Central Community College A History: 1984-2005

John H. Dobrovolny and David L. Fulton, editors

Copyright © 2006 by Central Community College, 3134 West Highway 34, Grand Island, NE 68802-4903. All rights reserved. Published by Central Community College, January 2007. Printed in the United States of America. Central Community College is a comprehensive community college with central administrative offices in Grand Island, NE; campuses in Columbus, Grand Island and Hastings, NE; and centers in Holdrege, Kearney and Lexington, NE.

i Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Table of Contents 1984: Dr. Gausman Retires, Dr. Preusser Becomes College President ------1 Lexington Center Established Early------6 1985: Grand Island Campus Growth Continues ------7 Food Service Provided by Chartwells ------14 1986: CCC Responds to Farm Crisis ------15 Financial Aid Vital for Students ------21 1987: College Placement Report Indicates Student Success ------24 Ram Run: Hastings Campus Tradition ------29 1988: Truck Driving Program Begins ------31 1989: Associate Degree in Nursing Program Inaugurated ------36 1990: Vice President Quayle Visits the Platte Campus ------43 1991: Assets of College Foundation Exceed $1 Million ------51 Three Phi Theta Kappa Chapters Active------60 1992: Platte Campus Volleyball Team to National Tourney ------62 Tech Prep Expands Horizons------70 1993: Academic Transfer Program Expanded to All CCC Campuses ------71 President Looks Back, Ahead------80 1994: North Central Visiting Team Recommends Reaccreditation ------82 President Shares Legislative History------91 1995: Future of Hastings Campus Examined ------93 CCC Foundation Hall of Fame ------104 1996: Music, Music, Music------106 1997: CCC Makes Positive Economic Impact on the Area ------113 1998: Alternative Fuels Program Looks to the Future ------125 1999: Extending the Possibilities in Central Nebraska ------137 2000: Raider Men Finish Fourth at National Tournament ------148 2001: CCC Leaps Into Distance Education ------157 2002: Dr. LaVern Franzen Named CCC President ------168 Assessment of Student Learning ------178 2003: CCC Adopts AQIP Model for Reaccreditation ------181 TRiO: Support for At-Risk Students ------191 2004: New Administration Building is Dedicated for CCC ------192 Ken Wortman’s Dedication to the College ------200 Report Shows Benefits of Community Colleges ------200 2005: CCC Receives Two Major Job Training Grants ------202 Appendix ------214 Central Technical Community College Area: A History: The First Eight Years ------215 College Governance ------221 Foundation Board Members------226 Platte College Foundation Board Members ------227 Major Sources ------228

ii College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College Dedication

To the faculty, staff, and students, past and present.

They are the heart and soul

of Central Community College.

Their commitment and their accomplishments

are often unheralded.

iii Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Foreword

This attempt to record the history of Central Community College follows the book, “The First Two Decades,” by Oriel Kinley, which was published in 1984. Prior to that writing, some of the highlights of the founding years had been recorded in “A History: The First Eight Years” by Stephen O. Gaines. Since that brief work deserves to be more available than it has been up to this time, it is included in the appendix of this book.

Most of the information repeated herein was gleaned from sources within the college, such as the “Central Connection,” a monthly publication of the public information department. Where external sources were used, they are noted.

The opportunity to contribute to this effort has truly been a joy although we are aware that it does not do justice to the years which have passed or to the people who have quietly and unselfishly made contributions to the success of Central Community College. While it has been our hope to create a work free of errors and omissions, we know that goal is not attainable, and we accept the responsibility for those errors that do exist.

John H. Dobrovolny

David L. Fulton

iv College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College Acknowledgments Beginning in the early fall of 2004, a College History Team was formed. Members of that group who met regularly during all or part of the project and provided their insights, advice and expertise were Jim Fisher, Dr. LaVern Franzen, Dr. Greg Smith, Harold Hamel, Dee Johnson, Brian McDermott, Steve Millnitz, Leon Sanders, Jim Strayer and Dr. Dennis Tyson. Our thanks to them.

Sandy Burris, Susan Hooker and Jamie Meyer patiently and skillfully provided the day-to-day assistance that made the completion of the task possible. They were a joy to work with. We also appreciate those who wrote articles which are included throughout the book under their own names.

A long list of others were relied upon for advice, assistance and information. While including such a list inadvertently overlooks many others who deserve to be recognized, we prefer to take that risk.

Richard Abraham Karen Cox Marti Honke Donna Moore Moe Rucker Doug Adler Jim Cronin Barry Horner Latham Mortensen Pat Rush Roger Augspurger Jack Crowley Wayne Huntley Pat Muth Ronda Ryan Deb Augustin Mary Ann Dobrovolny Betty Jackson Gary Nelson Kim Schawang Sherri Auten Barb Drudik Stephanie Jacobson Marni Nelson-Snyder Mike Schlachter Richard Averett Denette Drum Dee Johnson Karen Niedfelt Deb Schmitz Karen Baird Sherrie Dux-Ideus Marjorie Johnson Ann Nowak Michele Schroer Kathryn Ballobin Melissa Elliott Tim Kalvelage Sharon Oakeson Dave Schultz Dee Ann Belhen Laura Emde Bernie Keber Peggy Pape Bob Shields Michelle Bentz Andrew Fausett Clark Keffer Doug Pauley Charlotte Smith Nancy Bjorklund Jim Fisher Larry Keller Deb Payne Mary Speicher Lynn Black Cindy Foxhoven David Kelly Deb Pedersen Peg Speicher Ron Boehler Mark Francis Willis Kilgore Julie Persinger Pat Stange Beth Bohrer Nick Freelend Ron Kluck Tom Peters Jane Stratman Linda Bowden Nancy Fricke Betty Kort Sherri Portenier Bob Stroup Deb Brennan Rae Fulton Dan Kramer Joe Preusser Ray Szlanda Chuck Breunig Sharon Gaines Betty Krump Therese Preusser Carol Taczek Linda Brown Terry Gangwish Vicki Kucera John Putnam Deb Thompson Verne Buhl Lisa Gdowski Ellen Lake Colleen Quadhamer Barb Thornton Laura Bulas Cathie Genung Jane Ledbetter Joni Ransom Wayne Vian Marilyn Carlson Larry Glazier Brenda Licari Craig Ratzlaff Nick Wagoner Ed Cassell Bob Glenn Liz Luna Dee Regier Irma Wanitschke Maggie Cassey Matt Gotschall Michele Lutz Marilyn Reynolds Diana Watson Randy Ceballos Jack Gutierrez Doris Lux Ken Rezac Jeanne Webb Marie Cecil Rod Hansen Vicki Mackenstadt Don Richards Jeannie Werner Jill Choyeski Sheila Hansen Mark McCaffery Rod Roberts Kathy Wert Kelly Christensen Alicia Haussler Michel McKinney Michelle Roggasch Teresa West Lael Churchill Kathy Hillje Kathleen McPherson Anne Rohan Joann Wieland Wanda Cloet Barb Hinrichs Shelly Mendez Dorothy Rolf Linda Wiltrout Robin Coan Jennifer Hoagland Joyce Meinecke Charlene Ross Jenny Wurdeman Lynda Cohn Kay Hoffman Kay Mimick Deb Ross Mary Young

v Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College Chronology

July 1, 1973 Central Nebraska Technical College at Hastings and Platte Junior College at Columbus merged to form Central Technical Community College Area. Dr. Chester H. Gausman became the first president of Central Community College, with administrative offices in Grand Island. March 1, 1989 Central Community College Sept. 12, 1966 Foundation was established. 2006 Area Vocational School #1 CCC 40th Year Anniversary opened with 196 students. Now serving 26,000 Sept. 22, 1969 April 1, 1977 students annually. Platte Junior College Lexington Center opened. began as Nebraska’s July 1, 2000 first county-supported New CCC two-year college. logo adopted.

May 20, 2002 May 10, 1966 Jan. 1, 1970 April 16, 1984 Dr. Joe Preusser retired Electors voted to establish Kearney practical nursing Dr. Chester Gausman retired; as college president; Central Nebraska Area program (established in Dr. Joe Preusser became Dr. LaVern Franzen Vocational School #1 1958 by the Kearney school second CCC president. became third at Hastings. district) became part of CCC president. Central Nebraska Technical College. Jan. 9, 1995 Holdrege Center opened. June 20, 1967 Feb. 14, 1976 Electors voted to establish CCC-Grand Island Platte County Junior College Center opened. at Columbus.

vi College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1984 Dr. Gausman Retires, Dr. Preusser Becomes College President As noted in Oriel Kinley’s 1984 history of the college , “The First Two Decade s,” Dr. Joseph Preusser becam e the second pres ident of Central Com munity College on April 16, 1984, upon the retire ment of the founding pres i- dent, Dr. Chester Gausman. Preusser first joined the Platte Cam pus in 1971 as a ge ogra phy and po liti cal sci ence in- struc tor. In 1973, he becam e the dean of instruc tion at that cam pus. He was prom oted to cam pus presi dent in 1982 upon the resig na tion of Dr. Jerry Lee, and the posi tions of dean of instruc tion and cam pus presi dent were com bined. In that posi tion, he was also vice pres ident for edu ca tional planning, ac adem ic transfer education, and community education. Area Office Staff Those serving with Preusser in the area office in Grand Island include d Kathy O’Neill, ad min is tra tive as sis tant; Larry Gla zier, col lege busi ness of fi cer; Dr. Eric Jones, in for ma tion sys tems man ager; and Ron Logue, pub lic re la tions as sis tant. Doug Adler was the hum an resources manager. At the May meet ing of the Board of Gover nors, Dennis Tyson was appointed to the posi tion of vice presi dent of edu ca tional ser vices. He had joined the Hastings Cam pus in 1967 as a socia l science instruc tor. He later served as the coor di na tor of Dr. Joe Preusser instruc tional design and then as the dean of instruc tion. He was prom oted to cam pus pres ident upon the retire ment of Dr. Hubert Reid. It was at that point that the posi tions of dean of instruc tion and cam pus presi dent were com bined. During the three-month period in 1983 while Gausman was an edu ca tional con- sultant to the govern m ent of Jordan, Tyson also served as acting college president. Campus Administration At the Platte Cam pus, Jim Fisher, the dean of students , becam e the interi m cam pus presi dent upon Preusser’s prom otion. When Tyson left the Hastings Cam pus to be come vice presi dent of edu ca tional ser vices, Ed Minnick be - came the interi m cam pus presi dent. Minnick, the origi nal dean of students on the Hastings Cam pus, had served briefly as dean of spe cial ed u cation al ser vices on the area level be fore return ing to the Hastings campus as dean of stu dents af ter Reid’s re tire ment. Larry Keller was the pres ident of the Grand Is land Cam pus. Don Nelson, as as sis tant to the cam pus presi dent, served as the chief instruc tional offi cer . Dr. Lynn Black had just trans ferred from the Hastings Cam pus and be gun his tenure as the asso ci ate dean of students , the first student service s adm inis tra tor for the campus. At the time, the prac tical nursing program in Kearney, which had becom e part of Central Com munity College in 1970, was locat ed in the Whittier Building and was adm inis tere d through the Hastings Cam pus. Mari lyn Carlson was the program super vi sor. During the year, the program gradu ate d its 54th class and capped its 52nd. Community Education Regions Leader ship for Region One of the com munity edu ca tion com ponent of the col lege consis ted of Dr. Robert Smallfoot, as soci ate dean, and Ron Kluck, coor di na tor. Their office s were on the Platte Cam pus. Re gion Two-West was headed by LaVern Franzen, as so ci ate dean, with a cen ter in Lexington. Re gion Two-East was cov ered by Les Weber, co or di na tor, from Grand Is land. Re gion Three was the re spon si bil ity of Ber nard Kinley, as so ci ate dean, whose office was on the Hastings Cam pus, and Judy Cestaro, coor di na tor, was in charge of the edu ca tional center in Holdrege. Diann Muhlbach was coor di na tor of Adult Ba sic Edu ca tion. As a col lege vice pres ident, Preusser had been in charge of com munity edu ca tion. Af ter he was promoted, that responsibility was assigned to Don Nelson.

1 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Shortly after he assum ed his new of fice, Preusser was se lected by Gov. Bob Kerrey as one of 13 Nebras kans to at tend a U.S. De part ment of Ed u ca tion con fer ence in Wash ing ton, D.C. Preusser rep re sented the Ne braska tech ni cal com mu nity college system. Preusser served as the second president of Central Community College until his retirement on May 19, 2002, after 18 years as president and 31 years with the college.

Grand Island Campus u Pa tri cia Wright, a data pro cess ing major, was awarded a com mu nity col lege re gent’s schol ar ship u A newslet ter, The Grand Is land Cam pus Com muni - to the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lincoln. cator, was be gun with the first four issues appear - u State Sen ator Loren Schmit of Bellwood was open- ing in the fall of 1983. Students on the newslet ter ing speaker at a con fer ence on the Grand Is land staff include d Paul Osulfka, edi tor, and Marie Campus on the fuel alco hol indus try, giving the Trosper, as sis tant edi tor. They served under the di- cam pus an oppor tu nity to show its progres s with rec tion of Linda Christensen, business divi sion sec- the $177,000 dem on stra tion pro ject. Con fer ence re tary. sponsors in addi tion to CCC were the Nebras ka Al - u The first student senate for the cam pus was orga - ter nate En ergy As so ci a tion, the Ne braska Corn nized during the fall of 1983. Dennis Biens was Board, the Nebras ka Gaso hol Com mittee , and the elected pres i dent and Linda Leach was elected vice Ne braska Wheat Board. pres i dent. Michelle Gill, stu dent ac tiv i ties co or di - u Ser vice tech ni cians from Melroe Company at - nator, served as the senate sponsor. Among the ac- tended training program s on Bobcat Skidster Load - tiv i ties on campus were league teams for men’s ers held on the cam pus. The training program s bas ket ball and women’s vol ley ball, in tra mu ral cov ered hy dro stat ics, hy drau lics, elec tri cal equip - pool, foosball, softball, bowling, Ping Pong, arm ment, and power plant service . wrestling, a spring dance and 10-point pitch. u About 90 people attende d a two-day workshop u At the downtown loca tion, a Women’s Center was spon sored by the Elec tron ics Tech ni cian As so ci a tion active which sponsore d a weekly rap session and Inter na tional , which was hosted by the cam pus. workshops on parenting, stress manage m ent and other topics of inter est . u Clark Equipm ent of the Melrose Divi sion of Hastings Campus Loveland, Colo., conducte d three one-week train- u Dr. Carl Rolf was ap- ing sessions on the cam pus for about 30 repair m en pointed presi dent of the em ployed by Bob cat Equipm ent Deal ers from Ne- Hastings Cam pus follow - braska, Iowa, Col orado, and Missouri. ing nine years of adm in- u Dr. Lynn Black became asso ci ate dean of stu dent is tra tive ex pe ri ence with ser vices as of Jan. l. He had been chair man of the Des Moines Area Com- business divi sion at the Hastings Cam pus since munity College where his 1981. most re cent po si tion was u The cam pus was one of eight test sites for the writ- dean of indus tria l and ten portion of the statewide Plymouth Trouble- tech ni cal ed u ca tion. He shoot ing Con test. Ron Grabowski, au to mo tive in- re ceived a doc tor ate in struc tor, super vise d the 18 high school seniors who in dus trial vo ca tional ed u- par tic i pated. cation from Iowa State Dr. Carl Rolf u Tom Oshlo, instruc tor of motor cy cle safety, was Uni ver sity. appointed to serve on the statewide advi sory coun- u Janis McReynolds, psy chol ogy in struc tor, pre- cil for mo tor cy cle ed u ca tion by Keil Nightengale, sented a pa per ti tled “Com muni ca tion with the Ter- di rec tor of mo tor cy cle ed u ca tion for the Ne braska minally Ill and Their Fam ilies” at Florida A & M. De part ment of Ed u ca tion. The cam pus had of fered In 1986, a sim ilar arti cle co-authored by a motor cy cle safety course for the previ ous two McReynolds appear ed in the Journal of Pharm acy years. Tech nol ogy.

2 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Barry Jacobs, a 1977 gradu ate of the welding pro- cluded blueprint reading, math, and turret lathe op - gram from Mount Vernon, Ohio, recei ved the third er a tions. an nual Out stand ing Alumni Award. u Po ems by Chuck Tay lor, com mu ni ca tions in struc- u The In ter na tional As so ci a tion of Hol i day Inns Inc. tor, were publishe d in “Plainsongs,” the Hastings announced that it would award a $250 scholar ship Col lege lit er ary mag a zine. Dor o thy Ba bel, a for mer to a Hastings Cam pus student enrolle d in the hotel, stu dent in Tay lor’s cre ative writing class, was also mo tel, and res tau rant man age ment pro gram. Bill publishe d in the maga zine . Marshal l Jr., the owner of the Hol iday Inn fran - u Missouri na tive Chris Doney becam e the manager chise in Grand Is land, provided a matching grant of the campus caf ete ria as an em ployee of Pro fes - making the total award $500. sional Food Manage m ent Inc. He replac ed Tom u A Den tal Hy giene Alumni As so ci a tion was formed Ander son who enrolle d in Platte’s data proces sing on the Hastings Cam pus. pro gram. u Mitch Fraser , a student in the welding program , u Nurs ing caps were pre sented to 23 students in Jan - was awarded a $250 prize from the James F. Lin - u ary. Stu dents re ceive their nurs ing caps af ter com - coln Arc Welding Founda tion for de signing and pleting half of the 12-month prac tical nursing fab ri cat ing a sub merged arc weld ing ta ble. cur ric u lum. The fol low ing month, the larg est class u Beth Ebmeier, di etetic tech nol ogy in struc tor, was ever to gradu ate from the practi cal nursing program selec ted to join a People to People Inter na tional up to that time re ceived diplo m as. Mary Lou dele ga tion of dieti cia ns from across the U.S. to Holmberg, program super vi sor, said that about 30 share in for ma tion with pro fes sion als in New Zea - of the 40 gradu ate s began their studies on a land and Austra lia. part-time ba sis through ex tended cur ric u lum ar- u Cindy Foxhoven, ca reer in for ma tion of fi cer, re- range ments offere d on the Platte Cam pus and in ceived a Young Caree r Woman Award from the Cen tral City. Hastings Chapter of the Business and Profes sional u A “brown bag” off-cam pus learning center opened Women and was also se lected for the BPW dis trict at the Colum bus Public Library. Dr. Bob award. Smallfoot, as so ci ate dean for com mu nity ed u ca - u Me chan ics and ser vice man ag ers from sev eral area tion, said that the learning center would give the Chrys ler deal er ships com pleted fuel in jec tion and Colum bus people an oppor tu nity to work on Platte elec tron ics ser vice train ing on the campus. The au - Cam pus courses over the lunch hour. Cheryl Fisher to mo tive in struc tors and ad vanced au to mo tive stu- was the learn ing cen ter man ager. dents also partic i pate d in the session. u Mem bers of the Fellow ship of Christian Athlete s chapter earned money for their orga ni za tion by Platte Campus serving as guides to new students during spring reg is tra tion. u Mary Lou Holmberg, super vi sor of the practi cal u More than 250 high school students from 19 Class nursing program , recei ved the 1984 Fac ulty Mem - B, C, and D schools perform ed in the Fine Arts ber Award from the Ne braska Tech ni cal Com mu- Theate r during the distric t play produc tion com pe- nity Col lege As so ci a tion. She was also sec re tary to tition. Dick Averett, speech and theater instruc tor, the State Board of Nurs ing and had been named was the con test co or di na tor. Nurse of the Year in 1983 by Creighton Univer sity. u The the ater depart m ent pre sented “The Good Doc- u Marv Kraenow, as so ci ate dean of learn ing re - tor,” a col lec tion of Chekhov stories adapted for sources, was cho sen as pres i dent-elect of the Ne - the theater by Neil Si mon. Grady Wells of St. Ed - braska Ed u ca tional Me dia As so ci a tion. ward had the confes sor-narra tor role which linked u The Platte Cam pus completed a se ries of one-week togethe r the 11 epi sodes of the play. Dick Averett pre-em ploy ment train ing pro grams for Sundstrand di rected the pro duc tion. Avi a tion Cor po ra tion of York in co op er a tion with u Dick Averett chaired a commit tee which re viewed the Nebras ka De partm ent of Labor and the Depart - ap pli ca tions for art ists-in-schools res i den cies ment of Econom ic Devel op m ent. The training in- funded in part by the Ne braska Arts Council.

3 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u “Still Life with Skull” was the title of a drawing by high school, and college vocal groups from the Dick Abra ham, art instruc tor, which was exhib ited area. in a 10-state juried show at Ne braska Wes leyan u More than 500 students from more than 30 Ne- Uni ver sity. braska high schools par tic i pated in Rec og ni tion u Students from 44 northeas t Ne braska junior high and Achieve ment Day on the cam pus. The top schools took part in a MathCounts com peti tion three con tes tants in each of eight sub ject-mat ter ar - held on the cam pus. The Northeas t Chapter of the eas were awarded schol ar ships to Platte. Ne braska So ci ety of Pro fes sional En gi neers spon- u The Platte Cam pus and Ord Public Schools spon- sored the re gional contes t. sored an artist’s tour of Chi cago. Activ ities in- u Dixie land, the big band sound, and jazz-rock were cluded vis its to the Chi cago In stitute of Art, the include d in the program which the 16-piece stage Museum of Contem porary Art, a painting work- band, Brazz, perform ed at 14 area high schools shop at the Smart Gallery, and a guided bus tour of during a winter tour. the city. u Hiller’s Kill ers defea ted the Wild Bunch to sew up u “Brigadoon” was the sum mer musi cal produced the cam pus in tra mu ral vol ley ball cham pi on ship. jointly by the the ater and music depart m ents. Members of the win ning team were Alan Fer ris, About 50 cast mem bers were re quired. Bill Hanus, Lori Hiller, Carrie Janata, Andy u Fif teen initi ates were inducted into the Chi Sigma Johansen, Mark Persson, Carmen Romshek, and Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Fac ulty sponsor Dave Struebing. Charles Tay lor, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, con- u More than 100 students from 13 high schools par- ducted the ini ti a tion cer e mo nies. Melinda Kucera, tic i pated in the Dis trict V Vo ca tional Ag ri cul ture vice pres i dent, in stalled the newly elected of fi cers: contes t sponsore d by the cam pus. Don Engel, agri - Keith Walton, pres i dent; Terry Bartels, sec re tary; cul ture pro gram co or di na tor, served as con test and Gina DeBlauw, treasure r and his torian. chairman. u Ron Kluck was prom oted to asso ci ate dean of com - u The Platte Cam pus and the Farmers Home Ad min - mu nity ed u ca tion. He had been com mu nity ed u ca - istra tion joined forces to help farm ers sharpen their tion coor di na tor since joining the staff in 1982. The fi nan cial man age ment skills. The FmHA de vel oped asso ci ate dean opening occurre d when Dr. Bob a co or di nated fi nan cial state ment re quired for its Smallfoot resigne d to becom e presi dent of borrow ers and a com panion course of instruc tion. McCook Com mu nity Col lege. Verne Buhl, ag ri cul ture in struc tor, taught the u Lisa Bobert of Colum bus and Glenn Lammers of course. Hartington were crowned king and queen of the u Harry Houdini’s fa mous wa ter tor ture cell es cape Em er ald Ball. Cor o na tion cer e mo nies were con - was fea tured when ma gi cian Kevin Spencer ap - ducted by the 1983 royal couple, Michelle Nissen peared in the Fine Arts Theate r. The show, spon - and Jim Tarnick. sored by the Student Senate , was open to the u State Sen ator Lee Rupp gave the commence ment pub lic. addres s which was held in the Phys ical Edu ca tion u Lisa Happ, Tim Hiemer, Jeff Johnson, Jodi Krause, Cen ter. Rupp, a rep re sen ta tive of Leg is la tive Dis - Sheila Schulz and Dave Struebing were ini ti ated trict 22, was a fish er ies man age ment dis trict su per - into Delta Psi Omega, a national theate r honor ary visor for the Nebras ka Game and Parks or ga ni za tion. Com mission for 13 years before his election to the u Keith Lunde, music instruc tor, direc ted the annual Uni cam eral. band and chorus concer t. The concer t also fea tured u A drawing, “Fiftee n Fingers ,” by Terry Svoboda of a guest perfor m ance by the Northeas t Com munity Colum bus, won the Best Of Show award at the College Chorus under the direc tion of David An- 14th Annual Fine Arts Festi val. Dr. Larry Peter son, der son. art pro fes sor at Kear ney State Col lege, was the u Some of Nebras ka’s top vocal groups partic i pate d contes t judge. Among the many fea tures of the fes- in the ninth an nual in vi ta tional cho ral fes ti val held tival was the distri bu tion of the an nual lit erary on cam pus. Guest clini cia n Dr. Rudy Saltzer of maga zine, “Hill top Re view,” which was first pub - Chicago critiqued perfor m ances by 16 junior high, lished in 1983.

4 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u More than 2,000 high school students regis tere d for of the As so ci a tion of Com mu nity Col lege Trust ees, the Distric t II music contes t held on the cam pus. A rep re sent ing the or ga ni za tion’s West ern Re gion. total of 28 Class A, B, C, and D high schools par - u The budget approved by the Board of Gover nors tici pate d in the contes t conducte d by the Platte for 1984-85 totale d $13,160,758 for oper a tions and Cam pus for the 13th year. cap i tal im prove ments, a 7.4 per cent in crease over the pre vious budget. The Board of Gover nors also Adult Basic Education approved leasing space in the old Walnut Junior High School building in Grand Is land to relo cat e u Diann Muhlbach, collegewide su per vi sor of the program s housed in another rented building. A Adult Basic Edu ca tion Program for CCC since com puter upgrade was approved with the purchas e 1980, was granted the ABE Super vi sor of the Year of Prime 2250 hardwar e and Collea gue softwar e Award by the Ne braska De partm ent of Edu ca tion. for a total of $584, 941. Muhlbach joined the col lege staff in l976 as an ABE instruc tor. Also honored at the state conven - tion was Es ther Flanagin, a vol untee r tutor and College Administration u classroom aide in the Grand Is land ABE program . Lupe Valderaz, ac counts pay able clerk, was ap - pointed to serve on the Grand Island Com munity De vel op ment Ad vi sory Com mit tee by Grand Is- Board of Governors land Mayor Bill Wright. u Ken Wortman, a mem ber of the col lege govern ing board, was rec og nized by Sec re tary of Ed u ca tion Evaluation Team Review Terrell Bell as Ne braska’s top vo cation al ed u cation u The Ne braska De part ment of Ed u ca tion pro vided a pro po nent dur ing cer e mo nies at the Na tional Press re view team to all three campuses as part of its Club in Washing ton, D.C. eval u a tion of vo ca tional ed u ca tion pro grams re- u Jack Crowley was elected chair man of the CCC quired every four years by Title IA of the Voca - Board of Gov er nors, re plac ing Merle An der son. tional Edu ca tion Act of 1963. At the time, CCC Ander son was later elected to the board of direc tors recei ved about $150,000 a year in Title IA funding.

CCC’s Lexington Center was established in 1977. See story on the following page.

5 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Lexington Center Established Early By Dr. LaVern Franzen, College President full-time per sonnel have been locat ed in the Lexington Dawson County was one of the origi nal 17 coun - Cen ter: Eric Gunnink, as soci ate dean, 1987-88; Paul ties that voted in 1966 to join what is now Central Stubbe, asso ci ate dean, 1988-97; Kathy Neil, distanc e Com mu nity Col lege. learn ing co or di na tor, 1993-96; Barb Hinrichs, ad min is- Con ver sa tions be tween trative assis tant, since 1990; and Cassie Smith, asso ci- col lege ad min is tra tors, ate dean, since 1997. mem bers of the Board For the first five years, CCC facil i ties in Lexington of Gover nors, and other provided for office space only. The first office was on in di vid u als from the second floor of an old bank building at a main in- Dawson County started ter sec tion in down town Lexington. Ap prox i mately one in the early 1970s re- and one-half years later, CCC was asked to join the gard ing re quests from Lexington Public Schools in efforts to rem odel the old citi zens in that region hospi tal building seven blocks north of the pre vious lo- for a col lege of fice and cation. Fa cili ties at the new loca tion pro vided two of - the need for addi tional fices and one small classroom used for Adult Basic ed u ca tional op por tu ni- Edu ca tion and English as a Second Language, a few ties to be provided in other ed u ca tional ac tiv i ties and meet ings. In the early those com mu ni ties. The 1980s, a differ ent loca tion, pre viously a law office , was re quests were be ing selec ted in downtown Lexington. This fa cility include d made be cause of the Dr. LaVern Franzen two office s and two small classroom s. pop u la tion in the county, the amount of property tax contrib uted to the In 1998, the City of Lexington offere d to CCC a col lege, and the dis tance from the main campuses. city-owned build ing lo cated ap prox i mately one block In 1976, College Pres ident Dr. Chester Gausman from their previ ous loca tion, still in downtown and Grand Is land Cam pus Presi dent Larry Keller orga - Lexington. The building was exten sive ly rem odele d by nized a steering commit tee that included the fol low ing CCC, and once com pleted, the building provided space mem bers: George Keller, Lexington, mem ber of the for a recep tion ist, two medium -sized class rooms, three Board of Gover nors; Glenn Bartels, Gothenburg; Ivan office s, and storage. Paulsen and DeEtta Hartman, Cozad; Joe Jeffrey, El - Since 1977, the Lexington Center has been an im - wood; Edith Crowley, Lexington; and Virg Meyer, portant part of the college oper a tion, provid ing a va ri- Gothenburg. The steering com mittee made a form al ety of ed u ca tional op por tu ni ties and re lated stu dent rec om men da tion to es tab lish a col lege of fice in a ser vices to res i dents in the far west ern part of the col - Dawson County com munity to be staffed by college lege area. In struc tional ac tiv i ties co or di nated by staff per son nel. The rec om men da tion was pre sented to the mem bers at the Lexington Center have served many Board of Gover nors and approved by the board in students and met vari ous needs: credit and noncredit November 1976. courses, in di vid u al ized and group in struc tion, cer tif i ca- LaVern Franzen, a 10-year col lege emplo yee and tion and workshops for licensure. Business and Of fice Divi sion chairman at the Hastings Cam pus at that time, was appointed in Febru ary 1977 Technol ogy ad vances during the early 1990s pro - to be the full-time adm inis tra tor in Dawson County and vided ad di tional op por tu ni ties for de liv er ing in struc tion was to begin the proces s of identi fy ing an office loca - to off-cam pus lo ca tions, in clud ing Lexington. The tion. Franzen started in his new posi tion in April 1977 avail abil ity of in struc tion via sat el lite, and soon after made the recom menda tion that video-conferencing, and the Internet made access much Lexington be the loca tion for the col lege’s regional of - eas ier for incre ased num bers of students . The vi sion fice. Terri Sherman was the part-time secre tary from provided by a few Dawson County area res idents in the 1977-79. Ka ren Gruntorad was in the posi tion of ad - early 1970s has resulte d in thousands of cit izens from min is tra tive assistant from 1979-89. that area hav ing access to much needed and ap pre ci ated Since Franzen left Lexington for a new posi tion on postsecondary ed u ca tion op por tu ni ties. the Grand Is land Cam pus in 1987, the follow ing CCC

6 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1985 Grand Island Campus Growth Continues Central Techni cal Com munity College first had a phys ical pres ence in Grand Island when the adm inis tra tive of - fices were estab lishe d on the fourth floor of the First Federa l Savings and Loan Building on West Sec ond Street with Dr. Ches ter Gausman as col lege pres i dent. Ste phen Gaines, as sis tant to the pres i dent for commu nity ser vices, was joined by Larry Keller, co or di na tor for com mu nity ed u ca tion, and Les Weber, co or di na tor for Adult Ba sic Ed u ca - tion. CETA Partnership Begins in January 1975 A Com prehen sive Edu ca tional Training Act contrac t was nego ti ate d, and on Jan. 13, 1975, CETA instruc tion began in the Webb Building at 507 West Third Street, which had been tem porari ly leased for that purpose. There were 12 students , six instruc tors, and three certif i cat e program s. Tom Oshlo taught building mainte nance , Linda Timmerman taught secre tari al, and Kathy Kranz taught sales and cashier ing. Pam Kinney taught support courses in com muni ca tions and Tammy Brown taught math courses. Enroll m ent grew to 53 students in the first six months.

The Grand Island Higher Education Center at the old Walnut Junior High School building housed many Grand Island Campus programs in 1985.

7 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Classes Move to First Permanent Building The first perm anent fa cility in Grand Island was real ize d in Febru ary 1976 when classes were moved to the newly con structed building at 3134 West Highway 34, then called the Grand Island Com munity Edu ca tion Center. Larry Keller was named cam pus presi dent. Prior to the move, the first instruc tion offere d at the loca tion was an OSHA course which involved digging a trench with a backhoe and shoring it up to prevent a cave-in. The building consis ted of two pods of approx i m ately 8,000 square feet each. One pod accom modate d business and office and ac adem ic support courses. The other pod housed the indus tria l-re lated courses. The re mainder of the 20,681 square feet was used for of fices and for the manage m ent infor m ation system s (data proces sing) func tions of the college area. In the fall, a 3,000-square-foot steel structure was added for the physi cal plant and maintenance department. By April 1977, the indus tria l pod was over crowded so the auto m otive program was moved to a leased facil ity on Old Highway 30 called the Annex or the Coachm an Building. The auto m otive lab occu pied approx i m ately 9,000 square feet. In May 1977, an 8,400-square-foot addi tion was com pleted at the Highway 34 site to accom modate the area adm inis tra tion and to provide additional instructional space. Industrial Programs Continue to Grow Contin ued growth in the indus tria l occu pa tions program s led to the leas ing of an addi tional 3,000 square feet of the Coachm an Building. In the fall of 1978, the electri cal , electron ics , and heating and air condi tion ing program s were moved into the space. By 1979, there was need for addi tional space, and the college reno vate d the old Sears Build ing. In Decem ber of that year, pro grams lo cated in what came to be called the Down town Cen ter were child care, draft ing, elec tron ics, health oc cu pa tions, heat ing and air con di tion ing, math e mat ics, so cial sci ence, and real estate, insurance and investments. Another steel building, contain ing 6,000 square feet, was construc ted on the cam pus in 1980 to serve as the con- struc tion tech nol ogy lab.

The Grand Island Campus General Education addition nears completion in 1985.

8 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

Space Added for Student Services and Automotive Lab In 1982, a substa ntial construc tion projec t total ing 24,224 square feet provided space for student service s and student activ i ties and for the auto m otive lab. The com pletion of the projec t meant that 62,305 square feet were avail- able on cam pus, and after the auto m otive lab was moved to the cam pus, the Coachm an Building was no longer leased. To gain addi tional instruc tional space and to save money on leased facil i ties , most program s were moved in 1984 from the Downtown Center in the Sears Building to 27,000 square feet in the old Wal nut Junior High School building on Elm Street called the Grand Is land Higher Edu ca tion Center. At about this time, the construc tion tech- nology pro gram on the Grand Is land Cam pus was dis contin ued, and the elec trical and the heat ing and air condi tion - ing program s were moved to the cam pus into the steel building previ ously used by construc tion technol ogy. The electron ics program moved into the indus tria l pod. Thus, the college vacat ed the Sears Building. In conjunc tion with the Nebras ka Grain Board, a 6,000-square-foot steel building known as the Alter nate Energy Building was constructed on the campus and occupied in January 1985. At the begin ning of 1985, Larry Keller, the first cam pus presi dent and college vice pres ident of com munity edu - cation, went on sabbat i cal to com plete his doc torate . Don Nelson, who had been working as Keller’s assis tant, be- came acting cam pus presi dent. In 1986, Nel son was named the cam pus presi dent when Keller joined the col lege adm inis tra tion staff. As did the presi dents on the other cam puses at the time, Nelson also served as the dean of in- struc tion. Unlike the others , he continued as chairman of general education. As the Grand Island Campus marked its 10th anniversary, they reported with pride that student headcount had grown from just over 200 in 1975-76 to nearly 1,600 in 1984-85.

