By Dean Larry Gossen, Ph.D.
NCTA is proud to be the “fifth campus” of the University of Nebraska. We are also proud to be supported by the University of Nebraska Foundation in fundraising efforts. One of those efforts is taking place next week with the “Glow Big Red” campaign.
If you aren’t aware, Glow Big Red is a 24-hour day of giving. From noon to noon, February 15 and 16, we will celebrate NCTA and raise vital funding to ensure that our students receive an exceptional education and have life-changing experiences while in Curtis.
This year we are privileged to have our own webpage on the Glow Big Red site with NCTA donor incentives. We are excited about the possibility this provides to raise those needed funds specifically for our campus.
There are two major giving areas that we are focusing on this year. The first is our Scholarship Fund. This fund will provide much needed financial support to every student who wishes to attend NCTA. We know that many students face financial obstacles and the dream of attending even a two-year college is hard to achieve. With our Scholarship Fund, we hope to eliminate those barriers for every student.
The second focus area is for our new Student Success and Activity Center. We plan on renovating “The Barn” to provide an inviting, comfortable gathering place for our Aggie students. This renovation will create technology-enabled study rooms, a high-tech classroom, the Aggie Store, and an updated coffee shop and deli. Of course, the primary need is to move our Aggie Dining from the basement of the East Traditional residence hall to a more accessible and appealing location.
Here's the call for help, and everyone can help. We are asking donors to make a gift of $5 or more! In fact, if we get 10 donors to the Scholarship Fund, we will unlock a $500 gift. Only 30 donors to the Student Center Fund are needed to unlock $500, and 60 will unlock another $500 gift. Again, these gifts can be of any amount, the minimum gift amount is $5.
We have a nice incentive to anyone who gives a donation of $65 or more. Anyone who gives at that level will receive one of our NCTA insulated water bottles. These are excellent for keeping your water cold or coffee hot.
And the incentive I’m most excited about is for a larger gift to the Student Success and Activity Center, you will receive a gift certificate to the North 40 Chophouse in North Platte. Rex and Heidi Hansen are valued supporters of NCTA and are donating these gift certificates for us. Check out this page for more information about North 40 Chophouse gift certificates: https://glowbigred.unl.edu/campaigns/ncta-student-activity-and-success-center-fund.
For information on how you can donate and receive the incentive water bottles or the North 40 gift certificates, go to https://glowbigred.unl.edu/organizations/nebraska-college-of-technical-agriculture.
In addition, look for posters around town with a QR code to scan with your phone or device. We will have links on our NCTA Facebook page and other social media sites as well.
We are excited to see how many people will help us Glow Big Red. And I thank you in advance.
NCTA Events:
Feb. 8: Connect-the-Dots at Lexington
Feb. 8: Collegiate FFA Assists CDE District 8 in GI
Feb. 8: APS Feedlot Roundtable in Gothenburg
Feb. 15: Costa Rica Study Trip 7:00 Ed Center
Feb. 15-16: GLOWBIGRED Giving Event
Feb. 15: Recruit at Dawson County College Fair
Feb. 16: Khamouna Family Fundraiser *
Feb. 17-25: Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic in Kearney
Feb. 19-23: Western Veterinary Conference
Feb. 22: Connect-the-Dots in Kearney
Feb. 23-24: NE Women in Ag Conference in Kearney
Mar. 6: Discovery Days Tour at NCTA
* NCTA Student Senate is hosting a Pancake Feed fundraiser at the Senior Center (5:30 – 7:00) for Mo Khamouna family to help raise funds to replace items lost in the fire at their home. *
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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