Aggies, Alumni, Academics

Dean’s Message by NCTA Dean Larry Gossen, Ph.D.

We welcome June, a month for Aggie Alumni and Aggie Academics at NCTA!

Now that we’ve turned the calendar after a busy spring semester at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, we see the month of June is equally full of opportunities for youth and adult education.

Next week we welcome the Nebraska Youth Range Camp back to campus. I look forward to meeting the students who come from all parts of Nebraska and elsewhere for this unique, in-depth short course.  While the instructors and resources are through the Nebraska Section of the Society for Range Management, the mission and content for the 4-day youth short course ties in closely with the animal science and range curriculum at NCTA.

Welcome SRM range campers and all volunteers!

The week after, our second-year and third-year veterinary technology students return to NCTA for Summer Session 2021. Their eight-week course begins on Flag Day, June 14.  It will be great to have college courses underway.

Summer Tours

Prospective students are invited to visit campus.  Our staff and ambassadors host tours Monday through Thursday at 10 a.m. See details and make an appointment at https://ncta.unl.edu/ncta-campus-tours or call Linda Cole at 308-367-5240.

Meet our recruiting team of Andela, Rulon and Gaylene, explore our NCTA classes and programs, and see what residence life as an NCTA Aggie is all about. Stop by Ag Hall to say hello to me, Dean Gossen, or Associate Dean Jennifer McConville.

Aggie Alumni Day June 26

College and high school Aggie graduates will be gathering at campus for an all-class Aggie Alumni Day on Saturday, June 26.  This will be an extra special day since alumni couldn’t have a reunion in 2020.

Honored guests will be alumni who graduated in 1970 and 1971, for their 50^th class reunions, but all graduates and classes are encouraged to attend.

Come one and all for this daytime celebration at the historic student union “The Barn,” which by the way, is renovated and air conditioned.

The Aggie Alumni Association is a chartered organization which represents all Aggies – from the high school years of 1913-1968, and college graduating classes of 1969-current. They host reunions, award scholarships to children of alumni, support the campus in many ways, and encourage students to attend NCTA.

Ann Ramm Bruntz, a veterinary technician graduate of the Class of 1971, encourages alumni and friends with connections as “Curtis Aggies” to join in the celebration.

With the hub of activity at The Barn, alumni can pick up their registration packets beginning at 10 a.m., and enjoy coffee and socializing, take a walking tour of campus, visit the Aggie Store at the Education Center, or visit the Aggie Alumni Room in the Library.

Luncheon activities include viewing silent auction items which raise funds for the alumni scholarships to NCTA students. The meal begins at 11:30 a.m., with an awards program, annual business meeting, introduction of scholarship recipients, and an update from campus with yours truly as emcee.

Registration is online at https://ncta.unl.edu/aggie-alumni.  A luncheon ticket is $10, and annual dues are $15. Lodging is available in Curtis, too, if planning an overnight stay.

I look forward to meeting more of our alumni, so please join us on June 26^th!

A June anniversary

Following a refreshing, special time for a mini vacation with our family and Memorial Day observances, the Gossens mark an anniversary this month. Fay and I relocated from our Missouri home to Curtis a year ago as I officially became NCTA dean on June 15, 2020.

We invite you to visit the NCTA Dean’s Residence for an open house and tour of our home on Saturday, June 26, in conjunction with the Aggie Alumni Day events on campus. The public open house is from 2-4 p.m.

Until next week, enjoy June and join us at NCTA in Curtis!

NCTA Events:

June 7-10:  Nebraska Youth Range Camp, NCTA

June 8:  New Student Enrollment, 8:30 a.m., Ed Center

June 25: Public Herding Dog Clinic, 10 a.m., NCTA

June 26:  Aggie Alumni Day, 10 a.m., Registration, 11:30 a.m. Luncheon

June 26:  NCTA Dean’s Residence Open House, 2-4 p.m.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.