Grand Island Campus she had won a prize for best female Hallow een cos - u Jim Dutcher, chairman of the indus tria l and re lated tume dressed as a goblin, not as a grem lin, as had program s, hosted mem bers of the Nebras ka Corn been reported. Grow ers As so ci a tion at the cam pus. Fo cus was u Larry Keller returned to his posi tion as pres ident of upon the alter nate energy projec t which was begun the Grand Is land Cam pus. He had been granted a by the Grand Island Cam pus in 1983, leading to the leave of ab sence to com- dis til la tion and use of eth a nol. plete the res i dency re - u Dr. Lynn Black was appointed dean of students at quire ment at the the Grand Is land Cam pus. He joined the CCC staff Uni ver sity of Ar kan sas at in 1981 as chairm an of business and office occu pa - Fayetteville in pur suit of tion program s at the Hastings Cam pus. He served a doctor ate in higher edu - as asso ci ate dean of students on the Grand Is land ca tion. Cam pus begin ning in Janu ary of 1985. He had u The col lege im ple mented earned a doc torate in com munity and hum an re - a shared faculty program . sources and adult and con tin u ing ed u ca tion from Don Berns, an auto m o - the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lincoln. tive tech nol ogy in struc tor u Thirtee n persons from Nebras ka cities ranging at the Hastings Cam pus, Dr. Larry Keller from Omaha to Thedford attende d a week-long taught two days a week (2006 photo) course provided for water sys tem oper a tors by the on the Grand Is land Ne braska State De part ment of Health in the Al ter - Cam pus to ac com mo date an in crease in en roll ment. nate Energy Building. The course pre pared the op- u The Grand Is land Cam pus and the Electron ics er ators to take the test for cer tif i cation , as re quired Tech ni cians As so ci a tion spon sored the Sec ond An- by law. nual Elec tron ics and Com put ers Work shop which u In a letter to the edi tor of “The Cam pus Com muni - involved 24 pre sent ers, at least nine of which were ca tor,” Maureen Hoffman, com mu ni ca tions in- CCC fac ulty and staff. Jim Dutcher, chair man for struc tor, pointed out in the inter est of ac curac y, that in dus trial ed u ca tion pro grams, was co or di na tor of

9 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

the workshop. Sixty-three techni cia ns were en - technol ogy recei ved a NARTE Third Class Certif i - rolled. ca tion with out fur ther ex am i na tion. u Jeanne Webb, child care edu ca tion instruc tor, u A two-week training course in welding was inau - chaired an early childhood confer ence sponsore d gu rated for Un ion Pa cific Rail road em ploy ees by the Ne braska As so ci a tion for the Ed u ca tion of throughout their 21-state area. Young Chil dren. Ap prox i mately 400 peo ple at- u “Keeping It Togethe r in the ’80s” was the theme of tended. Pre sent ers in cluded Dr. Paul Wel ter, Kear - the Second Annual Long-Range Planning Work- ney State College; Joan Burney, colum nist; and Dr. shop for Farm Couples sponsore d by the cam pus Charles Smith, Kan sas Univer sity. with the leader ship of LaVern VanBuskirk, agri cul - ture instruc tor. About 50 farm couples attende d. Hastings Campus Local banks and Ameri can Cyanimid Com pany u Sam F. Clinton recei ved the fourth annual Out- helped to sponsor the event. standing Alumni Award from the Hastings Cam - u About 150 In ter na tional Har vester ser vice tech ni- pus. A specia l edu ca tion teacher in Omaha, Clinton cians at tended training sessions conducte d on the had been a student in the hum an service s program , cam pus. Students and staff from the cam pus par tic- re ceiv ing his as so ci ate de gree in 1978. ipate d in the trac tor mainte nance workshops. u Joe Woodwar d, Hastings Cam pus busi ness-relate d u The Cam pus Cen ter was the site for a train ing ses - pro grams di vi sion chair man, re ceived a doc tor of sion on elec tronic igni tion conducte d by Friend’s phi los o phy de gree in vo ca tional ed u ca tion from Motor Supply of Hastings and the Cham pion Cor- Col o rado State Univer sity at Fort Col lins. po ra tion. u Kathleen McPherson was appointed dean of in- struc tion. She joined the Hastings Cam pus staff in 1976 as chairwom an of health oc cupa tion pro- grams. She previ ously was a dental hygiene in- structor at C.S. Mott Commu nity Col lege. The native of Ann Ar bor, Mich., had earned a master’s degree from the Univer sity of Michi gan. u Ray Szlanda was ap pointed place ment di rec tor and manager of the Cam pus Center. He contin ued his duties as men’s bas ketball coach on the cam pus. u Bob Glenn was appointed di rec tor of the adm is- sions and re cruit ing office on the Hastings Cam - pus. Glenn had previ ously served as a socia l sci ence and psychol ogy in struc tor and then as a counsel or on the cam pus. u As pres i dent-elect of the Ne braska Col lege Per son - nel Asso ci a tion, Bob Glenn was chairm an of the NCPA annual confer ence which was held in Grand Is land. The con fer ence re lated to stu dent re ten tion is sues. u The Na tional As so ci a tion of Ra dio and Tele com - mu ni ca tions En gi neers des ig nated the Hastings Campus as a test ing cen ter for ap pli cants seek ing cer tif i ca tion as ra dio and tele com mu ni ca tions en gi - neers. Elec tron ics tech nol ogy in struc tor Alan Hartley was des ig nated to serve as cer tif i cation ad - Haskell Kirkland, a hotel, motel and restaurant min is tra tor. Be cause of the NARTE ac cred i ta tion, management instructor on the Hastings Campus, Hastings Cam pus students who later com pleted an received the first Outstanding Service Award as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in elec tronic presented by that campus.

10 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u A Ca reer Aware ness Lab was in tro duced on the u The the ater depart m ent found it nec essar y to issue cam pus with the help of a Specia l Voca tional a call for an accor dion player to fill an opening in Needs Grant through the Nebras ka De partm ent of the orches tra for a produc tion of “Fiddler on the Edu ca tion. The CAL program was provided as a Roof.” The musi cal was di rected by Dick Averett; pilot to help high school students in a nine-county Gil Haase played the role of Tevye, while Kathy area to help them make re spon si ble ca reer de ci - Bembry-Placzek played Golde. A total of 2,040 sions. Terry Thayer was the CAL eval u ator. people attende d the show, excee ding the previ ous u Dr. Frank Touchstone and his staff from the record for a Platte Cam pus the ater produc tion set Hastings Regional Center conducte d a se ries of when 2,030 attende d the 1981 produc tion of “Mu- sem inars for mem bers of the Nebras ka Profes sional sic Man.” Coun selor As so ci a tion for which the cam pus u Ag ri cul tural in struc tor Don Engel was rec og nized served as host. by the Colum bus Area Cham ber of Com merce for u Ford Motor Com pany, Laird Motor Com pany of his work as a mem ber of the orga ni za tion’s Hastings, and Schuppan’s Sales and Ser vice of agri-busi ness commit tee and as the first chair man Grand Island each donate d an auto m obile to the of its ru ral-ur ban com mit tee. cam pus for use in the auto m otive technol ogy in - u The col lege im ple mented an in dus trial main te nance struc tional pro gram. technol ogy pro gram on the Platte Cam pus. The u Deb bie Glenn, med i cal as sist ing in struc tor, was re- new program include d exist ing courses from the cipi ent of the Young Caree r Woman Award from elec tri cal, elec tron ics, data pro cess ing and ma chine the Hastings Business and Profes sional Women’s shop technol ogy courses. Courses in machine re- As so ci a tion. pair, welder re pair and hy draulics were intro duced u Katie Bruce, hu man services in struc tor, was cho sen into the cur ric u lum. The col lege re ceived a fed eral as pres i dent-elect of the Ne braska Health Occu pa - grant through the Carl D. Perkins Voca tional Edu - tions As so ci a tion, a sub di vi sion of the Ne braska cation Act of 1984 to assis t in the purchas e of the Vo ca tional As so ci a tion and the Amer i can Vo ca - hy drau lics train ing equip ment. Ron Vorderstrasse, tional As so ci a tion. chair man of sci ence and health pro grams, was in - u Mark Fuerniss, math instruc tor, was appointed to a strum ental in the de velop m ent of the program . three-year term as a rep re sen ta tive of the Math e - u Dr. Em ily Uzendoski was se lected as the col lege mat i cal As so ci a tion of Amer ica, a na tional as so ci a - rep re sen ta tive to the Amer i can As so ci a tion of Uni - tion of math e mat ics ed u ca tors and pro fes sional ver sity Women. math e ma ti cians. u Dianna Parrish, Platte Cam pus sopho m ore, won first place in manage m ent com peti tion for Ne- Retired braska at the Phi Beta Lambda Lead er ship Con fer - u Burdette “Tommy” Thompson, an auto m otive ence. Phi Beta Lambda is a nation al or ga ni zation technol ogy in struc tor on the Hastings Cam pus, re - for col lege students in business -relate d program s. tired after serving the col lege in that po sition since Parrish also was an honor roll student; a varsity August 15, 1966. volley ball player; and a mem ber of Phi Theta Kappa, a na tional com mu nity col lege hon or ary so- Platte Campus ci ety. u Tom Burkhardt, man age ment in struc tor, pre sented u Dick Abra ham, art in struc tor, was se lected to par - a pa per at the an nual con fer ence of the In ter na - tic i pate in the an nual Ne braska Art Teach ers tional So ci ety for In di vid u al ized In struc tion at Award Show at Ne braska Wes leyan Uni ver sity. Rutgers Univer sity. His pa per was titled, “Im por - u Jim Fisher, dean of stu dent ser vices, was elected to tance of Student Intro duc tion to Mastery Learn- serve as Ne braska rep re sen ta tive to the ACT Cor - ing.” po ra tion. u Under the direc tion of John Putnam, the Platte u Ron Kluck, as so ci ate dean of com mu nity ed u ca - Cam pus Chorale singers served as goodwill am bas- tion, re ceived the Rookie of the Year Award pre- sadors when they visited Austria , Ger many, and sented by the Adult and Contin u ing Edu ca tion France on a two-week con cert tour. As so ci a tion of Ne braska.

11 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u Bob Olson, Platte College Founda tion presi dent, u The Platte Cam pus was the site of the an nual con - announced the es tablish m ent of the Ben Teller Me - fer ence of the Co op er a tive Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion morial Scholar ship. Funds for the schol arship were of Ne braska. Terri Hotovy, as sis tant co or di na tor of provided by Irene Teller in mem ory of her late hus - co op er a tive ed u ca tion, was con fer ence band, a well-known Colum bus busi ness man. chairwoman, as sisted by Do ris Lux, co or di na tor for u Mich i gan na tive Pete co op er a tive ed u ca tion. The con fer ence fea tured a Rush be gan his duties as pro gram which Chi cago City wide Com mu nity Col- presi dent of the Platte lege devel oped under a federa l grant for pre senta - Cam pus. At the time of tions across the nation. his appoint m ent, he was u All mem bers of the Student Senate signed a “Con - in the proces s of com - tract for Life” distrib uted by the na tional Students pleting a Ph.D. in edu ca - Against Drunk Driving. The senate made contrac ts tion from the Univer sity available to other students . Becky Ness of Madi son of Michi gan at Ann Ar - was pres ident of the Student Senate and Patty bor. He also was vice Heimann of Snyder was sec re tary. pres i dent of in struc tional u Ken Bonk, stu dent ac tiv i ties co or di na tor, con- ser vices at North west ern ducted ses sions on goal setting and asser tiveness at Mich i gan Col lege at Tra - a re gional con fer ence of the Na tional As so ci a tion verse City. Later in the Dr. Pete Rush for Cam pus Ac tivi ties held in Denver. year, a monograph ti tled, “Emerging Trustee Roles in Com munity College In Memory Gover nance ,” which was co-authored by Rush, was u A plaque was ded i cated to the late Marvin A. pub lished by the As so ci a tion of Com mu nity Col- Kraenow at the Platte Cam pus Resour ce Cen ter. A lege Trust ees and was dis tributed na tionally. char ter member of the Platte Cam pus staff, he u Dr. Roger Augspurger was named dean of instruc - served as as so ci ate dean for learn ing re sources un - tion af ter having served as acting dean for more til his death on April 2, 1985. than a year. He also provided leader ship in the learn ing re sources area after the death of Marvin Board of Governors Kraenow ear lier in the year. He joined the col lege u The Rev. Bill Doran of Grand Is land was elected in 1974 as chairm an of the cre ative and socia l divi - chairm an of the college Board of Gover nors for the sion, after teaching instru m ental music in Iowa for year. 12 years. He had earned a doctor ate in ed u cation u David Stubbs, a mem ber of the col lege govern ing from the Univer sity of Northern Colo rado in board, was elected pres i dent of the Ne braska Tech - Greeley. ni cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion Board of Di- u More than 200 students from more than 40 junior rec tors. high schools partic i pate d in the regional u Ken Wortman, a mem ber of the Central Com mu - MathCounts com peti tion at the cam pus. The North- nity College Board of Gover nors since 1966, was east Chap ter of the Ne braska So ci ety of Pro fes - named Cham pion of Small Business for the year by sional Engi neer s sponsore d the contes t. Winners the Ne braska Busi ness De vel op ment Cen ter. recei ved trophies and advance d to the state com pe- u Merle L. Ander son, CCC Board of Gover nors tition. State win ners com peted in the na tional meet mem ber, was elected to the di rec tor-at-large po si - in Wash ing ton, D.C. tion for the As so ci a tion of Com mu nity Col lege u Five sub ject ar eas were added to the seven used Trust ees. He had been ac tive in the as so ci ation previ ously for the High School Recog ni tion and since 1978 when he joined the CCC board. Achievem ent Day com peti tion which was held on the cam pus for the 14th year. Students vied for schol ar ships through the com pet i tive ex ams. Leon College Administration Sanders, business and office divi sion chairm an, u The college cabi net inau gu rate d a plan to rotate was in charge of the event. monthly cabi net meet ings among the cam puses and

12 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

the ad min is tra tive of fice. At each meeting , an open 25-county service area. Enroll m ents include d forum was scheduled to give staff and students an 13,808 in col lege credit classes and more than op por tu nity to ad dress the cab i net. Cab i net mem - 4,200 in noncredit avocational/rec reationa l classes. bers at the time, in addi tion to Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres i dent, were Larry Gla zier, col lege busi - ness of fi cer; Dr. Eric Jones, com puter ser vices Displaced Homemakers man ager; Ron Logue, pub lic re la tions as sis tant; u The Grand Is land YWCA displac ed homem akers Don Nelson, Grand Is land Cam pus presi dent; program entere d into an agree ment with CCC to Dr. Carl Rolf, Hastings Cam pus presi dent; Pete provide training for some of its clients . Funds for Rush, Platte Cam pus presi dent; and Dennis Tyson, the projec t were provided by the Grand Is land vice pres i dent for ed u ca tional ser vices. United Way, YWCA, and a fed eral Perkins grant. College Foundation Holdrege Learning Center u Chapter EZ of P.E.O. donate d $500 to the CCC Foun da tion to es tab lish an emer gency short-term u The Holdrege Learning Center moved to the third loan fund for students at the Grand Island Cam pus. floor of the for mer Lincoln School in Holdrege. The money was donate d in the hope that it would Judy Cestaro contin ued as the learning center coor - provide students a means to stay in school. While di na tor. no inter est was to be charged for such loans, they were to be repaid in 90 days. Kearney Practical Nursing College Nights u Ed Loutzenheiser Jr. of Hastings present ed diplo - u Edu ca tional planning nights were scheduled by the mas to 25 grad u ates of the Kear ney prac ti cal nurs - Ne braska De part ment of Ed u ca tion through out the ing pro gram at com mence ment cer e mo nies in state to pro vide in for ma tion on ca reer op por tu ni ties March. Nurs ing caps were pre sented to 35 students and ed u ca tional re quire ments, fi nan cial aid, schol - who had reached the halfway point in the program . arships , and college costs. Repre sent ing CCC at Jeff Schrader of Palmer, the lone male in the class, vari ous col lege nights were Paul Stobbe, re cruit ing re ceived a la pel pin in lieu of a cap. Dr. Joe co or di na tor; Bob Glenn, Hastings Cam pus ad mis- Preusser, col lege pres i dent, was the key note sions and re cruit ing direc tor; Bill Torrence, speaker for the event. Hastings Cam pus counsel or; Norris Augustin, Platte Cam pus ad mis sions di rec tor; and Jack Vocational Agriculture Gutierrez, Platte Campus coun selor. u About 225 students from 21 high schools partic i - Community Education pated in vo ca tional ag ri cul ture con tests hosted by u During the 1984-85 college year, CCC em ployed CCC. The Platte Cam pus was host to the District V more than 700 part-time instruc tors to teach com - contes t and the Grand Island Cam pus was host to mu nity ed u ca tion classes in 81 com mu ni ties in the the District IX contest.

13 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Food Service Provided by Chartwells By Dr. Dennis Tyson, Executive Vice President More Than 1,000 Served Daily When the first cam pus of what is now Central On a typ ical day, Chartwells at Hastings will serve Com munity College opened at Hastings in 1966, the from 750 to 800 retail and boarding meals to the col- lege students, faculty , and staff. Chartwells at Co lum- College Board of Gover nors contrac ted with Profes - bus will serve any where from 240 to 250 retail and sional Food Manage m ent (PFM) to provide on-cam pus boarding meals. Chartwells at Grand Island provides a food service s for the retail snack bar service with approx i m ately 80 to 100 students . Since 1966, customers daily. the two partners have All three Chartwells oper a tions provide an out- con tin ued their col lab o - standing ca tering program tailored to the needs of the ration to provide quality college and the com munity. food service for CCC Changes Through the Years stu dents. In the fall of 1996, Some of the big changes PFM/Chartwells has faced the Com pass Group at CCC in clude: u North America pur- Moving the Hastings Cam pus re tail (snack bar) from the old Buffalo Corral to the new Cam pus chased PFM. In 1999, Cen ter (1983). Com pass of fi cially u Ren o vat ing the Hastings Cam pus caf e te ria (1983). changed the name of u Reno vat ing the Grand Is land snack bar four times their food service s divi - since opening in 1983. sion from PFM to Dr. Dennis Tyson u Ren o vat ing the Co lum bus Cam pus caf e te ria three Chartwells. The owners times since opening in 1981. incor po rate d Chartwells in England and named the com pany after the birthplac e of Sir Winston Churchill. More Improvements Planned An elec tronic meal card, which could be used at Food Service Managers any of the three cam puses, is in the planning stages. Since 1966, PFM/Chartwells has em ployed five Also, the five-year plan of the college proposes that a more cen trally lo cated caf ete ria be built on the food service manag ers at Hastings. David Kelly, the Hastings Cam pus. Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege and current manager , who started on the Hastings Cam pus Chartwells have contrac ted through June 30, 2013, to on July 15, 1976, has served as the food service man- continue their partner ship to provide food service to ager the longest . Since 1983, when food service oper a - students and staff. tions be gan on the Grand Island Cam pus, four food ser vice man ag ers have served there. When CCC added dorm facil i ties in Colum bus in 1981, PFM expanded its oper a tion to that cam pus. Since opening the Colum bus Campus caf ete ria, Chartwells has emplo yed five man- agers at that site. Be gin ning in 1966, Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege focuse d efforts on provid ing quality food ser vice for its students . PFM and Chartwells supported the col lege in its effort and will ingly made modi fi ca tions to ac com- modate the expec ta tions of the students . David Kelly, Joan Socha and Deb Schneider, the Chartwells Hastings, Grand Island and Colum bus cam pus manag - ers in 2005, have won national awards in recog ni tion of the quality of service provided by their staffs. In addition to providing daily food service on CCC’s three campuses, Chartwells caters many special events like this Grand Island Campus graduation breakfast .

14 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1986 CCC Responds to Farm Crisis (Edi tor’s note: The follow ing arti cle appeare d in the Septem ber-Octo ber 1986 issue of the ATEA Jour nal. It is reprinte d with permis sion. It outlines steps taken by CCC to as sist finan ciall y stressed farmers begin ning in 1985. The model descr ibed was chiefly imple ment ed under the direc tion of Verne Buhl, who was an agri cul ture instr uctor on the Platte Campus. In more recent years, he has served as direc tor of agri cul ture programs on that cam pus. With his guidance and with the assis tance of area attor neys and Joan Hooker, agri cul ture instr uctor, CCC has contin ued to re spond to request s for finan cial counsel ing and legal aid from farmers and ranchers within the college service area.) Evaluating Farm Finances By Dr. Joe Preusser and Jim Strayer Last au tumn [1985] will be re mem bered by many Mid west ern ers as a bit ter sweet sea son. A bin-buster harvest filled grain ele va tors to overflow ing, and the exces s was piled high on the main streets of many small farm ing communities. Farm ers who expanded dur ing the boom years of the ’70s had seen their net worth de cline as land val ues dropped rapidly after peaking in 1981. Caught betwe en low prices for the com modi ties they produced and high inter est rates on money they bor rowed for op er at ing cap i tal, highly le ver aged farm ers (those with debt-to-as set ra- tios of 70 per cent or more) were ex pe ri enc ing ex treme fi nan cial stress. These fac tors spell econom ic crisis in a state where 40 per cent of manu fac turing jobs are in agri cul - ture-relate d indus trie s, and 21 percent of all em ploy ment depends directly or Dr. Joe Preusser indirectly on agriculture. Unicameral Education Committee Requests Help During the first week of Oc tober 1985, the chairm an of the state legis la ture’s ed- u cation commit tee asked the pres i dents of the state’s six tech ni cal commu nity col lege areas what their insti tu tions could do to help. Response and ac tion occurre d quickly. Com munity college offi cia ls sat down with bankers , farm ers, and business people to discuss what needed to be done. By the first week of Novem ber 1985, an edu ca tional program titled the Farm and Ranch Finan cia l Eval ua tion Program emerged. A de- tailed ac count of how Central Com munity College responded to the expressed needs is further discussed. Ma jor goals of the pro gram are to help farm and ranch fami lies as sess their cur - rent finan cia l posi tion, set goals, and look at short-and long-term finan cia l and farm pro duc tion op tions. These goals were per ceived as pro vid ing re al is tic ap proaches to Jim Strayer eval u at ing farm fi nances, and were keyed to the best de mograp hic data avail able. For ex ample, the Ne braska De part ment of Ag ri cul ture pre dicted that as many as 1,200 farm ers in the 25-county area served by Central Com munity College would be forced out of business. Key ad minis tra tors of the col lege felt it was criti cal that CCC provide services to help finan cially stressed farm constit uents . A proposal was made to the Board of Gover nors to allo cat e venture capi tal to support the program . The fund transfer was quickly approved and a projec t team was orga nize d under the direc tion of the CCC econom ic development coordinator.

15 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Financial Counselors Recruited; Workshop Conducted Letters were mailed asking people to serve as finan cia l counsel ors, and a workshop was conducte d in late Oc to- ber for 28 volun tee rs. The workshop was conducte d by the coor di na tors of the CCC Nebraskaland Farm and Ranch Busi ness Man age ment Ed u ca tion Pro gram. By early Decem ber, CCC was ready to kick off the program . Brochure s explain ing the program were mailed to more than 17,000 farm fam ilies . Request s for assis tance began pouring in im medi ate ly. Another workshop was re - quired in Jan u ary for ad di tional coun sel ors to help meet the de mand. Fi nan cial coun sel ors meet in di vid u ally with farm and ranch fam ilies , usually in their home. These confi den tial one-on-one counsel ing sessions usually take about three hours, and a second session is required for some clients. Wide Range of Services Provided Coun sel ors help farm fam i lies to: u Ex am ine farm ac count ing re cords and in come tax sum ma ries. u Pre pare a list of cur rent, in ter me di ate, and long-term as sets and li a bil i ties. u Pre pare bal ance sheets, in come state ments, and cash-flow statements. u Cal cu late pri mary fi nan cial in di ca tors in clud ing li quid ity, sol vency, prof it abil ity, and fi nan cial ef fi ciency. u Develop an action plan to achieve fam ily and farm business goals. A major ity of cli ents were expe ri enc ing varying degree s of fi nancia l stress, often quite se vere. Counsel - ors were able to help most clients by sug gest ing alter na tives for re struc turing their debt (often shifted short-term ob - liga tions to a long-term pay ment plan) and by outlin ing farm produc tion options. As a result, clients reduced debt, im proved cash flow, and moved into enter prise s with better profit poten tial . Clients Express Sense of Relief Counsel ors re ported that it was com mon for clients to expres s a sense of relief at re ceiving help in looking at their personal circum stances objec tively – some thing many had been unable to do on their own be cause of the emo - tional distres s they were expe ri enc ing. “The evalu a tion program made us feel as though somebody cared about what happened to us,” one client said. Another noted, “We fi nally under sta nd our com plete finan cia l sit ua tion and how we got there. Now we know what our legal and finan cia l options are.” By the end of the 1985-86 aca dem ic year, more than 330 farm and ranch fam ilies had received help through the program. The Farm and Ranch Financial Evaluation Program is a(n)…example of flexibility and responsiveness of a community college in meeting immediate needs of the public during a crisis. This type of rural community based program also demonstrates the importance of strong linkages between colleges, state government, local school districts, and the business community in meeting challenges. CCC will continue offering the program through 1986-87.

Grand Island Campus u The Elec tronic Tech ni cians As so ci a tion In ter na - tional elected elec tron ics tech nol ogy in struc tor u Lexington res i dent Bill Smets be came the first stu- Fred Roeser as chair man of its Sat el lite Tech ni - dent to re ceive an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de - cians Di vi sion. The di vi sion pro vides tech ni cal gree from Central Com munity College without training and infor m ation to keep mem bers in- ever at tend ing classes on any of the three cam puses formed of the latest devel op m ents in the field. of the col lege. Smets in stead completed course u Don Nelson was confirm ed as cam pus presi dent work from each of the cam puses through the and dean of instruc tion. Previ ous posi tions with the Lexington Learning Center. He also transferr ed college , begin ning in 1969, include d chairm an for cred its earned through Kear ney State Col lege and genera l edu ca tion at the Hastings Cam pus, adm in- from the mil i tary. The as so ci ate de gree was is tra tive as sis tant to for mer col lege pres i dent awarded by the Grand Is land Cam pus. Dr. Ches ter Gausman, ad min is tra tive as sis tant for instruc tion to for mer Grand Is land Cam pus Presi -

16 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

dent Larry Keller, and act ing Grand Island Cam pus been extende d for 10 years by the Com mission on pres ident. He also contin ued to serve as coor di na - Den tal Ac cred i ta tion of the Amer i can Den tal As so - tor of Com mu nity Ed u ca - cia tion. Among other strengths, the report spoke tion program s for the highly of the support provided by the advi sory col lege. com mit tees. u More than 80 people u Jim Cronin, phys i cal plant su per vi sor, re ceived the from 10 dif ferent states sec ond annual Outsta nding Ser vice Award for the attende d the third annual campus. A char ter staff mem ber, he was cited for Elec tron ics and Com put- his role in helping students with their caree r poten - ers Sem inar hosted by the tial and for his efforts to beautify the cam pus. Grand Island Cam pus u Latham Mortensen, welding instruc tor, re ceived and the Elec tronic Tech - the an nual Out stand ing Fac ulty Mem ber Award ni cians As so ci a tion. A from the Ne braska Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege program for spouses was As so ci a tion. In ad di tion to his con tri bu tions as a Don Nelson co or di nated by Kaila voca tional edu ca tor, Mortensen was cited for his Roeser. in volve ment with the Amer i can Weld ing So ci ety at u In late Novem ber, severa l program s moved from the lo cal, state, and na tional lev els. the Grand Is land Edu ca tion Center to the Grand Is - u Kathy Warner, a 1980 gradu ate of the medi cal as- land Cam pus. sisting program , recei ved the fifth annual Outsta nd - u For the fifth year, Tom Oshlo, mainte nance instruc - ing Alumni Award from the Hastings Cam pus. At tor, who was also a cer ti fied mo tor cy cle safety that time, she was em ployed as a super vi sor of foun da tion in struc tor, of fered a 21-hour mo tor cy cle medi cal assis tants at Geiger, Vondrak, and Sutton rider course which satis fied the driving portion of Ophthal m ology in Hastings, and she was the only the motor cy cle driver’s test for those who succes s- Cer ti fied Oph thal mic Tech ni cian in Ne braska. She fully com pleted the course, and quali fied them for was also cited for her com munity involve m ent. in sur ance dis counts. u At the 17th Annual Student Awards Convocation, a u Everett Hinton, a science and math instruc tor at the num ber of in di vid u als and or ga ni za tions were rec - Hastings Cam pus, be gan teaching science courses ognize d. The student newspa per, The Ram bler, re- on the Grand Is land Cam pus on a part-time basis . ceived the Spirit Award, which was pre sented by u The spring pic nic at the campus featured a Twister Edwin Minnick, dean of students . Har old Hamel, tour na ment. com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, was cited for his ef forts u Tom Peters , data proces sing instruc tor, served as in re-es tab lish ing the stu dent news pa per and for pres ident of the Mid-State Ne braska Chapter of the serving as its adviser. Booster Club Awards were Data Pro cess ing Man age ment As so ci a tion. Alan given to athlete s Stacie Dowse of Comstock and Hult, data pro cessing in struc tor, was the sec re tary. John Coffey of Blue Hill. Student Senate Pres ident u In No vem ber, the east ed u ca tion pod con sist ing of Tim McKeon of Ravenna preside d over the convo - 14,240 square feet was com pleted. This allowe d cation . Later in the year, it was an nounced that The the as sess ment cen ter, com mu nity ed u ca tion, com- Ram bler also won an award in a com peti tion spon- mu ni ca tions, per sonal de vel op ment, real es tate and sored by the Amer i can Scho las tic Press As so ci a - in vest ments, read ing, sci ence, math, so cial sci ence, tion. and busi ness and manage m ent to move to the main u Lonnie Willey of Hastings, a 1986 gradu ate , re- cam pus. This left draft ing, child care, and nursing ceived an Outsta nding Ser vice Award from the Ne- at the Grand Island Higher Edu ca tion Center. braska Den tal Hy gien ists’ As so ci a tion dur ing the as so ci a tion’s an nual meet ing in Lin coln. At the Hastings Campus same meet ing, Di ane Schaaf of Val en tine, a 1983 u Hastings Cam pus program s in dental assis ting, gradu ate of the Hastings Cam pus program , was den tal hy giene, and den tal lab o ra tory tech nol ogy elected as NDHA pres ident, and Cindy Gaskill of re ceived no ti fi ca tions that their ac cred i ta tion had Au rora, a 1981 CCC grad u ate, was elected as first vice pres i dent.

17 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u Three World War II-vintage buildings were razed Retired on the Hastings Cam pus. Dawson Hall was a mili - u Mary Dean, sec re tarial sci ence in struc tor, re tired tary mess hall and later a caf ete ria for ci vil ian em - after six years with the college to move with her ploy ees which the college had re modele d for use as husband to their home in Chula Vista, Calif. She a men’s dorm itory. The building was closed be - held severa l secre tari al posi tions on the cam pus, in- cause of pro hib i tive main te nance costs, in clud ing clud ing sec re tary to the cam pus pres i dent, be fore an es tim ated $100,000 for roof repairs . The be com ing an in struc tor. Greeley Build ing, a barn which the mili tary had u Betty Jackson, a business math instruc tor, re tired at moved onto the property and rem odele d for use as the end of the calen dar year. In addi tion to business an of fi cer’s club, was used as a rec re ational hall by math, she had previ ously taught sec re tarial sci ence the college, and from time to time tem po rarily and per sonal de vel op ment classes at the campus. housed var i ous in struc tional pro grams and fi nally was used for stor age. A concre te block sand tower which the Navy had built to store sand used for Platte Campus road mainte nance was never of value to the col lege u Mary Lou Holmberg, practi cal nursing program su- but re quired pe ri odic main te nance. pervi sor, was appointed by Gov. Bob Kerrey to a u With the help of federa l funds through two Carl D. sec ond four-year term on the State Board of Nurs - Perkins grants, a program in biotec hnol ogy was ing. She also was co-author of an arti cle , “Midwes t added at the Hast ing Cam pus. The program was Schools Pilot Expanded LPN Program s,” which devel oped in re sponse to a need for labo ra tory appear ed in the “Amer i can Jour nal of Nurs ing.” tech ni cians. The avail abil ity of po si tions for grad u- u Twenty-six stu dents en tered a part-time practi cal ates was dem onstra ted by a sur vey of more than nursing program which was launched at the Brem er 300 com pa nies. Cen ter in Au rora as a sat el lite of the Platte Cam pus u The Hastings Cam pus cele brate d its 20th anni ver - prac ti cal nurs ing pro gram. sary with an open house and recep tion for the pub- u The Cantari vocal ensemble was invited to perform lic and by in viting em ploy ees and form er at the Judevine Center for Autis tic Children in St. em ploy ees to a dinner which was served prior to Louis. Cantari Di rec tor John Putnam said the group the monthly Board of Gover nors’ meet ing. On be - perform ed one concer t for the school’s children half of the college , Bill Doran, chairm an of the and their par ents and another for the St. Louis-area Board of Gover nors, accept ed a plaque from the benefac tors of the pri vate nonprofit school. Hastings Cham ber of Com merce. u Marcine Wurdeman, ac count ing in struc tor and u During three sepa rate ses sions throughout the cal- co-sponsor of Phi Beta Lambda, re ceived the first endar year, 13 students were chosen to partic i pate Out stand ing Postsecondary Ed u ca tor Award pre- in the Walt Disney World Col lege Program and sented by the Ne braska State Busi ness Ed u cation earn credit through co op er a tive ed u ca tion. The As so ci a tion. nine students chosen from the hotel, motel and res - u Jacquie B.R. Case of Pender won the Best of Show tau rant man age ment pro gram were John Award and James D. Clark of Kearney won a Bierbower, Tony Cham bers, and Rick Naeve of first-place ribbon at the 16th Annual Fine Arts Fes- Aurora; Barbara Brown of Hastings; Kevin Deprez tival exhi bi tion on the Platte Cam pus. Case’s work of York; John Hister of Wood River; Robert was a color pen cil draw ing while Clark was recog - Lewien of Ong; Kris Musil, origi nally of Broken nized for a sculpture. Accord ing to art instruc tor Bow; and Tim Perlinger of Omaha. The four others Dick Abra ham more than 200 pieces of student art were broadcas ting student Dawn Earlley of were dis played at the ex hibit. Wilsonville, di etetic tech nol ogy grad u ate LeAnn u Mike Merrill, a 1986 gradu ate with an asso ci ate de- Gates, business and manage m ent student Kevin Pe - gree in pre-en gi neer ing, was ac cepted at GMI En - ters of Hastings and ac counting student Jennifer gi neer ing and Man age ment In sti tute, a pri vate Meads of Elm Creek. col lege ca ter ing to the au to mo tive in dus try. Merrill

18 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

was also em ployed as an in tern by Mc Laren En - meet ing of the Cen tral Ne braska Ar tic u la tion Con- gines. Being hired as an intern was a require m ent sortium , which the college sponsore d. Central for enroll m ent at GMI. Com mu nity Col lege di rected the de vel op ment of u The Platte Cam pus was host for the fourth annual the consor tium with the as sis tance of a grant pro - Con fer ence of the Co op er a tive Ed u ca tion As so ci a - vided by the federa l Carl D. Perkins Voca tional tion of Nebras ka. Doris Lux, Platte Cam pus coop - Edu ca tion Act. The goal of the projec t was to artic - er a tive ed u ca tion co or di na tor and sec re tary- ulate program s and courses so that students could trea surer of CEAN, wel comed the par tic i pants to con tinue their ed u ca tional ex pe ri ences at CCC the campus. with out du pli cat ing ex pe ri ences pro vided by their u Don Engel, coor di na tor of the Platte Cam pus Agri - high schools. cultural In stitute, was the recip i ent of the first Platte Per son of the Year Award. He joined the College Administration cam pus faculty in 1976. In addi tion to his efforts as u ag ri cul ture in struc tor and co or di na tor, he was cited Dr. Eric Jones, com puter ser vices man ager, was ap - for helping to coor di nate the Farm And Ranch Fi- pointed to a three-year term on the Publi ca tions nan cial Eval u a tion Pro gram and for im ple ment ing Stand ing Ser vice Unit of the Amer i can As so ci a tion a pro ject to ex plore the feasi bil ity of commer cial for Adult and Con tin u ing Ed u ca tion. The pub li ca - tions unit so licited arti cles to be included in the veg e ta ble pro duc tion as an al ter na tive for Ne braska “AAACE Handbook for Adult Edu ca tion” pub- farm ers. This projec t involved planting an acre of lished in 1990. Such a handbook is publishe d every onions on the cam pus as part of a Carl D. Perkins 10 years. grant. u Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres i dent, re ceived an Ed - u Ray Plankinton, math e mat ics in struc tor since 1971, u cation Ser vice Award from the Ne braska Vo ca- was the first per son to re ceive the Platte Faculty tional As so ci a tion in rec og ni tion of his Member of the Year Award. He was cited for his con tri bu tions to vo ca tional ed u ca tion in Ne braska. teach ing ex cel lence, his ded i ca tion to stu dents, and The award was pre sented at a re cep tion in the Gov - his contri bu tions as a cam pus leader. er nor’s Man sion. u Ken Bonk, stu dent af fairs co or di na tor, was ap- u Dr. Carl Rolf, Dr. Pete Rush, and Dennis Tyson pointed Nebras ka unit coor di na tor for the National were named col lege rep re sen ta tives to the Na tional As so ci a tion for Cam pus Ac tiv i ties. While con tin u - Coun cil for Oc cu pa tional Ed u ca tion. ing his posi tion on the cam pus, as unit coor di na tor u Alicia Haussler was elected to a three-year term on for Ne braska, he worked with the other college s in the Grand Is land Cham ber of Com merce. the state to co or di nate cam pus ac tiv ity pro gram - ming and leader ship training. He also publishe d a College Enrollment news letter for a four-state re gion of NACA. u Total college enroll m ent for 1985-86 reached Retired 21,187. CCC provided edu ca tional ser vices to 12.1 u Lola Martindale, the first regis trar on the Platte percent of the 18-to-64 year old tar get popu la tion Campus, re tired af ter 17 years of ser vice in that po - living within the 25-county ser vice area of the col- sition. In Novem ber 1985 when she was chosen as lege. the first recip i ent of the Platte Person of the Month Award, she was cited for her dedi ca tion to stu- College Foundation dents. u The Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege Foun da tion re- ceived the first install me nt from the Kaufmann- Articulation Consortium Cummings Trust, which endows a mem orial schol - u Rep re sen ta tives from 16 sec ond ary schools and arship fund available to Hall County resi dents at- four Edu ca tional Service Units attende d the first tend ing CCC.

