Fox Valley Technical College
After 38 years with Fox Valley Technical College, Dr. Susan May thought she had seen everything. Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, upending life as she knew it.
“COVID-19 was one of those unimaginable things. We had a two-week period to get (switching to virtual classes) done since we had spring break and then added on an extra week so our students could continue learning,” says May, who served as president of the college from 2008 until her retirement on July 31.
That time allowed faculty and students to prepare for virtual learning. While most students’ learning remained remote, some programs that require hands-on learning were already back on campus that April. “Our commercial driving program comes to mind. That’s not something you can do virtually,” May says.
May’s list of accomplishments is impressive. Under her leadership, the college has tallied the highest number of apprenticeships and dual enrollment programs for high school students. It’s also a state leader in providing contract services to businesses ($11.4 million in services for 2019-20) and offers one of the nation’s largest criminal justice child protection training services.
May also led the construction of a new regional center in Wautoma as well as the Public Safety Training Center and the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Training Center, which are both located on the grounds of the Appleton International Airport.
“Dr. May is a very genuine and caring leader. She always stops to say hello when she crosses your path, and greets you by name. She expresses a sincere interest when you interact with her and gives you her full attention.”Â
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— Patty Van Ryzin, FVTC board of trustees chair
Creating partnerships has been an integral part of May’s leadership at the college. Whether it’s helping a business get specific training or working with the airport to open the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Training Center, she says it’s all about doing what’s best for students and the community.
“One of the things I’m probably proudest of during my time with the college is that evolution and development of partnerships in the broader community, and it could be locally, could be nationally, could be regionally, sometimes even internationally,” May says. “But partnerships really allow us together to offer some things that maybe neither partner or any of the partners involved could really do on their own.”
The new Community First Junior Achievement Career Exploration & Financial Literacy Center at FVTC is another example of the college’s partnerships. Joining with JA and Community First Credit Union, the college is now home to a one-of-a-kind education center for students in grades 4 through 12 to help them explore careers and learn more about financial literacy.
“None of us could have created the center on our own — there’s too much involved in something like that. But, boy, when you work together, you are able to make more things happen,” May says. “Working together to bring projects to life is exciting and energizing.”
May says helping to increase the skill sets of people already in the workforce is just as important as training entry-level workers for the region’s employers.
“If we’re going to stay competitive as a region, I think the college has a big impact in making that happen,” she says. “What we do is making a big difference to what happens to the economy, workforce and region as a whole.”
