Moraine Park Technical College broke ground for the $12.8 million Automation, Innovation and Robotics Center at its Fond du Lac Campus May 17.
“Today we kick-off the first of four referendum projects,” said Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president. “There were 32 district partners who stepped forward and donated $2.7 million to make sure we could build this space for the growing educational needs of our communities”
The AIR Center is partially funded by donor contributions to the Moraine Park Foundation, the college’s advancement entity.
The Fond du Lac Advanced Manufacturing and Trades project has two phases, the addition of the Automation, Innovation and Robotics Center and an update of the existing B-Wing facilities.
The Advanced Manufacturing and Trades project is expected to be completed in June 2024, with students first utilizing the space in fall 2024.
“Since 2018, 1,250 Mercury Marine employees have received training through Moraine Park,” said Andres Gonzalez, vice president of human resources for Mercury Marine. “We have experienced exceptional growth in recent years thanks to our decade-long partnership with MPTC. The AIR Center will have great impact on both Mercury Marine and in the community.”
Seth Ehlers, a Moraine Park Quality and Advanced Manufacturing program student and Mercury Marine engineering technician, spoke about his education and career path.
“We are wrapping up another school year this week, but we are also at the forefront of something much larger,” Ehlers said. “I am jealous that I will be graduating before I am able to use the AIR Center, but I know the students that will train in this space will one day be working right alongside me, reaching goals and setting new heights.”
Moraine Park Technical College serves more than 12,000 students through campuses in Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac, West Bend and regional centers in Jackson and Ripon.
