We are forging NCTA’s future

Dec. 10, 2019                                                         

NCTA Dean’s Message

By Interim Dean Kelly Bruns, Ph.D.

As I end my first semester as interim Dean at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture I have been blessed to get to know the many students who fill our classrooms, work in our fields and care for our livestock and the many unique animals across our campus.

These students come from a wide range of backgrounds and places across our country, but the majority of them are from our great state of Nebraska. Many could have chosen to attend college at a campus closer to their home but they chose NCTA and I am very thankful that they did!

It is our students who make our campus successful.  They are the pages in our story book.  Each of them brings a unique background with future aspirations that we can only help them build upon.

It is our faculty, staff and graduate teaching assistants who deserve the credit, as these dedicated individuals engage our students one-on-one, helping them as they work toward their future goals.

The NCTA staff work diligently to ensure the student experiences here at the Curtis campus of the University of Nebraska are pleasant and memorable ones.  It takes dedicated work and a commitment from all students, faculty and staff to develop and deliver an outstanding educational program.

Our University of Nebraska vice president of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mike Boehm, as well as our interim president Susan Fritz and newly-appointed president Ted Carter are committed to supporting NCTA at the highest level.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents is dedicated to Nebraska agriculture and our statewide mission in education and workforce development. With their valued and steadfast commitment to agricultural families and rural communities, NCTA, IANR and Nebraska Extension can flourish.

As we end this fall semester at NCTA and look forward to the next, I am confident that we will be able to find and recruit a new campus dean who shares these same critical values of developing students and leaders who will sustain our agricultural industry.

I am looking forward to the spring semester of 2020. Our NCTA faculty are prepared for an important reaccreditation by the Higher Learning Commission. The NCTA campus community, alumni and agricultural partners have designed a robust set of goals for NCTA’s strategic plan which guides the institution through 2025. Thank you to the many individuals and groups who have been engaged in this new strategic plan. See the link to the 2020-25 Strategic Plan on this NCTA page: https://ncta.unl.edu/mission-statement.

It has been my pleasure to serve this fine institution during this interim role as dean. Myself and our faculty, as well as the leadership in IANR, are committed to a national search to find and hire a new dean who appreciates and values the hands-on learning environment that we prioritize at NCTA. We look forward to your input and questions at any time.

I want to extend my appreciation to the Curtis community, as well, for your support to our Aggie students as they take semester exams next week and wrap up their fall semester. You’ve enhanced their home-away-from-home with your warm hospitality and kind friendship.

For a few students who are completing their NCTA career this month and are eligible to walk with their classmates at NCTA’s only commencement in May, 2020, I say thank you for being a part of our Aggie family.  We congratulate you and wish you the very best in your new careers in Nebraska’s workforce.

NCTA and our agricultural industry is well served by your dedication and leadership.

Until next week, go AGGIES!

NCTA is devoted to a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology, and related industries. The college provides open access to innovative technical education resulting in associate degrees, certificates, and other credentials.

Upcoming events

Dec. 12: Curtis Hometown Christmas

Dec. 16-19: Fall Semester exams

Dec. 23-Jan. 2, 2020 – University campuses closed

Jan. 13, 2020 – Spring Semester begins