When we asked Jerry why he is giving this generous gift, he said, “My grandfather, Emil Frautschi, always recognized and valued the positive outcomes that a technical school education can have on individuals and their community. He was a shining example that a four-year college degree isn’t required to become successful. With only a grade school education, he became a very prominent Madison businessman, and the first president of the Madison Vocational and Adult Education School Board. In 1960, Emil Frautschi established the first bequest to the College that has since enabled hundreds of students to pursue training and education beyond high school. Since that time, the Frautschi family has proudly supported Madison College, and with this gift, I am honored to continue that important tradition.”
Many students tell us they start to cry when they receive their scholarship award notification. For these students, financial assistance removes the significant barrier standing between them and their education, which opens doors to a stable future.
When Jerry Frautschi shared he would commit $1 Million dollars to name the Student Achievement Center at the Truax Campus, he asked that his gift be designated to support the foundation’s Smart Future Scholarship Fund. This fund supports students with the most needs, regardless of their background and the degree they are pursuing. Madison College Foundation CEO, Tammy Thayer, stated “the Smart Future Scholarship Fund allows the foundation to award more scholarships to students each year, and we are extremely grateful for this generous donation from Jerry Frautschi.”
We are thrilled to share that The River Birch Fund has donated $500,000 to the Scholars of Promise Program! The gift was designated by an anonymous alumnus whose own experience at Madison College was life changing. This donor sees the importance of education and the impact of attending a school where faculty and staff are motivated by student success.
The donor is happy to be paying it forward and investing in future lives. This gift will create incredible opportunities for many students who would otherwise would not be able to attend college. We are so grateful for this generosity!
Scholars of Promise empowers income-eligible students to start their higher education journey with strong programs and financial support to reach their academic dreams. It covers full tuition and fees for up to 6 semesters for students who would not be able to attend college otherwise. Learn more about the Promise and how you can help here.
Gloria Gudmundson and her husband, Gene Musser, both worked in healthcare and know how critical nurses are and how dire the need is for nurses. When the pandemic hit, they decided to establish a nursing scholarship through the Madison College Foundation because healthcare is important to both of them. Gloria taught for years in the nursing program at the college. The Gloria Gudmundson Associate Degree Nursing Scholarship now provides financial assistance to be utilized for tuition and/or related educational equipment for qualifying ADN students.
They chose the college because along the way Gloria and Gene crossed paths with so many people who earned their healthcare education here. “I admire the dedication and devotion to student success at Madison College. The future of our communities and country really is affected so much by education, regardless of what field you’re in. Contributing to that seems very important. We are doing what we can to contribute to the future of education in society.”
They are excited to see the personal impact their giving has on students. “The way that the Foundation supports the connection between donors and recipients is commendable. The donor profiles from the students are so heartwarming. I really enjoy seeing how nursing education and the resources at Madison College have continued to grow since I retired.”
Gloria Gudmundson is a retired nurse and spent the majority of her career in nursing education. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Valparaiso University and master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Upon completing her master’s degree, she began teaching. Gloria also worked several years as a Nurse Manager at a local hospital. However, what she truly enjoyed was nursing education. She taught in many of the nursing programs in Madison, including UW-Madison and Edgewood, but most of those years were spent at Madison College. Gloria taught in Medical Surgical Nursing at Madison College for several years and stayed there because she thought it was such an excellent program. “Madison College nursing students were always very prepared, and hospitals never hesitated to hire them,” says Gloria. “I am so impressed by the relationships that Madison College builds with students and the support given to students. I feel that any student, in any situation in life, can receive the support needed to pursue their continuing education goals.”
Dr. Damira Grady, the Vice President of Equity, Inclusion and Community Relations, has a personal commitment to the most vulnerable students and wants to normalize a 2 year technical degree as an opportunity. She was drawn to Dr. Daniel’s passion and commitment for this work and valued having someone champion her work on a different level.
