Years of Service Awards

Jan. 8, 2024

By NCTA News

CURTIS, Neb. – A total of ninety years of service among six valued staff were celebrated at the recent faculty and staff in-service. The University of Nebraska recognizes employees across Nebraska for their years of service. Dean Larry Gossen presented the 2023 Employee Service Awards to those reaching five-year milestones with a plaque, clock, or other memento provided by the NU system. He noted his gratitude for the longevity of service represented at NCTA.

25 Years:

Jan Price,  office associate, has served 25 years in the Ag Production Systems department. Jan is the “go-to” on campus for students and colleagues looking for information or assistance. Notably, Jan earned the first Stewart Family Faculty and Staff Award this year for her impactful service. “It is very gratifying to play a small role in assisting our NCTA students to reach their educational goals. Their success stories are very rewarding to hear.“

20 Years:

Laura Romeo has served the college for 20 years as the financial office associate. Laura has enjoyed complimenting her behind-the-scenes role in the business office with engaging roles as a Student Senate Advisor for a time and in serving on committees and special projects.

15 Years:

Jan Gilbert, reaching 15 years of service as the Business Manager, shared her appreciation, saying, “NCTA employees embrace working as a team, but for me, it’s more than that; we’re a working family!” Beyond the typical business activities like accounting, budgeting, and payroll, Jan enjoys helping students find meaningful campus work studies and internships.

Roy Cole was the farm manager and instructor for 15 years until his recent retirement. He shared a fun story of his experience. “When Judy and I were coaching the Ranch Horse Team, we had three students in different years place in the top ten of the Collegiate Ranch Horse Finals. One would have been in the top 1 – 3, but his horse couldn’t stand the obstacles in the trail class. Everything else was OK, and the horse would do them at home, but the actual class, no way. They even tried putting up pool noodles, plastic flowers, and shopping bags in her pen. Didn’t phase it, but show day, no way!”

10 Years:

Randi Houghtelling, Facilities Operation Supervisor, has overseen many large projects during her ten years and supervised the ongoing maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Randi shared, “The past 10 years have been an adventure. Every day is something new and challenging. It has been a joy to meet thousands of students over the years and being able to watch them grow during their time here.”

5 Years:

Anthony Gardner has been a positive force on campus for 5 years, working in maintenance, groundskeeping, and handling the increasing number of packages that arrive on campus. His enthusiasm for the Texas Longhorns, playing cornhole, and rallying everyone at tournament time spreads good-hearted fun among the employees.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology, and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.

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