University of Nebraska Years of Service awards to NCTA staff

December 23, 2016

By NCTA News Service                                                                                                       

Curtis, Neb. – Three individuals at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture were recognized recently for their employment with the University of Nebraska system.

NCTA Dean Ron Rosati made presentations of award clocks and plaques during a staff and faculty in-service at the Curtis campus.

Annually, the University system recognizes employees for their fulltime employment, awarded by years of service in five year increments.  This includes instructors, support staff, administrators, extension educators, researchers and all employees of the University of Nebraska, including NCTA which is part of the statewide University system.

The NCTA employees are Linda Cole, Mary Rittenhouse and Doug Smith, Ph.D., all of Curtis.

Twenty Years:  Linda Cole, office associate at the Welcome Center located at the Ag Education Center, started with NCTA in 1996.  She worked with four administrators in the Dean’s Offices until moving to the NCTA Business Office in 2008 where she was responsible for human resources, travel, grant and donations to NCTA, and liaison to the University of Nebraska Foundation. When the Welcome Center was created in the Nebraska Agriculture Industry Education Center, Cole assumed responsibility for scheduling, support to staff, switchboard and automated tabulation of surveys, classroom evaluations and campus reports. She is key to many behind-the-scenes roles for staff support to Agronomy/Agricultural Mechanics, General Education and Agribusiness Management System departments, and campus assessment.

Fifteen years:  Mary Rittenhouse has served as Division Chairman and Assistant Professor, NCTA Agribusiness Management Systems since July, 2015.  Prior to coming to NCTA, Rittenhouse had served on the faculty of the University of Nebraska at Kearney.  She also serves as faculty advisor for the NCTA Ag Business Club and has established a Center for Economic Education at NCTA. Previously, Rittenhouse was an economic education specialist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Five Years: Doug Smith, Ph.D., is the Division Chairman and Assistant Professor, NCTA Animal Science and Agricultural Education.  He joined the faculty in 2011 and also serves as the livestock judging team coach. Two years ago, he was appointed a professor of practice with the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Department at the Agricultural College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, UNL.

“I appreciate the dedication of all of our staff at NCTA and applaud the work contributed by Linda, Mary and Doug to the benefit of our students and all of the campus community,” Rosati said.