On a recent October afternoon, I stopped by Madison College’s Goodman South campus for a reception for the new president of the school, Jennifer Berne. Community members and business leaders — including folks from UW Health, the Urban League of Greater Madison, One City Schools, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and many more — were all on hand to welcome and hear from the new president.
Berne shared that since July, she has been busy visiting all seven Madison College campuses in the 12-county district — the school has locations in Fort Atkinson, Portage, Reedsburg and Watertown, in addition to Madison — for her “100 Conversations” initiative. Berne has met with workforce, community and education partners, staff, students and others to gain their diverse perspectives and learn about their needs.
Creating a shared sense of identity among all of the campuses is one of her goals, Berne said, in addition to ensuring that students complete their degrees.
“Students do not realize the benefit of higher wages, healthier families and community vibrancy, if they only access and complete courses,” Berne said. “To truly realize that potential… and create the opportunity for equity among all subgroups in a population, students must complete a course of study, a degree or certificate or the first 60 credits of a baccalaureate degree.”
Berne said the college’s first responsibility “is to shepherd students toward completion. This is what our community, those who fund us, those who support us, like you, like me, expect and should demand.”
She also outlined a theme of “Madison College stickiness, to help our students feel connected and supported through cohorts, clubs, athletics, advising and faculty engagement,” an effort to keep students in school despite challenges.
“We want to be poised to be the problem solver, to encourage students to move toward us rather than away from us in times where coursework, job stress or worries at home pull them away,” Berne said.
“This is an exciting time for Madison College, and I’m grateful to be on the journey with all of you,” she said. “Together we can continue to build a college that serves our students and uplifts our entire community.”
In recent years, Madison College has attracted attention with its Goodman South campus a key part of the new developments on the city’s south side. It has formed partnerships with the Madison Metropolitan School District to offer early college and STEM coursework to high schoolers.
It also will open a child care facility in January 2026 to meet the needs of student parents and the community. The Early Learning Campus at Goodman South will serve 75-86 children.
And in this month’s In Business Madison cover story, executives from local fusion companies mentioned Madison College as a place they expect to find future employees for the advanced manufacturing jobs the burgeoning industry will bring.
STAFF UPDATE
Happily, I also need to issue a semi-retraction. After I shared the news of Joe Vanden Plas’ impending retirement in October, he decided he couldn’t totally quit us after all. After a brief break, Vanden Plas will remain at In Business Madison on a part-time basis in semi-retirement. We’re delighted to keep sending stories his way.
Speaking of the IB team, we also welcomed a new staff journalist, Louis Livingston-Garcia, last month. Livingston-Garcia is taking charge of our twice daily newsletters in addition to writing for the website and monthly magazine. His experience includes coverage of the video game industry, the food and beverage (beer) industry, plus some exciting multimedia skills. He’s been an excellent addition.
Thanks for reading!
