Happy New Year, Aggies!
Reflections on the Year of 2021 bring to mind many wonderful connections our Aggie campus has forged among families and individuals.
Thousands of graduates from the high school and college years who studied and lived “up on the hill” remain connected to Curtis.
We at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture hear from them throughout the year, at reunions, for special occasions, and when alumni bring their children here to attend college.
At the holidays, we treasure reading Christmas cards and letters from college friends from across the country. Many individuals prefer to stay connected with personally penned updates and sharing special family photographs.
However, technology and social media platforms certainly do allow a steady flow of communication.
Nebraskans engaged in agriculture, seem to be well connected, particularly with cell phones, texts and social media venues.
A commonly used social media site hosts a public page dedicated to NCTA Alumni. And other social group pages are maintained privately for the Curtis Aggies and U.N.S.T.A – the University of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture – and other friends of the campus.
Aggie Alumni
In June, the Aggie Alumni Association and NCTA gathered to campus nearly 100 alumni and friends spanning several decades of graduates for Aggie Alumni Day.
Since the alumni could not hold their reunion in 2020 due to COVID-19, the groups gathering in 2021 celebrated 50-year honorees from the Classes of 1970 and 1971, plus many other years.
They had a great time socializing for the luncheon in the old gym (The Barn), sharing stories, presenting recognitions, taking photographs, and touring the campus including a Dean’s Residence Open House.
Leaders to the Aggie Alumni Association are:
- President David Fulton, Pleasanton
- Past President Ann Bruntz, Friend
- Vice President Steven Stettner, Palmer
- Secretary Dan Stehlik, Curtis
- Treasurer Wade Shipman, Curtis
- Newsletter Editor Mary Crawford, NCTA
Board members include alumni: Boni Perks Edwards, Gene Heller, David May, Dave Mahaffey, Linda Ramos. Ex-Officio members: Josi Arnold, Larry Gossen, and Kristen Houska.
The group will be meeting again in January by Zoom conference call to make plans for a social gathering in Lincoln, Nebraska, perhaps as a football tailgate or other activity. An Aggie Alumni Day will return to the Curtis campus in 2023, with a date yet to be determined.
Aggie Alumni scholarships
Two students are awarded an Aggie Alumni scholarship each year. Recipients are children of a parent or parents (or legal guardian) who are graduates of the college. Our current scholars are Morgan Preston, Wright Wyoming, and Allison Wilkens, Gibbon.
Applications will be available for the 2022-2023 recipients at the NCTA Dean’s Office and in the Welcome Center. If you know of current or transfer students enrolling at NCTA, encourage them to pick up an application.
Season’s Greetings
We have enjoyed our holiday break and hope that you and yours have had Happy Holidays. The campus offices will re-open on January 3, and students will return for Second Semester on January 10.
From everyone at NCTA and our Aggie Alumni Association, we wish you a Happy New Year!
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.