19 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Federal Grants North Central Association u CCC recei ved more than $320,000 in federa l u Faculty and staff were invited to par tici pate in a to- grants. The largest grant was $71,897 for spe cial tal of 19 self-study com mittees lead ing to the re - needs asses sm ent. Another six projec ts were newal of North Central accre di ta tion in 1988. funded under the Job Training and Partner ship Act Dennis Tyson was desig nate d as the chairm an of for a total of $106,000, and 27 projec ts were the self-study. funded through the Carl D. Perkins Voca tional Ed- uca tion Act of 1984 for $155,000. Vocational Agriculture Kearney Practical Nursing u The Grand Is land Cam pus and the Platte Cam pus Retired were hosts to more than 275 voca tional agri cul ture u Maxine Spongberg retire d follow ing 15 years as a students from 18 high schools. The Grand Island clin i cal in struc tor in the CCC prac ti cal nurs ing pro - Cam pus hosted the Dis trict IX contest while the gram in Kear ney. She was a grad u ate of St. Fran cis District V contest was held on the Platte Cam pus. School of Nurs ing in Grand Is land and Kearney State College.

20 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College Financial Aid Vital for Students Students Share Common Concerns By Steve Millnitz, Financial Aid Director, Though these two indi vid u als have com pletely dif- Grand Island Campus fer ent cir cumstances, they share a common con cern. Jane, a sin gle par ent in her early 30s, has been Where do I find the finan cia l resourc es that will make working at a series of low-pay ing jobs for the past 10 it pos sible for me to attend college? years and getting no- This is where the stu dent fi nan cial aid of fice en ters where. For as long as the pic ture. At Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege, fi nan cial she can remem ber, she aid staff mem bers have been provid ing answe rs and has al ways wanted to be guidance to students like Jane and John for nearly four a nurse. Now that the de cades. Ad min is ter ing fi nan cial aid pro grams re quires youn ger of her two chil- at ten tion to stat utes, reg u la tions, pol i cies, pro ce dures, dren is starting first forms, consum er infor m ation, and the list goes on. grade, she is consid er - However , the most im portant aspect of working in a ing the pos si bil ity of CCC finan cia l aid of fice is serving students and pro- pur su ing her dream. viding that friendly, personal touch. It truly is “all She has learned that about the student.” her lo cal com mu nity col lege of fers nurs ing Goals and Accountability program s, but she Finan cia l aid staff mem bers function under some knows there is no extra Steve Millnitz ba sic over rid ing prin ci ples that guide our pri or i ties and money in her budget to pay for tui tion and books. Even deci sion-m aking. We strive to “put good money to more dis hearten ing is the fact that she will proba bly good use” and be respon si ble stew ards of federa l, state, have to cut back on her work hours to take classes. insti tu tional , and pri vate funds. We also help provide Every dollar from her wages and child support ac cess to higher ed u ca tion, ap ply rea son able con sis- goes for rent, food, clothing, and other ne ces sities . The tency in our deci sion-m aking, and attem pt to sim plify more she thinks about it, the more likely it seems that what most of our custom ers percei ve to be a com plex college is just not in the realm of pos sibil ity. proces s. We must also satisfy the needs of our students John, a high school se nior from a small com munity and the guidelines of our insti tu tion, while oper at ing in north-central Nebras ka, has been eval uat ing his col- within the con fines of federal and state statutes and lege options. He is unde cide d on a program of study regulations. but is lean ing to ward in for ma tion tech nol ogy. He has To this end, we have estab lishe d severa l goals that checked out the costs at sev eral Ne braska govern the day-to-day op era tions of each cam pus fi- postsecondary schools and has decide d to attend a nan cial aid of fice. Staff members main tain an open- com munity college , prim arily due to cost and smaller door pol icy, pro vide im me di ate as sis tance when ever class sizes. pos si ble, at tempt to make stu dents feel wel come and He will need to move away from home since none com fort able, of fer per son al ized as sis tance with fi nan - of the schools is within reason able driving distanc e. He cial aid pa perwork and online proce dures , proces s aid and his parents will be able to pay for his tui tion, ef fi ciently and ac cu rately, and pro vide con sumer books, health costs, and auto expense s. In addi tion, he information in a variety of formats. hopes to work about 15 hours per week which should We pe ri od i cally re vise forms, let ters, printed in for - cover his personal spending money and leave some left ma tional lit era ture, and the fi nan cial aid sec tion of our over for unex pect ed expenses. Web site, frequently as the re sult of student feedback. He is very con cerned, however , about how to pay We also evalu ate our office proce dures on a regu lar ba - for room and board, even if he lives in a dorm on cam - sis and make changes as needed. Fi nally, we at tempt to pus. know as much as we can about the other depart m ents at

21 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

CCC, so we can refer students to the appro pri ate office Fed eral reg u la tions re quire fi nan cial aid of fices to or instructional area for assistance. mon i tor fed eral, state, in sti tu tional, and ex ter nal fund- We are ac count able to the U.S. De part ment of Ed u - ing to pre vent or adjust overawards. This effec tively cation in the adm inis tra tion of grant, loan, and makes fi nan cial aid “the buck stops here” of fice! The work-study pro grams governe d by Ti tle IV of the CCC fi nan cial aid of fices have com pli ance pro ce dures Higher Edu ca tion Act of 1965, as amended. We are ac- in place, which may ne ces si tate a stu dent’s hav ing to count able to the Ne braska Co or di nat ing Com mis sion re pay fed eral or state aid based on the discovery of for Postsecondary Ed u ca tion in the ad min is tra tion of external funding. the Ne braska State Grant Pro gram. We are ac count able to CCC in the adm inis tra tion of our insti tu tional schol - Financial Aid Data arship and work assis tance program s. Finally, we are There has been tre mendous growth in both the account able to all our scholar ship donors who entrust num ber of students recei ving aid and the amount of aid us to administer their funding programs. awarded over the past 20 years. Be low are some illus - trations of that growth. Financial Aid Programs Offered Unduplicated Recipients The fi nan cial aid of fices at CCC ad min is ter grant, Year 1984-85 1994-95 2004-05 loan, scholar ship, and em ploy ment program s funded by Number 1,490* 2,286 3,850 federal, state, in stitu tional, and pri vate dol lars. Most of Total Aid $2,674,331 $4,875,742 $11,199,728 the fed eral and state pro grams are based solely on fi - Scholarships $29,885 $298,969 $1,017,284 nancia l need; the insti tu tional and private program s are * The 1984-85 unduplicated re cipi ent figures are pri marily based on merit. The fi nan cial aid of fice also rea son able es ti mates. works with ex ter nal agen cies, such as Vo cation al Re ha - All the fi nan cial aid pro grams that are cur rently ad - bil i ta tion and Workforce De vel op ment, who pro vide minis tere d by CCC were in exis tenc e in 1984 except fund ing for our stu dents. Vet er ans’ ben e fits are for the Federa l Unsubsidized Stafford, which was initi - administered by the campus registrars. ated in 1991-92 and replac ed the Supple m ental Loan Pell Grant for Students in 1994-95. There have also been major The Federa l Pell Grant program is the founda tion addi tions to state grant funding. The State Student In- of all fed eral need-based pro grams. Other need-based cen tive Grant Pro gram was re placed by two state grant grant pro grams are the Fed eral Sup ple men tal Ed u ca - program s in 1989-90: the Scholar ship Award Program tional Oppor tu nity Grant (SEOG) and the Nebras ka and the State Scholar ship Assis tance Program . These State Grant (NSG). The Fed eral Sub si dized Stafford two program s existe d until 2003-04 when they were re- Student Loan Program and the Federa l Work Study placed by the Ne braska State Grant Pro gram. State Pro gram are also need-based pro grams. The Fed eral grant funding at CCC has grown from less than Unsubsidized Stafford Student Loan Program is not $10,000 in 1984-85 to approx i m ately $220,000 in based on financial need. 2004-05. All in sti tu tion ally funded schol ar ship pro grams are The most signif i cant area of growth over the past based on merit, while private ly funded scholar ship pro- 20 years has been the incre ase in scholar ships . Scholar - grams may be based on merit or a com bina tion of merit ship dollars awarded in 1984-85 were only 3 percent of and need. Most exter nally funded program s are based the scholar ship dollars awarded in 2004-05. on need but usually have other eli gi bil ity criteria, as Organizational Structure well. Each cam pus at CCC has al ways had its own fi nan - The Pell Grant, the Fed eral Sup ple mental Ed u ca - cial aid of fice and adm inis tere d the aid for its students . tional Oppor tu nity Grant, the Nebras ka State Grant and Until 1989, each cam pus re ported to the U.S. De part- the Federa l Work-Study Program have specifi c re port- ment of Edu ca tion as an inde pend ent entity. In that ing require m ents that account for the accu rate expen di - year, the Depart m ent of Edu ca tion re quired CCC to re- tures of these funds. Some of the exter nally funded port as one col lege with mul tiple sites. Making the shift schol ar ship pro grams have re port ing re quire ments as and get ting the depart m ent to recog nize its own well. mandate was no small task.

22 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

Until 1994, finan cia l aid at CCC worked under a 1986 until Janu ary 1998. Schmidt was the finan cia l aid sub com mit tee struc ture, with the po si tion of chair man tech ni cian prior to as sum ing the po si tion of di rec tor. being shared among the cam pus finan cia l aid di rec tors Dur ing her ten ure as tech ni cian, there were two di rec - from year to year. In addi tion to the direc tors, each tors, Jim Fisher and Jack Gutierrez. Both assum ed dif- cam pus had support staff, currentl y desig nate d as ferent posi tions at CCC after serving in the financial technicians. aid office. In 1994, based on the rec om menda tions of an inde - The cur rent fi nan cial aid di rec tor at the Grand Is - pendent consul tant, CCC moved to a central manager land Cam pus, Steve Millnitz, started in July 1987. model. Resea rch, report ing, and oversight for the ad - There are cur rently two fi nan cial tech ni cians in Grand minis tra tion of the CCC finan cia l aid program s becam e Is land, Tricia Stephens and Hylee Asche. Stephens the re spon si bil ity of the fi nan cial aid man ager, who started full-time in July 1993, after having served the was housed in the college adm inis tra tion office s. Sheila of fice as a part-time tech ni cian for one year and a Pe ter son, a Ne braska na tive with sev eral years of fi nan - work-study student for two years. Asche started cial aid expe ri ence in Texas, was hired to fill this po si- full-time in fi nancia l aid in June 1995. From August tion, which she held until 1999. After she left CCC, it 1988 until June 1995, Asche worked for the hum an re - was decide d to abandon the central manager model and sources and Extende d Learning Ser vices departments. re place it with a team appro ach. This was simi lar to the Prior to Millnitz, the direc tor was Pam Johnson, who sub com mit tee struc ture, with a cou ple of im por tant dif- held the posi tion from Octo ber 1977 until June 1987. ference s. One of the cam pus direc tors would be the Prior to Stephens, Lavonne Braun served as a part-time team leader and would re main in that posi tion from techni cia n from 1980 until 1983, then moved to year to year un less it became appar ent that a change full-time from 1983 until her retire ment in July 1994. would be ben efi cial to the team. The team leader would Vicki Kucera, cur rent fi nan cial aid di rec tor at the or ga nize meet ings, and ful fill CCC’s fed eral, state, and Hastings Cam pus, assum ed the posi tion in April 1994, in sti tu tional re port ing re quire ments. The other two after having served as techni cia n from March 1981 un - cam pus di rec tors would also have area re spon si bil i ties til April 1994. Prior to Kucera, there were three direc - accord ing to the needs of the team. Techni cia ns might tors be tween 1974 and 1994. Helen Kennedy served as also perform collegewide tasks in ar eas of ex per tise. In direc tor from Novem ber 1974 until July 1986, Mike addi tion, the team would de velop com mon forms, cor- Chipps served as di rec tor from July 1986 until Decem - re spon dence, pol i cies, and pro ce dures. The team would ber 1988 and Ken Rezac served as direc tor from Janu - meet reg u larly in per son and via con fer ence calls to ary 1989 until April 1994. Michele Schroer, the current maintain an open line of com muni ca tion, dis cuss im - techni cian, started full-time in finan cial aid in Janu ary por tant is sues, and re vise fi nan cial aid ma te ri als and 1994. Prior to this, from August 1988 until Janu ary proce dures . The team model has worked well and is 1994, Schroer split time betwe en regis tra tion and still in place. financial aid as a full-time employee. Staffing Summary CCC cur rently has seven fi nan cial aid staff mem- With all the focus on goals, account abil ity, pro- bers total ing 102 years of finan cia l aid service . Over grams, com pli ance, data, structure, mod els, and staff - the past 20 years, the follow ing changes have taken ing, it is easy to lose sight of what counts the most: the place in each campus fi nan cial aid office. student. There is a saying that goes something like this, The current finan cia l aid di rec tor at the Colum bus “Cus tomer ser vice is not a depart ment … it’s an at ti - Cam pus, Lisa Gdowski, started in Febru ary 1999. The tude.” The im pact we have had on students over the cur rent fi nan cial aid tech ni cian, Mar jo rie John son, past 20 years by pro viding good cus tomer service is started in August 1991 after having served the office as dif ficult to mea sure. But it is the most important thing a work-study student. Prior to Gdowski, the di rec tor we do. was Sandra Schmidt, who held the posi tion from July

23 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 1987 College Placement Report Indicates Student Success The CCC class of 1987 was suc cessful in the job market accord ing to a place ment re port com pleted by the col- lege. During the 1986-87 aca dem ic year, 638 students recei ved degree s, diplo m as, or certif i cat es at one of the cam - puses and 398 re sponded to a placem ent survey conducte d by the college . Forty-seven per cent of those com pleting who re sponded to the survey indi cat ed they planned to continue their edu ca tion. Ninety-four percent of those who said they were available for em ploy ment re ported they were working at the time the survey was conducte d, which was two months after they left college. Dennis Tyson, vice presi dent of edu ca tional ser vices, noted that 94 percent of those em ployed were working in Nebras ka and that 74 percent of them were em ployed within the 25 counties served by CCC. Reported start ing sala - ries ranged from $500 a month to $2,400 a month. The highest starting sala ries were re ported by those who had been business and manage m ent and electron ics technology students. Emplo y ers were asked to rate the for mer CCC stu dents in sev eral ar eas. They gave the high est marks for tech ni - cal skills, quality of work, and work atti tude, Tyson said. The re port also indi cat ed that CCC gradu ate s were well prepare d to continue their edu ca tion at four-year college s. Dur ing the 1986-87 year, 144 form er CCC students at- tended the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lincoln. As a group, their aver age grade point aver age excee ded the aver age GPA for all UNL students in the same class. Dr. Lynn Black, Grand Is land Cam pus dean of students , was coor di na tor of placem ent service s at the time. Ken Bonk, Platte Cam pus stu dent af fairs co or di na tor, chaired the place ment commit tee. Pam Price, Grand Is land Cam- pus, and Ray Szlanda, Hastings Campus, place ment of fi cers on their re spec tive cam puses, completed the committee.

Grand Island Campus ad missions and place ment officer Pam Price visits with a student.

24 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

were moved from the Grand Is land Higher Edu ca - Grand Island Campus tion Center into the 6,168-square-foot addi tion. u Japa nese journal ist Fumiagi Shiraishi visited the u Scott Moore of Stromsburg, a Nebras ka State Sen - Grand Island Cam pus as part of a tour of 16 Amer- ator, was a visi tor to the cam pus in Octo ber. i can cit ies. He was a re gional ed i tor for the Jap a - u A stu dent ad vi sory/ac tiv i ties com mit tee was nese equiva lent of The Wall Street Journal. formed for the col lege year. The students and their u On-cam pus child care ser vices for staff and stu - areas of study were Shari Armstrong, business and dents were begun in August as part of the child man age ment; Stan Thurber, elec tron ics; Lavon care ed u ca tion pro gram. Jeanne Webb con tin ued as Chada, ac counting; Kurt Kulwicki; data proces s- program direc tor. Linda Blake was a program in- ing; and Kelly Montross, secre tarial. Steve struc tor. A num ber of child care students served as Millnitz, fi nan cial aid/stu dent ac tiv i ties co or di na - aides as part of a practicum. tor, served as faculty sponsor. u In te rior re mod el ing re sulted in a new sec re tarial u The Alpha-O mega play ers, a profes sional touring lab, faculty cen ter, stu dent study cen ter, small busi - group, pre sented Neil Sim on’s “Barefoot in the ness man age ment cen ter, of fice for the dean of in - Park” in the stu dent cen ter as a pre-Christ mas cam - struc tion, and relo ca tion of the student service s pus func tion. office and expan sion of the student center. In addi - u As of Oct. 30, fall headcount enroll m ent had in- tion, the parking lot was extende d and a new ac cess creased 22 percent over the previ ous year. road was added. Credit-hour enroll m ent had incre ased by 14 per- u John Mahan becam e the first student to gradu ate cent. from CCC by taking only night classes from the u Fel-Pro Gas ket Corpo ra tion provided a clinic spon- Grand Is land Campus. He re ceived an as so ci ate of sored by the auto m otive program on the cam pus. ap plied sci ence de gree in data pro cess ing af ter The purpose of the clinic was to intro duce students more than four years of part-time study. to the lat est de vel op ments in seal ing tech nol ogy. u Bruce Broberg, in struc tor of math e mat ics, be came u About 50 people took advan tage of an oppor tu nity gen eral ed u ca tion co or di na tor. to have their auto m obiles inspec ted for safety. The u LaVern Franzen was appointed dean of instruc tion in spec tions were con ducted by au to mo tive stu dents and chairm an of business occu pa tions at the Grand Steve Heider, Al ice Baker, Rick Plambeck, and Is land Campus. He had been as so ci ate dean of Lonnie Larkin, super vise d by Ron Grabowski, au - com mu nity ed u ca tion at the Lexington Cen ter. to mo tive in struc tor. AAA Cornhusker Mo tor Club, u Steve Millnitz, part-time instruc tor, be came the fi- Friend’s Motor Supply, and the Nebras ka Auto m o - nan cial aid of fi cer and stu dent ac tiv i ties co or di na - bile Whole sal ers As so ci a tion par tic i pated in the tor. event. u Pam Price, per sonal de vel op ment in struc tor, be- Retired came the ad mission s and place ment of fi cer at the u Grand Island Cam pus. Les Weber re tired as co or di na tor of learn ing cen - u Pe ter Meyers, dep uty sec re tary to the United States ters at the Grand Island Cam pus. Weber worked at De part ment of Ag ri cul ture, vis ited the Grand Is- the col lege for 14 years. He began as the di rec tor land Cam pus to learn more about Ag Ac tion Cen - of the Adult Ba sic Edu ca tion program before ters. The cen ters were es tab lished to work in switch ing to com mu nity ed u ca tion co or di na tion. coop er a tion with the Greater Nebras ka Job Train- Af ter re tir ing, he con tin ued his af fil i a tion with the ing Program to help farm ers, ranchers , ag-re lated college by oversee ing CCC program s offere d in workers , and their fam ilies to look at options for Kear ney. u their fu tures. One cen ter was lo cated in each of the Bill Moeller retired as a custo dian, con clud ing six com mu nity col lege ar eas. more than seven years of ser vice with the col lege. u u Another pod was construc ted on the main cam pus Joe Kranz retire d as chairm an of business pro- which allowe d all program s to be housed there for grams. He joined the staff in 1968 as a business in- the first time. Child care, drafting, and nursing struc tor.

25 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

In Memory u Frank Piskorski, photo graphic techni cia n, was rec - og nized by In dus trial Pho tog ra phy mag a zine for u Ger ald Spahn retired as an in struc tor at the Grand his photo, “The Big Squirt.” The photo is of the Island Cam pus. Spahn joined the CCC faculty in Greeley Barn on the Hastings Cam pus being 1978 and taught courses in insur ance , sales, burned as part of a local fire depart m ent training marketing, and retail ing. The college com munity ex er cise. was saddened when Spahn died shortly after his re - u John H. Dobrovolny, asso ci ate dean of instruc tion, tire ment. was elected to the ex ecu tive commit tee of the Ne - braska Ed u ca tional Tele vi sion Coun cil for Higher Hastings Campus Ed u ca tion, an or ga ni za tion to which CCC be longed u The Kansas -Ne braska Energy program was moved and which was devoted to teaching and learning to the Howard Building and consol i date d with the and the producer of high qual ity videos and other heat ing, air con di tion ing and re frig er a tion program. ed u ca tional ma te ri als. The Franklin Building, a frame structure near the u Keith Boyle, au to mo tive in struc tor, was se lected as main entranc e of the cam pus, was then dem olishe d. a mem ber of an eval ua tion team respon si ble for re- u The Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege Fac ulty As so ci a - viewing au to mo tive tech nol ogy pro grams seek ing tion, a local chapter of the National Edu ca tion As - Au to mo tive Ser vice Ex cel lence cer tif i ca tion from soci a tion which had been ac tive on the Hastings the Na tional Au to mo tive Tech ni cians Ed u ca tion Cam pus, dis banded and donate d its funds of over Foun da tion Inc. $800 to the CCC Founda tion to be used for schol- u Joann Wieland, med i cal as sist ing in struc tor, was ar ships. qual i fied by the Na tional Med i cal As sist ing As so- u A desktop publish ing system was purchas ed for the ci a tion to eval u ate other med i cal as sist ing pro - print ing tech nol ogy pro gram. The equip ment al- grams seek ing ac cred i ta tion by the as so ci a tion. lowed an oper a tor to de sign printed mate rial with u Deb Fast, bio tech nol ogy in struc tor, and Cindy graphics and a num ber of type styles that pre vi- Foxhoven, as sess ment coun selor, sub mit ted a job ously had not been available . ti tle and de scrip tion for “bio tech nol ogy in struc tor” u A com puter num eri cal controlle d (CNC) lathe was that was accept ed for publi ca tion in the Dic tionary purchas ed for the machine shop program . of Oc cupa tional Titles . The coding was approved u A new program , health care adm inis tra tion, was by the U.S. Depart m ent of Labor and the Occu pa - added at the Hastings Cam pus. It was designe d for tional Anal y sis Field Center. those seek ing man age ment po si tions in res i den tial u Jacklyn Smith of Hastings, Ne braska state sen ator, health care fa cil i ties, es pe cially for in di vid u als who was the guest speaker at a pro gram for lead ers in were pre paring to be licens ed as nursing home ad- student govern m ent from all three CCC cam puses. min is tra tors. Smith en cour aged stu dent in ter est in the leg is la ture u A video broadcas ting class was be gun on the and poli tics in genera l. She also spoke of the im - Hastings Cam pus, taught by John Brooks on a portanc e of com munity college s in the state. The part-time basis . A video edit ing system was pur- Hastings Cam pus hosted the event. chased to ac commo date the class. u Ray Mueller, ex ecu tive di rec tor of the Ne braska Retired Coun cil on Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion and a grad u ate u Bernie Kinley re tired as as so ci ate dean of ed u ca - and form er em ployee of the Hastings Cam pus, re - tional centers at the Hastings Cam pus, a posi tion he ceived the Dis tinguishe d Alumni Award from the had held for six years. He joined the CCC staff in Ne braska Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a - 1966 when the col lege first opened. Initial ly he tion. served as chairm an of the fabri ca tion divi sion. He u Roy Johnson was appointed asso ci ate dean of com - then served as an in struc tional re source tech ni cian munity edu ca tion on the Hastings Cam pus. He had before taking the posi tion from which he retired. been the com mu nity ed u ca tion co or di na tor prior to u Vergale Jensen re tired as an in struc tor in the heat - his pro mo tion. ing, air con di tion ing and re frig er a tion de part ment. He also was in charge of the K-N Energy training program . He had joined the faculty in 1977.

26 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Bob Schmer re tired as chief of se cu rity, a po si tion had the lowest student loan default rate of any he had held since the cam pus opened in 1966. Be - com munity college cam pus in Nebras ka for 1987, fore the Na val Am mu ni tion De pot be came the and it ranked the fourth lowest among all Nebras ka CCC Campus, he was the cap tain of the fire de part - col leges. ment at the NAD. u Les Oelschlager retire d from his posi tion as a die - Board of Governors sel technol ogy in struc tor. He joined the staff in 1966 and was re sponsi ble for launching the diesel u Edwin J. Loutzenheiser Jr., a mem ber of the CCC technol ogy pro gram of the college . Board of Gover nors, was named chairm an-elect and treasure r of the Nebras ka As soci a tion of Com - Platte Campus merce and Indus try. u In addi tion to a full com plem ent of machine shop In Memory courses, classes in comput er nu meri cal con trol and u Ches ter O. Mar shall, a for mer member of the Cen - robot ics , and equipm ent needed to com plem ent tral Com munity College Board of Gover nors, died them, were added on the Platte Campus. on Aug. 25. He joined the board in 1972 and u Pete Rush, cam pus pres i dent, wrote an ar ti cle served for 14 years be fore resign ing due to ill titled, “Nine Dime n sions of Commu nity Col lege health. He also was board chair man for two years. Effec tiveness ,” which was publishe d in the Ameri - can Com mu nity Col lege Trust ees news let ter, College Administration “ACCT Ad vi sor.” u u El len Lake, co or di na tor of pro fes sional ser vices, Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres i dent, wrote an ar ti - was the re cip i ent of the Athena Award which was cle, “Planning for the Future – Finan cia l Fore - present ed by the Colum bus Area Cham ber of Com - casts,” which was in cluded in the “Trustee merce. The an nual award was design ed to rec og - Quar terly,” a pub li ca tion of the As so ci a tion of nize an outsta nding business or profes sional Com munity College Trust ees. Preusser also re- woman. ceived the Pres i dents Award from the Ne braska u Verne Buhl, ag ri cul ture in struc tor, was elected as Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. u pres i dent of the Ne braska As so ci a tion of Adult Ed- Dr. Eric Jones was prom oted to com puter service s u ca tors. and in sti tu tional re search man ager. u u Marcene Wurdeman, ac count ing in struc tor and Ma jor up dates were made in the Prime comput er co-sponsor of Phi Beta Lambda, was named the sys tem which served the col lege to accom mo date Outsta nding Postsec ondary Teacher of the Year by the grow ing needs of the college . At the same time, the Moun tain Plains Busi ness Ed u ca tion As so ci a - Prime com puters on the Hastings and Colum bus tion. She quali fied for the regional com peti tion af - cam puses were taken out of use, re ducing the num - ter be ing named Ne braska’s Out standing ber of such machine s from six to two, re sulting in Postsecond ary Teacher in 1986. an annual savings. u The Platte Cam pus pre sented the mu si cal, “Li’l Abner,” with Mark Lovci of Colum bus in the title Community Education role and with Carol Meade of Colum bus as Daisy u A com mu nity ed u ca tion re port stated that more Mae. than 20,000 students enrolle d in CCC off-cam pus u Nick Wag oner, au to mo tive in struc tor, served on an classes in 89 com muni ties during the 1986-87 aca - ad vi sory com mit tee which eval u ated each au to mo- demic year. More than 17,000 were enrolle d in tive course at Colum bus Se nior High School and courses of fered for col lege credit, 2,468 were en- made sug ges tions for up dat ing. rolled in noncredit avocational-recre ationa l u San dra Schmidt, cam pus fi nan cial aid of fi cer, re - courses, and 1,228 were enrolle d in the Adult Ba sic ferring to infor m ation re leased by the U.S. De part- Ed u ca tion pro gram. ment of Edu ca tion, re ported that the Platte Cam pus

27 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

soci a tion of College s and Schools conducte d an Core Competencies on-site visit in Novem ber. Team chairm an Dr. Paul u Fac ulty mem bers and ad min is tra tors from all three L. Kegel said at the exit inter view that the team cam puses em barked on an ef fort to revise the cur- planned to rec om mend that ac credi ta tion of the col- ricu lum of each of the program s of the college . The lege be ex tended for seven years. iden ti fi ca tion of core com pe ten cies was iden ti fied as ba sic to the suc cess of the multiyear projec t. Student Assessment College Foundation u The Grand Is land and Platte cam puses began using u The CCC Founda tion com pleted its first cam paign. the Col lege Board Se ries test and the Hastings Previ ously, fund raising by the founda tion had Cam pus began using the ASSET test for incom ing been a more in for mal activ ity. students . The results of the evalu a tions in reading, u Through the efforts of the CCC Founda tion, an writ ing, and mathe mat ics were used to place stu - emergency loan program for students that had been dents in appro pri ate college courses based on their in oper a tion at the Hastings Cam pus for severa l strengths and weakness es. years was expanded and extende d to students on the Grand Is land and Platte cam puses. Vocational Agriculture North Central Association u Ap prox i mately 275 stu dents par tic i pated in the an- u A vis iting team from the Com mission on Insti tu - nual vo ca tional ag ri cul ture con tests held on the tions of Higher Edu ca tion of the North Central As- Grand Island and Platte Cam puses.

28 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College Ram Run: Hastings Campus Tradition By Harold Hamel, Communications Instructor, parts sales and manage m ent instruc tor; and Mark Hastings Campus Fuerniss, mathe m atics instructor from 1982-90. Breunig, who has had a hand in coor di nat ing the On a chilly Satur day morning in Septem ber 1983, event since its incep tion, cred its Hunt ley, the Ram 75 seri ous and recre ationa l runners toed the mark for Booster Club presi dent in 1983, for the initial idea. the first Ram Run. Fuerniss, an avid runner who orga nize d the event the None knew that the first year, is one of only two indi vid u als who have run road race on and around in the race each year it has been held. Ron Tschauner, the Hastings Cam pus who in the 2005 race ran in the unof fi cia l 70 and older would be come a class, is the other. much-an tic i pated an - Initial ly, the Ram Run consis ted of three events: a nual event for the next seven-mile run, a five-kilo m eter (3.1 miles) run, and a two decades. one mile walk/run fun event. The seven-mile and five- Ini tially con ceived ki lo me ter dis tances were se lected to pro vide an al ter na - as an event to prom ote tive to other road races in the state at that time, most of the college in the which offere d 10-kilo m eter (6.2 miles) runs. Awards Hastings com mu nity were given for the top three finish ers in the male and and as a fund-raiser for fem ale divi sions for six age di visions , ranging from 19 the Ram athletic pro- Harold Hamel and youn ger to 60 and older. gram, the annual Ram Scheduled for the first Satur day after Labor Day, Run was the brainchild of three indi vid u als on the the Ram Run has at tracted a mix of compet i tive and Hastings Cam pus: Chuck Breunig, a longtim e coun- rec reationa l runners . Most who have entere d the annual selor and wellness program direc tor; Wayne Huntley,

Race organizer Chuck Breunig, pointing, gives participants final race directions for the Ram Run road race held annually on the Hastings Campus. Dr. LaVern Franzen (left), who was Hastings Campus President at the time of this photo, pre pares to serve as honorary race starter.

29 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 road race are from the returned to cam pus and the finish line south of the Tri-City area of student cafeteria. Hastings, Kear ney and Breunig pointed out that while the course was flat, Grand Island, and from the north-south highway stretch was often the most smaller towns in the chal lenging due to wind condi tions and the presence of area. an irri ta ble watchdog sta tioned at a farm house along In 2002, the dis- the route. The meanness of the dog, though more leg - tances were changed, end ary that ac tual, was fu eled by one record ed event of due to a de crease in the the dog getting loose during the race and nipping at the num ber of runners reg- heels of the lead runner. ister ing for the longer From then on, start ing instruc tions include d the di- distanc e, along with in- rec tive: “Runners should not worry about outrun ning creased in ter est in the the dog, just outrun the person next to you.” Chuck Breunig shorter rec re ational Many cam pus em ploy ees volun tee red their time to Ram Run Organizer event. The Ram Run help be fore and during race day. Vol untee rs were changed to a five-mile needed to as sist with reg is tra tion, man age wa ter and and two-mile event, with both dis tances of fered to safety sta tions and help with the hectic job of sort ing walkers and com peti tive runners . The change resulte d finish ing runners and re cording race times. Cam pus in the largest fields in race history, peaking at 100 me dia per son nel in the Phelps Build ing, par tic u larly runners in 2005. Dick Crane, Mari lyn Reynolds, and Gabby Prickett The change in race dis tances re sulted in the re tire - were in valu able as they de signed race bro chures along ment of course records for the seven-mile and five-ki- with the T-shirt given to runners each year, according lom eter events. Brian Bergt of Amherst holds the to Breunig. course re cord in both the five-kilo m eter distanc e Ram Run trivia include s that the same starting gun (15:48), set in 1989, and the seven-mile event (36:58), has been used ev ery year the race has been held. The set the follow ing year. gun, fired by an hon orary starter – usually the cam pus Cindy Springer of Hastings, holds the women’s 5K pres ident – is borrowe d each year from a Hastings course re cord (19:02), set in 1996. Springer is the aquatic club. A few of the origi nal course race signs daughter of the late Junior Drapal, form er elec tronics that are still used were welded and painted by indi vid u - instruc tor on the Hastings Cam pus. als in the welding and auto body pro grams, re spec - Perhaps the most nota ble runner to com pete in the tively. And, for the first 23 years of the race, it had Ram Run is Louise Mohanna of Cairo, Neb., who will never rained on race day. forever hold the women’s seven-mile record (39:53), Another final piece of Ram Run lore is that set in 1988, the same year she ran in the Boston Mara - Fuerniss, concer ned about the race course watchdog is- thon. Mohanna is also a three-time winner of the sue, of ten vis ited a lo cal meat market the day be fore Omaha Marathon. the race and paci fied the ca nine with bones the morn- In most years, the course began in front of the Ad- ing of the race. ams Adm inis tra tion Building, looped through the cam - In 1995, with the end of the athleti c program on the pus, and incor po rate d a stretch of highway south of the Hastings Cam pus, sponsor ship changed from the Ram cam pus, at which point runners reached two dis tinct Booster Club to the wellness program on the cam pus. turnaround points, de pending on the race distanc e, and

30 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1988 Truck Driving Program Begins The wheels began roll ing at the Hastings Cam pus where 12 students began learning the art of truck driving through a pi lot program . Each eight-week class utilize d the Depart m ent of Trans porta tion cur ricu lum which con- sisted of 320 clock hours divided into classroom , labo ra tory, range, and street les sons. Students learned about truck safety, driving, mainte nance , and federa l regu la tions. It was the most condense d, inten sive program the college had offere d up to that time with the students scheduled for study and training for 40 hours per week. Upon suc cessful com pletion of the program , students earned 12 se mester- hours of college credit and a Professional Truck Driver Training Certificate. Trucks and other equipm ent worth about $30,000, were donate d for use in the program by area business es, in- cluding Grand Island Expres s, Dahlsten Trucking in Clay Center, and Rite-Way Trucking in Holdrege. “No other college program relies on equipm ent loaned by indus try. Without the dona tion of that equipm ent, the col lege wouldn’t be able to run this pilot program becaus e of the expense ,” said Larry Keller, who was insti tu tional advance ment offi - cer at the time. The re quest for the truck driving program came from the local trucking indus try and an econom ic de velop m ent commit tee. In re sponse to the re quest, Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres i dent, formed a task force chaired by Keller. It consis ted of CCC staff mem bers, repre sen ta tives of the local trucking indus try, and other indi vid u als . The task force conducte d two surveys, com piled the re sults, and pre sented its rec om menda tions to the college Board of Governors.

