Hudson now has tech school as WITC opens

By Doug Stohlberg

Hudson now has its own technical college. Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, based in New Richmond, opened a Hudson location this week at 944 O'Keefe Rd., part of the old Furniture World building.

New Richmond Campus Administrator Timothy Schreiner is excited about the school's presence in Hudson.

"Technical education is a bit different in that the customer decides what he/she wants," Schreiner said. "We are not site-bound, place-bound or time-bound.

"Hudson is the fastest growing area in the region that we serve (St. Croix, Polk and Burnett counties) so it makes sense to have a facility here. There is a demand here for business and industry training."

He said there were several reasons for opening a facility in Hudson. Along with the growth, he said the New Richmond WITC campus is filled to capacity. With the need to offer more classes, opening a satellite in Hudson made sense.

"Our Hudson building is close to two industrial parks and a stone's throw from a third," Schreiner said.

The Hudson campus will offer 62 classes, mostly in the areas of computer, management and supervisory management.

Schreiner estimated that the 62 classes will include about 1,500 students during the year. That represents about 10 to 15 percent of total activity of WITC's New Richmond-based operation.

Schreiner is proud of the classes offered by WITC, including those non-traditional classes that take staff and equipment into the real world.

"As I said, the customer determines the schedule," Schreiner said. "For example, we recently did some training for Doboy in New Richmond. The classes were offered on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the business."

WITC also offers the latest in technology when it comes to computer classes and management training. Schreiner said the computers are the "best money can buy" and the labs are "state of the art."

Along with the flexible schedule geared toward business and industry, the Hudson facility also offers regularly scheduled classes. Schreiner said most of the classes are offered from about noon to 9 p.m., to accommodate working adults.

"The facility will most often be used by business and industry for various training sessions from 8 a.m. to noon," Schreiner said. "A company will be able to bring people here and use our facilities and staff."

Class registration is a continuous process, with registration for many of the fall classes going on now.

"We hope, and expect, that the decision to come to Hudson will go well," Schreiner said. "We don't have a lot of money in brick and mortar. We are renting this space so we have great flexibility for the future."

If anything, however, Schreiner expects that the facility may have to expand in the future.

"We're very excited and we are looking for a long-term relationship."

For information on classes, or to register, call 377-0007 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., or (800) 243-WITC.

Schreiner

Timothy Schreiner has been New Richmond Campus Administrator since 1995 when he and his wife, Teri, moved to New Richmond. His background includes 19 years of teaching high school in Winona, Minn. He then became dean of the Winona Technical College and later moved to the Red Wing Technical College. He has a master's degree from Winona State. Teri is a long-term special education substitute teacher in the New Richmond School system.

The couple has two adult children. Daughter Melissa, 24, is a teacher in Rochester, Minn. Son Marc, 26, is a professional opera singer who just completed a stint with the Minnesota Opera and recently accepted a role with the Houston, Texas, Opera.