NCTA leads in preparing ag students

NCTA leads in preparing ag students

Aggie Rodeo is a popular competition team at NCTA in Curtis. Students like the small community, high quality academics, affordability, and student teams. (Craig Chandler / NCTA Photo)
Aggie Rodeo is a popular competition team at NCTA in Curtis. Students like the small community, high quality academics, affordability, and student teams. (Craig Chandler / NCTA Photo)

Sept. 5, 2018

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

Freshman enrollment at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is increasing, the University of Nebraska’s student body is increasingly diverse, and all campuses continue to grow in areas important to workforce and economic development.

The 2018 fall census released Tuesday for the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture and four campuses in the NU system reported a total of 51,883 students.

That represents the fourth-highest total in NU history, and a 23-year record for fulltime students enrolled at NCTA in Curtis. Here at NCTA, we saw increases in all categories. (See Census)

“In a perfect world, enrollment would go up every year,” NU President Hank Bounds said. “But after five straight years of growth, including back-to-back record highs, some ebb and flow is inevitable. Particularly when you consider the challenges the University of Nebraska has faced in recent years, there’s much to be proud of in this enrollment report.

The chancellors and I are focused on what the university and our partners need to do going forward to accelerate our growth so that we continue to meet the needs of Nebraska’s workforce and economy.

That includes a strong partnership with the State of Nebraska that sends a message to our young people that state leaders care about their future and are committed to working together to ensure affordable, accessible, excellent education for students and families for generations to come.”

 

Highlighted achievements at NCTA and across the university system include:

  • The number of full-time students (275) attending NCTA has reached a 23-year record. This is a 7.8 percent increase from 2017.
  • NCTA has 15 part-time students and 45 students earning high school/college dual credit to boost the total to 335, a 5.7 percent increase from 2017.
  • Enrollment of first-time freshmen university-wide held steady at 7,911, while enrollment of professional students grew 2.6 percent.
  • The university serves an increasingly diverse student body, including students from all Nebraska counties, all 50 states and more than 100 countries around the world. NU will continue to focus on enhancing diversity so that the promise of higher education is accessible to all students – a key workforce development strategy given that more than 70 percent of all Nebraska jobs will soon require higher education.
  •  The University of Nebraska at Omaha is welcoming a record-setting incoming first-year class for the fourth straight year. Not only is the first-year class the largest in UNO history, it is also the most diverse. UNO also continues its success in expanding access for students; military-affiliated enrollment increased and about 40 percent of Maverick undergraduates are the first in their families to attend college.
  • Enrollment of first-time, full-time freshmen at the University of Nebraska at Kearney is up 4.4 percent, and enrollments of online bachelor’s degree students and graduate students also increased. Enrollment of freshmen from Colorado increased 225 percent over last year following a push to offer in-state tuition to UNK for Colorado and Kansas students.
  • The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has its third-highest enrollment after graduating its largest class in history. UNL’s student body is also its most diverse in history, and enrollment of out-of-state freshmen continues to increase. The colleges of agricultural science and natural resources, arts and sciences, fine and performing arts, and journalism and mass communications all saw growth. Further, the average ACT score of incoming freshmen at UNL continues to increase, to 25.4.
  • For the 18th straight year, enrollment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has hit a record high, reflecting UNMC’s commitment to educating the future healthcare workforce for rural and urban Nebraska. Most programs saw increases, but there was significant growth in nursing, allied health and other programs directly related to critical workforce needs.

 Enrollment totals

  • Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture: 335 (5.7 percent increase)
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln: 25,820 (1 percent decrease)
  • University of Nebraska at Omaha: 15,431 (1.9 percent decrease)
  • University of Nebraska at Kearney: 6,327 (1.1 percent decrease)
  • University of Nebraska Medical Center: 3,970 (1.6 percent increase)

Congratulations, NCTA Aggies!  We are One University for One Nebraska.

This week’s NCTA Dean’s Column by Dr. Ron Rosati is adapted from a message by Hank Bounds, University of Nebraska president. 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.

Sept. 6 – NCTA Women in Agriculture, 5:30 p.m., LTC

Sept. 6 – NCTA Collegiate Cattlemen, 6 p.m. p.m., LTC

Sept. 7-8 – Aggie Rodeo Team at River Falls, Wisconsin

Sept. 8-9 – NCTA Shooting Sports Freshman Team at Ft. Hayes, Kansas

Sept. 11 – Animal Science Internship seminar, 5-9 p.m., LTC (Public)

Sept. 11-13 – NCTA at Husker Harvest Days

Sept. 14-15 – Aggie Rodeo, Buffalo Bill Arena, North Platte

Sept. 14-16 – Curtis Fall Festival

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