The truck driver training program at the Hastings Campus includes both classroom work and driving on the campus driving range and over the road. The curriculum meets Department of Transportation guidelines.

31 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

were from Grand Island. Armstrong, Schultz, and Grand Island Campus Smith were major ing in busi ness and manage m ent. u A co op er a tive pro gram be tween Cen tral Com mu - Montross was a sec re tarial ma jor, Wil son was an nity Col lege and the Ne braska Law En force ment account ing major and Petty was in paralegal stud- Training Center in Grand Island was inau gu rate d ies. which granted college credit to offi cer s who com - Retired pleted the NLETC Basic Training Program . The u credits could be applied towar d an as soci ate de- Eloris Niemann re tired as cam pus bookstore man- gree. ager. She joined the CCC staff in 1973 as secre tary u Form er Nebras ka Gov. Bob Kerrey, who at the in the com munity service s office . She also worked time was running for the U.S. Senate , visited the in per son nel and pur chas ing be fore tak ing charge campus and spoke before students and staff mem - of the bookstore when it opened in 1982. bers. u With the retire ment of Eloris Niemann, owner ship Hastings Campus of the Grand Is land Cam pus bookstore was trans - u Charles Sloggett of Hastings was named the Out- ferred from CCC to Follett, a Chicago- based com - standing Postsecondary Student in Voca tional Edu - pany. Jean Satterly be came the book store man ager. cation in Nebras ka by the Ne braska Council on u San dra McDaniel, reg is trar, repor ted that spring Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion. A na tive of Bro ken Bow enroll m ent had incre ased by 12 percent over the and a 20-year vetera n of the U.S. Navy, Sloggett same time a year ear lier. Full-time stu dents had in - earned an as so ci ate de gree in con struc tion tech nol - creased by 16 per cent. ogy. u Betty El der, prac ti cal nurs ing in struc tor, spent most u Twelve staff mem bers and two students were of the month of August as a firefighter and a press named to the Hastings Cam pus Presi dent’s Advi - liai son for the National Park Ser vice in the Yellow - sory Council for 1988-89 by Dr. Carl Rolf. The stone National Park. For two-and-a-half weeks she staff members named were Linda Aldrich, sec re - was on a fire crew. Dur ing her last week there, she tary to the dean of instruc tion; Carl Brown, chair- served as a public infor m ation offi cer . She was in - man of the trade and indus try divi sion; Dee Fate, terview ed by two major televi sion networks and sec re tarial sci ence in struc tor; Mert Feikert, elec - appear ed on a segm ent of “20/20.” tron ics in struc tor; Bob Glenn, ad mis sions coun- u Di ane Boye of Bradshaw, a sec ond-year ac count - selor; Har old Hamel, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor; ing stu dent, pres i dent of the Ne braska As so ci a tion Clyde Hughbanks, student accounts offi cer ; Dick for Re tarded Citi zens , and mother of five, was Longwith, au to mo tive in struc tor; Pearl Norton, among more than 200 Nebras kans who attende d phys i cal plant sec re tary; Pat Sinnard, health occu - the sec ond an nual New Ho ri zons Con fer ence for pa tions sec re tary; Vic Springer, se cu rity of fi cer State Lead ers where State Sen. Bill Barrett ad - and main te nance; and Joann Wieland, med i cal as - dressed the group. Partic i pants then met in small sist ing in struc tor. Stu dent mem bers were Jodi groups to discuss strate gies for re vers ing the “brain Brehm, a den tal as sist ing major from Clay Cen ter, drain.” Don Nelson, cam pus presi dent, was also in and Donna Palmer, a printing technol ogy major at ten dance at the con fer ence. from Su pe rior. u Steve Millnitz, fi nan cial aid of fi cer, made a pre sen - u Dean of Students Edwin Minnick, a char ter mem - tation to the Rocky Mountain Asso ci a tion of Stu - ber of the Hastings Cam pus staff, recei ved the dent Fi nan cial Aid Ad min is tra tors fo cused on fourth annual Outsta nding Ser vice Award. Form er pre par ing for a U.S. De part ment of Ed u ca tion pro- Gov. Bob Kerrey was the guest speaker at the con - gram re view. voca tion at which the award was present ed by the u Stu dents serv ing on the Ad vi sory/Ac tiv i ties Com - cam pus. mittee for 1988-89 include d Shari Armstrong and u The auto m otive program on the Hastings Cam pus Kelly Montross, who had served the pre vious year, was cer ti fied by the Na tional Au to mo tive Tech ni- and new mem bers Pam Petty, Ger ald Schultz, Lisa cal Ed u ca tion Foun da tion af ter an on-site vis it ing Smith, and Tony Wilson. All commit tee mem bers team reviewed such things as cur ric u lum, avail abil ity

32 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

of equip ment, and fac ulty qual i fi ca tions. Among course for adults, which was later made avail able other things, au to mo tive man u fac tur ers are more na tion wide. likely to do nate equipm ent to, and other wis e as sist, u Dr. Judy Schollmeyer, a mem ber of the biotec hnol - in structional sites which are NATEF certi fied. ogy ad visory com mittee of the college and a re- u Deb Fast, bio tech nol ogy in struc tor, re ceived the search sci en tist at the USDA Meat An i mal an nual Fac ulty Member Award from the Ne braska Re search Cen ter in Clay Cen ter, had a pa per pub - Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion for her lished in Sci ence Mag azine. The pa per, “Calpain II con tri bu tions to vo ca tional ed u ca tion at the lo cal, In volve ment in Mi to sis,” ex am ines the tech ni cal state, and na tional lev els. She was a key or ga nizer aspects of cell divi sion. of the Vi tal Signs Health Fair, which takes place u Michae l Chipps was appointed dean of students on an nu ally in Hastings. Orig i nally a med i cal as sist ing the Hastings Cam pus. Af ter joining CCC in l979, instruc tor on the cam pus, she responded to a need he held a num ber of posi tions includ ing socia l sci- for biotechnicians in Ne braska and severa l other ence in struc tor, ca reer de vel op ment co or di na tor, states by de signing the CCC biotec hnol ogy pro - as sis tant to the cam pus pres i dent, health di vi sion gram. chair man, reg is trar and fi nan cial aid of fi cer. u Deb Fast and eight biotec hnol ogy students recei ved u John Brooks, broadcas ting instruc tor, was elected Al bert Schweitzer Foun da tion schol ar ships to at- to a four-year term on the Hastings City Coun cil. tend summer classes at the Cath o lic Uni ver sity of u Coleen Hall, as sis tant spe cial pro jects co or di na tor, America . Fast attende d a workshop for instruc tors was selec ted as an Outsta nding Young Woman of on tissue culture and toxic ity test ing. The students Amer ica. were among 75 re cip i ents se lected from ap pli cants in college s and uni versi ties across the nation. The Retired stu dent schol ar ship re cip i ents who at tended a class u Norm an Skrdlant, groundskeeper, retire d after on tissue culture and cell biol ogy were Debbie more than 15 years of service to the college . A Bender, Sherry Jarzynka, Mike Judy, and Nancy World War II vetera n, he joined the CCC staff in Schuler, all of Hastings; Jerry Forney of Riverton, 1972 as a custo dian. Wyo., form erly of Glenvil; Linda Flathman of u Edwin Minnick re tired as dean of students , a posi - Shickley; Pat Hurd of Supe rior; and Julie Sheridan tion he held when the college opened in 1966. of Sutton. u Haskell Kirkland retire d as an instruc tor. He joined u The bio tech nol ogy pro gram was rec og nized by the the faculty in 1970 and converte d the food service Na tional Coun cil of In struc tional Ad min is tra tors as pro gram that ex isted at that time into the ho tel, mo - an outsta nding two-year college program . As such, tel and res tau rant man age ment pro gram. it was listed in “Ex emplary Ac ademic Pro grams at In Memory the Com munity College ,” a volum e com piled by u William L. Stevens, heavy equipm ent instruc tor at the NCIA. The CCC program was only the third of the Hastings Cam pus from 1966-72, died in its kind to be estab lishe d in the na tion. Williamsport, Pa. He had taught heavy equipm ent u With the guidance of counsel or Dick Fuehrer, a fit- ser vices and op er ation s at the Williamsport area ness program was inau gu rate d for cam pus em ploy - com mu nity col lege af ter leav ing CCC. ees and their fami lies. u Junior Drapal, an elec tronics instruc tor, died in Su- u Beth Ebmeier was named pres i dent-elect of the perior. A vetera n of the U.S. Air Force, he had Cen tral Ne braska Dis trict Di etet ics As so ci a tion. taught on the cam pus for 20 years. She also was named to a com mittee to review and re write ques tions for the na tional di etetic ex am i na- tion re quired to be come a reg is tered di etetic tech ni - Platte Campus cian. u A three-day comm em ora tion of the 20th anni ver - u Dr. Janis McReynolds was one of five indi vid u als sary of the groundbrea king for the Platte Cam pus from across the U.S. invited to Washing ton, D.C., was held in conjunc tion with Gov. Kay Orr’s “Cel - to re view pi lot ma te rial for “Dis cov er ing Psy chol- ebrate Ne braska ’88” campaig n. In a spe cial elec - ogy,” a tele vi sion-based in tro duc tory psy chol ogy tion on June 20, 1967, 83 per cent of the vot ers in

33 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Platte County had supported a ballot proposal to Retired form a col lege distric t in the county. In March u Don Engel re tired as ag ri cul tural co or di na tor on 1968, 78 percent of Platte County vot ers approved the Platte Cam pus. He joined the faculty in 1976. a $2.9 million bond is sue to finance construc tion. During his 12 years with the campus, he estab - The fi nal bond from the is sue was retire d Aug. 15, lished the Ag ri cul tural In sti tute, ex panded the Farm l988. Ken Simek, televi sion weather broadcas ter and Ranch Business Manage m ent Program , and in- for KOLN/KGIN-TV and a Platte Cam pus gradu - tro duced com mer cial hor ti cul ture courses to the ate, acted as master of cer emo nies at an open ing cam pus. gather ing. On the final day, a plaque was dedi cat ed u Evelyn Bruegger of Colum bus re tired as a com mu - to the late Gene Torcson, the first Platte Cam pus ni ca tions in struc tor. A char ter staff mem ber in bas ket ball coach. 1969, she was respon si ble for devel op ing the com - u The Com mu nity Col lege Con sor tium, an or ga ni za- mu ni ca tions and lan guage arts de part ments. tion of two-year college s from across the nation, Among the orga ni za tions to which she be longed, rec ognize d Dave Fulton, his tory instruc tor, for his she was a char ter member of the Mid west Re gional con tri bu tions to com mu nity col lege ex cel lence. He Confer ence on English in the Two-Year College . was also honored at a banquet in Grand Is land as Over time, she had held all ex ecu tive of fices in that the re sult of an es say con test, “My Fa vor ite Ed u ca - or ga ni za tion. tor,” sponsore d by the Grand Island Daily Inde - pendent and the Grand Is land Chapter of the In Memory Amer i can As so ci a tion of Uni ver sity Women. u Pa tri cia Dahl, res i dent man ager, died in Co lum bus u The Platte Cam pus re ceived an Outsta nding Part- on Aug. 18. She had joined the CCC staff the pre - nership Award from the National Council of Voca - vious month on July 5. tional Edu ca tion. The cam pus was cited for its training program at Appleton Elec tric Com pany, its pre-em ploy ment training course at Behlen Manu - Adult Basic Education fac tur ing Com pany, and other part ner ships with u Diann Muhlbach, Adult Ba sic Ed u ca tion di rec tor, Co lum bus area busi nesses. was named the Outsta nding Adult Edu ca tor by the u Barb Rebrovich, assis tant to the Platte Cam pus Adult and Con tin u ing Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion of pres ident, was one of 18 people chosen to partic i - Nebras ka. She was rec ognize d for hav ing orga - pate in the Resourc e De velop m ent Training Pro- nized a program during the previ ous year that in - gram. Par tici pants spent one week at Holyoke cluded more than 460 volun tee rs and provided (Mass.) Com munity College and a second week ser vices to more than 1,200 students via 45 ABE meet ing with con gres sio nal rep re sen ta tives and cen ters geo graph i cally dis persed across the per son nel from var i ous fund ing agen cies in Wash - 25-county ser vice area. ing ton, D.C. u Pe ter Rush, cam pus pres i dent, re ceived a Ph.D. in ed u ca tion from the Uni ver sity of Mich i gan at Ann College Administration Ar bor. His dis ser ta tion was ti tled, “Com mu nity u Den nis Tyson, vice pres i dent of ed u ca tional ser - Col lege Or ga ni za tional Ef fec tive ness: Its Mea sure - vices, re ceived the Out stand ing Achievement ment Through Trustee and Pres iden tial Percep - Award for out standing and dedi cat ed service from tions.” the Ne braska Vo ca tional As so ci a tion. He was cited u Dr. Dana Bailey of Co lum bus received a Ne braska as an advo cat e for provid ing strong voca tional - Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion Alumni tech ni cal pro grams for the Cen tral Com mu nity Award. Bailey, who be gan a den tal practice in Co - College Area and for the entire state. Tyson joined lum bus in 1979, is a 1974 gradu ate of the Platte the CCC staff as an instruc tor in 1967. He was Cam pus and a 1978 gradu ate of the Univer sity of pres ident of the Hastings Cam pus from 1981 to Nebras ka at Lincoln College of Dentist ry. 1984.

34 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Joni Ran som, as sis tant pub lic re la tions of fi cer, re- spe cial ser vices su per vi sor, in tro duced the course ceived an award from the Na tional Fed er ation of on the Platte Cam pus in 1991. Press Women for her edit ing of the 1987 Hill top Re view for the Platte Cam pus. Cooperative Efforts u Jim Strayer, pub lic in for ma tion of fi cer, pre sented a pa per at a con ven tion of the Ne braska As so ci a tion u CCC Pres i dent Dr. Joe Preusser and Ne braska Uni - of Col le giate Reg is trars and Ad mis sions Of fi cers. versity Presi dent Dr. Ronald Roskens and mem bers The pa per, “The Role of Mass Com muni ca tion in of their staffs met in Grand Is land to discuss coop - College Selec tion,” was on the findings of inter - er a tive ef forts be tween the two in sti tu tions. Also views with Ne braska high school students regard - at tend ing was Tom Johnston, ex ec u tive di rec tor of ing how they use mass media infor m ation when the Ne braska Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege As so - de cid ing where to at tend col lege. Strayer com- ci a tion. The of fi cials agreed that con tin ued co op er - pleted the re search projec t while working towar d a ation be tween the two col lege sys tems was mas ter’s de gree in jour nal ism. es sen tial to the best in ter ests of Nebrask a. The meet ing include d discus sion of trans fer of CCC credits to the three cam puses of the uni versity, Community Education nursing edu ca tion in Nebras ka, the need for univer - u The Platte Cam pus ac quired por ta ble com put ers sity ser vices in cen tral Ne braska, and NU as sis - and softwar e through a Carl D. Perkins Voca tional tance to CCC in staff devel op m ent. Edu ca tion Grant which was used to provide train- ing on a rotat ing basis to com muni ties in the Co - Legislative Seminar lum bus area. u State Sen. Rod Johnson pre sented a legis la tive sem inar to student leaders from the Grand Is land, College Foundation Hastings and Platte cam puses. u Congres swom an Virginia Smith, who opposed a 16 per cent pay raise awarded to the members of the National Conference House of Rep re sen ta tives, do nated her $12,100 raise to colleges in the Third District of Nebraska u Do ris Lux, Platte Cam pus sec re tarial sci ence in - which she rep re sented. Each of the three CCC cam- struc tor, and Tom Peters , Grand Island Cam pus puses recei ved $1,000, which was used to estab lish data pro cess ing in struc tor, were se lected to at tend a Virginia Smith Endow m ent Fund. the Na tional Con fer ence on Teach ing Ex cel lence in Aus tin, Texas. College Survival Course Software Donation u A new course titled “College Survival” was intro - duced on the Grand Is land and Hastings cam puses. u CCC recei ved a dona tion of CYMA Profes sional The course was designe d to give students the op- Se ries soft ware from McGraw-Hill. The dona tion portu nity to learn how to make the most of their of the account ing soft ware was ar ranged through college expe ri ence s and to reduce the dropout rate. Con try man Asso ci ate s, P.C. in Grand Is land. Ka ren Clausen, per sonal de vel op ment in struc tor, McGraw-Hill, who had never be fore donate d Pro- and Linda Wolf, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, shared fes sional Se ries soft ware to be used in an ed u ca - the instruc tional duties at Grand Is land. Roger tional setting, viewed the gift as a pi lot. The DeVries, busi ness and so cial sci ence in struc tor, in - softwar e was to be used to train students in com - troduced the course on the Hastings Cam pus. The put er ized ac count ing and to pro vide po ten tial instruc tors had attende d a one-week training sem i- CYMA clients with expo sure to the Profes sional nar to prepare to teach the course. Sharon Vanis, Se ries.

35 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 1989 Associate Degree in Nursing Program Inaugurated Classes began in Septem ber on the Grand Island Cam pus for the 40 students accept ed into an asso ci ate degree in nurs ing (ADN) program . Ear lier in the year, the Nebras ka State Board of Nursing had given its approval for the first two-year nurse edu ca tion program offere d by a Nebras ka com munity college . Legis la tion passed in 1988 autho rize d com munity college s in the state to of fer the associate degree in nursing. Prospec tive students not adm itted to the first class were given the option to be gin working towar d an as soci ate degree in nursing by taking non-nurs ing genera l edu ca tion courses. Mem bers of the first class be came el igi ble to take the state ex ami na tion nec es sary for licensure as reg is tered nurses after their graduation in 1991. The college also began offer ing the first caree r-ladder edu ca tion option in Nebras ka. With the leader ship of Mary Lou Holmberg, asso ci ate dean of nursing, the prac tical nursing curric u lum offere d at the Grand Island and Platte cam puses and the Kear ney Cen ter was re vised so that grad u ates who later decided to become reg is tered nurses would be able to apply credits alrea dy earned towar d the associate degree in nursing. College Board of Gover nors mem ber Ken Wortman, who had long been concer ned about the availabil ity of nurses in central Nebras ka, espe cia lly applaude d these advance ments in nursing edu ca tion. He took pride in those inter est ed in health caree rs who availed them selves of appro pri ate edu ca tional program s. Re ferring to the nursing program , he said, “Satis fac tion is when you see gradu a tion classes ... Those are the things that encour age you and get you to go forward with the effort.”

A Grand Island Campus student nurse gains clinical experience at St. Francis Medical Center.

36 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

u Dr. Lynn Black, dean of students , recei ved an Out- Grand Island Campus standing Alumni Award from the Nebras ka Tech- u Steve Millnitz, fi nan cial aid of fi cer, was se lected to ni cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. Black work with the Ne braska Co or di nat ing Com mis sion re ceived an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree on Postsecondary Ed uca tion on a study of alter na - from the Hastings Cam pus in 1969. In addi tion to tive methods of adm inis ter ing the State Student In- his ac ademic achievements, he was cited for his centive Grant program for the 1989-90 ac adem ic work in coor di nat ing transfer of CCC credits to year. Kear ney State Col lege and the Uni ver sity of Ne - u LaVern Franzen, dean of instruc tion, was ap- braska at Lincoln. pointed to the Nebras ka Council on Voca tional Ed- u At the request of Chief Indus trie s, CCC provided a u ca tion. con ver sa tional Span ish class to Chief em ploy ees at the Chief plant. Sara Pankontin, a Grand Island Se - nior High School teacher, served as the instruc tor for CCC. u Sa rah Cunningham, ac count ing in struc tor, was elected pres i dent of the Cen tral Ne braska Chap ter of the Na tional As so ci a tion of Ac coun tants. u The paralegal studies program was intro duced into the curric u lum begin ning in the fall. Linda Wilke-Long, an attor ney who had been teaching so- cial sci ence classes on the campus, was the found ing instruc tor. The devel op m ent of the program was par- tially funded by a Carl D. Perkins grant. Retired u San dra McDaniel retired as the reg is trar of the Grand Island Cam pus. She joined the Hastings Cam pus in 1968 as a secre tary in the regis trar ’s of- fice. In 1976, she becam e the Grand Island Cam pus reg is trar and stu dent ac counts of fi cer. The two areas were later sep arated, and she worked solely as the reg is trar. Hastings Campus u The medi cal assis ting program was granted contin - uing ac credi ta tion for seven years by the Com mit- tee on Al lied Health Ed u ca tion and Ac cred i ta tion. u Six teen high school au to mo tive in struc tors from across Ne braska par tic i pated in an en ergy aware - ness program sponsore d by the Hastings Cam pus and the Nebras ka Energy Office . The instruc tors Toga-clad students take part in a wheelbarrow race were intro duced to a new Sun Modu lar Com puter event during Ram Root Days, an annual event on the An a lyzer and de vel oped cur ric u lum for its use. The Hastings Campus during the 1980s. Ram Root Days com puter an a lyzer was then loaned to par tic i pat ing often included a campus picnic and friendly instruc tors for dem onstra tion at their high schools. competition between staff members and students from u Two instruc tors shared the fifth annual Outsta nding various dormitories and educational pro grams. Held Service Award present ed by the Hastings Cam pus. early in the fall semester, the annual event served as a The re cip i ents were Mar ian Bender, sec re tarial sci - welcome to campus. ence in struc tor, and Wayne Hunt ley, parts sales

37 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

and man age ment in struc tor. Both in struc tors were was sponsore d by the Graphic Arts Techni cal cited for their dedi ca tion to CCC, the time and sup - Foun da tion. port they gave to their students , and their rapport u The Ram bler, a stu dent news pa per, was re in tro - with other cam pus staff. Bender was also com- duced to the Hastings Cam pus. Anne Rohan was mended for her role in de velop ing and prom oting the student edi tor, and John Shaver was the student word pro cess ing in the sec re tarial sci ence pro gram, pho tog ra pher. Re port ers were stu dents Sean her par tic i pa tion in na tional and state pro fes sional Chipps, Linda Classen, Russ Markworth, E.L. or ga ni za tions and cam pus com mit tees, and her ef- Tammen, and Sherry Winebriner. Michele Gill, forts to rem ain current in her field. Huntley was cam pus cen ter su per vi sor, served as ad viser. Brian rec og nized for his ef forts in se cur ing do na tions and Eberhardt, graphic art ist, assisted with lay out and schol arships for the college and his involve m ent in de sign. campus ac tiv i ties. Later in the year, Hunt ley also u Deb Brennan, a hotel, motel and res taurant man- re ceived the Out stand ing Fac ulty Mem ber Award age ment in struc tor, was elected secre tary of the given by the Voca tional Divi sion of the Ne braska Amer i can Cu li nary Fed er a tion of Pro fes sional De part ment of Ed u ca tion. Chefs and Appren tice s of Nebras ka. The feder a tion u Michae l Chipps, dean of students , recei ved a Ph.D. is re spon si ble for cer ti fy ing cooks, chefs, ex ec u tive in ed u ca tional ad min is tra tion from the Uni ver sity chefs and cu li nary ed u ca tors. of Ne braska at Lincoln. His dis ser tation was on u With partial funding from a Carl D. Perkins grant “Hir ing and Main tain ing Com mu nity Col lege Pres - writ ten by Latham Mortensen, welding instruc tor, idents .” Dr. Chipps joined the Hastings Cam pus poly eth yl ene fu sion was in tro duced on the cam pus. fac ulty in 1979 as a soci ol ogy in struc tor. Mortensen became inter ested in the pro cess af ter u Peggy Bubak Paben of Kear ney, a med i cal as sist - meeting with rep re sen ta tives from an Omaha nat u - ing student, recei ved the Outsta nding Specia l Pop- ral gas company . ula tions Student Award from the Voca tional Di vi sion of the Ne braska De part ment of Ed u ca tion. Retired She enrolle d at CCC after the death of her husband u Henry Weber of Hastings re tired as an as sis tant and becam e an exem plary student in spite of the plumber and assis tant boiler. He joined the staff in need to juggle school, home and fam ily, and com - 1973 as a boiler fire man and later worked in se cu- mut ing re spon si bil i ties. She com pleted her as so ci- rity. ate of applied science degree in June of 1990. u Keith Boyle re tired as an auto motive in structor. He u Joann Wieland, med i cal as sist ing in struc tor, was a joined the CCC faculty in 1968. He was a mem ber mem ber of an ac cred i ta tion sur vey team at Boul der of the National Auto m otive Engine Rebuilders As- Val ley Area Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege in Col - so ci a tion. o rado. The team rep re sented the Commit tee on Al - In Memory lied Health Ed u ca tion and Ac cred i ta tion and the u LaVern VanBuskirk, an ag ri cul ture in struc tor, died Amer i can As so ci a tion of Med i cal As sis tants. in Febru ary 1989. He had been a mem ber of the u Roland Beisel of Funk, a welding student, recei ved CCC staff for 17 years. Col leagues re mem bered a Sil ver Award with a $250 cash prize from the him as an instruc tor who had a spe cial rapport with James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Founda tion. The students and one who would often go the extra na tional pro gram rec og nizes ex cel lence in the ap - mile to help a student with a problem . plica tion of arc welding techniques to school pro- u Clyde Hughbanks, student accounts direc tor, died jects. Beisel re ceived the award for the de sign and in June 1989. He had joined the col lege staff in fab ri cation of a light weight elec tric fence winder 1967. He is re mem bered as dedi cat ed to his fam ily for use on his fam ily’s farm. and loyal to CCC. He was one of the staff mem bers u Dick Downey, print ing tech nol ogy in struc tor, was involved in a study of child care on com munity se lected from ap pli cants across the nation to at tend col lege cam puses in prep a ra tion for ac quir ing such a two-week insti tute for printing instruc tors which ser vices at Hastings.

38 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

qual i fied him to teach GM courses in special ized Platte Campus elec tron ics and com puter com mand con trol. He u Sev eral staff mem bers served on an as sess ment was also recertified in all eight Auto motive Service team for a manage m ent skills program for the Ne- Ex cel lence (ASE) ar eas. braska Public Power Dis trict. The program was de- u Student Kris Tracy of Bassett, was appointed to signed as an aid to identify person nel to fill future Gov. Kay Orr’s Youth Advi sory Council. The 21 man age ment po si tions and to plan de vel op ment mem bers, ranging in age from 13 to 21, met quar- and train ing needs. The Platte Cam pus as sess ment terly in the Gover nor’s Mansion to conside r such team include d Dr. Roger Augspurger, dean of in- issues as edu ca tion, child abuse, and drug abuse. struc tion; Dick Averett, drama and speech instruc - u Work I, a joint business and edu ca tion confer ence , tor; Tom Burkhardt, manage m ent instruc tor; Jim was sponsore d by the Platte Cam pus, the Voca - Fisher, dean of students ; Mary Hull, com muni ca - tional Divi sion of the Ne braska De partm ent of Ed - tions in struc tor; El len Lake, co or di na tor of pro fes - u ca tion, South east Com mu nity Col lege-Milford, sional service s; John Putnam, music instruc tor; Edu ca tional Service Unit 6 in Milford and Edu ca - Paul Rebrovich, psy chol ogy in struc tor; Leon tional Ser vice Unit 7 in Co lum bus. Par tic i pat ing Sanders, chairm an of the business and arts de part- business leaders pointed out the need for a greater ment; and Karen Severson, student asses sm ent co - stu dent aware ness of op por tu ni ties in tech ni cal ca- ordi na tor. By 1992, they had asses sed the abili ties reers and for impro ve ments in ac ademic ar eas. of 114 manag ers . u Meredith Oakes, a deputy county attor ney for Ad- u Vin cent Lempke, math e mat ics in struc tor, was cho - ams County, was the commence ment speaker on sen as vice pres i dent and pres i dent-elect of the Ne - the Platte Cam pus. A 1981 gradu ate of the cam pus, braska sec tion of the Amer i can As so ci a tion of she attrib uted her ini tial inter est in law to po liti cal Phys ics Teach ers. sci ence in struc tor George Steinsberger. u The Ag ricul tural In stitute at the Platte Campus of - u Dick Averett, speech and drama in struc tor, di rected fered seven workshops which were designe d for the Platte Val ley Playhouse produc tion of the mu - farm ers who wanted to incre ase produc tiv ity and si cal, “Quilters,” which won the Ne braska Commu - profits through better manage m ent. The workshops nity The ater Com peti tion that in cluded the right to in cluded: Farm Com mod ity Fu tures, Groundwater com pete in the regional festi val in Springfiel d, Mo. Qual ity Is sues and Ef fects, Horse Health, Land - u The Tech ni cians for In dus try/Ed u ca tion Spon sor- scaping, Farm Recordkeeping, Manage m ent for Ag ship (TIES) scholar ship program was started as a Women and Swine Produc tion. part ner ship be tween the cam pus and lo cal in dus try u John Putnam, music instruc tor, was honored by the to at tract peo ple in tech ni cal ca reers. Ar i zona Mu sic Ed u ca tors As so ci a tion with the u Barb Rebrovich, cam pus grants direc tor, served on Pres i den tial Rec og ni tion Award for his con tri bu - a Federa l Funding Task Force in Washing ton, tions to the de velop m ent of the music edu ca tion D.C., sponsore d by the National Council of Re- profes sion in Ari zona. He was also recog nize d as a source De vel op ment. A pub li ca tion was gen er ated past pres ident of the AMEA. which outlined the task force outcom e. Later in the u Dr. Mel Krutz, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, spoke year, Rebrovich was prom oted to assis tant to the to the Northwes t Re gional Library System Confer - Platte Cam pus presi dent, and as such she served as ence re gard ing what li brar ies can do when faced a dis cus sion fa cil i ta tor at a con fer ence of the Na - with cen sor ship. tional Con fer ence for Re source De vel op ment. The u Gary Senff, welding instruc tor, was awarded re - NCRD is an af fil i ate coun cil of the Amer i can As - newal cer tif i ca tion by the Amer i can Weld ing So ci - so ci a tion of Com mu nity and Ju nior Col leges. ety. u The campus re ceived a Co op er a tive Dem on stra tion u Sandi Schmidt, fi nan cial aid co or di na tor, was High Technol ogy grant from the U.S. De partm ent named to the 16th edition of “Who’s Who of of Edu ca tion. The grant was to fund an 18-month Amer i can Women.” projec t in the amount of $190,000 to identify the u Nick Wag oner, au to mo tive in struc tor, achieved techni cal skills needed by lo cal indus tries to rema in cer tif i ca tion as a Gen eral Mo tors in struc tor which com peti tive in the na tional and world markets and

39 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

to develop flexi ble training program s to meet those u Paul Rebrovich, psy chology in struc tor, died in needs. Ron Vorderstrasse, as so ci ate dean for sci - May. He had joined the faculty in 1974. He is re - ence and techni cal program s, was appointed to di- mem bered as an instruc tor who loved the class- rect the project full time. In that capac ity, he room atm ospher e and took great plea sure in at tended DACUM (De vel op ing a Cur ric u lum) mo ti vat ing his stu dents. A me mo rial was es tab- Training in Colum bus, Ohio. DACUM is an ap- lished. proach to job analy sis which profile s the tasks re - quired in a given occu pa tion. The profile can then be used for cur ricu lum devel op m ent and the cre- Adult Basic Education ation of job descr iptions and sim ilar functions. Jane u Leonard Lemberg, a student in CCC’s Adult Ba sic Birkholz served as as so ci ate dean, free ing Ed u ca tion pro gram, rep re sented Ne braska at the Vorderstrasse for the pro ject. Sec ond National Adult Liter acy Congres s in Wash- u Dr. Pete Rush, cam pus presi dent, partic i pate d in a ington, D.C. He was accom panied by Diann North Cen tral As so ci a tion team chair train ing sem - Muhlbach, ABE direc tor. inar. He also served on an NCA eval ua tion team which visited Iowa Western Com munity College in Council Bluffs. He had been an NCA eval ua tor Associate Deans since 1987. u To par al lel po si tion ti tles at other com mu nity col - u Do ris Lux, co op er a tive ed u ca tion co or di na tor, pre- leges, in struc tional manag ers on all three campuses sented a pa per, “Co-op Ed u ca tion Ar tic u la tion with pre vi ously known as di vi sion chair per sons were Sec ond ary and Postsecondary In sti tu tions,” at the given the ti tle of as so ci ate dean. Sixth World Con fer ence on Co op er a tive Ed u ca tion which was held in Ham ilton, Ontari o, Canada. Later in the year, she received the Out stand ing Vo - cation al Teacher Award from the Vo cation al Di vi - sion of the Ne braska De partm ent of Edu ca tion. She was cited for ad vanc ing vo ca tional ed u ca tion in new and re lated fields. Retired u Lola McKee re tired as media tech ni cian. She joined the col lege staff in 1977. u Joe Kobus of Colum bus re tired as assis tant super - visor of the cam pus physi cal plant. He had joined the college staff in 1968. In Memory u A mem orial display honor ing the late Joseph P. Young, a noted Colum bus edu ca tor, was unveile d at the Platte Cam pus Fine Arts Building. Young, who died in 1988 at age 93, served as super in ten - dent of the Colum bus City Schools for 17 years and of Colum bus Lakeview High School for two years. He became the first paid emplo yee of Platte Col lege when he was ap pointed as the sec re - tary-treasure r of the Board of Edu ca tion for the col lege. His du ties in cluded es tab lish ing the first of fices of the col lege, con tact ing ar chi tec tural firms, seeking appli cant s for the presi dent of the The Community Center in downtown Grand Island col lege, and in spect ing pos si ble build ing sites. houses the Grand Island Campus ABE/GED program.

