Milwaukee Area Technical College Honors Froedtert Health as a Future Maker

MILWAUKEE, November 18, 2022 – Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) joined the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Board on November 15, 2022 in recognizing Froedtert Health, with the Futuremaker Partner Award.

The Futuremaker Partner Award is presented four times a year by the WTCS Board to recognize the unique, long-standing connections between the state’s employers and local technical colleges.

In June 2022, Froedtert Health established the Froedtert Memorial Hospital Scholarship Fund with a $6 million gift to the MATC Foundation to fund scholarships for underprivileged and deserving students over the next 20 years.

“I am pleased to honor Froedtert Health with the Futuremaker Partner Award,” said WTCS Board President Rodney Pasch. “Froedtert’s commitment to MATC students through the Froedtert Memorial Hospital Scholarship Fund for underprivileged and deserving students is a perfect example of the partnerships Wisconsin’s technical colleges form to ensure all students have equitable access to education. This kind of support helps students receive the instruction and support services offered by our colleges, leading them to family-supporting careers with Wisconsin’s employers.”

“This is the largest-ever corporate donation to the Milwaukee Area Technical College Foundation and it represents the opportunity to transform hundreds of lives in our community,” MATC President Dr. Vicki J. Martin said.

MATC has a long-standing relationship with Froedtert Health including partnering through a work-education program which employs current students in entry-level healthcare careers. Students in the college’s Healthcare Academic & Career Pathway also benefit from clinical placements at Froedtert Health. MATC also partners with Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network to provide free health care clinic options for students.

“MATC is honored to recognize Froedtert Health for your leadership gift and partnership. Together we are offering solutions to address our region’s workforce shortages, preparing Milwaukee’s diverse future healthcare workforce and breaking down the barriers that stand between students and an education that connects to a career with a family-supporting income,” she added.

The scholarship program was developed to address multiple needs identified by Froedtert Health, such as: (1) to expand the pool of highly skilled and well-trained health care workers in Southeast Wisconsin and (2) to meet the needs of the ever-changing and increasingly sophisticated medical field. The Froedtert Memorial Hospital Scholarship Fund was established through a charitable grant made from the Kurtis Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital Trust. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee received a $6 million gift as well.

“The Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee were chosen for their strong local presence and steadfast commitment to providing educational opportunities to those who live and work in the community,” said Eric Conley, executive vice president, Froedtert Health, and president, Froedtert Hospital.

“Equally important was the opportunity each institution offers students who traditionally might not have access to post-secondary education, fundamental to the scholarship program. Foundationally, this gift also continues to honor our commitment to health equity across the region by helping eliminate health care disparities and addressing social determinants of health like education and employment.”

Portions of the scholarship funds will also be allocated to graduates of Milwaukee Public Schools, which will further strengthen the efforts of M-Cubed, a collaboration between Milwaukee’s three urban public education institutions: MPS, MATC and UWM. One major emphasis of this effort is actively working to eliminate equity gaps in education. The collaboration has already helped to increase MPS high school graduation rates, helped get more students prepared for college by completing federal financial aid forms and started a dual enrollment program to help MPS students earn college credit prior to graduation.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.