Spotlight on NCTA partnerships

Sept. 25, 2018

By NCTA Dean Ron Rosati, Ph.D.

We have had outstanding outreach opportunities for the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture again this month, allowing us to shine a bright spotlight on the accomplishments of Aggie students and our graduates.

Interactions at public venues such as college fairs, the Nebraska State Fair and Husker Harvest Days can often give us the chance to tell our story to alumni, stakeholders and news media.

I appreciate the enthusiasm shared as we mingle with friends, new and longtime, in conversations about our hands-on programs in Curtis.

Many told us they heard the news earlier in September about our record enrollment of fulltime students.  Our alumni were pleased to hear we had enrolled the greatest number of Aggies in 23 years.

As I walked the exhibits in Grand Island at Husker Harvest Days in the middle of the three-day show (which is billed as the world’s largest show of irrigated crops and vendors, by the way), I met many individuals with connections to our agricultural college.

These friends shared their personal stories as Aggie graduates, or recalled how their parents or relatives attended the institution during the high school era of 1913 to 1968.

They read the news of recent awards and national rankings publicized by Forbes magazine and Zippia.com, validation of the workforce development and career preparedness for our graduates.

Our friends and stakeholders are pleased with the progress made by NCTA, the sole two-year institution within the University of Nebraska system.

They also talked about the new academic programs including dairy production, poultry management, and irrigation technology.

Our alumni and friends also heard about our new online 16-credit-hour certification in agriculture designed for high school students and working professionals.

NCTA faculty and staff are creative and they work hard to find methods for helping Nebraskans increase their competence and knowledge in agriculture and veterinary technology.

Outreach to students

The career success of NCTA graduates is documentation of the considerable job opportunities available in agriculture and veterinary technology. Part of our mission is to build a skilled workforce for the agricultural industries in our state.

Our Student Services team informs high school and community members about the abundant agricultural career opportunities during visits to high schools and job fairs.

These staff members are an integral part of communicating opportunities for career planning and workforce preparedness to students of all ages – elementary, junior and senior high schools, with 4-H and FFA programs, and sharing information with guidance counselors and advisors who assist students and families in educational goals.

The NCTA recruiting team has been busy with college fairs, also known as Educational Planning Programs, in sessions held across the state.

In the first week of Educational Planning Programs, our team spoke with students in regional college fairs at Sidney, Scottsbluff, Alliance, Chadron, Mullen and Ogallala. They also made individual school visits to Stanton and Humphrey.

Week No. 2 took our recruiters to regional Educational Planning Programs at Lincoln, Norfolk, Creighton, O’Neill, Ainsworth, Ord and Broken Bow, as well as counselor updates in Chadron, Kearney, Lincoln, Omaha and Wayne. We also met with science teachers at a conference in Kearney and an animal science field day in North Platte.

This week, look for NCTA at Educational Planning Programs or school visits in Hastings, Grand Island, Kearney, McCook, Madison, Cozad, North Platte and Loomis.  Juliana, Emily and Tina have been very busy meeting students around Nebraska!

Our door is always open at NCTA!  Visit us at the Welcome Center, see ncta.unl.edu, or call 1-800-3CURTIS.

Upcoming Events:

Sept. 27 – “Say What?” seminar, Education Center

Sept. 28-30 – Aggie Shooting Sports Team, Prairie States Circuit match, North Platte

Sept. 28-29 – Aggie Rodeo Team to Fort Dodge, Iowa

Sept. 29 – Public Mobile Food Pantry, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Student Union

Sept. 29-30 – NCTA Stock Dog and Outback Stock Dog Association trials, Stockville fairgrounds

Sept. 29-30 – NCTA Livestock Judging Team to Ak-Sar-Ben, Grand Island

Sept. 30 – Nebraska LEAD seminar, NCTA Campus

Oct. 2 – Collegiate Cattlemen, 5:30 p.m., LTC

NCTA Mission:  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. The college provides open access to innovative technical education resulting in associate degrees, certificates, diplomas and other credentials.