40 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

cul ture and com mer cial hor ti cul ture to earn a Board of Governors cer tif i cate from CCC. u Ken Wortman of Aurora recei ved the Gover nor’s Award from the Nebras ka Techni cal Com munity College Administration Col lege As so ci a tion. Wortman was found ing chair- u Doug Adler, col lege per son nel of fi cer, re ceived a man of the CCC Board of Gover nors and had mas ter’s de gree in busi ness ad min is tra tion from served on the board contin u ously since 1966. He Kear ney State Col lege. He had earned a bach elor’ s pre vi ously re ceived the NTCCA Gov er nor’s de gree in busi ness ad min is tra tion from Creigh ton Award in 1974. Univer sity. He joined the CCC staff in 1978. u Irv Schwartz, re tired Hildreth farm im ple ment u Three staff members from the col lege comput er dealer, who was appointed to the founding college ser vices de part ment gave pre sen ta tions to the Col- board in May 1966 and had served contin u ously league Us ers Group meet ing in Al exan dria, Va. Dr. from that time, re tired from the board at the end of Eric Jones, insti tu tional resea rch and com puter ser- De cember. Homer Pierce, a Lexington banker, was vices manager , spoke regard ing the report index he unani m ously chosen by the board to com plete the de vel oped. Tonja Bruns wick, pro gram mer, and unex pired term. Pierce took the oath of office in Sherry Desel, sys tems ad min is tra tor, re ported on Jan u ary 1990. an au to mated pro cess to han dle du pli cate re cords. Bruns wick also made a presen ta tion on the CCC Education Association year-end close pro cess used by the col lege. u Dennis Tyson pre sented a pa per ti tled “Edu ca - u The CCC Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion showed its sup- tion/In dus try Part ner ships” at the Mid-Amer i can port for a fund-rais ing drive by present ing a check Con fer ence in Min ne ap o lis, Minn. for $200 to the CCC Founda tion. u Dr. Larry Keller, in sti tu tional ad vance ment di rec- tor, re ceived a doc tor of edu ca tion degree from the CIM Training Uni versity of Ar kan sas at Fayetteville. His dis ser- ta tion was ti tled “Com pe ten cies of Fu ture Com mu - u CCC of fered com puter-in te grated man u fac tur ing to nity Col lege Pres i dents: Per cep tion of Se lected its regu lar students and to em ploy ees from area in- Com mu nity Col lege Pres i dents.” Keller joined the dustrie s begin ning in the fall with the help of a origi nal Hastings Cam pus faculty as a machine $50,000 grant. The equipm ent was rotate d among shop instruc tor in 1966. the Hastings, Platte, and Grand Is land cam puses. Dean Buschow, elec tron ics tech nol ogy in struc tor at In Memory the Hastings Campus, was se lected to take the ba - u Henry W. Wendt, 79, died in Novem ber. He joined sic CIM course at the Amatrol Tech ni cal Train ing the Hast ing Cam pus staff in 1966 as manager of In stitute in Jeffersonville, Ind. buildings and grounds. He joined the area office staff when it was es tablishe d in 1973 in Grand Is - Correctional Center land. He re tired from that posi tion in 1979. A schol arship fund was estab lishe d in his mem ory u Central Com munity College opened an adult learn - from which an award is made annu ally to a student ing cen ter at the Hastings Cor rectional Cen ter with on the Hastings Cam pus. Gary Suhr as the coor di na tor. There were three com ponents to the of ferings: ABE/GED classes, pre-release and pre-parole classes, and College Enrollment postsecondary courses offere d by CCC. Inm ates u The 1988-89 annual re port stated that the col lege were also given access to a comput er class room had achieved a re cord head count of 27,280 which and com puter liter acy instruc tion. In the first year was nearly 10 percent above the pre vious enroll m ent of oper a tion, 39 people passed GED tests, and one of 24,843. Service s were provided to students from inm ate com pleted 18 hours of course work in agri - all 93 Nebras ka counties and 35 other states. More

41 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

than 99 percent of the students were Ne braska resi - Latham Mortensen, Hastings Cam pus welding dents. Two months after com pletion, 94 percent of in struc tor, par tic i pated in a re search pro ject con - the gradu ate s re ported they had jobs or were con- ducted by the Univer sity of Texas at Aus tin and tinu ing their edu ca tion. A total of 95 percent re- coor di nate d by the National Insti tute of Staff and mained in Ne braska. Or ga ni za tional De vel op ment. The pro ject fo cused on the char acter is tics, teach ing styles, and other qual i ties which con sti tute a good in struc tor. A College Foundation database for fu ture use was cre ated. u Jack Crowley, a mem ber of the Board of Gover - nors from 1981-84, joined the college staff as col- Nebraska Futures Inc. lege alumni and de velop m ent direc tor. Within the u Severa l mem bers of the Board of Gover nors and year, he announced a $1.6 million endow m ent the college staff were among more than 450 Ne- cam paign. bras kans who volun tee red to serve on one of the cit i zen task forces formed by Ne braska Fu tures Inc. Kearney Practical Nursing to pro mote ac tiv i ties for the eco nomic de vel op ment of the state. Serving from the Board of Gover nors u The Kear ney prac ti cal nurs ing pro gram moved were Ed Loutzenheiser Jr., board chair man; and from the Whittier Building, which CCC had leased Ken Wortman, vice chairm an. Repre sent ing the from the Kear ney Public Schools since 1970, to a Grand Island Cam pus was Don Nelson, cam pus new lo cation at Cen ten nial Park Plaza at 512 West pres ident. From the Hastings Cam pus were John 11th Street. The 4,100-square-foot area, which was Dobrovolny, as so ci ate dean of in struc tion; Roy re mod eled by phys i cal plant per son nel from the Johnston, as so ci ate dean for com mu nity ed u ca tion; Hastings Cam pus, include d a large classroom , a lab Dr. Carl Rolf, cam pus presi dent; and Dr. Joe Wood ward, spe cial pro jects co or di na tor. From the which include d a nurses’ station and six hospi tal Platte Campus were Verne Buhl, ag ri cul ture pro - beds, a library, two sem inar rooms, a counsel ing grams co or di na tor; Chuck Farn ham, busi ness coun- room, and five office s. Mari lyn Carlson, super vi sor selor for the Center for Small Business ; Barb of the program , expres sed her satis fac tion with the Rebrovich, assis tant to the cam pus presi dent; and new loca tion. (Some infor m ation for this item came Dr. Pete Rush, cam pus pres i dent. Rep re sent ing the from the Kear ney Hub.) Lexington Center was Paul Stubbe, com munity ed- u ca tion co or di na tor. From col lege ad min is tra tion were Alicia Haussler, pur chas ing manager, and Dr. Lexington Center Larry Keller, in sti tu tional man age ment of fi cer. u Paul Stubbe, com mu nity ed u ca tion co or di na tor at the Lexington Center, was selec ted to serve on the PIN Crucial Issues Seminar Ad vi sory Task Force for Ru ral De vel op ment and u Don Nelson, Grand Is land Cam pus presi dent, and the Agri cul ture and Food Proces sing Task Force of Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres i dent, pre sented a pa - Ne braska Fu tures Inc. per ti tled “In di vid u al ized In struc tion: Pro vid ing the Hu man Fac tor for Eco nomic De vel op ment” at the cru cial is sues semi nar of the Postsecondary In ter - NISOD Research Project national Net work Confer ence held at the Fife Col- lege of Technol ogy in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. u David Fulton, Platte Cam pus his tory instruc tor, Mary Lou Holmberg, college nursing direc tor, and

42 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1990 Vice President Quayle Visits the Platte Campus U.S. Vice Pres i dent Dan Quayle, ac compa nied by Gov. Kay Orr, vis ited the Platte Campus as part of his planned trip to Nebras ka and to Colum bus. Orr had espe cia lly wanted the vice presi dent to include Colum bus on his visit to Ne braska in order to show him how local indus try and the cam pus were working togethe r under the Job Training Partner ship Act, which Quayle had sponsore d in the Senate in 1982. In a brief pri vate meet ing held on the cam pus with mem bers of the Colum bus Econom ic Council, he heard how JTPA had helped Colum bus com panies becom e globally com peti tive. Gary Senff, welding instruc tor, gave the vice pres ident and the gover nor a dem onstra tion of com puter-oper ate d robotic welding system s which had been insta lled at Platte the pre vi ous year. The avail abil ity of the weld ing sys tem was one benefit realized from JTPA. The vice presi dent spoke to a crowd of about 1,750 people in the gymna sium . He recal led sim ilar i ties betwe en Colum bus and his hometown of Hunting ton, Ind. Prior to his arrival , the Platte Com munity Band and the Platte Cam pus Cantari vocal group provided music for the audi ence . Severa l students served on the wel com ing com mittee that greeted the vice pres ident and the gover nor when they entere d the building. A num ber of other students were in- volved in background activities connected with the visit.

U.S. Vice Pres ident Dan Quayle (far right) ob serves an in dustrial robot in the Platte Cam pus welding tech nol ogy progra m dur ing his 1990 visit to Colum bus. The robot was demon str ated by weld ing instr uctor Gary Senff (center front). Quayle greets Platte Cam pus stu dents in the inset photo.

43 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

u The Cen tral Ne braska Chap ter of the Na tional As - Grand Island Campus soci a tion of Accoun tants won awards at the Or- u Peggy Wuertele, as so ci ate dean of commu nity ed u - lando, Fla., annual confer ence for outsta nding cation , made a pre sen ta tion at the an nual con fer - chap ter ac tiv i ties and for mem ber ship ac qui si tion. ence of the Adult and Contin u ing Edu ca tion Sa rah Cunningham, ac count ing in struc tor, was As so ci a tion of Ne braska ti tled “De vel op ing Pro fes- pres ident of the chapter. sional Skills Through Con fer ence Par tic i pa tion.” u For the first time, a bache lor of profes sional studies She also authored an ar ti cle ti tled “The Busi ness ac cel er ated de gree pro gram was of fered by Belle - and In dus try Li ai son as Con sul tant,” which ap- vue Col lege and the Grand Island Cam pus. The peared in the “Com munity, Techni cal , and Junior program enable d em ployed students who had com - Col lege Jour nal.” pleted at least 60 col lege credit hours to complete a u Nancy Blume, nurs ing cur ric u lum co or di na tor, bache lor’s de gree in less than one year through an gave a pre sen ta tion ti tled, “The Ef fec tive ness of a ac cel er ated for mat and an Ex pe ri en tial Learn ing Cogni tive Restruc turing Program on the Stress Re - As sess ment. sponse of Nurs ing Students ” at a re search forum at u A ribbon-cut ting cere m ony was held for the new Creigh ton Uni ver sity in Omaha. The pre sen ta tion 9,600-square-foot Center for Indus tria l Technol - was based upon resea rch she had done. The re- ogy. When com bined with the adja cent Trade and search forum was sponsore d by Sigma Theta Tau In dus try and Al ter na tive En ergy build ings, the cen- In ter na tional Nurs ing Honor So ci ety. ter provided 21,600 square feet of class room and u Sa rah Cunningham, ac count ing in struc tor, was ap- lab space for drafting; electron ics technol ogy; heat- pointed by the National Asso ci a tion of Accoun - ing, air con di tion ing, and re frig er a tion; weld ing; tants to serve on its com mittee on aca demic and man u fac tur ing tech nol ogy. The cen ter also rela tions. Cunningham com pleted her term as pres- pro vided for cus tom ized train ing pro grams for ident of the central Nebras ka chapter of the orga ni - business and indus try. Speakers at the cer em ony zation and be gan a three-year term on the na tional were Don Nelson, cam pus presi dent; Dr. Joe com mit tee. Preusser, college pres ident; Ken Wortman, presi - u A co op er a tive pro gram was ini ti ated among the dent of the CCC Board of Gover nors; and Andy Grand Island Cam pus, Grand Is land Se nior High Baird, presi dent of the Grand Is land Indus tria l School, and Northwes t High School whereby the Foun da tion. col lege pro vided ad vanced au to mo tive train ing to u Judy Rosenkotter, a part-time nurs ing instruc tor, high school se niors. Nine students from Grand Is- was called to active mili tary duty. She was with the land Se nior High and five from Northwes t were in 403rd MP Com pany which was de ployed to Saudi the ini tial class. North west se nior Chris Jones ap - Ara bia and given the re spon si bil ity to es tab lish preci ate d the oppor tu nity “to work on newer cars” prisoner-of -war camps. Rosenkotter returned to the and to “get into more de tail.” GISH se nior Roger U.S. dur ing the sum mer of 1991. Meyer said the CCC classes provided him with the u Pernille Jensen, a na tive of Denm ark on an ex- chance for ad vanced train ing in sev eral ar eas of in - tended visit to Grand Island, served as the instruc - ter est, in clud ing trans mis sions. Ron Grabowski, tor for a com munity edu ca tion class in the Danish CCC auto m otive instruc tor, said the joint venture language which had never before been offere d by had been in discus sion for about two years, with an CCC. Jensen was surprise d when 26 people at- eye towar d offer ing courses that the high schools tended the first class ses sion. could n’t pro vide be cause of equip ment lim i ta tions. u A Senior Col lege program to provide courses to u State Sen. Bill Barrett, speaker of the leg isla ture, meet the needs of re tir ees was be gun. One of sev - was the commence ment speaker for the 51 as so ci - eral courses of fered was a writ ing class taught by ate of ap plied sci ence degree and 63 di ploma recip - Vicki Mackenstadt, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, ients at the Grand Island Cam pus. He told the which em pha sized the nar rat ing of per sonal ex pe ri- grad u ates that they must ac cept change as an op - ences. portu nity inste ad of a threat, and to be pre pared to u The college was host to the 10th Annual Asso ci a - con tinue their ed u ca tion through out their ca reers. tion of Com mu nity Pro fes sion als Con fer ence.

44 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

laude from Kear ney State Col lege with a bach e - Retired lor’s de gree in busi ness ad min is tra tion and com - u Marion Kinkade, heating, air condi tion ing, and re- puter ser vices. frig er a tion in struc tor, re tired af ter 13 years of ser- u Al Hartley, electron ics instruc tor and CCC alum- vice to the col lege. He held an as so ci ate de gree nus, re ceived a bach e lor’s de gree in oc cu pa tional from Texas State Tech ni cal In sti tute in Waco and ed u ca tion at Kear ney State Col lege. was a mem ber of the Re frig er ation Ser vice En gi - u Joni Schlatz, a part-time office technol ogy in struc - neers So ci ety. tor, re ceived a master’ s de gree in busi ness ed u ca - u Bill Leighty re tired as elec trical technol ogy in - tion from Chadron State Col lege. struc tor af ter 5 years of ser vice on the Hastings u Dan Small of Hastings recei ved the sixth annual Cam pus and 14 years on the Grand Island Cam pus. Outsta nding Ser vice Award. He was cited for his He had attende d both Hastings College and Kear- will ing ness to take on new re spon si bil i ties and for ney State College. assis ting staff and students with techni cal prob- lems. He was also rec ognize d for his good hum or In Memory and his ever-pres ent smile. He joined the CCC staff u Karen Clausen, 36, a form er personal devel op m ent in 1980. in struc tor, died at St. Fran cis Med i cal Cen ter af ter u Mark Carraher, a 1970 gradu ate in diesel technol - a lengthy ill ness. She held a master's de gree from ogy, was named an Outsta nding Alum nus by the Kear ney State College. Ne braska Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a - tion. He was cited for his com munity involve m ent, Hastings Campus the succes s and expan sion of his busi ness provid - ing diesel ser vices in Spalding, Neb., and his con- u Roger DeVries, business and safety instruc tor, tin ued com mit ment to vo ca tional ed u ca tion and made a pre sen ta tion at the an nual con fer ence of the Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege. Adult and Con tin u ing Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion of u Terry Thayer, co op er a tive ed u ca tion co or di na tor, Ne braska ti tled, “Help ing Stu dents Over come was hon ored by the Co op er a tive Ed u ca tion As so ci- Their Fear of Edu ca tion.” a tion of Ne braska as the Teacher/Co or di na tor of u Ron Boehler, who joined the faculty as a data pro- the Year. Thayer had been a member of the CCC cessing instruc tor in 1980, gradu ate d summa cum staff for nine years. u Ten high school teams com peted in the Plym- outh-AAA Troubleshooting Contes t hosted by the cam pus. u About 200 junior high and high school students par tic i pated in the Tech nol ogy Ed u ca tion Com pe ti- tion which include d contes ts in balsa wood bridge building, mousetrap cars, metric cars, robot ics , draft ing, small en gine trou ble shoot ing and weld - ing. u Vikki Jae ger, grants and spe cial pro jects di rec tor, announced that the cam pus had recei ved a $500,000 nonmatching grant from the U.S. Envi - ron men tal Pro tec tion Agency to pro vide waste- wa ter man age ment train ing through out Ne braska. The grant allowe d the college to es tablish an envi - Herb Kahookele and Walt Miller pose with their ron mental train ing cen ter at the campus as well as regional train ing sites across the state in order to 20-year service plaques in 1990. Kahookele served as a pro vide state cer tif i ca tion to waste wa ter man ag ers, coach, athletic director and assistant dean of students which had only recent ly been mandate d by the leg- during his CCC career. Miller was an architectural is la ture. The col lege was the only agency of fer ing drafting instructor.

45 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

state wide cer tif i ca tion. Greg DuMonthier was em- cluding the construc tion of the Dawson building. ployed as the founding direc tor. He em pha sized the ac qui si tion of in struc tional u Gov. Kay Orr de liv ered the commence ment ad - equip ment, the need for in creased staff sal aries, dress at the Hastings Cam pus. She com mended the and staff de velop m ent during a pe riod of severe 114 as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de grees and the budget ary constra ints. Due to the re strained times 200 diplom a gradu ate s for their “well-devel oped of the 1980s, the cam pus budget he managed was skills and commit ment to ex cel lence.” Dr. Joe $78,000 lower the year he left than the $5,936,200 Preusser, college pres ident, thanked the gover nor in 1984-85 when he ar rived. for her support of edu ca tion, stating that Ne- u Upon the depar ture of Cam pus Presi dent Dr. Carl braska’s com munity college s had recei ved more Rolf, Kathy McPherson, dean of instruc tion, re - support from the gover nor’s office during the past turned from her doc toral studies at the Univer sity two years than at any time since he joined the col - of Ne braska at Lincoln to assum e the duties of in- lege staff. terim cam pus presi dent. John Dobrovolny, as soci - u Hampton native Dale Bamesberger was recip i ent of ate dean of instruc tion, contin ued as act ing dean of the ninth Outsta nding Alumni Award. He earned in struc tion. Rod Rob erts, me dia spe cial ist, also an as so ci ate de gree in weld ing tech nol ogy in 1975. contin ued to assis t Dobrovolny by assum ing some He worked for a local welding shop and as a tech - of the super vi sory duties of the posi tion of asso ci - nicia n for a nucle ar power plant before joining the ate dean. Hobart Brothers Welding Com pany in Troy, Ohio. u An ac counting alumni club was formed on the After Hobart and another com pany formed Hastings Cam pus to addres s is sues fac ing ac count- Motoman Inc., Bamesburger be came a senio r en gi - ing pro fes sion als through meet ings, sem i nars, and neer ing tech ni cian for Motoman. news letters . Maryann Bolton and Walt Boyll, ac- u Four staff mem bers from Dawson Techni cal Insti - counting instruc tors, served as contac t persons for tute in Chicago visited the cam pus to study the or ga ni za tion. open-entry, open-exit enroll m ent and com pe- u Terry Thayer, co op er a tive ed u ca tion and busi ness tency-based ed u cation . As a re sult, Dr. Mi chael and in dus try co or di na tor, re ceived the Out stand ing Chipps, dean of students , and John Dobrovolny, Member Award from the Ne braska Vo cation al As - as so ci ate dean of in struc tion, were asked to make so ci a tion for sig nif i cant con tri bu tions to the prog- pre sen ta tions and con sult for the com mu nity col- ress of vo ca tional ed u ca tion in Ne braska. lege sys tem in Chi cago. u Tim o thy Keesecker, an au to mo tive tech nol ogy ma- u Ground break ing cer e mo nies were held for a jor from Lexington, was named Out standing Spe- 44,000-square-foot ed u ca tion cen ter and mul ti pur- cial Pop u la tions Stu dent in Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion pose building which would later be named the by the Ne braska Coun cil on Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion. Dawson Multi pur pose Com plex. The $2.1 million The award rec og nized his out stand ing ac a demic pro ject in cluded space for den tal lab o ra tory tech - perfor m ance, his respon sive ness to the needs of nol ogy, den tal as sist ing, med i cal as sist ing, health other students , and his ser vice to the com munity. care ad min is tra tion, child care, hu man ser vices, He had achieved the Dean’s Honor List three elec tronic and elec tri cal tech nol ogy pro grams, stu - times, had served as res i dent as sis tant and a mem- dent ser vices of fices and a gymna sium. Speak ers at ber of the dorm itory judi cia l board on the cam pus. the groundbrea king were Dr. Carl Rolf, cam pus He was a noncom missione d offi cer in the National pres i dent; Ger ald Whelan, a Hastings at tor ney; Ken Guard and had re ceived sev eral mil i tary awards. Wortman, presi dent of the CCC Board of Gover - He was also an offi cer in the Lexington Minute m en nors; Dr. Joe Preusser, college pres ident; and Sean Booster Club. Chipps, pres ident of the Student Senate . u Latham Mortensen, welding instruc tor, re ceived u Dr. Carl Rolf, cam pus presi dent, resigne d to be- the Distric t 16 Edu ca tor Award from the Ameri can come presi dent of Northwes t Iowa Techni cal Col- Weld ing So ci ety. Dis trict 16 in cludes Ne braska, lege in Shel don, Iowa. He had served as Hastings Kansas , and parts of Iowa and South Dakota. Be- Campus presi dent since 1984. During his tenure, ginning in 1985, Mortensen had been provid ing he pro moted mod ern iz ing the phys i cal plant, in- weld ing train ing to Un ion Pa cific em ploy ees from

46 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

Ar kan sas, Cal i for nia, Idaho, Il li nois, Kan sas, Lou i- Retired si ana, Mis souri, Ne braska, Ne vada, Texas, Utah, u Pearl Norton re tired as sec re tary of the phys i cal Wash ing ton, and Wy o ming. The as so ci a tion be- plant after having worked on the cam pus for ten tween CCC and Un ion Pa cific began with a chance years. She and her hus band then moved to Lin - meeting be tween Keith Boyle, a re tired Hastings coln. Cam pus au to mo tive in struc tor, and a rail road bridge inspec tor who had some concer ns about the In Memory quality of welding he was inspec ting. u Brigitte Ellis, 6l, for mer secre tary of the health u Alan Hartley, elec tron ics in struc tor, was called to clus ter, passed away in Fremont. She was born in active mili tary duty as one of 180 mem bers of the Unterberg, Ger many. She moved to the United 295 Ordnance Com pany. The unit was sta tioned in States in 1960 and worked in Denver as the first Ger many replac ing troops that were deployed to sec re tary for the West Ger man Con sul ate. She Saudi Ara bia dur ing Op er a tion Desert Storm. joined the col lege staff in 1974. Hartley re turned in early June af ter serv ing in Ger - many for six months. u Deb Brennan, hotel, motel and res taurant manage - Platte Campus ment in struc tor, was named Cu li nary Ed u ca tor of u “Im prov ing Com mu nity Col lege Ef fec tive ness,” a the Year by the Amer i can Cu li nary Fed er a tion-Pro - paper written by Dr. Pete Rush, cam pus presi dent, fes sional Chefs and Appren tice s of Nebras ka. was in cluded in the 1990 Amer i can As so ci a tion of u Mil ton Woods, as sis tant elec tron ics tech ni cian, re- Com mu nity and Ju nior Col leges Mono graph Se- ceived the Oper a tion ABLE (Ability Based on ries. Rush also served as a mem ber of a North Cen - Long Expe ri ence ) Em ployee of the Year Award tral As so ci a tion eval u a tion team which vis ited which was present ed by Gov. Ben Nel son. The Nicolet Area Tech ni cal Col lege in Rhinelander, award was designe d to rec ognize valuable em ploy - Wis. ees who ef fec tively managed ca reer changes af ter u Dr. Mel Krutz, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, par tic i- the age of 50. Woods had taken medi cal retire ment pated in the National Council of Teachers of Eng- from the postal service and then earned an asso ci - lish 79th annual conven tion in Balti m ore, Md. She ate de gree in elec tron ics and a di ploma in data pro - gave a presen ta tion on the im pact of the cessing from CCC. In addi tion to his posi tion as a Hazelwood de ci sion on cur rent in tel lec tual free - techni cia n, he taught adult edu ca tion classes in dom court cases and partic i pate d in the NCTE com puter op er a tion in sev eral com mu ni ties and at Stand ing Com mit tee Against Cen sor ship. She was the Hastings Cor rec tional Center. appointed acting chairwoman of the com mittee for u A student succes s orien ta tion program to help stu- the spring se mester. dents make the transi tion to college life was begun. u Carol Taczek, in struc tional ser vices as sis tant, re - u More than 450 students from 40 high schools at- ceived a master’ s de gree in busi ness at Kear ney tended Expo VI, “A Decade of Dis covery.” The State College. annual event was de signed to intro duce students to u Dick Averett, drama and speech in struc tor, was evolving technol ogy and to inform them about named the Platte Fac ulty Member of the Year. He what is available through CCC. was cited for ener getic teaching and for conduct ing u An as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in child care in ter est ing classes, for mod el ing cre ative prob lem was inau gu rate d on the cam pus largely by adding solving, for us ing his sense of hum or as an ef fec - ad min is tra tive courses to the courses which al ready tive teaching tool, and for support ing students in ex isted for the cer tif i cate and di ploma requi re - their personal and profes sional goals. He joined the ments. Other new offer ings include d children’s lit- Platte faculty in 1970. er a ture, re spon si ble parenting, and mid dle u John Putnam, music instruc tor, was named the child hood. Platte Per son of the Year. He was cited for being

47 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

sup port ive of his stu dents, pro vid ing a com fort able u Kids College , provid ing young sters aged 9 to 12 learning atm ospher e, and for play ing an active role with classes from CPR to Just Clowning Around, in col lege and com mu nity ac tiv i ties. He be came a was begun. mem ber of the Platte faculty in 197l, and he di- u The cam pus became an open site for the Ne braska rected the Chorale and Cantari vocal groups. CorpNet, which provided acces s to Univer sity of u Jan Dannelly, coordinator of the Inter na tional Divi - Nebras ka courses from the College of Engi neer ing sion of Sand Live stock in Colum bus, a 1978 gradu - and Tech nol ogy. Ac cess to work shops, sem i nars, ate of the Platte Campus, and vice chairwoman of and courses from other sources was also made the CCC Board of Gover nors, was the gradu a tion avail able. speaker. As secre tary to the founding pres ident, Dr. Donald Newport, Dannelly was also the sec ond Retired em ployee to be hired by the fledgling Platte Col- u Elaine Engel of Colum bus re tired as records clerk. lege. She joined the Platte Cam pus in 1977 to fill the u Instruc tors John Putnam and Dick Abraham served newly cre ated po si tion. She is re mem bered as be - as tour guides for 18 people who visited Germ any, ing com mitted to her job and to the campus. It aly, and Aus tria as part of a Platte Campus tour during the sum mer. Among the partic i pants were In Memory Dr. Roger and Donna Augspurger, Evelyn Brueger, u Earl W. Mul ler, 68, a for mer faculty mem ber, died George and Glenda Steinsberger, and Doris in Colum bus. He taught machine shop technol ogy VanDyke. and blue print reading on the cam pus begin ning in u The mu si cal, “My Fair Lady,” was a sum mer pro - 1979. He had retire d in 1986. duction sponsore d by the cam pus. The prem ier din - u Don Engel, 67, who retire d in 1988 as agri cul tural ner-theate r perfor m ance raised $1,500 to buy program s coor di na tor, passed away in May. In ad- books for the library. dition to other rec ogni tions he had re ceived during u Soc cer was pi loted as a var sity sport with the en - his caree r, he was the 1990 re cipi ent of the Agri - courage m ent of Dr. Pete Rush, cam pus presi dent, business Pio neer in Edu ca tion Award from the Co - and Jim Fisher, dean of students . Com munity vol- lum bus Area Cham ber of Com merce. He had untee rs Tom Mueller and Todd Zeller served as joined the CCC staff in 1976. coaches. Stu dent ath letes taught a soc cer clinic for the first time. u A swine man age ment cer tif i cate pi lot pro gram was Alumni Activities offere d by the cam pus in conjunc tion with Sand u Jack Crowley, ex ec u tive di rec tor of the Cen tral Live stock Sys tems and sev eral Co lum bus-area Com mu nity Col lege Foun da tion, was as signed to pork produc ers . Students in the program alter nate d serve as di rec tor of classroom study with paid intern ships in hog con- alumni ac tiv i ties for the fine ment op er a tions. col lege and its cam puses. u Duane Wad dle, ag ri cul ture in struc tor, was called to In a re lated mat ter, active mili tary duty. He was one of 117 mem bers “C-Notes,” a news let ter of the 24th Medi cal Com pany of the Nebras ka Army National Guard. His unit was sent to Saudi for CCC alumni, was Ara bia as part of Op er ation Desert Shield. From launched by the college . Saudi Ara bia, they flew med i cal evac u a tion mis- The pub li ca tion was de- sions out of Iraq. Waddle and his unit returned to signed to provide a link the U.S. in mid-April of 1991. be tween the col lege and u Stu dent Ser vices ini ti ated peer tu tor ing, group stu- its gradu ate s and to keep them inform ed of activ i - dent ori enta tion and drug and al cohol aware ness Jack Crowley ac tiv i ties. ties of the college.

48 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

vo ca tional pro grams and busi ness and in dus try Board of Governors train ing; Platte Campus – aca demic trans fer pro - u The Rev. Bill Doran of Grand Island, CCC Board grams, high-de mand vo ca tional pro grams, and of Gov er nors mem ber, was elected vice pres i dent busi ness and in dus try train ing. of the Board of Direc tors of the Nebras ka Techni - In Memory cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. The NTCCA u 12-mem ber board is com posed of two mem bers Glenn Wise man, 77, died in Wayne and was buried from each of the six com munity college area there. He joined the Hastings Cam pus in 1967 as boards of gover nors. the founding instruc tor of the food service pro- gram. In 1968, he becam e the divi sion chairm an of the ser vice di vi sion which in cluded ag ri cul ture and College Administration hor ti cul ture oc cu pa tions, den tal lab, den tal as sist- u Fran Grimes, fi nan cial sys tems man ager, re ceived a ing, and food ser vice manage m ent. The follow ing master’ s de gree in busi ness at Kear ney State Col - year, he was asked to as sume the di rec tor of lege. She is a gradu ate of Chadron State College counseling and re search projec ts. In 1973, he was and is a cer ti fied pub lic ac coun tant. promoted to the ad min is tra tive as sis tant for per son - u Den nis Tyson, vice pres i dent for ed u ca tional ser - nel and govern m ent program s in the area office . He vices, was the re cip i ent of the Pres i dent’s Award re tired in 1978. He is re mem bered as a mild-man - from the Ne braska Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege nered person with a wealth of expe ri ence in res tau - Asso ci a tion. Among other things, he was cited for rant man age ment and in ed u ca tion. his ex ten sive knowl edge re gard ing higher ed u ca - tion and his avail ability as a con sul tant and lecturer College Foundation on in di vid u al ized in struc tion through out the Mid- u west and Can ada. Later in the year, Tyson received Jack Crowley, foun da tion ex ec u tive di rec tor, an- nounced the es tab lish ment of a busi ness in cu ba tor a doctor ate from the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lin- program which was made pos sible by a $150,000 coln in ed u ca tional ad min is tra tion, cur ric u lum and dona tion from Dale and Delores Watley of in struc tion. His dis ser ta tion was ti tled, “In struc- Hastings. Inter est incom e from the gift was to be tional Unit Char ac ter is tics that In flu ence Bud get used to provide partial funding for new busi nesses. Al lo ca tions in Ne braska Com mu nity Col leges.” Appli cant s for the program were to subm it busi ness u Joni Ransom , news burea u direc tor, won three first plans for re view by a com mittee which include d place awards in the an nual Ne braska Press Women Hasting Cam pus busi ness fac ulty, a mem ber of the com muni ca tion contes t. The awards were for news Hastings chapter of Service Corps of Re tired Exec - re port ing in an in ter nal pub li ca tion, ed it ing the utives , and repre sen ta tives of the Hastings Eco - “Central Connec tion” and the “Hill top Re view” nomic De vel op ment Cor po ra tion. The first produced by the Platte Cam pus. recip i ent of a low-in terest loan was Joni Schlatz of u Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres i dent, in an ar ti cle Doniphan who opened a dia per pickup and laundry publishe d in the Central Connec tion em ployee ser vice to serve the Hastings, Grand Island, and newsletter, noted that CCC was signif icantly in - Kear ney area. At the time, Schlatz was a part-time volved in area eco nomic de vel op ment. He cited ac- instruc tor on the Hastings Cam pus. tiv ities with Appleton Electric Com pany, Chief In dus tries, Fleischer Man u fac tur ing, Ford-New Collegewide Statistics Hol land, K-N En ergy, Lindsay Man u fac tur ing, Monroe Auto, Thermo King, and Union Pacifi c u Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres ident, reported that Rail road. In the same arti cle, he stated that the during the 1989-90 college , year CCC had served three cam puses contin ued to maintain the follow - 28,755 students which was an incre ase of 1,475 or ing cam pus prior i ties : Grand Island Cam pus – busi - 5.4 percent over the previ ous year. There were stu - ness and in dus try train ing, com mu nity ed u ca tion, dents from all 93 counties in Ne braska and 27 and high-de mand program s; Hastings Cam pus – other states. The age range of students was from 15

49 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

to 96. The most popu lar courses were business and changes expect ed with the opening of the IBP plant man age ment, data pro cess ing, of fice tech nol ogy, in the form er Sperry-New Holland building. Law nurs ing, com mu ni ca tions, and ag ri cul ture. en force ment of fi cers, county em ploy ees, teach ers, u An as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in child care emer gency med i cal tech ni cians, mer chants and oth - was inau gu rate d on the cam pus, largely by adding ers took survival Spanish classes. Still others at- adm inis tra tive courses to the program. Other new tended sem inars on coping with change. classes in cluded chil dren's lit er a ture, re spon si ble u English as a Second Language and Adult Basic Ed- parenting and middle childhood. uca tion classes were expanded. In addi tion to sur- vival Spanish, CCC provided CPR and first aid Cooperative Education classes to IBP su per vi sors. u Paul Stubbe was prom oted from regional com mu - u Central Commu nity Coll ege received a five-year, nity ed u ca tion co or di na tor to as so ci ate dean of $650,000 Ad min is tra tive Co op er a tive Ed u ca tion com mu nity ed u ca tion. Grant from the U.S. De partm ent of Edu ca tion. It was an exten sion of a grant recei ved in 1985 to de - velop program s on all three cam puses and to de - PIN Conference velop a statewide co op er a tive ed u ca tion u The Postsecondary In ter na tional Net work (PIN) as so ci a tion. Do ris Lux, co op er a tive ed u ca tion di- held its annual confer ence with the Grand Is land rec tor at the Platte Cam pus, wrote both grants and Cam pus serving as host. The event attrac ted partic - served as the pro ject di rec tor. i pants from the United States, Can ada, and Great Brit ain. CCC em ploy ees ac tive in the or ga ni za tion Coordinating Commission include Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres ident; Dr. Chet Gausman, for mer CCC presi dent; and Dr. Dennis u In the No vember gen eral elec tion, an amend ment Tyson, vice pres i dent for ed u ca tional ser vices. The to the Nebras ka State Consti tu tion passed which PIN Confer ence was com bined with the All-College pro vided for the es tab lish ment of the Co or di nat ing In-Service for one day allow ing the com bined au - Com mis sion for Postsecondary Ed u ca tion with the di ence to hear Myles Rademan, a con sul tant from au thor ity, un der the di rec tion of the leg is la ture, to Utah, speak on “Conjur ing Visions and Master ing co or di nate the Uni ver sity of Ne braska, the state Change.” college s, and the com munity college s. The amend- u PIN mem bers Abe Konrad and Geoffrey Melling ment provided that the com mission be com posed of also addres sed college fac ulty and staff, us ing edu - 11 mem bers appointed by the gover nor and ap - cation in Canada and the United Kingdom as their proved by the legis la ture. re spec tive top ics. Emergency Medical Services Radiological Technology u The college was co-host for the 11th annual Ne- u St. Fran cis Med i cal Cen ter of Grand Is land, Fort braska State wide Emer gency Med i cal Ser vices Hays (Kan sas) State Uni ver sity, and Cen tral Com- Confer ence in Kearney. About 640 people from mu nity Col lege an nounced a co op er a tive ar range- 176 com mu ni ties at tended. ment to train radi ol ogy (X-ray) techni cia ns. St. Fran cis was des ig nated as a major clin i cal site for Lexington Center the ra dio log i cal tech nol ogy pro gram of FHSU while CCC was cho sen to of fer a core cur ric u lum u Central Com munity College and the Lexington of courses to students wishing to pursue the Public Schools provided a num ber of courses to established program at Fort Hays. help the Lexington com munity adapt to the

50 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1991 Assets of College Foundation Exceed $1 Million The “Meeting the Challenge of Change” endow m ent cam paign re sulted in the growth of the as sets of the Central Com munity College Founda tion to $1,115,777.02 on June 30, 1991, ac cording to the 1990-91 annual re port is sued by Jack Crowley, exec u tive di rec tor of the founda tion and Larry Butler, pres ident of the founda tion Board of Di rec - tors. First Foundations Started in 1966, 1969 In the monograph, “Central Com munity College Area, a His tory: The First Eight Years” by Stephen O. Gaines, it was re ported that in Novem ber 1966, Paul Hohnstein of Hastings, then secre tary of the recent ly formed Board of Gover nors, provided a contri bu tion of $2,000 to estab lish the Central Nebras ka Tech Founda tion as a nonprofit or - gani za tion, chartere d by the state. Leonard Melkus of Grand Is land served as the first chairm an of that founda tion board. In a par allel event in Janu ary 1969, Jim Rich present ed the first check to Bill Nelson, presi dent of the Platte College Founda tion. The result ing funds were designated for purchase of library books. Merger Results in New Foundation Crowley was appointed in 1989 to lead a new founda tion, formed through the merger of the two earlier founda - tions with com bined asset s of $114,000. Later that same year, the founda tion em barked on the “Meeting the Chal- lenge of Change” endow m ent cam paign, with the goal of rais ing $1.6 million over a five-year pe riod. The initial phase of the cam paign focuse d on Colum bus, Grand Island, and Hastings. The founda tion awarded $130,000 in student scholar ship support during the 1990-91 aca dem ic year. In addi tion, other signif i cant allo ca tions were made. Some $6,000 was appro pri ate d for staff de velop m ent, result ing in 10 grants being awarded. Through the Watley Incu ba tor Fund, $146,000 was provided for low inter est loans to five business es to help with startup expenses. Inaugurates Pro-Am Golf Tournament The first Community College Foundation Pro-Am Invitational Golf Tournament was held in October of 1991 with the proceeds of the tournament designated for scholarship support. Twenty-four golf professionals played in the event, raising more than $10,000. The foundation also sponsored the first Central Community College Foundation dinner attended by approximately 150 people with Gov. Ben Nelson as guest speaker. The governor hailed the private and public partnership that had built the foundation.

