Historic Ag Hall is base for college’s student leaders

NCTA 2022-23 Student Senate officers and students gathered on September 8 for an organizational meeting. More joined the group on Sept. 22 and are not pictured. Names are in the adjoining article. (Photo by Prof. Eric Reed, NCTA advisor)

By Mary Crawford, NCTA NEWS

Each first and third Tuesday of the month at 12:10 p.m., Student Senate members of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture gather at the oldest building on campus.

They network and keep student groups informed, offer input to administrators and faculty, discuss policy or campus concerns, or coordinate service projects with Curtis and Frontier County residents.

The 2022 rendition of NCTA fall semester began Aug. 26. Opening day at Agriculture Hall, then the only classroom at the Aggie campus, was Sept. 9, 1913.

Current-day student population of 250 students may not realize the history of their campus. Nor that the initial 82 Aggies enrolled at the Nebraska School of Agriculture were not college students.

Instead, NSA was a residential high school for students from 9^th through 12^th grades. They hailed from southwestern Nebraska and the Sandhills, mostly from counties without education beyond 8^th grade.

Through 109 years, Ag Hall has presided over campus through four name changes, transition from the high school to a two-year college while simultaneously serving both populations in a two-year overlap.

Today, the three-story brick building still has several of the same classrooms on three floors, in addition to the administrative and business offices on second level. The main public traffic, however, is to the Nebraska Extension – Frontier County Office or to the Aggie Store on ground level.

Aggie student leaders

Student leaders are elected or nominated by 15 student clubs or competition teams. They are Ag Business Club, Ag Mechanics Club, Collegiate Cattlemen, Collegiate 4-H/FFA, Farm Bureau Club, Horticulture Club, Livestock Judging Team, Ranch Horse Team, Rodeo Team, Shotgun Sports Team, Stock Dog Team, Phi Theta Kappa, Safari Club, Student Technicians of Veterinary Medicine Association, and Women in Ag.

Each organization can appoint a 1^st-year representative and a 2^nd-year representative.

The Student Senate was formed to be the governing body charged with the regulation and coordination of student self-government. The Student Senate also serves as a liaison between the NCTA administration, faculty, staff, students, and the public.

Student Senate leaders for 2022-2023 are:

President: Tanner Ostrander, Ogallala, Ag Business Club
Vice President: Kia Brown, Utica, Aggie Rodeo Team
Secretary/Treasurer: Maryssa Archibeque, Burwell, Student Technicians of Veterinary Medicine
Dean's Council Representative (2nd year): Taylor Lautenschlager, Doniphan, Farm Bureau Club
Dean's Council Representative (1st year): Haley Robb, Doniphan, Livestock Judging Team
Faculty Advisor: Eric Reed, PhD, General Studies

NCTA has two Student Senate representatives who serve on the Dean’s Council, along with three administrators, Senate leadership from faculty and staff, and academic unit lead faculty. The two voices for all Aggie students are Taylor Lautenschlager and Haley Robb.

The Dean’s Council, chaired by Dean Larry Gossen, Ph.D., meets monthly, also in Agriculture Hall.

Projects for Student Senate include providing input to the Council on proposals for campus facilities, campus health and safety measures, and policy.

Voice for Aggies

On Friday, Sept. 30, Tanner Ostrander, Senate president, and Maddy Carr, in May named Aggie of the Year for 2022, will join NCTA Dean Larry Gossen in representing the college at a University of Nebraska Board of Regents meeting in Kearney.

“We will get to introduce ourselves, what we study here at NCTA and share a few highlights about campus and the students,” explained Ostrander, an animal science major.

Ostrander served on Student Senate in academic year 2021-22 year, then representing the NCTA Ag Business Club. Next fall, he will transfer to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in pre-veterinary science.

Carr, who graduated from North Platte High School, is majoring in Livestock Industry Management.

Student Senate led by 15 Aggie clubs

Students in the adjoiningn photo are, from left to right, front row: Tanner Ostrander, Ogallala; Maryssa Archibeque, Burwell; Jurnny Thornbrugh, Central City; and Heidi Wilkerson, Lumberton, Texas.

2^nd row, Colby Heinz, Ellinwood, Kansas; Natalie Johnson, Veteran, Wyoming; Zoe Ann Gorham, Broken Bow; and Braeden Theriault, Columbus, Georgia.

3^rd row, Alyssa Taylor, Camillus, New York; Callie Landauer, Blair; Riley Brown, Wray, Colorado; and Allison Wilkens, Gibbon.

4^th row, Ava Matthes, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Jazlyn Nelson, Wahoo; Kristin Cawthra, Benkelman; and Maggie Clark, Johnson.

5^th row, Larista Barner, Wolbach; Chase Glover, Grand Island; Haley Robb, Doniphan; and Danielle Layland, Austin, Minnesota.

Top row, Andrew Endicott, Ashland, Kansas; and Jozlyn Anderson, Plainview.

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.