Only in Nebraska

11.28.22

Dr. Larry Gossen

Even before Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas music starts to play in our house and vehicles. It’s just one of those traditions that we have had for years. It’s not unique since most people I know do the same thing.

We also normally put up the tree and decorate the house that week, again, like most people. However, this year is different on that front. You see, this last year, we’ve adopted two young cats. We know those decorations won’t survive their curiosity, so we will do things differently for a few years.

I know you have your traditions and stories for your house and family as well. We all do.

Two weeks ago, I attended the University of Nebraska Foundation fundraising kickoff gala where everyone shared their stories, all around the theme “Only in Nebraska”. People from across the state shared amazing stories of accomplishments, successes, and human kindness.

One thing they encouraged everyone in attendance to do was to share their Nebraska story. While I may have only been a resident of Nebraska for a few years, my connection to Nebraska goes back a few decades. 

My Nebraska stories reflect the amazing human kindness of those with whom I’ve come in contact. Going back to my days as a high school teacher in Kansas, I had the opportunity to meet and work with Nebraska teachers, some of the friendliest in the country. They were always eager to share resources, ideas, and teaching tips.

My work with the National FFA Organization brought me to Nebraska on numerous occasions to work with Nebraska FFA state staff, University of Nebraska Lincoln teacher educators, and more teacher leaders. Every interaction with these individuals proved to me that there was definitely something to the state slogan, “the good life”.

That’s why, when the opportunity to work in Nebraska came my way, I jumped at the chance. Since I’ve been here, nothing has happened to change my original opinion of Nebraska and its residents. By far, the people of Nebraska are some of the friendliest, most helpful people in the country. They are truly committed to this Nebraska way of life.

This may be even more pronounced in Curtis and Southwest Nebraska. This is evident in the support provided to NCTA over the decades. The commitment to keep NCTA open when certain entities in the state tried to “shut us down” was one great example.

Another was when the need arose for a new education complex. Over one million dollars was raised in a matter of months to go toward the construction of the Nebraska Agriculture Industry Education Center.

As dean of NCTA, I am always looking for ways to enhance the opportunities for NCTA and the city of Curtis to work together more closely. With that thought in mind, I want to invite you all to an informational event taking place on campus next week.

Join us for a complimentary lunch, fun activities, music, and entertainment as we celebrate the NCTA campus and the University of Nebraska. This event is hosted by the University of Nebraska Foundation in conjunction with the university-wide campaign, “Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future.”

I mentioned in this column last week that NCTA had received a very generous matching donation ($6 million) from an amazing supporter to build a new Student Success and Activity Center. This project will allow us to relocate the current cafeteria and dining area to “The Barn”, the current student activity center.

We will be providing details about this project and more during this event. Please join us on Wednesday, December 7 in The Barn to find out how this will impact the Curtis community and how you can support this huge endeavor. If you can attend, please RSVP to Josi Arnold in the dean’s office at jarnold7@unl.edu, or call her at 308-367-5200.

I look forward to seeing many of you there and will share a brief explanation of the project at 12:10 p.m.