Damira’s vision is to transition support services throughout the college, shifting from the current model where the support services are under their own umbrella. For example, since about half of all Madison College students are first generation, she notes that all staff and faculty should be trained to provide support. And while everyone at Madison College already holds student success at the core of their work, this mentality and change in focus, will take the work we are already doing to another level. The goal is to increase support and belonging for students, with particular attention to those who come to Madison College without having family who have experience navigating higher education.
When it comes to philanthropy, Damira is cautiously optimistic. She’s seen generosity launch pilot programs that have led to successful long-term projects, but she’s also seen how the ebb and flow of private gifts can feel unstable. She is looking forward to working with the Foundation to help philanthropy be as effective as possible in eliminating barriers and helping the students who need it most.
Dr. Grady has a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education from Cardinal Stritch University, a master of science in Educational Psychology, and a bachelor of science in Educational Studies with an emphasis on Youth Leadership and Adult Education. She is also a licensed professional counselor. Throughout her career, Dr. Grady has led education and training initiatives focusing on equity and inclusion. She joins Madison College after serving as associate vice-chancellor of academic support for inclusive excellence and university diversity officer at UW-Oshkosh. Prior to that position she was at MATC – Milwaukee, working with adult education and student accommodations and served as a counselor. Prior to her tenure at MATC, she worked at Gateway Technical College as a career counselor.
The Roots & Wings Foundation has designated $100,000 to support early childhood education. These funds will be split to support students in the Early Childcare Education program and to provide assistance for childcare scholarships for students’ children.
For many in our community, childcare is a barrier to education and to steady employment. This gift supports crucial work to address this. We are grateful for this partnership.
Roots & Wings is a family foundation established in 2019 by Judy and Gordon Faulkner. Roots & Wings makes grants across the fields of healthcare, early learning, basic needs, and safety and justice. The Foundation supports non-profit organizations that help low-income children and families reach their full potential through prevention, early intervention, and in-depth programming that changes lives. More at www.RootsWings.org
Marsha Tweedy has been with Madison College for 18 years. Since June of 2020, she has been Dean in the School of Health Sciences. Recently, her role expanded to support the School of Nursing as Executive Dean. Previously, she was Associate Dean of the School of Business and Applied Arts, and before that, Program Director in the Dental Assistant Program. Marsha joined Madison College in 2005 as a Dental Assistant Full-time Faculty member.
In addition, Marsha was a Curriculum and Assessment Fellow in CETL, Adjunct Faculty at UW-Platteville, and Associate Lecturer in the Bachelor and Master’s program in Career and Technical Education at UW-Stout. She also has served as a State Ambassador for Career and Technical Education Programs.
In support of the vision and mission of the college, Marsha enjoys organizational development and relationship building. With her guidance, the School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences are evolving quickly to respond to the College’s vision of diversification and to shortages in the field, teaching students 21st century healthcare workforce skills.
For example, the School of Nursing trained over 200 enlisted soldiers in the Wisconsin National Guard to be Nurse Aids deployed across the state. The School of Health Sciences partnered with industry to train incumbent workers to be Medical Assistants while on the job. Together both schools continue to receive grants and improve the pipeline of healthcare workers into the field.
Madison College works hard to reach prospective healthcare programming students and find ways to financially support them as they move through and complete their coursework. These efforts include both building relationships in the community to identify opportunities for students, and making direct industry connections. Our graduates are the future of our healthcare system and Madison College takes the role of educating them to the highest level very seriously. Many of our programs have no wait, while others require pre-program coursework to become program ready. To learn more about the College’s 140+ transfer pathways and more than 180 training programs, go to https://madisoncollege.edu/?page=start.
Cyril Spangler met his sweetheart, Beverly, at a dance in Johnson Creek the week before he left for a station in Korea. When he returned, it seemed everyone had moved away or gotten married, and he decided the bachelor life was for him. One fateful night he ran into Bev at a bar, and by that Thanksgiving they had tied the knot. Together they raised two hard-working daughters, Denise and Donna, who both ended up studying at MATC in the 70s, pursuing health related fields at the downtown campus.
