New Faculty Rooted in the Region

By NCTA News

The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) is excited to announce the hiring of Reagan Skow as the new assistant professor of Agribusiness Management Systems for the upcoming Fall 2024 semester. In the six years since graduating from Wauneta-Palisade High School, Skow has deepened her ag industry knowledge by studying at Oklahoma State University. She earned a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Communication, with minors in Animal Science, Agribusiness, and Ag Economics. Her master's degree in Agricultural Communications also specialized in International Marketing.

Dean of NCTA, Dr. Larry Gossen shares, "We are extremely excited to have someone of Reagan's agricultural background and experience joining the NCTA faculty. She understands how to apply business principles to real-life situations for our students.  Her energy, excitement, and desire to learn and serve are great assets that will drive the growth of our Agribusiness Management program."

During the NCTA hiring process, candidates present to an audience of faculty, staff, students, and the public. Skow was very impressed with the large attendance at this event, and the "genuine interest and excellent questions that were asked were really encouraging and made an impact in her decision to accept this opportunity."

As a big fan of professional development and networking, Skow values the benefits of extracurriculars, organization participation, and the hands-on experiences gained from industry field trips.

Skow grew up on her family's ranch, the Bear Mountain Angus Ranch, and has been fully engaged in the livestock industry from an early age. Starting with a 4-H career showing breeding heifers, market steers, market swine, and lambs at the county and State fairs, she earned State honors with reserve supreme heifers for two years and a supreme bull one year.

During her FFA years, she enjoyed learning from three different advisors: Marilyn Houdek, Theresa Hayes, and Rod Gaston. Livestock Judging was her favorite event, but she competed in all livestock and meat science events and honed her communication skills in speech and interview competitions. She gained leadership skills as an officer each year, culminating as Chapter President her senior year.

Skow's adventurous spirit and passion for livestock were fed simultaneously through involvement in the Nebraska and National Junior Angus Associations. This allowed her to travel everywhere from California to Pennsylvania, showing Angus cattle and serving on the National Board of Directors. Leading this 5,000-member organization during college gave her tremendous applicable professional growth. This service included being the membership director, coordinating leadership conferences, and creating educational contests.

"My fiance is also from the area, so we both wanted to move back eventually. I didn't realize that the opportunity would present itself this quickly, but it's wonderful to be back. I have a little sister who is 13 and in 8th grade, and I moved away for school when she was in second grade, so I've kind of missed out on her growing up."

While Skow is thrilled with the opportunity to return to her roots closer to family, the college is mutually excited to gain a faculty member of her caliber who is dedicated to the mission of student success and ag industry sustainability. Growing the Agribusiness enrollment is a primary goal for Skow, noting her excitement for teaching the introductory ag economics class for the broad range of majors that require it. She adds, "I just love school, I love academia and so I know that I will find a fulfilling career here, and I'm just very excited to get started!"

**Open enrollment at NCTA means there is still time to enroll for the Fall 2024 semester, which begins on August 26. AgriBusiness Management careers are well-paying and in high demand. All are encouraged to join the inaugural class in the career of our new assistant professor, Reagan Skow.

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 student teams' success 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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