Blackhawk Looks Back at 2023

Blackhawk Technical College takes pride in a year marked by notable achievements, strong community collaborations, and the steadfast dedication of its students, faculty and staff. The following highlights offer a glimpse into the noteworthy events of this remarkable year.

JANUARY

Prior to the start of the semester, we partnered with the YWCA of Rock County and area school districts and organizations to hold a commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr., on Jan. 14.

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FEBRUARY

Despite the wintry weather and a campus closure on Feb. 16, our Culinary Arts Department prepared an all-star lineup of desserts at an event featuring comedian Charlie Berens at the Janesville Performing Arts Center.

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The first in-person Soul Food Luncheon since 2020 was held in the Conference Center on Feb. 21. The event, hosted by Blackhawk’s Multi-Cultural Alliance, Student Government Association, Culinary Arts Department and Blackhawk Foundation, raises money for the college’s Diversity Scholarship Fund.

The Monroe Campus hosted a National Ag Day event on March 23. Each year, the Wisconsin Technical College System recognizes the vital agriculture sector in Wisconsin each year at one of its 16 campuses to highlight the people who ensure that the ag industry grows and thrives.

A Dream Chasers Summit event held on April 17, saw the Beloit Memorial High School Boys’ Basketball Team get awarded the Drum Major for Justice Award. Team members were commended for their conduct during and after a game the previous March against Muskego at which the team encountered alleged racial slurs and symbols.

We held our Student Awards Ceremony on April 22 in the Conference Center. The event honored our students who have made an impact through academics and involvement in student organizations and leadership.

We honored community members, industry partners and Blackhawk alumni and staff who went above and beyond to advance Blackhawk’s mission and vision of preparing students for work and life at the second annual Golden Brick Ceremony, held April 26, in the Conference Center.

It was announced on May 15 that the Blackhawk Technical College Foundation has sold its Milton property at 15 Plumb St. to KANDU Industries Inc., a Janesville-based non-profit that provides programs and services to people with disabilities and disadvantages.

With the semester coming to an end, it was a month filled with ceremonies to celebrate our graduates, culminating with the Commencement Ceremony held May 20, at the Dream Center in Beloit.

The commencement ceremony included recognizing five Rock University High School students who earned their associate’s degree through Blackhawk’s dual enrollment program. Trayvon Crain, Andrew Hegle, Devyn Klingaman, James Mathesius and Natalie Spicer graduated from Rock University High School the following month.

Plans were unveiled June 22 for a state-of-the-art manufacturing center on Central Campus. The new Innovative Manufacturing Education Center (I-MEC) reaffirms the college’s commitment to delivering exceptional education and training opportunities in the field of manufacturing and was made possible through a $7 million contribution from the Blackhawk Technical College Foundation.

Nineteen participants from four area school districts from around Rock County participated in the Rock Externship Program, which is designed to immerse teachers in business environments and have them shadow specific occupations or disciplines for one week to gain knowledge that can be included into their classrooms.

Jim Nemeth was announced as the new Vice President for Finance & College Operations/CFO in late June. Nemeth, who succeeded Renea Ranguette, had been a member of the Blackhawk Technical College Foundation Board since 2010, and an adjunct accounting instructor at Blackhawk since 2020.

Fifteen students graduated July 21 from the Accelerated Industrial Maintenance (AIM) program made possible by a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and in partnership with the Stateline Manufacturing Alliance. The four-week program was comprised of Blackhawk courses that provided a foundation skillset for those seeking career opportunities in industrial maintenance and technology.

The six-week Summer Rock County Internship Program culminated with a graduation ceremony on July 28, featuring capstone presentations by 32 high school juniors from six different area school districts. The program, a collaborative effort with the County of Rock, Rock County 5,0, and the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, is a paid earn-and-learn opportunity that offers students a structured and meaningful career pathway experience.

At a grand opening event for our University Center on Aug. 30, partnerships were announced with Concordia University, Lakeland University and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County, in a strategic move to enhance pathways to bachelor’s degrees for Blackhawk students.

Our Foundation welcomed donors and scholarship recipients to its first Scholars & Donors Celebration on Sept. 12, celebrating the impact of generosity by many donors and the educational journey of Blackhawk's spring and fall 2023 scholarship recipients.

Giovanni (Gio) Aceves, a student in the Automation Systems Technology program, received the 2023 IDEAL Opportunity Scholarship. As a recipient of this scholarship, Gio receives full tuition and necessary supplies to attend Blackhawk. He also has a faculty mentor, a paid internship with Jakes Electric, LLC. and a stipend to help offset living expenses while he finishes his degree.

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Blackhawk was selected as the recipient of a $57,000 grant from the Forging Industry Educational & Research Foundation (FIERF), a supporter of the Forging Industry Association (FIA), to bolster the manufacturing sector in Rock and Green counties by increasing the number of highly qualified manufacturing technicians.

Blackhawk was the recipient of a $345,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to enable instructors to launch the Advanced Technological Education in Manufacturing (ATEM) project, designed to bolster work-based learning opportunities and introduce innovative training methods to the region's workforce.

The Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra performed Oct. 8 at our Conference Center, showcasing music by Tchaikovsky. This was the first concert performed in the Conference Center and the first of hopefully many with the BJSO.

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A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Oct. 19 to celebrate the start of construction on the Innovative Manufacturing Education Center (I-MEC) building. At the ceremony, it was announced that the Prent Corporation would donate $250,000 to the Blackhawk Technical College Foundation to fund a cutting-edge manufacturing lab space within the building.

Students from our Culinary Arts program held the annual Harvest Dinner at Milton’s Buckhorn Supper Club on Oct. 10. Proceeds from the event go to the Blackhawk Foundation's Culinary Arts Fund, which supports scholarships and externship stipends.

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NOVEMBER

November 3 marked three years since Rock and Green County voters approved Blackhawk Technical College's $32 million referendum project to create state-of-the-art facilities for the College’s Public Safety and Transportation programs. The anniversary came as the project entered its final stages, with completion expected in spring 2024.

In our first foray into athletic competitions in many years, our bowling team competed in its first tournament at the end of October. The team, which practices at Rivers Edge Bowl in Janesville, is looking forward two more tournaments in the new year.

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DECEMBER

Marking the end of the fall semester, we held our December Commencement ceremony on Dec. 19 in the Conference Center. Separate ceremonies were also held for our Law Enforcement Recruit Academy (Class 91-23), Nursing program and EMT programs.

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Blackhawk Looks Back at 2023

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

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DECEMBER