Cy and Bev supported their daughters during these years, encouraging them to spend their time studying instead of worrying about working. With this, both daughters thrived at school and throughout their careers. Denise continued on to earn both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
When Denise tragically passed in late 2021, Cy remembered the start both his girls got at Madison College. He thought about the hard-working students out there who he could support, like he did his daughters, and decided to establish a nursing scholarship.
Several years ago, one of Cy’s aunts passed away. Like many of her generation, she had worked hard to save money, and was very careful where she spent it. As a result, she left him Exxon-Mobil stock in her will, because she owned a gas station in Jefferson, WI. Cy was considering the options for donating in the midst of an overall rough stock market, but one in which gasoline stocks were strong. By gifting the stocks directly to the Madison College Foundation, Cy was able to make a significant gift while not having to pay capital gains taxes.
The Spangler’s of Watertown Endowed Nursing Scholarship will now provide scholarship support to nursing students who, like Denise and Donna, are excited about working in a field that is so critical in our community. The scholarship begins awarding this fall.
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The 2022 Annual Scholarship Breakfast was held on April 28, 2022. It was wonderful to watch reconnections as this was the first in-person breakfast since 2019. Every speaker shared some reflection on how the pandemic has fundamentally shifted the world in big and small ways, and the students particularly shared how it threatened to derail their educational journeys. However, because of the generosity of our donors, scholarships ensured these students were able to continue their studies. Thank you to everyone who helps us fulfil our vision to ensure no student is denied an education due to financial barriers.
Madison College has hosted a community conversation addressing access to childcare. This was in response to receiving a Workforce Innovation Grant up to $2.9 million that is designed to address both child care issues as well as create short term training that can quickly prepare workers for manufacturing jobs. For many in our community, access to care is a barrier to pursuing their education at Madison College.
“Having access to high-quality, affordable care is critical to building thriving communities and maintaining a strong economy,” Department of Children and Families Secretary Emilie Amundson said.
“Child care availability and workforce participation go hand in hand,” said Department of Administration Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfeld.
In addition to leading these conversations, Madison College has a childcare facility on site and the Early Childhood Education associate degree program at Madison College prepares many in our community to work as a teacher-caregiver in early childhood settings.
Dzigbodi Akyea was a student advisor at Madison College for seventeen years, most recently in the liberal arts transfer program. She was a calming presence, and many people went to her for advice. She had the gift of making people laugh, and was greatly respected among her peers.
Unfortunately, Dzigbodi passed away quite suddenly last September 17, 2021 leaving those who worked with her in shock and grief.
She had been a member of the Black Women Affinity Group, which was founded in June of 2019 and meets twice a month. She helped the group set its mission and vision, and in meetings had often expressed the wish to hold an art show in the gallery for Black History Month.
Dzigbodi’s aspiration to hold this gallery show was realized by the Black Women Affinity Group in her honor. The opening reception was in February, in time for Black History Month, and the reception helped collect scholarship funds for Black liberal arts students from both individuals and corporations. In addition, the work of each participating artist was accompanied by a QR tag viewers could scan to see more images, promoting both sales and awareness for each of these talented individuals.
Among the guests at the gallery show reception were Dzigbodi’s two daughters, who surely gained an impression of the value of her work and the very real affection she inspired among her colleagues.
While the question of making the gallery show an annual event is still open, anyone wishing to support the scholarship program for Black liberal arts students can contact Madison College for guidance on how to proceed.
Student quote: “I am a young African American woman overcoming disparities everyday. I’ve known since a girl that I would be the first in my family not only to go to college but also obtain a degree and continue to build after that degree. All of my instructors have been extremely supportive of me and also held me to high expectations that allowed to push myself further than I thought I could go. I look forward to graduating from Madison College and going even further with my nursing career.”
To support this scholarship click here.