Dual admission program to include MATC

UW-Madison Connections, a pilot program that offers students dual admission to UW–Madison and a UW Colleges campus, will expand next fall to include Madison Area Technical College.

Students admitted into UW–Madison Connections are guaranteed an opportunity to finish their undergraduate degrees at UW–Madison after successfully completing two years at a participating college. The program currently includes UW Colleges campuses, which are the 13 campuses of the UW System that specialize in freshman/sophomore teaching.

UW–Madison Chancellor John Wiley says the program is being extended to MATC in fall 2003 to better serve the large number of UW–Madison applicants from Dane County.

“Dane County residents interested in this program had to move closer to a UW Colleges campus or endure a very long commute,” Wiley says. “This allows these students to take advantage of the fine liberal arts education available at MATC before coming to UW–Madison.”

To be eligible to attend MATC as part of the program, applicants must be Dane County residents or graduates of a high school within Dane County. They must attend either MATC’s Downtown Education Center or Truax facility – both of which are located in Madison – and enroll in MATC’s Liberal Studies Transfer Program, which is offered through the college’s Arts and Sciences Division.

There are no residency requirements for students who choose to attend a UW Colleges campus.

“This partnership greatly benefits the students served by both institutions by providing them access to a solid liberal arts education at MATC for two years, along with the security of admission as a junior to UW–Madison to complete their baccalaureate degree,” MATC President Dr. Beverly S. Simone says. “It also helps MATC and UW–Madison serve students who may otherwise have decided to leave Dane County to attend college.”

UW–Madison Connections began prior to the fall 2001 semester to provide an alternative for the growing number of academically strong students that UW–Madison is unable to accommodate. The UW–Madison Office of Admissions received applications from 21,000 students seeking one of approximately 5,700 available spots in the fall 2002 freshman class.

A select number of UW–Madison applicants who have the qualifications to succeed at UW–Madison, but were not offered a spot in the freshman class, are offered admission into UW–Madison Connections. About 85 students enrolled during the first two years of the program.

While attending classes at one of the UW Colleges or MATC, students are granted many of the privileges afforded new freshmen enrolled on the Madison campus, including access to UW–Madison’s libraries, recreational facilities and student unions, and the opportunity to purchase tickets for athletic events at student rates.

Those students who choose to enroll at MATC, however, must pay student fees to UW–Madison each semester that cover University Health Services, Memorial Union and recreational sports because they are the most likely to use these services.

UW Colleges Chancellor Bill Messner welcomes the addition of MATC, and says the new partner will add another dimension to the already successful pilot program.

“The UW–Madison Connections program combines the best of both worlds for students,” Messner says.

“They’ve been able to get their ‘best start’ on one of our small campuses with access to high quality UW professors, and then complete their education in a Big

Ten college environment. Ultimately, they get their bachelor’s degree from a world-class major research university.”

UW Colleges campuses include: UW-Baraboo/Sauk Co., UW-Barron Co. in Rice Lake, UW-Fond du Lac, UW-Fox Valley in Menasha, UW-Manitowoc, UW-Marathon Co. in Wausau, UW-Marinette, UW-Marshfield, UW-Richland, UW-Rock Co. in Janesville, UW-Sheboygan, UW-Washington Co. in West Bend and UW-Waukesha.