For the City Times

Mid-State Technical College Board of Directors member Robert “Bob” Beaver has been named 2017 Board Member of the Year by the Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association.

District Boards Association president Ramona Mathews presented Beaver with the award at the Jan. 16 Boards Association meeting held in Madison. The Board Member of the Year award recognizes a district board member who has made an outstanding contribution to technical and vocational education through participation as a trustee on the local, state, regional and national levels, as well as overall service through other contributions.

On the Board at Mid-State Technical College since 1990, Beaver spent over half of his 26 years of service in an officer role, including three years as chair and six years each as vice president and treasurer. His exceptional leadership has also garnered many local and state awards from students, peers and communities.

Among Beaver’s highlighted accomplishments were leading Mid-State’s efforts to connect businesses with college staff in partnership with the Workforce Development Board, and allowing the College to tailor its curricula to the needs of area employers. Beaver also implemented the first distance learning option for many K–12 schools in central Wisconsin, creating transcripted credit opportunities for thousands of area high school students as well as the adoption of telepresence technology at Mid-State.

Beaver has also been instrumental in promoting Mid-State dual-credit programs, resulting in significant savings for high school students.

“For many years, Bob has been a crucial driver of Mid-State’s ability to help students access and afford a college degree as well as tailor offerings to meet business needs in our district,” said Mid-State president Dr. Sue Budjac. “We are proud of his accomplishments and incredibly pleased to see the Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association recognize his legacy of service to Wisconsin’s technical college mission.”