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Students are thrilled and excited to be at the Goodman South Campus. We stopped by on the first day and here’s what they shared:

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kendricks Hooker as the new Dean for the School of Health Education (SoHE). He has been serving as interim dean since November and prior served as associate dean in the School of Arts and Sciences.

“I am very excited to serve as the Dean for the School of Health Education as it allows me to lead and support the efforts of our talented faculty and staff in providing the best education possible to every single student that we encounter. I believe and know that we provide a “Health Education with a Purpose” as our graduates are trained to provide excellent care to our community.

On a daily basis, the School of Health Education is striving “to be regarded as the premier school for innovation and excellence in health related programs that prepare graduates to succeed in a competitive and demanding healthcare industry”. With that vision in mind, we have a desire to be the “One-Stop for Healthcare Opportunities” for students aspiring and seeking health care careers. Staying abreast of changes that continuously take place in health care, we offer programs that are meeting the needs of the community and industry. Currently, the School of Health Education offers ten (10) associate degrees and nine (9) one year-or-less technical programs.”

-Dr. Kendricks Hooker

Prior to joining Madison College, Kendricks served as the Chair of the Biomedical Sciences and Pre-Health Studies programs at Baptist College of Health Sciences in Memphis, TN. He concurrently held the position of Professor of Biology and taught Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Pathophysiology. In other roles, Kendricks served as a Biology instructor at Mid-South Community College in West Memphis, AR; Director of Upward Bound Math and Sciences at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, MS; and research technician at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS.

Kendricks holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Urban Higher Education from Jackson State University, a Masters of Business Administration from Bethel University, a master’s and bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Jackson State University, and an associate of arts degree in Biology from Coahoma Community College. Kendricks is an educational enthusiast that thrives on preparing and motivating faculty, staff and students for success.

Kendricks loves spending time with his family and is the proud father of one daughter, Keendra Hooker, of Memphis, Tenn. In his spare time, Kendricks loves to travel, cook, watch sports and is an avid runner.

I firmly believe that-no matter the field in question- there is no shortage of talent, only opportunity. When I donate to the Scholars of Promise program, I think of it as planting seeds. Given our current socioeconomic trends, there are young minds all throughout our community with potential that would otherwise lie dormant. These are future employees, entrepreneurs, teachers, police officers; lost to us forever because we never activated them. With the Scholars of Promise Program any young mind with the initiative to learn is given the opportunity to do just that; no longer standing on the outside looking in, daunted by insurmountable tuition costs or lifelong student debt.

It is a special joy of mine that many of the students in the program mark the first generation in their families to go to college. As these students graduate, their success will no doubt be an example to their brothers, sisters and children. Each generation reinforcing that age old truth about upward social mobility-education is its accelerant.

Perhaps someday we will look back and see that we had a hand in creating the next generation of American innovators. Family trees with branches that are as wide and influential as leading philanthropists. What a heartwarming thought. But first, we have to plant the seeds.

I encourage all who read this to join me in becoming a donor.

-Yone Amuka, M.D.

Twin sisters Daryana and Dayana Blanco spend a lot of time in the Scholars of Promise office and study lounge on the first floor at the Truax main building. Words of encouragement and inspiration decorate the walls. There are computers and a space for relaxing or chatting with friends.

“It is a good place to study. I come here when I need to focus,” said Dayana. Her sister works in the office as a student helper. In that role, Daryana makes phone calls, assembles newsletters and flyers and performs data tracking. She describes the space as “homey.”

The Blanco sisters are entering their second year as Scholars of Promise. Their mother learned about the program and urged them to apply when they were seniors at Memorial High School.

Dayana appreciated the Learning to Learn camp they attended before classes began last year. She got a small taste of college, made new friends and got to know Madison College instructors and staff. The camp teaches students how to manage their time, take notes and prepare for tests.

Daryana intends to earn a Dental Hygiene degree. Dayana is a Liberal Arts Transfer student and doesn’t know yet what career she wants to pursue. Both are grateful for the financial assistance and advising service provided to Scholars of Promise.

The STEM Academy is a dual enrollment educational program for high school students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Math (STEM). Students take a full-time schedule of college classes at Madison College over 11th and 12th grade, where their college coursework also translates to high school credits, at no cost to them or their families.  A key objective of this program is to address participation gaps in STEM careers for students from under-represented demographics, including: socioeconomic status, first generation to attend college, race or ethnicity, and gender.

The first year featured a class of 26 students from Madison Metropolitan School District. The second class, which started this week, includes 101 MMSD students and 18 Sun Prairie students! The incoming STEM Academy is attending the Goodman South Campus.

We spoke to two students, Armon and Sydney, who are in the pilot group. They shared their experiences below.

