Linking Aggie Alumni Association with campus graduates

Dean’s Message by Larry Gossen, Ph.D.

This summer the Aggie Alumni Association at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture will forego a traditional all-school reunion in Curtis.

Instead, the board will host a virtual annual business meeting over lunch time on Thursday, June 23.

Aggie Alumni Association president Dave Fulton outlines the plan for 2022 activities as part of this week’s Message from the NCTA Dean.

I appreciate David’s counsel and service to some of NCTA’s strategic planning we did this winter and spring.  He and the all-volunteer directors of the Aggie Alumni board are a vital part of our college operations.

Curtis Aggies span 55 years of students who attended the regional high school from 1913 to 1968. Most were natives to southwest Nebraska, but many also came from the Sandhills and western portions of the state, from rural areas without a high school or a long distance from one.

Once the technical college started in 1968, three years had both secondary and post-secondary students simultaneously at campus.  Our first college graduates were from the Class of 1970, University of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture (UNSTA).

Since the late 80s, after the school nearly closed and it became the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA), programs have steadily grown. NCTA has tremendous support from Aggie Alumni, the University of Nebraska, Legislative appropriations, and our industry partners.

The Aggie Alumni Association leaders and board are significant stakeholders of NCTA. Alumni expand our statewide advocacy and recruiting efforts. Annually, the Association awards three scholarships to students whose parent or parents are Aggie graduates. They also recognize alumni achievements.

Aggie President Fulton’s message this week is adapted from a letter he penned for the NCTA Dean’s Newsletter to Alumni and Friends.

Aggie Alumni President David Fulton

Welcome to summer, friends!  May it be filled with timely rains and calm winds!

May saw another terrific group of graduates head out into the world to make a difference. And that is exactly what our graduates do and have always done. We leave Curtis well prepared, and well educated, and we serve our families, our jobs, and our hometowns well. I am proud of the impact we have and will continue to have for decades to come!

I believe NCTA is in very good hands with Dean Larry Gossen and his team. I have enjoyed interacting with him and others on campus this spring and am excited about the future of the school. My years in Curtis were transformative to my life, and I hope all of our Aggie graduates feel the same way.

Our association annual meeting this year will be online from 12 noon to 1 p.m. C.T. on Thursday, June 23. All interested alumni are invited to participate. Please register by June 20 so we can send you the Zoom link. For details, see https://ncta.unl.edu/aggie-alumni.

On Saturday, July 30, retired Aggie Coach Del Van der Werff is hosting a basketball reunion in Curtis. I hope all of you who played for Del between 1976 to 2006 can make it back for this fun event.

Reunite with alumni friends on November 19 at a big “indoor football tailgate” as the Nebraska Cornhuskers take on the Wisconsin Badgers. The tailgate includes our annual Aggie Alumni awards program.  Join me Nov. 19 at the UNL East Campus Union. Watch the Aggie Alumni page at ncta.unl.edu for details and the tailgate kickoff schedule.

As always, please continue to encourage young people to consider NCTA for their post high school education.

Our best “sales” people are those of us who attended UNSTA/NCTA and want that education and experience for others!

~ David Fulton, UNSTA/NCTA Alumni Association President - Ag Business 1980

NCTA Events:

June 6-9:  Nebraska Youth Range Camp, NCTA campus

June 7-9: Career & Technical Education Conference, Kearney

June 8:  New Student Enrollment, NCTA Ed Center

June 8-9: NCTA at State FFA Convention, Colorado

June 10-12: NCTA exhibit at State High School Rodeo Finals, Hastings

June 23:  Aggie Alumni Annual Meeting, 12 pm CT, Virtual Zoom

June 24:  Critter Corral, 8 a.m.- 2 p.m., NCTA Vet Tech Complex

June 26-28, 28-30: Ag Teachers Boot Camp and Coaches Clinics, NCTA Campus

July 6: Agronomy Youth Field Day, NCTA Campus

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.