Grand Island Campus u Dr. Larry Keller, in sti tu tional ad vance ment di rec- u Nancy Blume, an in struc tor and cur ric u lum co or di- tor, was co-author of an arti cle publishe d in the nator for the asso ci ate degree in nursing program , “Com mu nity Col lege Re view” ti tled “Com pe ten- was one of the first nurses to be cer ti fied as a clin i - cies and Per sonal Char ac ter is tics of Fu ture Com- cal specia list in com munity health nursing by the mu nity Col lege Pres i dents.” The ar ti cle was based Amer i can Nurses As so ci a tion. on Keller’s doctoral disser tation. He also made a u Betty Elder, nursing instruc tor, was co-author of a pre sen ta tion on Ru ral Al lied Med i cal Busi ness Oc- report publishe d by the federa l govern m ent ti tled cupa tions (RAMBO) at the National Confer ence of “Wa ter fowl Val ues by Wet land Type Within Rain - Adult Learners in Colum bia, S.D. u water Basin Wetlands.” El der was involved in the About 60 nurs ing students and gradu ate s at tended a projec t while em ployed as a biol o gist for the U.S. job fair held on the cam pus. Em ploy ers from 50 Fish and Wild life Service. hospi tals and nurs ing homes in central Nebras ka were avail able to in ter view and re cruit new em-

51 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

ploy ees. Another 50 students took part in a sepa - rate ca reer day in which a panel of emplo y ers discuss ed what they look for in prospec tive em - ploy ees and conducte d mock job inter view s. u Dave McGrath, part-time au to mo tive in struc tor, and Leslie Robin son, secre tary, both recei ved bach e lor of hu man re source man age ment de grees from Bellevue Col lege. u The Rev. Lonnie Logan was the key note speaker at the gradu a tion cere m onies held by the Grand Is - land Cam pus at Northwes t High School. The grad- uate s include d the first students to com plete the asso ci ate degree in nursing and the paralegal stud- ies program s. The alumni addres s was given by Ray Schiefen, direc tor of data proces sing for McDermott and Miller Ac counting in Grand Is - land. Scheifen gradu ate d from the Grand Is land The third annual Children’s Groundwater Festival was Cam pus in 1982 with an asso ci ate degree in data held on the Grand Island Campus. Approximately pro cess ing. He some times served the campus as a 3,000 elementary students learned about Nebraska’s part-time in struc tor. precious water resources through more than 50 u René Tiedt, co or di na tor of the child care cen ter, re - ceived a Child De vel op ment As so ci ate Cre den tial booths with educational and entertaining displays. for outsta nding work with young children. The cre- dential was awarded by the Council for Early grams. At an other event, he tes ti fied before the Ne - Child hood Pro fes sional Rec og ni tion in Wash ing- braska Co or di nat ing Com mis sion for Postsecondary ton, D.C. after Tiedt was obser ved and evalu ate d. Edu ca tion on the state grant program s. At another event, Jeanne Webb, direc tor of the u Pam Price, ad mission s di rec tor, was elected secre - child care cen ter, re ceived a Dis tin guished Ser vice tary of the Ne braska As so ci a tion of Col le giate to Chil dren Award present ed by the Ne braska As - Reg is trars and Ad mis sions Of fi cers at a con fer ence so ci a tion for the Ed u ca tion of Young Chil dren. held on the Hastings Cam pus. Price was also given u Sa rah Cunningham, ac count ing in struc tor, was as- the Woman of Achievem ent Award by the Grand signed the re spon si bil ity to co or di nate a pi lot pro- Island Business and Profes sional Women’s Club. gram for dis tance learning in busi ness manage m ent u A NEB*SAT Tele com mu ni ca tions sat el lite dish for CCC. To that end, she at tended a confer ence on was erected which al lowed dis tance learn ing to distanc e edu ca tion in Augusta, Maine. She also take place on the campus. par tic i pated in a by-in vi ta tion-only sym po sium on u The annual re port stated that the cam pus consis ted manage m ent account ing in Irving, Texas, spon- of approx i m ately 92,000 square feet of building sored by the Na tional As so ci a tion of Ac coun tants space. Area ad min is tra tion oc cu pied an ad di tional and the Amer i can Ac count ing As so ci a tion. 8,400 square feet. The buildings were surrounded u Steve Millnitz, finan cial aid direc tor, authored an by ap proxi m ately 10 acres of blue grass turf and a ar ti cle which an a lyzed Pres i dent Nixon’s Wa ter - 450-space parking lot. gate Addres s to the Nation on Aug. 15, 1973. The u Ann McNemer, a full-time nurs ing student, was se- ar ti cle was pub lished in the “Ne braska Speech lected as Mother of the Year by Di abe tes Fore cast, Com mu ni ca tion As so ci a tion Jour nal.” Millnitz also a mag a zine pub lished by the Amer i can Di a be tes tes ti fied at a Fed eral Up date Con fer ence in Omaha Asso ci a tion. She was nom inate d by one of her before a joint com mission of the Ameri can Asso ci - daughters who said she adm ired her mother for ation of Junior and Com munity College s and the helping her children cope with dia be tes . All four of Amer i can As so ci a tion of Com mu nity Col lege McNemer’s chil dren have the dis ease. Trust ees re gard ing Guar an teed Stu dent Loan pro- u The cam pus obser ved its 15th anni ver sar y by invit - ing the public to an open house with guided tours

52 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

and re freshm ents. Over the 15 years, enroll m ent ees the broad range of basic tech ni cal skills the had grown from 223 students in 1976 to 2,553 in com pany believe d they needed. 1991. u While they were students , 10 Class of 1991 nursing In Memory grad u ates had been re cip i ents of a schol ar ship/loan u Eloris Carberry Niemann, 67, passed away at the for give ness pro gram ini ti ated by St. Fran cis Med i- Madonna Home in Lincoln. She was the first man- cal Cen ter. St. Fran cis also selected nine stu dents ager of the cam pus bookstore , retir ing in 1989. to recei ve scholar ships for the follow ing year. She joined the college in 1973 as a secre tary in the ad min is tra tive of fice. She is re mem bered for her cheerful ness and her will ingness to mentor youn ger staff members. Hastings Campus u Dr. Judy K. Dresser of Eugene, Ore., as sumed the duties of cam pus presi dent on Jan. 7, 1991, after having been appointed by the Board of Gover nors at its Oc tober l990 meet ing. Dresser had been as- sistant to the vice presi dent for in struction at Lane Com mu nity Col lege. She re ceived a doc tor ate in vo ca tional ed u ca tion from Or e gon State Uni ver- sity. Upon the ar rival of Dresser, Kathleen McPherson went back on leave to finish a doctoral de gree. Carl Brown, as so ci ate dean of in struc tion Grand Island Campus instructor Linda Wenn donates for trades and indus try, assum ed the duties of the blood during the Red Cross bloodmobile campus visit. office of dean of instruc tion in her absenc e. Wayne Huntley, parts sales and manage m ent instructor, as - u The Red Cross bloodm obile visited the cam pus. sisted him in the ad minis tra tion of the trades and They were pleased to have 86 donors, 38 of whom in dus try de part ment dur ing that time. donate d blood for the first time. u Deb Thompson of Hastings, account ing clerk, re - u Maureen Hoffman, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, at- ceived the seventh annual Outsta nding Ser vice tended the Kellogg Insti tute for the Training and Award at the Hastings Campus. She was cited for Cer tif i ca tion of De vel op men tal Ed u ca tors at Ap pa- her lead er ship in de ci sion mak ing, ex cel lent judg- lachian State Univer sity in Boone, N.C. ment, ded i ca tion, cheer ful at ti tude, and will ing ness u George Ayoub, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, was to help both students and staff. Thompson was a rec ognize d as the copywrit er for a 30-second spot sec re tarial sci ence major and a work-study stu dent which won a Telly Award, a national award for on the cam pus before she joined the staff full-time tele vi sion ad ver tis ing shown in re gional mar kets. in 1974. In addi tion to her many volun tee r ac tivi - The spot was devel oped for St. Francis Medi cal ties on the cam pus and in the com munity, at the Cen ter. time of the award she was working towar d a bache - u Jacalyn Ayoub, place ment co or di na tor, or ga nized a lor’s de gree at Kear ney State Col lege. caree r day for students about to com plete their pro- u Sis ter Mary Christelle Macaluso, a Sis ter of Mercy, grams of in struc tion. Po ten tial em ploy ers pre sented a profes sional speaker and hum orist and a profes - a panel discus sion and then conducte d mock inter - sor of bi ology at the College of St. Mary in Omaha, views dur ing which con struc tive crit i cisms were was the fea tured pre senter at a day of in-ser vice. given. Known as “The Fun Nun,” her topics were u Ford New Holland Ameri cas of Grand Island “Wellness and Your Funny Bone” and “You Make launched a pre-em ploy ment training program to be a Dif fer ence.” provided by Central Com munity College . The pro - u Robin Menschenfreund, asso ci ate dean of instruc - gram was designe d to give manu fac turing em ploy - tion for health oc cupa tions, com pleted the Manage -

53 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

ment Cer tif i cate De vel op ment Pro gram spon sored tension Master Gardener Program in South Central by the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lincoln, Divi sion Ne braska and the farmer’s market in Hastings. He of Con tin u ing Stud ies, Col lege of Busi ness Ad min- devel oped two new 4-H contes ts and present ed is tra tion. program s for the State Home Exten sion Council. u The Hastings Cam pus re ceived a 1991 LT Astro He served on the CCC Com mercia l Horti cul ture Van from the Chevro let Motor Di vision for use in Ad vi sory Com mit tee and as sisted the cam pus in its au to mo tive pro gram. other ways. Later, he also re ceived a 1992 Dis tin - u About 25 hotel, motel, and restau rant manage m ent guished Alumni Award from the Nebras ka Com - stu dents at tended a ca reer day fea tur ing a pre sen ta - mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. tion by Herman Cain, presi dent and chief exec u tive u John Dobrovolny, asso ci ate dean of instruc tion, offi cer of Godfa ther’s Pizza. Students also had an was elected pres i dent of the Cen tral Ne braska op por tu nity to dis cuss job op por tu ni ties with rep re - Chap ter of Phi Delta Kappa, an in ter na tional fra ter - senta tives of vari ous busi nesses and to conduct job nity of pro fes sional ed u ca tors. Dobrovolny was in ter views. also asked by the inter na tional office of PDK to u Two staff mem bers recei ved degree s: John Brooks, serve on a task force on mem bership during the bi - broadcas ting instruc tor, a master of arts degree in en nial coun cil in In di a nap o lis. speech language arts from Hastings College , and u Ho tel, mo tel, and res tau rant man age ment in struc- Michele Gill, campus cen ter su per vi sor, a mas ter of tors Deb Brennan and Jaye Kieselhorst ac compa - arts degree in edu ca tion from the Univer sity of Ne - nied 10 culi nary students to the National braska at Kear ney. Res tau rant As so ci a tion Con fer ence in Chi cago. u U.S. Rep. Bill Barrett was the key note speaker at Steve Ekwall of Gillette, Wyo., Lorraine Sweet of the Hastings Cam pus grad u a tion cer e mo nies. Minden, and Theresa Timmerman of West Point Barrett encour aged the students to believe in them - recei ved bronze medals in the student com peti tion selves and in their future. He also congrat u late d the in food pre senta tions. Deb Brennan earned recog - cam pus on its 25th anni ver sar y. ni tion in the pro fes sional com pe ti tion in cu li nary u John C. Ander son, horti cul ture aide at the Adam s cen ter pieces. County Exten sion Office in Hastings, was granted u Deb Brennan suc cess fully com pleted re quire ments the 10th annual Outsta nding Alumni Award from for cer tif i ca tion as a cu li nary ed u ca tor and work ing the Hastings Cam pus. An der son grad u ated from chef by the Amer i can Cu li nary Fed er a tion. This in- the cam pus in 1984 with an asso ci ate of applied cluded prepar ing a dinner us ing the contents of a sci ence de gree in com mer cial hor ti cul ture. “mys tery bas ket.” With the help of a profes sional Through the exten sion office , he orga nize d the Ex- devel op m ent grant provided by the CCC Founda - tion, Brennan also studied at the Culi nary Insti tute of America at Hyde Park, N.Y. During the sum - mer, Brennan enjoyed a change of pace by working as a cook at the River side Golf Club in Grand Is - land as part of a back-to-indus try grant through the Na tional Res tau rant As so ci a tion. u Joann Wieland, health care adm inis tra tion program co or di na tor, was ap pointed to the Leg is la tive Task Force for Nursing Home Adm inis tra tion by the Ne - braska Health Care As so ci ation . The task force was to pre pare rec om men da tions for the state leg is la - ture. The Hastings Campus cele brat ed its 25th Anni ver sary. u An ac a demic com pe ti tion known as ACTIONS Here, new Cam pus Pres i dent Dr. Judy Dresser re - Day, involv ing more than 600 high school students ceives a plaque in rec og ni tion of the mile stone from a from 23 Nebras ka and Kansas schools, was held on community ambas sa dor, while former college presi - the cam pus for the first time. Each student was dent Dr. Chester Gausman, left, looks on.

54 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

tested in up to three of 41 possi ble subjec t areas , u Valley Dorm was the site of the first fire on the and awards were given to those who placed. campus in 14 years. The cause of the fire was de - u The cam pus and com munity cele brate d 25 years of ter mined to be an electri cal ex ten sion cord. Loss ed u ca tional ser vice to res i dents of south-cen tral was confined to furnish ings and personal property Nebras ka with a cam pus open house and banquet in one room, with smoke dam age in three other which served more than 400 people. The keynote rooms. There were no inju ries . speaker was Roger Welsch. Other guest speak ers u “Mem ory Skills,” an instruc tional video proposed include d Ken Wortman, first chairman of the by Roger DeVries, busi ness instruc tor, was pro - Board of Gover nors, and Dr. Chester Gausman, duced by NETCHE. The lesson covere d severa l found ing col lege pres i dent. mem ory strate gies valuable to students . The video was well re ceived na tion wide. u The Hastings Cam pus was recog nize d as the Em - ployer of the Year by the Ne braska Business and Profes sional Women’s Club. The cam pus re ceived the award based upon its sensi tiv ity towar d the needs of fe male em ploy ees, pro vid ing op por tu ni- ties for ca reer ad vance ment, de vel op ing new tal ent, es tab lish ing pa ren tal leave pol i cies and im prov ing bene fits . To becom e el igi ble for the award, the campus had been cited ear lier by the Hastings chap ter of the or ga ni za tion. Retired u Joe Conrad of Hastings re tired from the cam pus Jan Dannelly, chairwoman of the Board of Governors, where he worked as a plumber for 23 years, begin - cuts the ceremonial ribbon dedicating the Dawson ning in 1967. For a short time, he also held the po - Multipurpose Complex on the Hastings Campus. si tion of phys i cal plant su per vi sor. Dannelly, the first woman to chair the CCC Board of u Helen Kennedy retire d as a counsel or and super vi - Governors, is flanked by College President Dr. Joe sor of the Student Suc cess Center, which she Preusser and Campus President Dr. Judy Dresser, as started. Kennedy joined the col lege staff in 1969 members of the Hastings Area Chamber of as a sec re tary in the reg is trar's of fice. She also Commerce look on. The Dawson Building includes worked as secre tary to the dean of students , direc - several instructional areas, a student success center, tor of finan cia l aid and housing, and assis tant dean gymnasium and a fitness center. of students before accept ing the posi tion of coun - selor and super vi sor. She earned both a bache lor' s u With more than 200 people in atten dance , the newly and a mas ter's de gree from Kearney State Col lege con structed Dawson Mul ti pur pose Com plex was after she became employed on the campus. dedi cat ed. The 46,000-square-foot structure replac ed In Memory 110,000 square feet of space in buildings con - u structed during World War II. The building was de- Doro thy E. McArthur, 74, of Hastings died at her signed to ac com mo date in struc tional pro gram ar eas, home af ter a prolonged illness . She taught secre - the Stu dent Suc cess Cen ter, sem i nar rooms, a gym- tarial courses at the campus for 19 years, re tir ing in na sium, and a fit ness cen ter. Jan Dannelly, chair - l985. She was a skilled instruc tor whose direc t ap- woman of the Board of Gover nors, perform ed the proach was re spected by stu dents. Her col leagues ribbon cutting with mem bers of the Hastings Area re mem ber her ex cep tional hu mor. u Chamber of Com merce in at ten dance. The cer emony M. Dean Blaha, as so ci ate dean for trans por ta tion was followe d by a regu lar meet ing of the Board of and ag ri cul ture oc cu pa tions, died sud denly in June. Gover nors which was held in the new facil ity. He had been a member of the col lege staff since 1966. He had many friends in the com munity and in business and indus try. His network ing was of-

55 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

ten bene fi cia l to the college and its program s u Kear ney State Col lege of fi cials an nounced that af - through equipm ent dona tions and other gifts. His ter KSC becom es part of the univer sity system they col leagues re mem bered him as an es pe cially will con tinue to work with the Platte Campus to colorful personality. serve students in the Colum bus area. An infor m al ar range ment be tween the two in sti tu tions had been Platte Campus in place for 15 years which re sulted in about 130 stu dents re ceiv ing a bach e lor’s de gree in busi ness u At the request of Lindsay Holy Family High through Kearney. At the time of the announce m ent, School, Verne Buhl, ag ri cul ture pro gram su per vi- there were 40 people enrolle d in the bache lor’s sor, or ganize d a basic farm account ing class in that degree program and 45 people in the master of fa cil ity. The eight-week course at tracted four high busi ness ad min is tra tion degree pro gram who were school students and two adults from the com mu - taking courses on the Platte Cam pus. nity. u Three staff members re ceived de grees: Kathryn u Rita Tuma, lead sales as so ci ate for Follett Book - Ballobin, of fice tech nol ogy in struc tor, a mas ter of store, recei ved an award from Follett in recog ni tion sci ence de gree in col lege stu dent per son nel from for her strong com mitm ent to custom er service . the Univer sity of Ne braska at Omaha; Doug u Dr. Pete Rush, campus pres i dent, was chair man of Pauley, en ergy manage ment cir cuit rider, a bach e - a North Cen tral As so ci a tion eval u a tion team at lor of profes sional studies degree from Bellevue South west ern Tech ni cal Col lege in Gran ite Falls, College ; and Dianne Moural, perm anent part-time Minn. He was also appointed by the NCA to serve ag ri cul ture tech ni cian, an as so ci ate of ap plied sci - on the Accre di ta tion Re view Council for the Com - ence de gree in ag ri cul ture from CCC. Moural later mission on Insti tu tions of Higher Learning. joined the faculty as a full-time agri cul ture in struc- u Dr. Pete Rush was se lected for the Arch way Award tor. by the Colum bus Area Cham ber of Com merce. The u Gov. Ben Nel son de liv ered the grad u a tion ad dress award is present ed annu ally to an outsta nding busi- at the Platte Cam pus. He ad vised the grad u ates to ness or profes sional person. Rush also was one of be pre pared to take risks and not to be intim idate d 53 Nebras kans appointed by Gov. Ben Nelson to by peo ple who want to discour age them and to not the Energy Policy Council to develop an energy allow them selves to becom e trapped in a situ a tion policy plan for the state. in which there is no future. u Scott Cumming of Colum bus re ceived the Dis tin- u Dick Abra ham, art in struc tor, was named Fac ulty guished Alumni Award from the Nebras ka Techni - Member of the Year at the Platte Cam pus and was cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. Cumming cited for his patience and posi tive atti tude in teach- be came a co-owner of McKown Fu neral Home ing students , his profes sional ism and his knowl- where he first worked from 1977 to 1979 while edge of vari ous art techniques . Abra ham started the taking ac adem ic courses on the cam pus before art program on the cam pus af ter he joined the fac- trans ferring to San Francis co Col lege of Mortu ary ulty in 1971. He also initi ate d the annual Fine Arts Science . When he returned to Colum bus, he went Fes ti val. back to work at the funera l home and be came a u Steve Heinisch, bi ol ogy in struc tor and co or di na tor co-owner in the mid-1980s. He served as board of math, science , and home econom ics program s, mem ber and pres ident of the Colum bus Area was named Platte Per son of the Year. He was cited Chamber of Com merce and was ac tive in many for his will ing ness to as sume ex tra re spon si bil i ties, other com mu nity or ga ni za tions. his commit ment to make the campus a better place u Do ris Lux, co op er a tive ed u ca tion di rec tor, gave for students and staff, and his posi tive atti tude and two pre sen ta tions at the Na tional Co op er a tive Ed u- sense of hum or. He joined the col lege staff in cation Con fer ence in Lit tle Rock, Ark. Her talks 1981. were ti tled “Ap pren tice ship and Co op er a tive Ed u- u Spanish 101 was of fered for the first time on the ca tion” and “Ar tic u la tion Agree ments be tween Co - cam pus. Leon Sanders, asso ci ate dean of business op er a tive Ed u ca tion and Ap pren tice ship and arts, cited an incre asingly divers e popu la tion in Pro grams.” the CCC ser vice area and the need to help stu dents

56 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

meet lan guage re quire ments at trans fer in sti tu tions. Claudia Serna-Clouse of Colum bus was the in- Board of Governors struc tor. u Jan Dannelly of Colum bus becam e the first woman u A two-way au dio vi sual com mu ni ca tion sys tem was to chair the CCC Board of Gover nors when new added to the teleconference studio on the cam pus. of fi cers were elected. Other of fi cers elected were u Jap anese busi ness man Shizuo Nakamura was wel - Don Mroczek of Colum bus, vice chair; Paul Liess comed to the cam pus to be gin a one-year intern ship of Cam bridge, sec re tary; and Har old McClure of pro vid ing work shops on Jap a nese cul ture at cen tral Kearney, trea surer. Don Ander son of Grand Is land Nebras ka schools. The intern ship was sponsore d was seated as a new board member, hav ing been by Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege and Ed u ca tional elected to the seat va cated by Rob ert Schnuelle of Service Unit No. 7. Among the host fam ilies with Grand Island. Dave Stubbs of Kear ney rejoined the whom Nakamura stayed were Vince Lempke, board af ter a two-year ab sence. He had served on Platte Campus math and phys i cal sci ence in struc - the board from 1981-89. u tor, and Bruce Broberg, Grand Is land Cam pus as - Shortly after his re tire ment from the Board of Gov - so ci ate dean. ernors, Bob Schnuelle was honored by the Ne- braska Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion u Doug Pauley, energy manage m ent circuit rider, with its Distin guished Ser vice Award. In the worked with at least 58 clients within the CCC ser- 1960s, he prom oted the estab lish m ent of the origi - vice area to as sist them in cut ting en ergy costs. In - nal vo ca tional-tech ni cal schools in Ne braska. Then cluded were one county, two cities , 10 hospi tals , he worked to advance the concept of the com pre- four nurs ing homes, and 41 school distric ts. Ser- hen sive commu nity col lege sys tem. As a mem ber vices were pro vided to cli ents free of charge. The of the Board of Gover nors, he supported the addi - two-year pilot projec t was finance d by a $200,000 tion of the dental hygiene program on the Hastings grant from the Nebras ka Energy Office using funds Cam pus and the as soci ate degree in nursing pro- from oil over charge ac counts of the state. gram on the Grand Is land Cam pus. He was also u Ra dio sta tion KLIR-FM of Colum bus began pro- cited for his involve m ent with many com munity viding the “Platte Minute” each day, giving many or ga ni za tions. cam pus staff mem bers the oppor tu nity to inform lis ten ers of cam pus events. College Administration Retired u Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres i dent, tes ti fied be fore u Tom Burkhardt of Colum bus re tired as business the Ed u ca tion Com mit tee of the Ne braska Leg is la- and manage m ent instruc tor. He had joined the ture re gard ing LB 663 (postsecondary co or di nat ing CCC staff in 1978. In addi tion to consid er able su- com mission) and LB 784 (state control of com mu - per vi sory cor po rate ex pe ri ence, he had also taught nity colleges). Another bill be fore the legis la ture at Midland Luthera n College and Briar Cliff College . which was im portant to CCC was LB 167 which He earned degree s from Indi ana University and would per mit po lit i cal sub di vi sions to self-fund West ern Mich i gan Uni ver sity. em ployee health in sur ance. u Ernestine Leach of Colum bus re tired as resourc e u Joni Ransom , news burea u direc tor, won four hon- assis tant. She joined the CCC staff in 1977 as eve - ors in the annual Nebras ka Press Women com mu - ning cir cu la tion su per vi sor and later was sec re tary ni cation s con test. She re ceived first-place awards to the as so ci ate dean of learn ing cen ters. for edit ing the “Central Connec tion,” news writ ing u Ed Kasarda of Genoa retired as elec tron ics and and feature writ ing and a sec ond-place award for elec tri cal tech nol ogy in struc tor. He joined the design of the Platte Cam pus Hilltop Re view. CCC staff in 1978. He pre viously served in the U. u Three staff members completed de grees: Marie S. Air Force as an elec tron ics su per vi sor and tech - Black, hu man re sources as sis tant, an as so ci ate of ni cian. He also worked as an elec tri cian as a applied science degree in business and manage - civilian. ment from CCC; and Tonja Brunswic k, ana lyst and pro gram mer, and Kathy O’Neill, ex ec u tive sec re -

57 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

tary, bach e lor of pro fes sional stud ies de grees from Col lege in Omaha was the lead col lege, and Vikki Belle vue Col lege. Jae ger, di rec tor of grants and spe cial pro jects at the u Tonja Brunswic k, an ana lyst and pro gram mer, par- Hastings Cam pus, was the pro ject co or di na tor for tici pate d in a staff exchange as part of a pilot pro- CCC. gram sponsore d by the Postsecondary In terna tional u A leader ship diver sity task force com posed of Net work. She spent three weeks at Durham Col- about 45 college em ploy ees began the proces s of lege in Oshawa, On tario, Canada. Her as sign ment devel op ing goals and strate gies for a college diver - at Durham was to bring fresh and unbi ase d ideas sity plan. Dr. Bill Podraza, Lexington city man- and approac hes to the infor m ation system s team as ager, was fa cil i ta tor with Vikki Jae ger, grants a new com pre hen sive soft ware was be ing in stalled co or di na tor, pro vid ing an over view of the pro ject in the business and student service s office s of the ob jec tives. col lege. u As part of the grant projec t direc ted by Metro pol i - tan Com munity College in Omaha, Dr. Richard College Expenditures Gilliland, presi dent of MCC, spoke at all three CCC cam puses. He obser ved that many tradi tion - u Ex pen di tures for op er a tions dur ing the 1990-91 fis- ally underrepresented people were enroll ing in cal year totale d $14,544,337. Approx i m ately 51 com mu nity col leges, that com mu nity col leges were percent of that amount came from property taxes, begin ning to be recog nize d and re spected, and that 34 percent from state aid, 13 per cent from tui tion, across the country, com munity college s were expe - and 2 per cent from other sources. Expen di tures for rienc ing huge growths in enroll m ent and dem and the pre vious year were $13,512,441. for services. u About 70 people attende d a live, inter ac tive Enrollment teleconference at the Hastings Campus which fea - tured Sally Helgesen, au thor of “The Fe male Ad - u A total of 21,391 students had enrolle d in college vantage .” The book looked at fem ale leader ship credit courses during the 1990-91 college year. An - through case studies of four succes sful women. other 6,153 people were enrolle d in noncredit The teleconference was spon sored by the Amer i can courses and 2,020 took part in the Adult Basic Ed- As so ci a tion of Women in Com mu nity and Ju nior uca tion Program . In Septem ber 1966, the Hastings College s, Hastings Business and Profes sional Cam pus opened with 196 students . In Septem ber Women’s Club and Grossmont College in El 1969, the Platte Cam pus in Colum bus opened with Cajon, Calif. 467 students . In 1976, the Grand Island Cam pus opened with 233 students . Practical Nurse Association u Par tic i pants to tal ing 112 at tended the an nual con- Leadership Diversity ven tion of the Li censed Prac ti cal Nurse As so ci a - u CCC was one of 10 regional college s to partic i pate tion of Nebras ka held in Kearney. The Grand in an 18-month, $48,550 grant from the Ameri can Island Cam pus was co-host for the event. As so ci a tion of Com mu nity and Ju nior Col leges to develop projec ts and program s on leader ship diver - sity. The grant spe cif i cally tar geted the ini ti a tion of Pre-White House Conference per son nel prac tices to en hance the re cruit ment and u Three CCC staff members were among the 100 del e - reten tion of women, persons of color, im migrants , gates se lected to at tend the Ne braska Pre-White the phys i cally chal lenged, and in di vid u als from tra- House Con fer ence on Li brary and In for ma tion Ser- dition ally underrepresented groups for leader ship vices. They were Dr. Pete Rush, Platte Campus pres - po si tions. Class room tech niques and cur ric u lum ident; George Steinsberger, Platte Cam pus po liti cal com po nents to fos ter multi cul tural aware ness and sci ence and so ci ol ogy in struc tor; and Dr. Den nis sensi tiv ity also were to be de veloped. The AACJC Tyson, vice pres i dent of ed u ca tional ser vices. grant was made pos sible through the W.W. Kellogg Foun da tion. Met ro pol i tan Com mu nity

58 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

Professional Development Workforce Diversity u Forty-two CCC em ploy ees re ceived fi nan cial help u Mike Losey, pres i dent and chief ex ec u tive of fi cer in further ing their edu ca tion or learning new skills of the So ci ety for Hu man Resour ces Man age ment, dur ing 1990-91 from the pro fes sional de vel op ment was the major pre senter at a workshop for nearly fund of the college which was budgete d by the 80 CCC staff. He dis cussed such issues as di versity Board of Gover nors. From the $40,000 fund for in the workforce, em ployee moti va tion, and goal fac ulty, $21,719.12 was awarded. From the set ting. Dr. Judy Dresser, presi dent of the Hastings $25,000 for ad min is tra tive sup port staff, $13,990 Cam pus, co or di nated roundtable dis cus sions in was awarded. which many business and com munity leaders par- tic i pated, to ad dress the chal lenges presented by diversity issues.

59 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Three Phi Theta Kappa Chapters Active By Dr. Sandra Block, Communications Rates as Five Star Chapters Instructor, Hastings Campus All three chap ters are cur rently Five Star Chap ters. Phi Theta Kappa is the inter na tional honor soci ety This program , which reflec ts the schol arly ide als of Phi of the two-year college . Today, Phi Theta Kappa is the Theta Kappa, serves as a blueprint for devel op ing a larg est honor so ci ety in Amer i can higher ed u ca tion strong chapter and for earning local , regional, and in- with more than 1.5 mil- ter na tional rec og ni tion. In this pro gram, chap ters do lion mem bers and 1,200 not com pete against one an other. Par tic i pa tion en cour - chap ters lo cated in all ages ex cel lence and rec og nizes prog ress in the at tain - 50 of the United States, ment of goals set by the chapter. U.S. ter ri to ries, Can ada, and Germ any. The in- Columbus Chapter Began in 1971 no va tive pro grams and The first chap ter char tered at Cen tral Commu nity ser vices and the ar ray of Col lege was the Chi Sigma Chap ter, char tered on May 2, mem ber ship ben e fits of- 1971, in Colum bus. The first advise r was Dr. Evelyn fered by Phi Theta Bruegger. Other advis ers include Ella Wenman, Robin Kappa are un equaled Coan, and most re cently, Lisa Gdowski, Denette Drum, among honor so ci et ies. and Shel ley Frear. Co-cur ric u lar pro grams In 2004, the Chi Sigma Chapter won the fol lowing focus upon the Soci - Inter na tional awards: Service Top 25 and Outsta nding ety’s Hallma rk of Dr. Sandra Block Advise r Award for Robin Coan. In 2005, the chapter Schol ar ship, Lead er- won the fol low ing Ne braska-Wy o ming Re gional ship, Ser vice and Fellow ship. It is esti ma ted that Awards: Scrapbook Award, second place, and Enhance - 200,000 students partic i pate in Phi Theta Kappa pro - ment Award, fifth place. The chapter reported 71 mem - grams each year. bers in 2005. The chapter also won a Pinna cle Schol ar ship Award, par tic i pated in Pro ject Grad u a tion, 100,000 Join Annually and col lected 50 food items and 25 books. Chi Sigma is An nu ally, ap prox i mately 100,000 stu dents are in- cur rently a Five Star Chap ter. ducted into Phi Theta Kappa. To be eli gi ble for mem - bership, a student must com plete a mini m um of 12 Grand Island Joins in 1991 hours of college -level course work and earn a grade The Alpha Tau Tau Chapter at Grand Island was point aver age of 3.5 or higher. Students must maintain char tered on May 9, 1991, with 77 mem bers. It has a high aca dem ic standing throughout their enroll m ent since maintaine d a mem bership of about 100 students in the two-year col lege, gen er ally a 3.25 GPA. yearly. Bob Sanner was the ad viser for the chap ter The av er age age of a new member is 29, rang ing from 1992–2003. Ka ren Cox, Michelle Dannelly, Kyle from 18 to 80. Part-time and full-time students are eli - Sterner, Am ber Holley, Sandy Olson, and Guy gible for mem bership. The aver age Phi Theta Kappan Suganuma have been advis ers since 2004. is enrolle d full-time with a GPA of 3.8. The most pop- The chap ter an nu ally co or di nates the cam pus Red ular major of Phi Theta Kappans in 2004 was nursing, Cross blood drive and a Cancer Mem orial Wall. They followe d closely by ed uca tion and business . serve as wel come ambas sa dors the for first two days of Central Com munity College chapters of Phi Theta every sem ester to help new students find class rooms Kappa include Chi Sigma, Colum bus; Alpha Tau Tau, and as gradu a tion ushers . In 2005, mem bers collec ted Grand Island; and Beta Al pha Delta, Hastings. They $250 for Cancer Relay for Life, $201 for Feed a Fam ily are mem bers of the Nebras ka-Wyo m ing Re gion, which at Christ mas, 188 food items for Hallum Tornado Re - has 20 chap ters over all. All three chap ters are ac tive in lief, $107 for Red Cross Tsunam i Re lief, and 30 new re gional and in ter na tional ac tiv i ties. toys for Christm as Cheer.

