Beginning in fall 2003, the University of Wisconsin will include the Madison Area Technical College in its dual-admission program in order to allow MATC students an easy transfer to UW.
UW-Madison Connections is a pilot program, started in 2001, that offers students dual admission to the university and another UW System campus. Students in this program are guaranteed the chance to finish their undergraduate degrees at UW after completing two years at one of the 13 participating campuses.
According to UW’s Connections program coordinator Noel Radomski, MATC was admitted for a number of reasons, including the history of transfer students from MATC to UW and the lack of a UW System college in Dane County.
“MATC’s admission was part of the natural outgrowth of the partnership and students that we (UW and MATC) already share,” said Terrence S. Webb, MATC’s dean of arts and sciences. “This program also offers an added security to MATC students.”
In order to participate in the program via MATC, applicants must be a resident of Dane County or a graduate of a high school located in Dane County.
For the past two years, a select number of qualified students have been offered places in the Connections program. Approximately 85 students have accepted this offer in previous years.
Once accepted, the student must enroll in MATC’s liberal-studies transfer program and is required to attend MATC’s Downtown Education Center or Truax facility. Both institutions are located in Madison.
While students are enrolled in the Connections program, they are awarded many of the same privileges as UW freshmen. Connections students receive access to UW’s libraries, recreational facilities and student unions. They also have the option of purchasing tickets for athletic events at student rates.
However, these students enrolled at MATC are also required to pay fees to UW for University Health Services, the Memorial Union and recreational sports, because they are likely to use these facilities.
“This program keeps academically qualified students in the state of Wisconsin,” Radomski said. “It also improves diversity at MATC and UW.”
Radomski also noted the attractiveness of this program to many students.
“They receive a unique undergraduate experience by first attending a smaller two-year college and then spending the remainder of their time at a world-class research facility,” he said. “This unique experience can also help them get a job after graduation or get into graduate school.”
A recent report based on the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study concluded that a significant difference exists in the number of students who leave college from two-year institutions compared to those who leave four-year institutions.
Webb noted the low graduation rate from MATC but said many students leave MATC before finishing their degree in order to transfer to another institution.
In the liberal-studies program, the graduation rate is relatively low, but Webb emphasized the rationality for students in this school to transfer to a four-year university like UW.
“We are more concerned with our students’ rate of success, rather than their rate of graduation,” Webb said.