It has been the privilege of my life to have spent the last five years in Curtis, Nebraska. My time here comes to an end on May 30, and my wife and I will miss the friends we have made, not only in Curtis but across the state.
The past five years have been amazing. I began my journey as the dean of NCTA in June of 2020 in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.
When Vice President Boehm offered me this position, he tasked me with several major goals, some of which I’ve attained, others I have not. We have not reached our enrollment growth goal, which saddens me since NCTA is such a great place for so many students looking for an excellent hands-on experience. But there are other things that I am proud to say we have accomplished or are nearly complete.
Infrastructure and improving the campus appearance were big on my to-do list. In the past 5 years, we have seen millions of dollars invested in our campus, mainly through philanthropic gifts and dedicated funds from the university system. I saw the completion of a new steam tunnel across campus, improvements in our heating and cooling systems in most buildings, and upgrades in electrical service to several buildings.
Those are things you don’t see but are critical. Some more visible improvements include new lights in the Livestock Teaching Center arena, new signage in front of our academic buildings to better direct visitors and students to where they need to go, new lights across campus providing for safer student access at night, and several major campus streets have been repaved. We have a new ADA-accessible entrance to our Learning Resource Center and some minor improvements to our greenhouse. Campus-wide, we’ve taken down dozens of dead or dying trees and replaced them with even more trees as part of our commitment as a state arboretum site.
Our friends at the University of Nebraska Foundation nurtured major philanthropic gifts, including a gift of 2,100 acres of ranchland in eastern Hayes County from David and the late Sandy Sholtz. Additionally, the significant leadership gift of 6 million dollars from Barbara and Wally Weitz for the Student Success and Activity Center will be transformational. We need to match their generous gift before we can start renovating our current student center, but we are well on our way thanks to many individuals across the state who believe in what we do here at NCTA.
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get this project across the finish line before my retirement, but I look forward to returning to campus for the groundbreaking and the ribbon cutting.
I can truly say that the best memory of my time at NCTA will be all the wonderful people I have had the privilege of meeting or working with. There truly is no place like Nebraska, and we will indeed leave with many happy memories of our time here.
To the faculty and staff, I say a heartfelt thank you for allowing me to lead you and work alongside you for the sake of our students. You do amazing work, and your passion for experiential learning and student success is impactful. You make the campus an inviting place for students who may not be sure of their educational journey. You make them feel safe.
When I leave, I will be leaving NCTA in the capable hands of two very qualified people: Dr. Jennifer McConville as the Associate Dean for Academic Innovation, Learner Success, and Career Pathways, and a new interim Dean, Dr. Kelly Bruns, who currently is the director of the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center in North Platte. I have full faith that they will be able to accomplish many great things and move NCTA to the next level.
Thank you for letting me be a part of the rich history of NCTA.
