It is my pleasure to welcome you to the University of Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA). As an institution within the University of Nebraska System, NCTA is dedicated to the same levels of excellence in providing its students with an agricultural education based on research that is critical to the future of Nebraska, the nation and world. NCTA in partnership with the West Central Research and Extension Center (WCREC) has developed an agricultural education system that will prepare you for dynamic careers in agriculture. You will be taught by outstanding NCTA and WCREC faculty that recognize the importance of the various agricultural disciplines to Nebraska and the U.S. economies. The Curtis and West Central facilities include animal and cropping systems only available through NCTA. These systems include a 600 acre land and livestock laboratory adjacent to the NCTA Curtis campus, the 12,000 acre Gudmundsen Ranch, and a 2,000 acre crop and animal research laboratory at the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte. NCTA offers four Associate of Applied Science Degrees for students interested in directly entering the agricultural industry upon graduation. NCTA also maintains an excellent Associate of Science Degree that will allow you to transfer to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or other four year institutions to complete additional degrees. Regardless of your degree program choice, NCTA will provide you with an excellent educational environment in which you will grow and develop your analytical and social skills crucial to the future of Nebraska and the nation's huge production agriculture and agri-business industry. I look forward to personally meeting each of you as you add the NCTA experience to your future. I promise it will be worth the effort!

Weldon Sleight, Dean