MATC head sees ‘perfect storm’ of rising enrollment, cuts in aid

Milwaukee Area Technical College president Michael Burke deplored an anticipated 30 percent cut in state funding as part of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed state budget, telling a business group it comes at a time when enrollment has increased 16 percent and community interest is high in the tech school programs.
Burke, who took the helm of MATC in January 2010, told about 180 people at the Milwaukee Rotary Club luncheon on Tuesday that the cuts would slash an estimated $7.5 million from MATC, which served nearly 48,000students last year — a student enrollment that Burke noted exceeds that of Ohio State University.
"This is happening when we are faced with double-digit enrollment increases and it’s happening in a city that’s fourth in the nation in poverty," he said. "This is a perfect storm for us."  
MATC is seeking additional federal grants to help make up the loss, he said.  About a half-dozen grants have been confirmed, and the college has another 115 grant applications pending, he said,
Burke called MATC a leader in the Midwest in promoting and teaching green energy skills. Among the school’s 200-plus degrees and certificates are numerous "new and virgin" programs, he said, including green technology, health information technology, computer simulation/gaming, e-business technology, IT security, medical coding, web design and animation.
See more from Burke’s speech: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=235337.
– WisPolitics.com