Mount Marty College – Watertown plans to move campus to LATI

WATERTOWN, S.D. – Earlier this month, the Mount Marty College Board of Trustees voted to enter into an agreement with the Watertown School District to move the Mount Marty College - Watertown campus operations to the Lake Area Technical Institute campus beginning the fall semester of 2019. Last week, the Watertown School Board approved the same proposal.

This would be a homecoming for MMC Watertown since the campus was located either on the LATI campus or adjacent to it from 1998 to 2013. MMC Watertown’s highest enrollment occurred during this time. Director Cris Gordon is excited about the opportunities that exist for MMC students with a move to LATI. “Our services will remain the same and students will continue to be our top priority as we offer them more resources with this great partnership.”

In the fall of 2018, Mount Marty College president Dr. Marc Long and LATI president Michael Cartney discussed opportunities to further develop a mutually beneficial partnership between the two institutions. The discussions explored moving the MMC - Watertown location from its existing rented space in West Hwy 212 to the LATI facilities on Arrow Ave. After vetting by both institutions, surveying and deliberation, MMC administration agreed moving the Watertown campus back to LATI was in the best interests of the college and the students.

Before the decision was finalized, MMC and LATI participated in a pilot program to determine benefits and potential setbacks. This past spring two MMC classes were held at LATI. The students who took these classes were surveyed and their feedback was overall very positive with 84% of students reporting either a good or excellent experience. There was no negative feedback or issues from either students or administration regarding the pilot program.

Associate Director of Admissions, Heidi Schooley explains that this agreement with LATI is paving the way for students who start with an associate’s degree. “Thanks to articulation agreements between MMC and LATI, students who are enrolled in an LATI degree program can easily transfer to Mount Marty and complete the corresponding bachelor’s degree,” says Schooley. “We’ve really simplified the transfer process, and there are various programs to choose from.”

In addition, LATI grads with an Associate of Applied Science degree can take advantage of MMC’s 2+2 program and gain their bachelor’s degree in Applied Technology Management. According to Schooley, the program is great for people  looking for that extra edge, “The 2+2 program features two years of general education and business courses designed to give students with technical degrees a leg up on their competition.” The program is available to LATI grads with degrees in Auto Technology, Aviation Maintenance, Building Trades, Energy Technology,  Industrial Automation and Robotics, Medical/Fire Rescue and more. “These 2+2 programs are great for a person who wants to increase their opportunities for advancement or move into management positions at work, and advancement like that is great for the individual, but it’s great for Watertown too.”

This proposed move will present great benefits to MMC - Watertown students in the form of access to a library, cafeteria, coffee shop, and student success services, as well as many other amenities that LATI has to offer. MMC is looking forward to this partnership and opportunities to grow its articulation agreements and its relationship with LATI.

Find out more

Information about how you can earn a bachelor’s degree from Mount Marty is just a call, click or visit away. Contact Heidi Schooley, Associate Director of Admissions at heidi.schooley@mtmc.edu or give her a call at 605-886-6777. Find MMC online at www.mtmc.edu/Watertown, or get help from a real-live person Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at our campus location, 3100 9th Avenue SW, Suite 200.