Guiding your future at NCTA

February 27, 2018

NCTA Dean’s Column by Ron Rosati, Ph.D.

Prospective students and their families can develop an excellent overview of NCTA facilities, programs and student life during one of three specialized sessions each year entitled, “Discovery Day at NCTA.”

The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture always looks forward to hosting these future students and their parents for group sessions, individual appointments with advisors, tours of campus, and fact-filled details for financial aid.

Next Monday, March 5, we will welcome about 100 guests. Our student ambassadors plan an enjoyable day for anyone seeking to study agriculture or veterinary technology programs at NCTA. For some students, it will be their first college visit to Curtis.  For others, such as those involved in FFA contests and 4-H events over the years, it will be familiar environs.

Our visitors first want to hear about the quality of our nationally-ranked academic programs. The future students next ask about the campus life available to our students in Curtis.

Parents quickly asked the question “How are we going to pay for college?” At NCTA, we have many good answers to that question. Our most recent statistics show us that 73 percent of our students are able to pay their entire tuition and fee billing from grants and scholarships.

College Scorecard

Fortunately, Nebraska residents can choose from among many excellent colleges. The growth of student debt demonstrates that it’s increasingly important to pay attention to cost when selecting an institution.

Some institutions, such as state-supported colleges and universities like NCTA, are able to keep their tuition low because cost of attendance is subsidized by state funds.

Currently, the cost for a fulltime NCTA student taking 17 hours and living on campus is about $17,000 for two semesters. That includes housing, food service, NCTA tuition at $127.50 per credit hour, fees and books.

Find the tuition and costs breakdown at https://ncta.unl.edu/tuition-costs and https://ncta.unl.edu/cost-attendance. We strive to make all aspects of college affordable.

To help parents and students select high quality, low cost programs, the federal government publishes data on cost of attendance as well as employment rate of graduates and salary of graduates. This consumer protection website is called the College Scorecard. This easy-to-use tool helps consumers compare colleges on key parameters such as affordability and marketability of graduates.

Weekend sports

Livestock dogs and their handlers are sorting and working livestock at the NCTA indoor arena this weekend. You are invited to stop by to view the action at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The NCTA Stock Dog Team hosts the public trial in an outstanding partnership with the regional Outback Stock Dog Club. Judy Bowmaster-Cole is coach and faculty sponsor for our Aggie stock dog students.

The NCTA Shotgun Sports Team also is back in action this weekend by hosting a regional contest on Saturday and Sunday. Colleges will convene at the Lincoln County Wildlife Gun Club near Lake Maloney, south of North Platte. Coach Alan Taylor is expecting a spirited contest for the Aggies. Spectators are welcome.

See you this weekend or March 5 at Discovery Day.  Go Aggies!

NCTA Events:

1 – State FFA Campus Work Night, EDC

2 – First 8-week finals and session end

3 – Frontier County 4- Beef Weigh-in, 9 a.m., Red Barn

3-4 – NCTA Invitational Clay Shoot, North Platte

3-4 – Stock Dog Trials, 8 a.m., LTC arena

5 –Second 8 week session begins

5 – NCTA Discovery Day, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Ed Center

6 – District XI FFA CDE #3, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., NCTA campus

6 – Collegiate Cattlemen, 6:30 p.m. LTC

7 – Registrations begins for summer semester

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.