Discovery Day at NCTA is Monday

October 7, 2019

By Mary Crawford, NCTA News

CURTIS, Neb. – A year ago Jacob Jenkins knew he was going to study agriculture in college.  He just didn’t know exactly where.

Thinking he would attend the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, a friend suggested Jenkins check out an ag college in Curtis, nearly 185 miles closer to his farm home near Mitchell, Nebraska.

Now, as a freshman diversified ag major at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Jenkins is glad he took his friend’s advice and attended that NCTA Discovery Day last October.

“When I drove into town that day it looked like where I was from – small town,” Jenkins said. “Everyone I talked to and met was so friendly.”

With a combination of lecture and lab classes in agronomy, a livestock nutrition course and others, Jenkins feels right at home.  He also is a member of several student clubs.

“It is definitely going better than I expected,” he said. “I made the right choice.”

During Discovery Day, prospective students talk to professors from production agriculture, agribusiness management, veterinary technology, ag equipment, animal science or equine industry management.

Prospective students seeking two-year degrees in those majors or a certificate in animal health, welding or irrigation technology are finding an ideal college, says Jennifer McConville, associate dean.

“We are a small campus with a BIG impact,” says McConville, a former agribusiness professor whose family farms in southwest Nebraska. She met several students at a recent career fair who are registered for the NCTA Discovery Day next Monday.

“We know our students individually with teaching in smaller class sizes and great opportunities that hands-on learning provides for those seeking technical skills all based on the state’s number one economy – agriculture,” McConville said.

High school students, parents and guests will take campus tours, learn about financial aid, meet with faculty and counselors regarding academic programs, and visit with NCTA Aggies about their competition and traveling teams and student organizations.

“NCTA Discovery Day” begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and adjourns at 2 p.m., McConville said. The day includes a session dedicated to federal financial aid (FAFSA) and NCTA Scholarships.

Additional Discovery Days are Nov. 18, March 2, 2020 and a program called “Junior Day” on April 6^th.

Pre-registration is requested for lunch and tours at https://ncta.unl.edu/discovery-days.