EXCITED. THE EXCITEMENT HAS REALLY BUILT AROUND OUR COMMUNITY. WE’VE HEARD THAT IN THE DIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOLS, THAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING ABLE TO ATTEND COLLEGE FOR FREE. WE’VE TALKED TO THE PRINCIPALS. WE’VE TALKED TO THE TEACHERS. WE’VE TALKED TO COUNSELORS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THEY’RE ALL VERY EXCITED. AND WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE DATA, AS I SAID BEFORE, WE SAW THAT THE SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN DOING THIS A NUMBER OF YEARS. REALLY HAVE SEEN IMPROVEMENT BY THE STUDENTS IN TERMS OF RETENTION AND THEIR GRADES. AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE LOOKING TO DO AS WELL. AND THAT’S THE HOPE WE’RE OFFERING. WE’RE TRYING TO INSPIRE MORE OF THOSE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO DO THIS. THE REACTION HAS JUST BEEN OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THAT’S GREAT NEWS. DR. VICKI MARTIN, THANKS VERY MUCH.

VICKI MARTIN:

THANK YOU.