Rotary members toured the Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) in River Falls. The main campus for CVTC is in Eau Claire. CVTC has 110 programs including 36 granting certificates, as well as 16 apprenticeships: many but not all are offered in River Falls. Our guide was Minda Matthys, whose job title is College Navigator. We started the tour in the main building, but the tour also included their most recent acquisition, the former Moody’s business nearby.
As our fifth Tuesday service, Rotary donated about 370 food items to the student food pantry so that students can grab a snack as they are on their way to class, on a break, or heading home after a day of learning.
The central student lounge area has various comfortable seating arrangements and has an isolation booth that looks like a big phone booth. They also have study desks with computers. Their mission printed on the wall is “Delivering innovative and applied education that supports the workforce needs of the region, improves the lives of our students and adds value to our communities.” They have programs that range from a less than 12-week certificate, a 12-week to one-year certificate, a one-year to 2-year certificate and an associate degree that can be used to transfer to a four-year college.
Students can also complete a High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) or pass General Education Development (GED) tests. Some of the River Falls campus programs include Adult Education and College Prep, English for Immigrants, Early Childhood Education, Nursing, Business Management, Respiratory Therapy, Electromechanical Technology, and Criminal Justice. Even though the River Falls campus bought Moody’s, the campus does not teach auto body or engine repair. The central campus in Eau Claire has a huge facility for their automotive technology program.
CVTC never wants to graduate more students in a particular field than there are jobs for those students, which is why they only take 6 students into the medical coding program each year.
The former Moody’s building is now called the South Education Center and houses the Residential Construction lab where students learn to build houses. In the past the college would buy land and build a house on the land. Today a business partner buys the land and finances the building of the house, and this reduces the financial burden on the college.
CVTC has many partners in the community including businesses that offer internships and hire the graduates, the University of Wisconsin – River Falls, The St. Croix Valley Innovation Center, and high schools in the region to help students earn college credit while still in high school.
Our tour guide was Minda Matthys, College Navigator, mmatthys@cvtc.edu (715) 426-8227.