Armon wasn’t sure that he’d be able to go to college, but now, just entering his senior year, is on track to graduate from the STEM Academy with his High School degree and his Associates in Computer Science! Now his dream to earn his bachelor’s degree in computer science, is a next step, not a daunting hurdle.
Armon first heard about the STEM Academy from his principals who thought he’d be a good fit, and he was. Unlike the day-to-day of a high school environment, Armon appreciates the maturity of the students and respect with which instructors talk to him at Madison College “It feels like they see me as someone who was a peer to them.” And he, like most of his peers in the first cohort of students, has excelled academically.
It’s hard to express how good of an opportunity this was for me and a lot of others in the program who didn’t think we had a chance of going to college. For me it would have been really hard financially to go to college. This program saved me, and my family, a lot of stress.”
Armon is currently an intern at a software company. The connection was facilitated through his counselor at Madison College and through the Dane County Apprenticeship Program. “This program is amazing for making real life applications and connections.”

 

Sydney is outspoken about the opportunities that she, and many of her high school friends, who were also accepted into the STEM Academy, now have. She is excited to tackle the challenge of advanced science classes that weren’t an option at her high school. Last year she already aced college chemistry and participated in an honors project demonstrating how we can measure the amount of energy we can collect from solar power. “It’s a project we’re hoping to develop into something bigger,” she shared.
Sydney, who plans to work with robots professionally, is currently mentoring 2nd-8th grade kids as they work to code robots through CodeNinja. She has set her sites on taking engineering classes in the upcoming semesters, and then plans transfer to a school to pursue that degree.
“I think the STEM Academy will look good on a college application.” She shared, “It shows that we can do well in college if we can graduate with an associate’s degree, have a sense of the college environment, and have already mastered studying skills. It’s like it shows that we have already succeeded.”

“On behalf of the Ho-Chunk Nation and more specifically Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison, we are thrilled at this monumental accomplishment. The Goodman South Campus facility is an incredible opportunity for all students who reside on or near the south side of Madison, but it will open the door to a whole new world of opportunities for the heretofore under-represented communities in this neighborhood. Dr. Daniels should be canonized for the profound vision of serving the underserved and lifting this neighborhood – indeed lifting the entire city. As a community who has historically shared in similar socio-economic challenges leading to obstacles in obtaining a post-secondary education as our African American and Latinx (and all diverse community) brothers and sisters, we Ho-Chunk truly appreciate the objectives in locating this campus on the south side. As young people (and not-so-young people) from diverse and challenged backgrounds seek to improve their respective standards of living through education, we Ho-Chunk recognize the tremendous opportunity that has been afforded them because someone committed himself to genuinely and selflessly serving. Dr. Daniels and the Goodman South Campus are gifts to what we Ho-Chunk call Dejope.”

-Dan Brown, Ho Chunk

“TeKema is proudly using her voice for change.”

We are all cheering on TeKema Balentine, as she competes in the Miss Black USA contest in August. TeKema, is studying to become a nurse practitioner at Madison College as she also competes in this prestigious, national competition.

TeKema is competing on the platform to improve education for black students in Wisconsin. Something Balentine knows firsthand as a graduate of Madison East High School.

“I noticed that people who looked like me were either not in class or not doing very well in class and I want to change that,” Balentine said.

Hear her voice and her story here.

 

Madison College’s President, Jack Daniels III, graces the cover of the August 2019 Madison Magazine. In the feature story, Dr. Daniels’ commitment to Madison, to diversity, and to our students is highlighted, and the upcoming opening of the Goodman South Campus is detailed.

His Quiet Legacy 

“The soon-to-open Goodman South Campus is arguably Daniels’ signature accomplishment as president. It’s arguable because so many people say Daniels’ unique skill set and style are responsible for many less visible — but meaningful and wide-ranging — accomplishments. For example, College Provost Bakken points to Daniels leadership in creating a shared governance system that helped “fill the void created when Act 10 severely limited collective bargaining in the public sector.” It’s a system that Bakken says is unique to Madison College. “It’s a common construct in higher education,” says Bakken, “but here, it’s really more about a set of principles and values that drive everything we do, honoring collective voice, transparency, inclusion and respect. It was his nurturing of that system and the culture underneath it that has had a huge impact on Madison College.”

Click Here to Read the Article.

Did you know Madison College has a Scholars of Promise Program? This initiative benefits low-income recent high school graduates who have the motivation to complete their college education, but lack financial resources. We do this by providing financial aid and scholarships to cover the cost of tuition, in addition to providing wrap around support services and mentorship throughout their educational journey at Madison College. This program is life changing for many in our community.

Dr. Jack Daniels, Madison College President, shared, “This is how we grow our workforce. This is how we improve the quality of life in our communities. This is how we live out our mission of providing access to higher education to all. Many of these individuals will represent underrepresented and disenfranchised populations. The opportunity that we have offered is a pathway not only to academic success but a new way of life.”

Dr. Daniels also said that the students who have entered the Scholars of Promise program represent the best that Madison College has to offer.“These determined students have proven to be hardworking, resourceful and persistent. These individuals committed themselves to the goal of an Associate’s Degree. Though financially disadvantaged, these individuals can now pursue the dream of a college degree and the career of their choice.”

You can learn more about Scholars of Promise, and how to support the Promise students here.