Mid-State Technical College gathered with students and partners from across the community to celebrate the opening of its new LEAD Center during a ribbon cutting ceremony on the Stevens Point Campus on April 1. The LEAD Center serves as Mid-State’s business management leadership home base, providing a venue to experience growth in leadership and management, workforce training and Mid-State’s academic programs.

“LEAD” in the Center’s name stands for Lead, Engage, Aspire, Develop, with each area representing a way the LEAD Center supports leadership growth these different but connected communities:

• Lead – Knowledge gained from Mid-State’s leadership development and management programs, diplomas and certificates
• Engage – Stimulating events and experiences, including reservation of the LEAD Center
• Aspire – Supporting aspiring leaders in K–12 activities
• Develop – Workforce connections and skills through continuing education and professional development

The College’s decision to locate the LEAD Center in Stevens Point aligns with Mid-State’s growing work to support leadership growth and opportunity for students as well as across the district, according to Ben Nusz, dean of the Stevens Point Campus and School of Business & IT. 

“We seek to locate our facilities to best serve our communities,” Nusz said. “The Stevens Point Campus is home base for many of our business and leadership academic programs. This location is also surrounded by a high density of business professionals and has demonstrated a strong demand for leadership training.”

The LEAD Center brings opportunity for the community, high school students, the workforce and Mid-State students alike. Occupying a 3,000 square-foot space across from the popular Community Engagement Room on the Stevens Point Campus, it is a redesign of that campus’ Academic Learning Center, which was relocated to just inside the main entrance to better serve students. 

“This project is another example of Mid-State continually evolving to serve its communities, which is what we all need to do, especially in higher education,” said Mid-State’s president, Dr. Shelly Mondeik, adding, “At Mid-State our mission is about transforming lives, and we do that through teaching and learning, and the LEAD Center is just one more way that we’re going to be able to do that. Our staff is dedicated, truly, to making sure we transform each person, each individual, that walks through our doors.”

Since the project was completed in January, the LEAD Center has already hosted the DEI Applied Conference, The First Pitch idea contest, the Nonprofit Leadership Institute, and discovery days for local middle schoolers. Learn more about events and opportunities available in the LEAD Center at mstc.edu/lead-center.