60 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

In 2004, Al pha Tau Tau achieved Four Star Status. About 100 mem bers are inducte d into the chapter Re gion ally, they were named the Ne braska-Wy o ming each year. To main tain Five Star Sta tus, the chap ter Most Dis tin guished Chap ter for Im ple men ta tion of must do sev eral pro jects in each of the ar eas of lead er - Leader ship and won the Regional Scrapbook Award. In ship, scholar ship, fellow ship, and ser vice. Beta Al pha 2005, the chapter achieved Five-Star Sta tus. Tod Glas - Delta has twice been named one of the top 100 chapters gow, chapter presi dent and regional vice presi dent was inter na tion ally, in 2002 and 2005. In 2002, the chapter named the In ter na tional Most Dis tin guished Chap ter was named one of the top 10 chapters inter na tion ally Presi dent as well as the Most Distin guished Pres ident for schol ar ship. for the Nebras ka-Wyo m ing Re gion. The chapter also earned the Pinna cle Silver Award for chapter growth. Sponsors Hastings Unity Day Region ally, the chapter was named Most Dis tinguishe d A month after 9/11, the chapter sponsore d a Chap ter for the Im ple men ta tion of Lead er ship and of communitywide Unity Day in the city au di to rium, Scholar ship. Mem bers co-hosted the regional which was attende d by more than 300 people. The day mini-honors confer ence and col lected 1,036 books and honored the diver sity of our com munity. In 2005, Beta 386 food items for Projec t Gradu a tion. Alpha Delta was named one of the top 25 chapters for Service . Projec ts, which include d two highly succes sful Hastings Charters Chapter in 1994 bloodm obiles , were honored by the Red Cross and Beta Al pha Delta at Hastings was char tered in named Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege-Hastings out- 1994 and achieved One Star Status in Phi Theta Kappa standing college of the Midwes t Re gion. The group also Inter na tional in 1995. By 1996, the chapter had held a banquet and enter tain m ent for the com munity fo- achieved Three Star Sta tus and re ceived the Ex ecu tive cusing on breast cancer . In addi tion, Chapter and Re- Direc tor’s Achieve ment Award. By 1997, Beta Al pha gional Pres i dent Ken Gallagher was se lected as one of Delta had achieved Five Star Sta tus and again re ceived the 10 top presi dents inter na tion ally in 2003, and that the Ex ec u tive Di rec tor’s Achieve ment Award from In - same year his work was also publishe d in “Nota Bene,” ter na tional. Five Star Sta tus was again awarded in the Phi Theta Kappa Inter na tional liter ary journal. 1998. In addi tion, the chapter hosted the Nebras ka- Members Help Crane Meadows Wy om ing Re gional Meet ing. Since 1997, Beta Alpha The Hastings chap ter has also col lab o rated with Delta has con sistently maintained Five Star Status. Crane Mead ows in or ga niz ing vol un teers, worked with Lead advis ers of the chapter have include d Dr. Mike Head Start in gather ing books and by reading to chil- Chipps, 1995-99; Bob Glenn, 1999-2001; and dren, sponsore d two art shows on cam pus, and col- Dr. Sandra Block, 2001-06. Current and past advis ers lected 75 quilts for children with cancer . The quilts also include Ken Rezac, John Dobrovolny, Roger were deliv ere d to Hastings, Grand Island, Lincoln, and DeVries, Laura Bulas, Denise Hard ers, Janet Cook, Omaha hos pitals just be fore Christ mas in 2005. Karissa Har old Hamel, Gene Friesen, and Coleen and Kent Mar ble was named a na tional New Cen tury Scholar in Murray. 2005 and re ceived a $2,000 schol arship. In addi tion, the chap ter re ceived a Pin na cle Award and par tic i pated in Projec t Gradu a tion, collec ting 122 food items and 34 books. Re gionally, in 2005, the chapter won first place for en hance ment. Leadership is Key Benefit Phi Theta Kappa bene fits students through leader - ship ac tiv i ties. As mem bers as sume of fices and par tic i - pate in ter na tion ally and re gion ally, they grow as leaders . In terms of scholar ship, mem bers bene fit by studying the Honors Study Top ics, as well as through earning a va riety of scholar ships . Per haps the greatest Dr. LaVern Franzen and Beta Alpha Delta members at ben e fit, how ever, is the ser vice phi los o phy which they Unity Day 2001. Franzen was Hastings Campus acqui re through all the ser vice ac tiv i ties of the chap ters president at the time. and the region.

61 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 1992 Platte Campus Volleyball Team to National Tourney For the first time since 1979, a Lady Raiders team quali fied to play in the National Junior Col lege Asso ci a tion Tourna m ent in the fall of 1992. The team entere d the tour nam ent with a 52-3 record and a ranking of seventh in the nation. The tourna m ent be gan with four pools of four teams with each team playing three games against the other teams in its pool. Although the Raiders got off to a bad start in the pool play by losing all three sets to third-ranked Eastern Ari zona, they came back to beat Southwes tern Iowa and Northeas t Christian of Villanova, Pa. After advanc ing to the double-e lim ina tion tourna m ent along with the other top two winners from each pool, the team lost to Utah Val ley in the first round of the bracket play. They then lost to Wharton County, Texas, in the los- ers’ bracket match. The team finishe d the season with a 54-6 record which include d six confer ence and re gional tourna m ent ti tles. School records were set for winning 23 straight matches twice and for achieving the most wins in a sea son. The team’s final NJCAA record was 10th. Sopho m ore hit ter Andrea Graff and Coach Sharon Vanis both recei ved national awards. Members of the 1992-93 Raiders volleyball team were Cindy LeCrone, Arlington; Tammy Gablenz, Misty Moser, and Brenda Silva, Columbus; Katie Craig, Diller; Michelle Preusser, Grand Island; Jody Hurlburt, Greeley; Becky Wetjen, Madison; Andrea Graff, Osceola; Kayla Kuhnel, Shelby; and Emily Sherman and Theresa Sherman, Tecumseh. Mary Schmit was student assistant and Heidi Kingery was manager.

Grand Island Campus u The Grand Is land Cam pus was one of 82 com mu - nity colleges selected to partic i pate in a national re- u A proposal subm itted by Joyce Meinecke and search projec t sponsore d by the National Council Linda Petroff, so cial sci ence in struc tors, re sulted in for In struc tional Ad min is tra tors, the Coun cil for a video being produced by the Nebras ka Edu ca - Stu dent De vel op ment, and Amer i can Col lege Test- tional Council for Higher Edu ca tion. The instruc - ing. The projec t helped CCC learn how well its stu- tional video, “Country Clubs: City Gangs in Rural dents met the edu ca tional objec tives of the college . Ar eas,” in tended pri mar ily for col lege psy chol ogy Par tic i pat ing stu dents learned how their ac a demic and soci ol ogy classes, was also aired on Nebras ka skills com pared nation ally with other com munity Ed u ca tional Tele vi sion and made avail able to col lege stu dents. NETCHE mem bers through their video library. u About 90 students attende d the second annual Job CCC was a long-time mem ber of NETCHE. Fair for Nurses held on the cam pus. u The Cen tral Ne braska Writer’s Net work held u Dr. Gene Koepke, vice chan cel lor for ac ademic af - monthly meetings on the Grand Island Cam pus. fairs at the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Kear ney, was The meet ings were conducte d by Sondra Last, a the key note speaker for the Grand Is land Cam pus pub lished free lance writer. gradu a tion. He told the gradu ate s that the future u Jeanne Olbricht William s, a 1985 gradu ate with an was going to be much differ ent than any of them as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in ac count ing, antic i pate d and that it was going to approac h with was honored with the Dis tinguishe d Alumni Award lightning speed. He rec om mended that they an tici - by the Ne braska Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. pate change and pre pare for it. The alumni addres s In 1983, she was a divorce d mother with four chil- was given by Robert Luebbe, who earned de grees dren. Then she enrolle d at the Grand Island Cam - in data proces sing, electron ics , and business and pus through the Job Training Partner ship Act. manage m ent from CCC. A se nior com puter ana lyst Upon com plet ing the as so ci ate de gree, she re ceived at Duncan Avia tion in Lincoln, he told gradu ate s a Re gent’s Scholar ship for the Univer sity of Ne - that spe cial iza tion, a good re sume, per sis tence, and braska at Lincoln from which she gradu ate d with aggres sive ness are keys to finding a good job. honors in 1987. At the time of the award, she was a cor po rate tax ac coun tant at Chief In dus tries.

62 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Linda Wenn, office technol ogy in struc tor, was se- u Construc tion of the 52,845-square-foot College lected by the Ne braska State Busi ness Ed u cation Park facil ity was completed in the fall. The campus Asso ci a tion as a del egate to the 31st annual Moun- leased space in that build ing for sci ence class - tain-Plains Busi ness Ed u ca tion Lead er ship Train - rooms, the Reynolds Library, nurs ing office s, a ing Confer ence . The Mountain- Plains Business com puter lab, and gen eral ed u ca tion class rooms. Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion en com passes nine states and Col lege Park was built im me di ately west of the one Ca na dian prov ince. cam pus. u Seven staff members re ceived de grees. Earn ing u To ac com mo date in creas ing needs, the caf e te ria bach e lor of pro fes sional stud ies de grees in busi ness was rem odele d and expanded, and the business and ad min is tra tion of tech ni cal ser vices from Belle vue in dus try build ing was re mod eled to in clude sev eral Col lege were Dale Arends, busi ness ad min is tra tion class rooms. in struc tor; Alan Hult, data pro cess ing in struc tor; u Gwenlyn Brown, per sonal de vel op ment in struc tor, Chris Kiser-Moravek, grants and specia l projec t di- at tended an in vi ta tion-only con fer ence in Rapid rec tor; and Fred Roeser, elec tron ics in struc tor. City, S.D. The conference was de signed to help ed - Ruby Grudzinski, food ser vice manager for Profes - u ca tors im prove their per sonal and pro fes sional ef- sional Food Manage m ent, com pleted a bache lor of fec tive ness by us ing the strat egies they teach their pro fes sional stud ies de gree in man age ment of hu - students in college survival courses. man resour ces. Pam Price, ad mission s di rec tor, was u Dr. Bill Giddings be came the pres ident of the granted a mas ter of sci ence de gree in coun sel ing Grand Island Cam pus in August. Previ ously, he from the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Kear ney, and was dean of adult and com munity edu ca tion at Jan Sorahan, of fice tech nol ogy in struc tor, re ceived Iowa Central Com munity College . He earned his a master of sci ence de gree in vo cation al busi ness un der grad u ate and grad u ate de grees from Iowa edu ca tion from the Univer sity of Ne braska at Kear- State Uni ver sity. He re ceived an Out stand ing Dis - ney. ser ta tion Rec og ni tion Award from the Amer i can u Sa rah Cunningham, ac count ing in struc tor, was As so ci a tion of Ju nior and Com mu nity Col leges. elected as a national di rector for the In stitute of u The Grand Is land Cam pus re ceived an award from Man age ment Ac coun tants. the Ne braska De part ment of La bor rec og niz ing its efforts to help em ploy ees balance work and fam ily

College Park, completed in 1992, provides space for various Grand Island Campus programs.

63 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

com mitm ents. The cam pus was cited for provid ing regard les s of their profes sion, they must be willing on-campus day care ser vices, emplo yee tu i tion to change. ben e fits, a flex i ble ben e fits plan, ma ter nity leave, u Two staff members re ceived de grees: Kathleen and al ternate work schedules . McPherson, dean of instruc tion, doc torate in ad- u The 33 mem bers of the 1992 asso ci ate degree in min is tra tion, cur ric u lum, and in struc tion from the nursing class achieved a 100 percent pass ing rate Univer sity of Ne braska at Lincoln, and Vicki on the state li cens ing ex am i na tion re quired to be- Papineau, reading instruc tor, master of arts degree come a regis tere d nurse. All 39 mem bers of the in reading edu ca tion and master of sci ence degree first gradu at ing class, which com pleted the pro- in middle school edu ca tion from the Univer sity of gram in 1991, also re ceived a passing rate, with Ne braska at Kear ney. only one gradu ate being required to take the exam i- u Duane “Jake” Jacobs of Edgar, building service s nation a second time. All but three of the ADN manager at the Hastings Regio nal Cen ter, re ceived grad u ates re mained in Ne braska, ac cord ing to the 11th annual Outsta nding Alumni Award. He Mary Lou Holmberg, super vi sor for the asso ci ate gradu ate d in 1977 with an as soci ate of applied sci- degree of nursing and allied health program s. ence degree in hum an service s. In his posi tion, he u About 30 em ploy ees from the Eaton Corpo ra tion in managed about 50 em ploy ees and super vise d Kearney com pleted a two-year training program workers who were inm ates, pa tients, Educational through the Grand Island Cam pus. The plant itsel f Service Unit 9 students , and other trainees . While was the site for the motor controls class. Eaton em - he had con sid er able work ex pe ri ence be fore he ploy ees who completed the class earned seven se - studied at CCC, he said he had never regret ted his mester hours of col lege credit. The class was led by choice. Dana Wert, man u fac tur ing tech nol ogy en gi neer ing u The health care ad min is tra tion course, “Health and in struc tor. So cial Ser vice De liv ery Sys tems,” was broad cast via the NEB*SAT Network to students at Retired Scottsbluff and McCook during the fall sem ester. u Don Nelson re tired as presi dent of the Grand Is land Jane Clifton, a li censed health care ad min is tra tor at Cam pus. He joined CCC in 1969 as chairm an of Tiffany Square in Grand Is land, was the instruc tor. the genera l edu ca tion divi sion at the Hastings Cam - u Art Stark, phys i cal plant boiler fire man, re ceived pus. In 1975, he transferr ed to the college office in the eighth annual Outsta nding Ser vice Award from Grand Is land as ad min is tra tive as sis tant to Dr. the Hastings Cam pus. He was cited for his quiet Ches ter Gausman, then the col lege pres i dent. He dedi ca tion to his job and the dili gence with which later served as dean of instruc tion at Grand Island he oper ate d the 22 boil ers that heated the cam pus before be com ing the campus president in 1985. buildings. He joined the college staff in 1966 after having worked at the Naval Am muni tion De pot. Hastings Campus u A medi cal record techni cia n option was added to the office technol ogy pro gram. The two-year pro- u The stu dent-op er ated cam pus ra dio sta tion gram consis ted of 30 sem ester- hours of courses at KCNT-FM broadcas t a 12-part se ries on alco hol- CCC, 37 se mes ter-hours of cor re spon dence work re lated is sues. The se ries was dis trib uted by West - from the Amer i can Health In for ma tion Man age- ern Public Radio with funds provided by the Rob - ment As so ci a tion, and di rected clin i cal prac tice. ert Wood Johnson Founda tion. In addi tion to its u Latham Mortensen, welding instruc tor, pre sented a reg u lar pro gram ming, the sta tion also pro vided live pro gram on “Qual ity Weld ing, Weld ing Pro ce dures cov er age for campus ath letic events and other ac - and Safe Prac tices” in Chi cago at the con cur rent tiv i ties. con fer ence of the Amer i can Rail way Bridge and u In her addres s to gradu ate s, Lt. Gov. Maxine Maul Build ing As so ci a tion and the Roadmasters and cred ited com mu nity col leges with pro vid ing the Main te nance of Way As so ci a tion. grad u ates and re sources nec es sary for busi ness u Terry Reiman of Holdrege re ceived the top score in startups and expan sions . She urged her listen ers to the state on a nation al compe tency exam in heat ing, com mit them selves to lifelong learning, say ing that air con di tion ing, and re frig er a tion. Af ter grad u at-

64 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

ing in May, he became a service man for Du ra ble her ability to stay on task and meet deadlines , she Service in Holdrege. Alan Krueger and Wayne contin ued to work part-time af ter her retire ment. Fos ter were his instruc tors. u Gene Cookus of Har vard re tired as a construc tion u Cam pus faculty and staff conducte d the fifth an- technol ogy in struc tor. He joined CCC in 1967 in nual phone bank night. Ninety contac ts were made that same posi tion. He attende d the Milford Cam - to ap pli cants and pro spec tive stu dents. pus, Doane Col lege, and Kear ney State Col lege. u Dis tribu tion of a recruit ing video was be gun. By He is a life member of the Vet er ans of For eign the end of the 1993 aca dem ic year, 61 videos were Wars and the Chosen Few, a group of the 2,200 sent to prospec tive students in 10 states, from Cal i- survi vors from the Chosen Reser voir in Korea fornia to New Jersey. “The Guide to Under sta nding where 15,000 soldiers fought against 120,000 In di vid u al ized In struc tion,” which was de vel oped Chinese. by cam pus per sonnel, was include d with the video. Retired Platte Campus u Vince Krueger of Hastings retired as phys i cal plant u Do ris Lux, co op er a tive ed u ca tion di rec tor, was direc tor. He was one of the first people hired by elected sec re tary-trea surer of the Co op er a tive Ed u - the college , starting in June 1966. He served as su - ca tion As so ci a tion of Ne braska. Terry Hotovy, co- pervi sor of buildings and grounds be fore accept ing op er a tive ed u ca tion in struc tor-coun selor, re ceived the po si tion as di rec tor. the Distin guishe d Service Award from the same or- u Dr. Kathy McPherson of Hastings re tired as dean gani za tion. Lux also re ceived the Richard G. of instruc tion. She joined the CCC staff in 1976 as Campbell Award from the Coop er a tive Work Ex- chair per son of the health oc cu pa tions clus ter in pe ri ence Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion for out stand ing time to provide the estab lish m ent of the dental hy- con tri bu tions to co op er a tive ed u ca tion. giene pro gram. Af ter serv ing as an as so ci ate dean, u The city of Colum bus was vying with Em poria, she be came dean of instruc tion in 1985. She Kan., to at tract FLEXcon, a Mas sa chu setts pro - served as in terim col lege pres i dent af ter the res ig - ducer of pres sure-sensi tive film that was looking nation of Dr. Carl Rolf. for a Midwes tern loca tion for a new plant. It ap- u Dor o thy Beyke of Hastings re tired as sec re tary of peared that the com pany had decide d to locat e in shipping and re ceiving. She started on a part-time Em poria. One reason was that Colum bus did not basis in that depart m ent in 1977, advance d to per- have a four-year col lege. FLEXcon did agree to manent part-time in 1981 and becam e full-time in visit Co lum bus, how ever. Com pany of fi cials spent 1985. most of the day with local manu fac turers before u Roy Johnston of Hastings retire d as asso ci ate dean hear ing Dr. Pete Rush, cam pus presi dent. He en- of com munity edu ca tion. He began working at the deavored to convince them that having a two-year college in 1972 and served as a construc tion tech- com mu nity col lege with spe cial em pha sis on vo ca- nol ogy in struc tor and com mu nity ed u ca tion co or di- tional ed u ca tion and in dus trial de vel op ment train - na tor be fore ac cept ing the po si tion of as so ci ate ing would help make Colum bus a better place to dean. lo cate than its ri val. Rush in tro duced rep re sen ta- u Mar ga ret Ochsner re tired as sec re tary and recep - tives of three local com panies who explaine d their tion ist at the In struc tional De vel op ment Cen ter expe ri ence in working with the cam pus to de velop (IDC) although she contin ued to work in that posi - em ployee training program s. Two weeks later, tion on a part-time basis . She joined CCC in 1975 FLEXcon announced plans to locat e a 200,000- as a record keeper in the com munity edu ca tion of- square-foot plant in Colum bus. fice. A year later she accepted the po si tion in the u Dr. Em ily Uzendoski was the com piler and man- IDC. A native of England, she moved to the ager of a da tabase to provide a bibli og ra phy of Ne- United States in 1945 after marrying a U. S. ser- braska authors and their publishe d works. Severa l vice man. or ga ni za tions pro vided fund ing for the pro ject in- u Delores Ready of Grand Island re tired as a bindery clud ing the Ne braska Hu man i ties Coun cil and the worker in the print shop, a posi tion she held be gin- CCC Foun da tion. ning in 1980 when she joined the staff. Known for

65 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u About 600 people partic i pate d in training sessions $212,000 grant from the U.S. De partm ent of Edu - offere d by the Platte Cam pus and the Ne braska cation to support the projec t. Pub lic Power District dur ing the fall. The train ing u Twila Wallace, an of fice tech nol ogy in struc tor, ses sions were part of a two-year en ergy manage - was the re cip i ent of the Faculty Member of the ment program funded by the oil overchar ge ac - Year Award. She was cited for her in ter est in her count of the state. With the support of NPPD, the stu dents, her ac tive in volve ment in pre par ing them en ergy man age ment pro gram ex panded from the for the job market, and her dedi ca tion as a student CCC ser vice area to state wide. It was also broad - advise r. She also conducte d business and indus try ened to include person nel from private indus try in train ing and com mu nity ed u ca tion work shops and addi tion to those em ployed by cities , counties , hos- was active in many profes sional and com munity pitals , nursing homes, and schools. or ga ni za tions. u Mi chael Bause, a Ger man ex change stu dent spon - u The cam pus ac quired a CD-ROM for the li brary, sored by the Future Farm ers of America and the and the Learn ing Re source Cen ter gained ac cess to Ger man govern m ent, attende d the Platte Cam pus world wide in for ma tion through the Internet. dur ing his yearlong stay in this country. A farmer u An Honors Concer t at the cam pus featured 147 stu- in his na tive land, he was at tracted to the campus dents from 31 Nebras ka high schools. John L. Gates, becaus e of its swine manage m ent program . profes sor of music at the Univer sity of Wis consin’s u Dr. Pete Rush, pres i dent, was chair man of a North Sheboygan County Cam pus, was guest conduc tor Cen tral As so ci a tion eval u a tion team that vis ited for the band. Re tired Ar i zona mu sic ed u ca tor Crowder College in Neosha, Mo. Thomas Patrick was guest conduc tor for the chorus. u Wes ley Johnson, a Dal las attor ney and 1975 gradu - u The cam pus sponsore d its first Nebras ka Al terna - ate of the Platte Campus, was the key note speaker tive Fuel Confer ence , designe d for owners of vehi - at gradu a tion. He told the gradu ate s that the edu ca - cle fleets and oth ers in ter ested in al ter na tive fu els tion they recei ved pre pared them to be as com peti - such as etha nol, propane, natu ral gas, and metha - tive as they wanted to be. He also discuss ed the nol. Ameri can sys tem of trial by jury, say ing that de - u Marcene Wurdeman, an account ing instruc tor, was spite some ques tion able ver dicts, the ju ries are an named Teacher for Ex cel lence by the Platte chap ter effec tive way to estab lish rule by ordi nary people of Phi Theta Kappa, a student aca dem ic honor ary in stead of bu reau crats. orga ni za tion. Wurdeman joined the faculty in 1978 u Leon Sanders, as soci ate dean of business program s and was cited for her consid er able profes sional and and oper a tions, was honored with the Platte Person com mu nity ac tiv i ties as well as her help ful ness to of the Year Award. He was cited for his ad min is - stu dents. trative and leader ship skills, his tireless atten tion to u Three staff members were recip i ents of col lege de - the smooth op er a tion of his ar eas of re spon si bil ity, grees: Lynn Hig gins, ac count ing in struc tor, mas ter his openness to change and inno va tion, his ready of busi ness ad min is tra tion, Uni ver sity of Ne braska wit, and unerr ing respec t for every one. He joined at Omaha; Karin Rieger, commu nity ed u cation re - the faculty in 1970 as an account ing instruc tor. gional co or di na tor, mas ter of ed u ca tion de gree in u The Board of Gover nors approved a cam pus master vo ca tional ed u ca tion, Uni ver sity of Ne braska at plan to guide future construc tion on the cam pus. Lin coln; and Mary Speicher, com mu nity ed u ca tion They also approved the construc tion of a roadway sec re tary, as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree, to connect the east and west parking lots. CCC. u CCC and Appleton Electric Com pany teamed up to u Sandi Schmidt was named to the training com mit- provide training for more than 300 produc tion tee of the Ne braska State As so ci ation of Fi nan cial workers at the com pany’s Colum bus plant. Barb Aid Ad min is tra tors. Rebrovich, grants co or di na tor, and Roger Wisialowski, quality control manager at Appleton, Retired were di rec tors of the work place lit er acy pro ject u Don Schneberger of Shelby retire d as cam pus oper - which began in 1991. The col lege recei ved a ations di rec tor. In that posi tion he super vise d the cam pus busi ness of fice, ship ping and re ceiv ing, and the mainte nance depart m ents. Before joining

66 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

the college , Schneberger served for 21 years in the ing having led the ef forts in l965 which re sulted in U. S. Navy and held severa l other posi tions. leg is la tion per mit ting the es tab lish ment of u Hazel Stueck of Colum bus re tired as a custo dian. multicounty vo ca tional-tech ni cal schools and for She joined the staff in that ca pacity in 1980. She his leader ship on be half of the Aurora Mem orial and her husband have 3 children and 4 grandchil - Hos pi tal. dren. u The Rev. Bill Doran of Grand Island, a mem ber of u Shir ley Czuba re tired as a prac ti cal nurs ing in struc - the Board of Gover nors since 1982, recei ved the tor af ter 15 years on the fac ulty teaching geron tol - Gover nor’s Award from the Nebras ka Com munity ogy. She recei ved her nursing degree while living College Asso ci a tion. He was cited for holding vari - in Brandon, Mani toba, Canada, and later earned a ous office s in the NCCA and for being ac tive in the Bach elor of Sci ence de gree from Kearney State As so ci a tion of Com mu nity Col lege Trust ees. He College . She worked as an oper at ing room nurse also par tic i pated in many com mu nity ac tiv i ties. in Man i toba, Al berta, and Cal i for nia be fore mov - u The college budget for 1992-93 totale d ing to Colum bus. $16,187,090, an incre ase of $332,122. While state stat utes pre scribed that there be no in crease in In Memory property tax without a super major ity vote of the u Chuck Farnham of Colum bus, 67, died in Dulce, Board of Gover nors, the board did allow an in- N.M., as the re sult of an ac ci dent. Af ter re tir ing crease because of a sub stan tial in crease in en roll - from the Land-O-Lakes Com pany, he joined the ment. campus staff as head of its Small Busi ness Cen ter. u The cam pus es tablishe d a mem orial fund for the fam ily of Lonzo Rollins. Rollins, 19, the son of College Administration An drew and Sheila Rollins of Omaha, was a sec - u Four staff members completed de grees: Bev An - ond-year Platte Cam pus student and a 6-foot 4-inch derso n, colleg e accoun ting manager, a master’s de - for ward on the Raider Bas ket ball team. He col - gree in busi ness ad min is tra tion, Uni ver sity of lapsed and died while play ing a pickup bas ket ball Ne braska at Kear ney; Sherry Desel, sys tems ad - game at the campus. min is tra tor, as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in data pro cess ing, CCC; Jamie Meyer, ed u cation al AAWCJC re ports spe cial ist, bach e lor of sci ence de gree in busi ness ad min is tra tion, UNK; and Ca thy Vega, u Through the encour age m ent of Dr. Judy Dresser, pub lic in for ma tion sec re tary, bach e lor of pro fes - Hastings Campus pres i dent, all three campuses es - sional studies degree in manage m ent, Belle vue tab lished chap ters of the Amer i can As so ci a tion of Col lege. Women in Com munity and Junior Col leges during u Alicia Haussler, pur chas ing manager, was cho sen the year. as the Women of the Year by the Grand Is land YWCA. She was cited for her lead er ship skills and Board of Governors for hav ing pro vided sup port and en cour age ment to other women. u Ed Loutzenheiser Jr. of Hastings, mem ber of the u Dr. Larry Keller, in sti tu tional ad vance ment Board of Gover nors, was one of the first 10 busi- director, re signed to ac cept a posi tion as pres ident of ness leaders to be inducte d into the Nebras ka Busi- New Hampshire Tech ni cal Col lege in Laconia, ness Hall of Fame sponsore d by the Nebras ka N.H. He was the first fac ulty mem ber hired on the Chamber of Com merce and In dus try. He was cred - Hastings Cam pus in 1966 and the first presi dent of ited with having founded at least 12 succes sful the Grand Is land Cam pus. com panies over 40 years. u A pay study was begun to review the com pensa tion u Ken Wortman, charter mem ber of the Board of levels of all full-time nonfaculty po si tions. Rep re- Gover nors, was named Ne bras kan of the Year by sen ta tives from each cam pus and the ad min is tra tive the Downtown Lincoln Rotary Club. Among other of fice were se lected by the Col lege Cab i net to form things, he was cited for his involve m ent with the the Pro ject Advisory Commit tee. The PAC mem - com mu nity col lege move ment in Ne braska in clud-

67 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

bers from the ad min is tra tive of fice were Alicia tinue to im prove. He suggest ed that edu ca tors Haussler and Dr. Eric Jones; from the Grand Is land should look at what skills their students will need Cam pus were Jane Birkholz, Mary Lou Holmberg, in a tech no log i cal world. and Pam Price; from the Hastings Cam pus were Dr. Mike Chipps, Dee Cochrane, Jim Krebsbach, College Enrollment and Jim Cronin; and from the Platte Cam pus were Dr. Roger Augspurger, Ron Kluck, and Rod Mul- u During the 1991-92 college year, a record total of ler. 32,329 students were served, an incre ase of 2,765 u As a matter of college policy approved by the or 9.3 per cent. All three campuses ex pe ri enced an Board of Gover nors, all forms of tobacc o use were incre ase in both head count and full-time equiva - banned in college vehi cle s and buildings be ginning lent enroll m ent. (One FTE equals 30 sem es- Aug. 1. ter-hours of credit). Retired u Irma Wanitschke of Grand Is land re tired as a pur- Coordinating Commission chas ing clerk. She joined the col lege staff in 1984 u A new Co or di nat ing Com mis sion for as sec re tary for the adult ba sic ed u cation pro gram Postsecondary Ed uca tion, com posed of 11 com - and transferr ed to the purchas ing depart m ent two mission ers appointed by the governor with the ap- years later. She later worked for the col lege on a proval of the leg is la ture, be came effec tive on Jan. l. part-time ba sis as a receptionist. An ear lier co or di nat ing com mis sion with lim ited powers had been estab lishe d by the Nebras ka Leg - isla ture in 1976. In 1990, Ne braska voters amended College Foundation the state con sti tu tion to pro vide for a co or di nat ing u Mary J. Graf, a Colum bus busi ness woman who com mis sion with re spon si bil ity for state wide plan - died in 1991 at age 91, speci fied in her will that ning for postsecondary ed uca tion, includ ing the ap - funds in exces s of $250,000 were to be used for an proval or disap proval of new and exist ing endowed scholar ship fund for Platte Cam pus stu - instruc tional program s at the Univer sity of Ne - dents from the counties in and around the Colum - braska, the state col leges, and the com munity col - bus area. For the 1992-93 college year, ten $1,000 leges. schol ar ships were awarded. u As of June 30, 1992, the grand total of all founda - tion as sets was $1,498,317. Kearney Center u More than 500 donors of the CCC Founda tion at - u Col leen Quadhamer, prac ti cal nurs ing in struc tor, tended ei ther the an nual ap pre ci a tion din ner held at re ceived a master of sci ence de gree in nurs ing from Grand Island or a luncheon held at Colum bus at Clarkson College of Nurs ing in Omaha. which Dr. Thomas Sutherland, who had been held as a hostage in Leba non for 77 months, was the fea tured speaker. Suther land and his wife, Jean, Leadership Development also ap peared at an all-col lege in-ser vice held on u Cindy Foxhoven, Hastings Cam pus counsel or, and the Platte Campus to which students from area high Carol Taczek, Platte Cam pus in struc tional ser vices schools were invited. Suther land spoke on “Les- as sis tant, were se lected to par tic i pate in a year long sons Learned in Captiv ity” to the com bined audi - na tional lead er ship train ing pro gram for women ence of about 800 people. ad min is tra tors and fac ulty. The eval u a tion of a pro- u Dr. Willard Daggett, di rector of the In terna tional ject proposal was part of the selec tion proces s. The Center for Leader ship in Edu ca tion, spoke at Work training was conducte d by the National Insti tute of 4, an an nual con fer ence fo cus ing on ed u ca tion and busi ness part ner ships, and sev eral other ed u ca - Lead er ship De vel op ment with the spon sor ship of tional groups includ ing the CCC Founda tion. sev eral ed u ca tional or ga ni za tions. Daggett said that Ameri can schools need to con-

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agreem ent also provided for a 6.01 percent incre ase Leadership Diversity for l993-94. u Vikki Jaeger, di rec tor of grants and spe cial projec ts at the Hastings Cam pus and projec t coor di na tor for Placement Report the lead er ship di ver sity grant, at tended an eval u a- u The three campus place ment of fices jointly re - tion confer ence for the grant at Met ropol i tan Com - ported that their sur vey to which 99 percent of the munity College in Omaha. The meet ing brought 1992 gradu ate s re sponded showed that 97 percent to gether pro ject co or di na tors for the 10 com mu nity were ei ther em ployed or were contin u ing their edu - colleges that were partic i pat ing in the grant to re- cation, 84 percent seeking em ploy ment found jobs port on outcom es and plan re maining ac tivi ties . direc tly relate d to their field of study, and 84 per- cent were remain ing in the 25-county area served by the college , either to work or to continue their Lexington Learning Center ed u ca tion. The three place ment di rec tors re spon si - ble for the re port were Jacalyn Ayoub, Grand Is - u Kathy Neil of Lexington joined CCC as coor di na - land; Beth Mierau, Platte; and Ray Szlanda, tor of the newly estab lishe d Lexington Dis tance Hastings. Learning Program . The program was designe d for students who may wish to com plete an as soci ate of applied science degree in business and manage - Sabbatical Leave ment entire ly through off-cam pus courses at the u A new sabbat i cal leave policy was approved by the Lexington Learning Center. NEB*Sat courses, Board of Gover nors. The policy extende d to com puter conferencing, and com puter-assis ted in- full-time ad min is tra tors and other staff op por tu ni- struc tion were among the methods of course deliv - ties for sabbat i cals sim ilar to those which had been ery to be em ployed. The pi lot program was available to fac ulty for about the pre vious 10 years. de vel oped by Sa rah Cunningham, ac count ing in- struc tor at the Grand Is land Cam pus. Leadership Conference u More than 50 students and advis ers from Nebras ka NEB*SAT com mu nity col leges at tended a stu dent lead er ship confer ence sponsore d by the three cam puses of u The E.N. Thompson Forum on World Is sues, a CCC and held on the Hastings Cam pus. Partic i - teleconference lecture se ries spon sored by the Uni - pants were mem bers of student senate s and student versity of Ne braska at Lincoln and the Cooper ac tiv i ties pro gram ming boards at their col leges. Or- Founda tion which origi nate d from the Lied Center ga niz ers were CCC ad vis ers Nick Freelend, Grand in Lincoln, was made available on the cam puses Island Cam pus; Cindy Foxhoven and Michele Gill, via NEB*SAT. No bel Lau re ate Murray Gell-Mann, Hastings Cam pus; and Rochel le Kort, Platte Cam - pro fes sor of the o ret i cal phys ics at the Cal i for nia pus. Insti tute of Technol ogy, was an early featured speaker. The lec tures were free and open to the pub lic. Tech Prep u The CCC Board of Gover nors approved an agree- Negotiated Agreement ment with Kearney Public Schools to develop a Tech Prep pro gram at the col lege that was later to u A two-year con tract for full-time fac ulty was ap - be come a model for other cen tral Ne braska proved by the Central Com munity College Edu ca - schools. Tech Prep is a national movem ent to de - tion As soci a tion and rati fied by the Board of velop high school curric ula de signed to prepare Gov er nors. The ne go ti ated agree ment amounted to stu dents for col lege-level as so ci ate de gree tech ni - a 6.75 percent incre ase for 1992-93 for the 126 cal ed u ca tion pro grams. full-time fac ulty, in clud ing $19,000 des ig nated to equal ize pay be tween male and fe male faculty . The

69 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Tech Prep Expands Horizons by Stephanie Jacobson, TRiO Director Tech Prep artic u lation at CCC started with the Tech Prep be gan as a national movem ent to de - business program s at Kearney High School and has velop high school curric ula to prepare students for col - since expanded into many differ ent areas of instruc tion lege-level as so ci ate in clud ing ac count ing, ag ri cul ture, auto body tech nol- de gree tech ni cal ed u ca - ogy, busi ness ad min is tra tion, busi ness tech nol ogy, con- tion program s. The ini- struc tion, culi nary arts, drafting, early childhood tiative, funded through ed u ca tion, elec tri cal tech nol ogy, elec tron ics, the health federa l Perkins dollars , sci ences, hor ti cul ture, in for ma tion tech nol ogy, ma chine was designe d to serve tool technol ogy, me dia arts, and welding. By 2005, the major ity of students Tech Prep credit was being accepted at both the com- who learn best if they munity colleges and the four-year colleges across im me di ately ap ply what Nebraska. they are learn ing. In Until the fall of 1995, Kevin Miller served as the 1992, Kearney High first Tech Prep co or di na tor for Cen tral Com mu nity School was the first to College . Stepha nie Jacob son served from 1995 through en ter into an ar tic u la- 1997. Barb Larson was then coor di na tor through 2002 tion agreeme nt with the when Steph a nie Ja cob son again as sumed the po si tion. In Septem ber 2005, Michelle Roggasch becam e the CCC Board of Gover - Stephanie Jacobson nors. By Janu ary 2006, Tech Prep coordinator. there were 65 area high schools par tici pat ing in the Tech Prep bene fits students by saving them time Central Nebraska Tech Prep Consortium. and money as they ad vance in a ca reer path way. It ben - Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege chose to im ple ment e fits ed u ca tors by cre at ing a part ner ship be tween sec - the advance d placem ent model of artic u la tion when it ondary and postsecondary in struc tors, allow ing them to started the consor tium . That form of artic u la tion is en hance cur ric ula at both lev els. It ben efits the commu - most often called 4+2. It focuse s on com peten cie s that nity by of fering incen tives to young adults to continue are being taught at both the second ary and postsecond - with their edu ca tion and to be better trained for local ary levels. Once stu dents have mas tered cer tain compe - employers. tencie s at the high school level, they have the The 67 high schools that were mem bers of the Cen- oppor tu nity to earn college credit at CCC. tral Nebras ka Tech Prep Consor tium when this publi ca - tion was printed are listed below. CCC Tech Prep Partners in 2005-06 Following is a list of Central u Cross County High School u Grand Island Senior High u North Loup-Scotia High School Community College Tech Prep u David City High School School u Ord High School partner schools in Oct. 2005. u David City Aquinas High u Greeley-Wolbach High School u Osceola High School u Adams Central High School School u Harvard High School u Overton High School u Amherst High School u Doniphan-Trumbull High u Hastings High School u Palmer High School u Arapahoe High School School u Hastings St. Cecilia High u Pleasanton High School u Arcadia High School u East Butler High School School u Ravenna High School u Aurora High School u Elba High School u High Plains High School u Red Cloud High School u Bertrand High School u Elm Creek High School u Holdrege High School u Sandy Creek High School u Blue Hill High School u Elwood High School u Humphrey High School u Schuyler Central High School u Boone Central High School u Eustis-Farnam High School u Kearney High School u Scotus Central Catholic u Cedar Rapids High School u Franklin High School u Kenesaw High School u Shelton High School u Central City High School u Fullerton High School u Lakeview High School u Spalding High School u Centura High School u Gibbon High School u Lawrence-Nelson High School u St. Edward High School u Clarkson High School u Giltner High School u Leigh High School u Superior High School u Clay Center High School u Grand Island Central Catholic u Lexington High School u Sutton High School u Columbus High School High School u Loomis High School u Twin River High School u Columbus Lakeview High u Grand Island Northwest High u Loup City High School u Wilcox-Hildreth High School School School u Minden High School u Wood River High School u Cozad High School

70 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1993 Academic Transfer Program Expanded to All CCC Campuses In June 1992, the CCC Board of Gover nors autho rize d the college adm inis tra tion to seek approval for ac adem ic trans fer pro grams at the Grand Is land and Hastings campuses. Ear lier that year, a com pre hen sive statewide plan for postsecondary ed u ca tion com pleted by the Co or di nat ing Com mis sion had en cour aged com mu nity col leges to de- velop propos als for transfer program s on cam puses that did not have them. A CCC proposal was present ed in Octo - ber 1992 and approved by the com mission in March 1993. An aca dem ic transfer program provid ing the first two years of a bache lor’s de gree had been available at the Platte Cam pus from its be ginning in 1969. Under legis la tion en acted in 1973, Platte had been the only CCC campus authorized by state law to offer an academic transfer program. College Pres ident Dr. Joe Preusser said at the time that support for voca tional program s on the Grand Island and Hastings cam puses would re main as strong as ever and that adding transfer program s wouldn’t have a big budget ary impact because the two cam puses had al ways of fered gen eral ed u cation courses as sup port courses for tech ni cal pro - grams. Fac ulty in those ar eas were well qual i fied to teach the trans fer courses, mak ing the im ple menta tion of trans - fer program s rela tivel y easy. In fact, histor i cal ly, many students from the Grand Is land and Hastings cam puses had trans ferred cred its earned in general education to four-year colleges. When the plan was im plem ented in the fall of 1993, the Platte Cam pus contin ued to offer trans fer courses in some ar eas that weren’ t avail able at the other campuses, and there was some sharing of in struc tion via sat el lite among the three cam puses.

