NCTA students and teams grow

Sept. 13, 2017

Dean’s Column by Ron Rosati, PhD

As word spreads about NCTA’s nationally ranked academic programs, students from across the country are responding and enrollment is growing!

Our report on NCTA’s fall enrollment outlines an increase in the number of full-time NCTA students for a fourth year in a row.

For the fall 2017 semester, the college on-campus population grew by four percent. Congratulations, Curtis! We have 255 students taking college classes right here in this community.

That is good news for the University of Nebraska system and for all of us who call Curtis our home.  Thank you, NCTA partners, for welcoming NCTA Aggies to our town.

 Here are the NCTA 2017 enrollment highlights:

• Enrollment of on-campus students is 255 (full-time or part-time)
• Enrollment of out-of-state full-time students increased 48%
• Enrollment of full-time transfer students increased 44%
• 18 students major in agribusiness management
• 137 students major in agricultural production systems
• 110 students major in veterinary technology
• Tuition is $127.50 per credit hour for in-state and out-of-state students
• NCTA employs 14 full-time faculty

Aggie Student Teams

NCTA’s academic and competition teams are working hard this semester.  Several teams already have competed since classes began on Aug. 21. Their efforts, and that of their faculty coaches and student assistant coaches, are outstanding.  Academic competition teams instill leadership skills and team dynamics to a college campus.

Agribusiness Management and Horticulture students typically compete in one national contest each spring semester. The NCTA Stock Dog Team just competed at the Nebraska State Fair in a new collegiate division.

Some of our other Aggie teams which travel for multiple intercollegiate competitions each year include Shotgun Sports, Rodeo, Ranch Horse, Livestock Judging and Crops Judging.

Aggie Rodeo Team – Coach Taylor Rossenbach traveled with 10 rodeo athletes to River Falls, Wisconsin for the season opener. Rio Whited of North Platte, a heeler with team roping partner Jordan Staton of Black Hills State University, took first in the long go and short go rounds.

Other team members were Nate Letcher, Erica Mowery, Tara Spatz, Sydney Goracke, Quinten Anderson, Ty Hermelbracht, Cash Talamantez, Maeson Roberts and Trey Baum. They will be up in rodeo action Sept. 15-16 in North Platte where the Great Plains Region of intercollegiate rodeo will be hosted by Mid-Plains Community College.

Aggie Ranch Horse - Coach Joanna Hergenreder and 10 students on the Ranch Horse Team traveled to Briggsdale, Colorado for the Slidin’ Daze Finale 2017.

Team members attending this first contest were Brooklyn Becker, Shae-Lynn DeNaeyer, Sarah Fitzgerald, Elly Dahl, Rebekah Miller, Garison Fisher, Damian Wellman, Kaitlyn Thesenvitz, Courtney Leach and Shaterra Lewis-Wright. Contest results will be posted at ncta.unl.edu.

Aggie Shotgun Sports Team – This team has adopted a new name: Aggie Shotgun Sports Team. Coach Alan Taylor is mentoring students interested in shotgun sports such as sporting clays, trap and skeet.

Their first collegiate contest will be the Prairie Classic on Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the Lincoln County Wildlife Gun Club.

This Saturday, Sept. 16th, the Aggie team hosts a fall fundraiser during the Curtis Fall Festival. A sporting clays shoot will be from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Curtis Gun Club.  Participants can donate $15 for 50 clays.

Events in September:

15-16 – Livestock Team at Tri State Fair, Amarillo, TX

15- 16 – Aggie Rodeo at Mid-Plains Community College, North Platte, NE

16-17 – Curtis Fall Festival

16 – Aggie Trap Team open shoot, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Curtis Gun Range

18 – Frontier County 4-H Council, 7:30 p.m., Ed Center

NCTA Mission:

The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is devoted to a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology, food and related industries. The college provides open access to innovative technical education resulting in associate degrees, certificates, diplomas and other credentials.