Welcome to the NCTA Aggies

Moving into the residence halls at NCTA before classes start on August 22.
Moving into the residence halls at NCTA before classes start on August 22.

August 16, 2016
Dean’s Column by Ron Rosati, PhD

Our Fall semester courses and college programs begin on Monday!

As the Dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, I extend a hearty welcome to all students, staff members and faculty personnel.

I look forward to greeting our freshman this Friday as they move into the residence halls, and returning students as they come back to Curtis over the weekend to prepare for the next school year.

Many will come with their pickups, cars and trailers filled with furnishings, supplies and perhaps horses and dogs.  We’ll be here to assist as they move into the campus residence halls.

For those unfamiliar with NCTA, it’s part of our campus culture to welcome student-owned horses and dogs on campus (with required health approvals) but animals are not allowed inside buildings or residence halls. It’s not uncommon at all to see students riding horses on campus, using the indoor riding arena at the Livestock Teaching Center, or exercising their dogs at the old football field just south of Ag Hall.

Personal pets are boarded off campus at private boarding facilities or with the student-owners at their off-campus, private housing.  In order to provide pedestrian and animal safety at campus, new traffic gates were installed at several locations to slow or halt vehicle access on some internal college roadways.  Watch for these changes as you drive around campus.

College employees in all operations and academic divisions have been busy preparing for student and staff arrival.  We had a short break after the summer session concluded and we are now running at full speed in preparation for the fall semester.

This week brings staff, faculty, adjunct instructors, and team coaches together for orientation and planning sessions.  Also, the residence assistants (RA’s) have been meeting in preparation for student arrival.

Ryan Bauman, Residence Life Manager, has coordinated many of these pre-semester events.  Thanks to the American Red Cross for providing a Monday emergency responder and CPR session.

Our building and facilities personnel have been sprucing up many buildings, giving some rooms a new coat of paint, and installing additional lighting to the outdoors.  Fire and Safety inspections and emergency testing is underway in all campus buildings. A new fitness center has been completed on campus. We are in the final stages of adding air-conditioning to the student union and expect to have that project completed in September.

And, the latest in technology has been added to several classrooms and laboratories including adding full internet service to the Agricultural Mechanics classroom and shop buildings. Students, instructors and visitors now can have WiFi campus wide.

Later this week, we begin the orientation sessions for new students (and their parents). The “opening day” move-in is Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  A parents’ meeting concludes the afternoon as families depart the campus.

The 2016-2017 session marks the 103rd consecutive year for fall classes to start in Agricultural Hall.  These past 51 years have been as a technical agriculture college – now one of only two remaining colleges in the U.S. which are dedicated solely to instruction regarding technical agriculture.

Not only is NCTA unique in that vein, it also is unique within the University of Nebraska system.  We have a statewide mission of providing technical agriculture education where students may earn their Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science degree.

Welcome to NCTA Aggies!

Upcoming Events:
Aug. 19-22 – NCTA New Student Orientation
Aug. 22-26 – First week of fall classes
Aug. 30 – Final day to drop classes with full refund

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.

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