Grand Island Cam pus bi ol ogy in structor Dr. Wayne Vian as sists a student. A full range of sci ence classes, in clud ing bi ol ogy, chem istry and phys ics, is offered as part of the CCC aca demic transfer program.

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Grand Island Campus u Grand Is land at tor ney Pat rick Brock received a cer - tif i cate of ap pre ci a tion from the Ne braska Coun cil on Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion for his ex cep tional con tri - bu tions to vo ca tional ed u ca tion. He chaired the paralegal stud ies ad vi sory com mit tee be gin ning in 1989. He also worked with faculty on course con- tent, textbook selec tion, and library re sources, and he taught a se mester of family law. u Guy Suganuma’s class in Princi ples of Econom ics Hypnotist Jim Wand works with a receptive group on I staged a de bate on the North Ameri can Free the Grand Island Campus. Trade Agreem ent. The purpose was to provide per- ti nent in for ma tion to the stu dent body re gard ing Mid-Ne braska Us ers of Com puters for his contri - NAFTA. Class member Lowell Tuma served as the butions to the club and to com puting. mod er a tor. u Gradu a tion for the Grand Is land Cam pus was held u Orval Poor Bear, an instruc tor for the Adult Ba sic at the Grand Island Se nior High School with Dr. Ed u ca tion pro gram in Grand Is land, pre sented a Bruce Stahl, ex ecu tive di rec tor of the Ne braska program on Sioux cul ture to an at tentive audi ence Co or di nat ing Com mis sion for Postsecondary Ed u- at the Grand Island Cam pus. Poor Bear was born in cation, as the key note speaker. The alumni addres s Scottsbluff where his father and uncle s made a liv- was given by Jan Franzen, a reg is tered nurse at ing in ag ri cul ture. Mary Lanning Mem orial Hospi tal in Hastings. u Bob Schleicher of Grand Is land was recog nize d as u Vicki Mackenstadt, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, the Outsta nding Postsecondary Student in Voca - and Kathy Woitaszewski, math e mat ics in struc tor, tional Edu ca tion by the Ne braska Council on Vo - re ceived a Vo cation al Teacher Sti pend for $225 ca tional Ed u ca tion. He earned an as so ci ate de gree from the Voca tional Founda tion of Nebras ka. The in data proces sing with an em phasis in micro com - money was used to finance visits to business es and puter sci ence. indus trie s during the sum mer to gain prac tical u Ford New Holland was honored by the Nebras ka up-to-date infor m ation which they used to adapt Coun cil on Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion as the state’s courses for as so ci ate de grees for Tech Prep. Par tic - leader in busi ness-ed u ca tion part ner ship. The com - ipat ing business es and indus trie s were Leon Plas - pany helped es tab lish the man u fac tur ing tech nol- tics, Alda; Bonnavilla Homes, Century ogy pro gram at CCC and has mem bers on the Man u fac tur ing Com pany and Iams Com pany, Au- advi sory com mittee of the program . It also played a rora; Chief Auto m otive, City of Grand Is land, crucial role in starting the pre-employ ment train ing Ore-Ida and St. Fran cis Med i cal Cen ter, Grand Is - program at CCC and then contrib uted $10,000 to land; Thermo King Cor pora tion, Hastings; and the CCC Founda tion to be used for scholar ships in Eaton Cor po ra tion, Kear ney. the pre-em ploy ment pro gram. u Seven staff members re ceived de grees: Danielle u Sandy Blank, coor di na tor of the Grand Island Bangs and Barb McGraw, nursing instruc tors, mas- Adult Ba sic Ed u ca tion pro gram, re ceived the ter of sci ence degree s in nurs ing from Bishop Rookie of the Year Award from the Adult and Clarkson College ; Sandy Blank, Adult Basic Edu - Con tin u ing Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion of Ne braska for ca tion co or di na tor, a bach e lor of pro fes sional stud- hav ing dem on strated ex em plary ser vice. ies degree in manage m ent of hum an re sources from u Fred Roeser, elec tron ics in struc tor, pre sented “Ap - Bellevue Col lege; Sharon Dryer, com munity edu - pli ca tions of Elec tronic Com mu ni ca tion in the ca tion sec re tary, a bach e lor of sci ence de gree in Classroom ” at the Second Annual Central Ne- busi ness ad min is tra tion from the Uni ver sity of Ne- braska Tech Fair in Grand Is land. He was also re - braska at Lincoln; Pa tricia Gifford, finan cial aid cipi ent of the Frank Alex an der Award from the tech ni cian, an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree from CCC; and Paul Sears, drafting instruc tor, a

72 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

mas ter of sci ence de gree in tech nol ogy ed u ca tion In Memory from the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Kear ney. u Don Nelson of North Platte died at his home af ter a u Jeanne Webb received an Hon or ary Life Award lengthy illness , having retire d in 1992 as cam pus from the Jef fer son El emen tary PTA and the Ne - pres ident of the Grand Is land Cam pus. Burial was braska Congres s of Parents and Teachers . in Fort McPherson National Cem etery in Maxwell. u Belle vue Col lege be gan of fer ing its ac cel er ated He was re mem bered for his friendly ap proach and maste r of arts in manage m ent program on the his pro fes sion al ism. Grand Island Cam pus. u Vicki Mackenstadt, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, was certi fied by the Insti tute for Real ity Therapy at Hastings Campus the comple tion of a three-year pro cess. The sys tem u Deb Brennan, hotel, motel and res taurant manage - of ther apy was devel oped by Dr. William Glasser . ment instruc tor, was named Chef of the Year by a u The cam pus in au gu rated a speaker’s bu reau fea tur - vote of the mem bership of the Ameri can Culi nary ing 17 staff mem bers available to provide program s Fed er a tion of Pro fes sional Chefs. to com munity groups on a vari ety of topics . u A new tower was in stalled for KCNT-FM, the stu - u With the addi tion to the staff of Lynn Meyer, coun- dent-oper ate d radio sta tion on the cam pus. The selor and spe cial pop u la tions ad vo cate, the cam pus older tower was toppled by strong winds during the incre ased its service s to students who needed as sis - sum mer. After the storm, Rick Horn, elec tronics tance be cause of phys i cal hand i caps, cul tural back - techni cia n, rigged a 10-watt antenna that allowe d ground, or other spe cial needs. the KCNT signal to reach Hastings on days when u The cam pus was co-sponsor for the annual confer - condi tions were favor able . When its 2,300-watt an - ence of the Ne braska As so ci ation of Emer gency tenna was back in place, the sta tion could be heard Man ag ers held in Kear ney. within a 35-mile radius. u More than 1,500 people from 277 Nebras ka com - u The CLASS (Co or di nated Learn ing As sis tance for muni ties at tended the Ne braska State Fire School Student Suc cess) Projec t which was funded by a held on the cam pus. Perkins grant, pro vided tu tor ing, eval u a tion, and u The as so ci ate de gree in nurs ing pro gram re ceived adult renewa l edu ca tion to 861 specia l needs stu - accred i ta tion for five years from the Na tional dents begin ning in the 1992-93 ac adem ic year. The League of Nursing. Mary Lou Holmberg said that pro ject also pro vided learn ing strat e gies train ing five years was the longest period possi ble for initial for 90 faculty and staff. Bob Shields, counsel or, di- accre di ta tion. Among other strengths, the NLN vis- rected the pro ject. it ing team ap plauded the de vel op ment of cur ric u- u About 50 people attende d the annual school trans- lum which provided for a smooth transi tion from porta tion mainte nance workshop held on the cam - the practi cal nursing program offere d by CCC into pus. the as so ci ate de gree nurs ing pro gram. u Sixty stu dents partic i pat ing in the Eight-Man All u The 43rd annual conven tion of the Licens ed Practi - Star Football Camp lived and prac ticed on the cam - cal Nurse As so ci ation of Ne braska, which met in pus. Kearney, was co-sponsore d by the Grand Island u About 400 people from across the country attende d Cam pus. QuiltNebraska on the Hastings Cam pus. The event u About 180 people from 70 Nebras ka towns at - fea tured dis plays and a vari ety of classes in which tended the Custo dial Confer ence and School held quilters could sharpen their skills. on the cam pus. u Grand Island Contrac t Carri ers donate d a 45-foot Retired flat bed to the truck driving program . Mari lyn u LaVonne Braun of Grand Is land re tired as a finan - Lange, truck driving program super vi sor, said the cial aid techni cia n, a posi tion she had held since flat bed was es pe cially help ful in teach ing ad di - 1983. She had joined the staff in 1980 as a tional backing skills. GICC Genera l Manager Bob part-time emplo yee in the stu dent ser vices depart - Win ters and GICC Safety Di rec tor Rich ard ment. Cordray were mem bers of the CCC truck driving ad vi sory com mit tee.

73 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u Latham “Mort” Mortensen, welding instruc tor be- conferr ed in 1993 were 423, includ ing 109 as soci ate ginning in 1967, re ceived the ninth annual Out- de grees, 104 di plo mas, and 210 cer tif i cates. standing Ser vice Award from the cam pus. Among u Both the Tech nol ogy in Ed u ca tion Com pe ti tion, in other things, he was cited for his profes sional im - which about 500 junior and senior high school stu- age, pos i tive at ti tude, gen u ine in ter est in stu dents, dents partic i pate d, and the Nebras ka Plym - and his recruit ing efforts through his contac ts with outh-AAA Trouble shoot ing Contes t were held on in dus try. the campus. u The Hastings Cam pus joined with the Ne braska u Dr. Nan Graf, assis tant profes sor of English at Ne - Telecourse Network to of fer telecourses on com po - braska Wes leyan Uni ver sity, was a guest on cam- sition, science , math, business , Spanish language, pus and present ed, “Willa Cather on Technol ogy.” psy chol ogy, and so ci ol ogy on the state wide ETV The program was sponsore d by the local chapter of Net work. The co op er a tive ar range ment pro vided the Amer i can As so ci a tion of Women in Com mu - an oppor tu nity for those who wished to further nity and Junior Col leges and the Ne braska Hum an- their edu ca tion by study ing at home. i ties Coun cil. u U.S. Sen ator Bob Kerrey was the key note speaker u For the first time, a college fair was hosted by the at the Hastings Cam pus gradu a tion, which was cam pus. The fair had outgrown its pre vious loca - held in the Dawson Mul tipur pose Building. A total tion at the Clay Center Public Schools. of 117 gradu ate s par tici pate d in the cere m ony, a 44 u Bradley J. Fos ter of Grand Island re ceived the 12th per cent in crease from the pre vi ous year. To tal awards annual Outsta nding Alumni Award. A 1984 asso ci - ate of applied science honor gradu ate in com mer- cial hor ti cul ture, tree and shrub care, and land scape garden ing, he also com pleted the re quirem ents for an as so ci ate de gree in green house main te nance in 1992. He be gan working for the Grand Island Parks and Recre ation Depart m ent in 1984 and de- signed and super vise d the planting and mainte - nance of all the city’s flower beds. He de vel oped a special ized water ing system , and the city built a green house un der his di rec tion. u Robin Menschenfreund was appointed dean of in- struc tion. A doc toral candi date at the Univer sity of Nebras ka at Lincoln, she first joined CCC as dental hy giene in struc tor in 1977, be com ing an as so ci ate dean of instruc tion in 1988. A native of New Jer - sey, she re ceived a bach elor of health sci ence de - gree and a master’ s de gree in ed u cation from the Uni ver sity of Ken tucky. u Six staff members re ceived de grees: Nancy Bjorklund, tran si tions pro gram di rec tor, a mas ter of arts degree in speech com muni ca tion from the Uni- ver sity of Ne braska at Kear ney; Maryann Bolton, account ing instruc tor, and Deb Brennan, hotel, mo - tel and res tau rant man age ment in struc tor, mas ter of arts degree s in teaching from Hastings College ; Jan McReynolds, psy chol ogy in struc tor, a doc tor ate in U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey congratulates a graduate adult ed u ca tion, com mu nity and hu man re sources during 1993 commencement ceremonies at the from UNL; Ron Meyer, elec tri cal tech nol ogy in - Hastings Campus. Kerrey gave the commencement struc tor, a master of sci ence de gree in ed u cation address at the event. Campus President Dr. Judy from UNK; and Darlene Synek, com muni ca tions Dresser is shown on the left.

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instruc tor, a master of arts degree in teaching Eng- u Mar ian Bender re tired as an of fice tech nol ogy in - lish from Hastings Col lege. struc tor, a posi tion she held be ginning in 1971 u Joni Schlatz, co op er a tive ed u ca tion job de vel oper, when she joined the col lege. She was the re cip i ent was se lected to par tic i pate in a year long training of the Hastings Cam pus Out standing Ser vice pro gram for col lege women ad min is tra tors spon- Award in 1989. She and her husband chose to re - sored by the League for Inno va tion in Com munity tire in Lin coln. Col leges and the Amer i can As so ci a tion of Women in Com munity and Junior Col leges. The program Platte Campus re quired at ten dance at a week-long con fer ence and the com pletion of a projec t. Schlatz chose a study u Dick Averett, drama and oral com muni ca tions in - on student re tention under the direc tion of Dr. Den - struc tor, and El len Lake, as so ci ate dean of arts and nis Tyson, CCC vice presi dent of edu ca tional ser - sci ences, gave a joint pre sen ta tion at the 13th vices. annual Confer ence of Staff De velop m ent in Lin- u The Explore Your World transi tion program re- coln. Their talk was titled ”Shock the Future: Cre - ceived a Displac ed Homem akers Grant for $22,994 ative Problem Solving as a Means of Survival. ” and a Single Parent Grant for $22,985. Both grants u More than 1,600 students from 25 high schools were adm inis tere d through the Nebras ka De part- partic i pate d in the Distric t II Nebras ka High School ment of Edu ca tion and were used to expand pro- Music Contes t held on the cam pus. gram of fer ings and pro vide di rect vo ca tional u An ag ri cul ture me chan ics cer tif i cate, de signed for training for students in transi tion. Nancy Bjorklund students who plan to farm or work in a closely re- was co or di na tor of the tran si tions pro gram. lated field, was offered for the first time. Classes in u About 1,000 fifth- and sixth-grade students from the 12-sem ester- hour course of study include d ba- six nearby coun ties at tended a Wa ter Jambo ree at sic engines , basic wiring, machine shop for agri cul - Liberty Cove in Webste r County. The Nebras ka ture, and welding for relate d occu pa tions. En vi ron men tal Train ing Cen ter at the Hast ings u Don Mroczek, man ager of Gate way Re alty and In - Cam pus was among the sponsors . surance in Colum bus, a 1975 gradu ate of the cam - u Bev Den man, CCC ed u ca tional co or di na tor, re- pus, and a mem ber of the CCC Board of Gover nors ported that 176 inm ates at the Hastings Cor rec - from 1985-93, was keynote speaker at the Platte tional Center had recei ved high school equiva lenc y Cam pus grad u a tion. diplo m as since 1989 when CCC be gan offer ing the u To com mem orate its 25th year, the campus spon- classes at HCC. Classes were also avail able in Eng - sored a va ri ety of pro grams which were free and lish as a Second Lan guage, parenting, pre-re lease, open to the public. The pre senta tions dur ing the crit i cal think ing, ca reer Eng lish, and com put ers. fall were: “The Family Al bum” and “The Ne braska Se lected col lege courses were also avail able as in - Pro moter” by Rob ert Manley, Ne braska De part - de pend ent study. ment of Eco nomic De vel op ment; “Ex plor ing the West with John C. Fremont” by Vernon Volpe, the Retired Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Kearney; “The As sas si - u Charlotte Smith of Hastings retired as sec retary to nation of Abraham Lincoln” by Richard the dean of students . A charter mem ber of the Kimbrough, Doane Col lege; “The Dust Bowl Ex - Hastings Cam pus staff be ginning on July 1, 1966, pe ri ence” by Bill Ganzel, NETV; and “Willa she served as a book keeper, as sec re tary for the Cather and Women’s Art” by Evelyn Haller, business office , and as a proofrea der in the print Doane College . shop before she ac cepted her posi tion with the dean u Form er student Stephen Vavra made a sketch of of students in 1974. She was active in the origi nal the Fine Arts Building which was then used on women's club of the cam pus and as a mem ber of com mem ora tive mugs to mark the 25th year of the many cam pus com mit tees, in clud ing mem ber ship cam pus. A series of sim ilar mugs were produced on the scholar ship com mittee from its incep tion. for sev eral years. She was also ac tively in volved in the planning for u A pro gram titled “A Cultural Diver sity Plan” was the 15th, 20th, and 25th anni ver sar y cele bra tions of present ed at the annual meet ing of the North Cen- the campus.

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tral Asso ci a tion in Chicago by Kathryn Ballobin, u Two vehi cles were do nated to the al ter nate fu els office technol ogy in struc tor; Dr. Pete Rush, cam - training and awareness program : a 1993 Ford Es- pus presi dent; and Jan Wisalowski, student service s cort from Ford Motor Com pany and a 1992 Buick sec re tary and chair woman of the campus cul tural Sky lark from Genera l Motors. One ve hicle was di ver sity com mit tee. The pre sen ta tion also was converte d to run on nat ural gas and the other on publishe d in a collec tion of pa pers by the NCA. pro pane. u The Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Kear ney pre sented u Charles Wickerstrom, ex ec u tive di rec tor of the the Deans Council Award to Dr. Pete Rush, cam - Mid-States Nat u ral Gas Ve hi cle Co ali tion, vis ited pus presi dent, and Carol Taczek, instruc tion staff the alter native fuels program and was very compli - as sis tant, for their sup port of the con tin u ing ed u ca - mentary. He volun tee red to help arrange present ers tion ef forts on the Platte Campus. Taczek served as for the an nual al ter native fu els con fer ence spon- the UNK on-site co or di na tor and om buds man be- sored by the program . ginning in 1986. u The Pe ter Kiewit Founda tion awarded a grant of u Dr. Mel Krutz, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, pro- $43,349 to the alter native fuels program . Doug vided a ses sion on effec tive children’s writing at Pauley was the pro gram di rec tor. the 13th annual Nebras ka Writing and Story tell ing u The Platte Cam pus and its en ergy manage ment cir - Fes ti val at South east Com mu nity Col lege. cuit rider program were among the sponsors of the u Gordon Hellbusch, printer and audio vi sual techni - Na tional Al ter na tive Fuel Con fer ence held in Lin- cian, was named the Platte Per son of the Year. A coln. Pre sent ers from across the United States dis - form er Platte Cam pus student, he was cited for his cussed leg is la tion af fect ing or ga ni za tions with fleet pro fes sional ex per tise, de pend abil ity, and will ing- vehi cle s, the cost and proces s involved in convert - ness to ac com modate unusual and last-minute re - ing vehi cle s to dif ferent types of fuel, the advan - quests. tages and dis ad van tages of var i ous al ter nate fu els, u The Marty Indian School of Dance Club, whose and other topics . mem bers ranged in age from kinder gar ten through u Paul Rehberg, as soci ate dean, reported that during high school, appear ed on the cam pus at the invi ta - the 1992-93 aca dem ic year, an even 1,700 people tion of the Platte Cam pus di versity commit tee. The from about 30 com panies took more than 20,000 com mittee also invited 450 Colum bus area fourth- clock hours of work-re lated training and instruc tion graders to the program . through the cam pus. Training was provided in u Dick Bentz, phys i cal ed u ca tion in struc tor for 15 weld ing, busi ness com mu ni ca tions, tech ni cal writ - years, re ceived the Fac ulty Member of the Year ing, math, drafting, blue print reading, ac counting, Award. He was cited for his car ing approac h, his hy drau lics, pneu mat ics, sta tis ti cal pro cess con trol, ability to make classes fun and in terest ing, his in - qual ity con trol, and var i ous man age ment and com - volvem ent in sports events, and his will ingness to puter skills. make time for his students . u Do ris Lux was elected sec re tary of the Co op er ative u “Per fectly Frank,” a re vue-style pro duc tion fea tur - Work Ex pe ri ence Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion dur ing the ing 55 works of com poser Frank Loesser, includ ing Amer i can Vo ca tional As so ci a tion Con ven tion in his five Broadway shows, was pre sented as a sum - Nash ville, Tenn. mer musi cal under the direc tion of Dick Averett, u Dr. Roger Augspurger of Colum bus, dean of edu - drama in struc tor. cation al ser vices, be came the in terim campus pres i - u Di anne Moural, ag ri cul ture in struc tor, sub mit ted dent upon the death of Dr. Pete Rush. Augspurger the winning entry in the North Central Accre di ta - joined CCC in 1974 as chairm an of the cre ative tion Self-Study Theme Contes t: “Say ing What We and socia l clus ter. In 1985, he was prom oted to Do; Doing What We Say.” dean of instruc tion, a title that changed in 1997 to u Rep re sen ta tives from more than 70 ed u ca tional in- dean of ed u ca tional services. sti tu tions pro vided in for ma tion to pro spec tive stu- u In ter na tional man u fac tur ing qual ity stan dards was dents, parents , and others at the East Central the topic of an ISO 9000 workshop provided by the Col lege Fair held at the cam pus. cam pus.

76 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u The theater de part ment pre sented “Crimes of the Heart.” Board of Governors u Shawn Macken of Colum bus won the Best of u Har old “Mac” McClure of Kear ney was elected Show Award at the 23rd annual Fine Arts Festi val chairman of the CCC Board of Gover nors. Other on the cam pus. of fi cers elected were Homer Pierce of Lexington, u Lynne Kotrous, math in struc tor, par tic i pated in the vice chairman; Paul Liess of Cambrid ge, sec re tary; Na tional Women’s Ten nis As so ci a tion tour na ment and Don Ander son of Grand Is land, trea surer. in San Anto nio. Newly elected board mem ber Bill Schnei der of u Lee Rob bins, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, was se- Dwight took the oath of office for the first time. lected by the Colum bus Arts Council for a Join ing him were re-elected members McClure, monthlong display of his photog ra phy. Liess, Bill Doran of Grand Is land, Ed u Bill Erwin and Steve Heinisch, science instruc tors, Loutzenheiser of Hastings, and Ken Wortman of were pre sent ers at the Ne braska Ju nior Sci ence Au rora. Acad emy at Wayne State Col lege. u John Higgins of Grand Is land was appointed legal u The theater de part ment and the Platte Val ley Play - counsel after the death of Gerald Whelan. For some house co-produced “You Can’t Take it With You.” time be fore his death, Whelan’s law part ner, Steve u The music depart m ent pre sented its annual Christ - Scherr of Hastings, had provided le gal service s. mas con cert. In Memory Retired u Ger ald Whelan, long-time Hastings attor ney and u Do ris Van Dyke re tired as sec re tary for cam pus op - for mer lieu ten ant-gov er nor, and le gal coun sel to era tions. She joined the Platte staff in 1969 as a the Board of Gover nors, be ginning in 1984, passed char ter member. She served var i ously as a sec re - away after a lengthy ill ness. His inter est in com - tary and assis tant for the physi cal plant, cam pus mu nity pro jects is con sid ered leg end ary. Ger ald pres i dent, busi ness de part ment, as well as cam pus Whelan, long-time Hastings attor ney and form er op er a tions. She re ceived an as so ci ate of ap plied lieu ten ant-gov er nor, and le gal coun sel to the Board sci ence de gree in busi ness and manage ment in of Gover nors, be ginning in 1984, passed away af- 1987. She was instru m ental in the writing and ter a lengthy ill ness. His inter est in com munity com pil ing of the book let com mem o rat ing the first pro jects is con sid ered leg end ary. 25 years of the Platte Cam pus. In a previ ous posi - tion as sec retary for Platte County Su perin ten dent of Schools Gladys Breidert, she assis ted in con - College Administration ducting the bond elec tion for Platte College and in u Car o lyn Terjak, hu man re sources re cep tion ist, setting up the first board of the college. com pleted an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in In Memory business and manage m ent and data proces sing at CCC. u Cam pus Presi dent Dr. Pete Rush, 53, died at his u Larry Gla zier, busi ness of fi cer, was named Out - home on Nov. 25, 1993. Ser vices were conducte d standing Busi ness Offi cer for Re gion V of the Na - Nov. 30 in the Platte Cam pus Field House. He had tional Council of Com munity College Business been cam pus presi dent since 1985. He had recei ved Of fi cers. Re gion V com prises five states. Gla zier a bach elor’ s de gree from the Mich i gan State Uni - joined CCC in 1977 and becam e the business offi cer ver sity at Lan sing, a master’s degree from the Uni - in 1985. ver sity of Cal i for nia at Berke ley and a Ph.D. from u The CCC Board of Gover nors extende d Dr. Joe the Univer sity of Michi gan at Ann Ar bor. Prior to Preusser’s contrac t as college pres ident through joining the CCC staff, Rush held severa l posi tions 1997. Preusser decided to ac cept, at least partly be - with Cal i for nia and Mich i gan com mu nity col leges. cause a sur vey of the col lege emplo y ees in di cated u Lola McKee, 68, of Colum bus died at the Colum - that he had an overall approval rating of 96.3 per- bus Com munity Hospi tal. She joined the college cent. staff in 1977 and worked as a media techni cia n un - til her retire me nt in 1989.

77 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

the leaders who worked for the es tablish m ent of College Enrollment Platte College in 1969. u Dr. Dennis Tyson, vice presi dent for edu ca tional u To honor the 25th anni ver sar y of the Platte Cam - ser vices, re ported to the CCC Board of Gover nors pus in Co lum bus, an ap pre ci a tion din ner was held that a record 34,083 people enrolle d at CCC during at the New World Inn. The fea tured speaker was the 1992-93 aca dem ic year, repre sent ing a 5.4 per- Dr. Donald Clifton, pres ident and CEO of Gal lup cent in crease over the pre vi ous year. FTE en roll - Inc. Lois Behlen was also named as the first recip i - ment incre ased by 4.3 percent to 2,985.83. ent of the Central Com munity College Founda tion Students who were resi dents of the CCC service Hall of Fame Award. She was rec og nized for her area com prised 81 percent of the total, but there support of the college , the cam pus, and the founda - were also en rollees from ev ery Ne braska county, tion, be ginning with the founding of Platte College . 38 other states, the Dis trict of Colum bia, and three for eign coun tries. Collegiate Assessment u All three CCC cam puses invited gradu at ing stu- College Foundation dents to take the Col le giate As sess ment of Ac a - u Re-elected as board offi cer s of the CCC Founda - demic Pro fi ciency exam in or der to eval u ate the tion were Larry But ler of Hastings, presi dent; Jim ef fec tive ness of the ed u ca tional pro grams and ser - Scow of Colum bus, vice presi dent; and Jan vices of the col lege. Dannelly of Colum bus, secre tary. Linda Kruse of Grand Island was elected treasure r. Rod Rudebusch College Budget of Aurora was appointed as a new mem ber of the u The CCC Board of Gover nors approved an foun da tion board. $18,410,680 budget for 1993-94 which repre sent ed u Jack Crowley, foun da tion ex ec u tive di rec tor, re- a 4.69 percent incre ase over the previ ous year. ported that the founda tion had $1.7 million in as- Reve nue from state aid was down $106,044 from sets. The foundation had provided about $230,000 the year be fore. in support of each of the three cam puses, includ ing $173,500 in scholar ships , $9,000 in equipm ent, and $5,000 in staff devel op m ent during the fiscal Developmental Education year. In addi tion, nearly $15,000 was provided in u Maureen Hoffman, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor at small business loans through the Watley Fund. the Grand Is land Cam pus, and Vicki Papineau, u The third annual CCC Founda tion Pro-Am Golf reading instruc tor at the Hastings Cam pus, were Tourna m ent was held at Lochland Country Club. cer ti fied as De vel op men tal Ed u ca tion Spe cial ists Orig i nally sched uled for Riv er side Coun try Club, it by the Kellogg Insti tute for the Training and Certif - was moved due to flooding condi tions. More than i ca tion of De vel op men tal Ed u ca tors. The cer tif i ca - 125 golf ers par tic i pated in the tour na ment, rais ing tion was awarded in conjunc tion with Appa la chia n more than $10,000 for scholar ships . State Uni versity in Boone, North Carolina. u The CCC Founda tion for the first time sponsore d a din ner on each of the cam puses for all as so ci ate de - Leadership Identification gree gradu ate s. In addi tion to the meal, the gradu at - u Eight CCC staff mem bers par tic i pated in the Lead - ing stu dents received their initial mem bership card er ship Iden ti fi ca tion Pro ject at the Uni ver sity of in the alumni as soci a tion and a vari ety of gifts from Nebras ka-Lincoln. The projec t was designe d to the foun da tion. help women in edu ca tion develop leader ship skills. u Lois Behlen donate d her home to the CCC Founda - In ad di tion to ed u ca tional work shops, par tic i pants tion with all future procee ds from the home to be se lected pro jects that would use their lead er ship used to provide scholar ships for students attend ing skills and help their in stitu tions. CCC partic i pants the Platte Cam pus. Behlen’s fam ily founded and their projec t were: Grand Is land Cam pus-Jane Behlen Man u fac tur ing Com pany in Co lum bus. She Birkholz, as so ci ate dean of com mu nity ed u ca tion, and her late husband, Mike Behlen, were among "As sess ment of Lead er ship Po ten tial;" Platte Cam - pus-Kath er ine Ballobin, of fice tech nol ogy in struc-

78 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

tor, "Busi ness De part ment In-Ser vice Re treat"; Kathy Harsh, staff as sis tant, "Al ter na tive Fu els Ed - Satellite Delivery u ca tional Video"; Do ris Lux, co op er a tive ed u ca tion u Platte In struc tor Da vid Fulton be gan sat el lite de liv - di rec tor, "In ter na tional Ed u ca tion"; Dianne ery of U. S. His tory I to students at the Grand Is- Moural, ag ri cul ture in struc tor, "Ag ri cul tural Lead - land Cam pus. Platte Instruc tor Lee Robbins, be gan ership Program "; Beth Mierau, caree r planning and teaching Spanish I to Grand Island Cam pus stu - place ment co or di na tor, "Di ver sity Field Trip"; Ella dents via two-way sat ellite. Wenman, job de vel oper, "Multi cul tural Di ver sity Workshop"; and Jan Wisialowski, student service s Tech Prep sec re tary, "Co lum bus Lead er ship Program." u About 200 indi vid u als attende d the first-ever Ne- Leadership Diversity braska Tech Prep Insti tute which was held on the Hastings Cam pus. At ten dees rep re sented Ne - u CCC and the col lege chap ters of the Amer i can As - braska's com munity college s, high schools in- so ci a tion of Women in Com mu nity Col leges spon- volved in Tech Prep program s, busi ness and sored a multi m edia show enti tled, "Women, Fire, in dus try, four-year ed u ca tional in sti tu tions, and ed- and Danger ous Things," in the Hornady Marshal l u ca tional agen cies. Key note pre sen ta tions were Audi to rium at College Park. The show was pro- given by Myr tle Stogner, direc tor of the North duced by Lincoln artists Nancy Childs and Nancy Carolina Tech Prep Cen ter, and Jerry Ogren, gen - Mar shall. eral manager of Cushman Com pany in Lincoln. u At the end of the 1992-1993 college year, Kevin NCCA Miller, CCC tech prep coor di na tor, re ported that u Dennis Baack who most re cently had been speaker CCC had Tech Prep affil i a tions with five high of the leg is la ture be came the ex ec u tive di rec tor of schools: Centura, Gibbon, Grand Island Northwes t, the Ne braska Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion, be- Kearney, and Sandy Creek. About 25 more high gin ning in De cem ber. schools were involved in sim ilar consor tium s with the other Ne braska com munity college s.

79 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 President Looks Back, Ahead by Dr. Joseph W. Preusser We also expe ri ence d chal lenging times this past (Edi tor’s note: Each month while he was college year. Gerald Whelan, legal counsel , died Jan. 2, 1993, pres ident, Joe Preusser wrote an arti cle for the “Cen- and Don Nelson, the pres ident of our Grand Island tral Con nec tion.” The fol low ing ar ti cle ap peared in the Cam pus, died on May 1, 1993. On Thanksgiving Day “Central Connec tion” of Janu ary 1994. It is include d we were all shocked with the sudden death of Dr. Pete here in its entire ty as a summary of his thoughts about Rush, presi dent of the Platte Cam pus in Colum bus. All the year which had just conclude d.) three were major play ers in the de vel op ment of CCC. The last five weeks of each year are a spe cial time We are thankful for their contri bu tions, and we will when we are thankful for the abundance of spe cial miss them greatly. plea sures re al ized dur - Students continue to be our num ber-one prior ity. ing the past year, we en - Last year some 700 skilled gradu ate s entere d the joy the holi day sea son, workforce. A re cent follow-up study shows that 97 per- and we pre pare for a cent of the gradu ate s are em ployed or contin u ing their new year. It is a time of ed u cation . We are pleased to re port that 94 per cent are Thanksgiving and em ployed in Ne braska, and 80 percent are em ployed Christ mas cards as well within the 25-county service area of CCC. as New Year greetings. The student profile for CCC is some 2,000 All of us at Central full-time and 6,500 part-time students on the cam puses. Com mu nity Col lege ex- Fifty-three percent of our students are women; 47 per- tend to you the very cent are men. Students range in age from 16 to 92, with best wishes for the en - an av er age age of 35. tire hol i day sea son. As Off-cam pus courses are offere d in 92 com muni ties . we be gin the new year, There are more than 14,000 students in off-cam pus Dr. Joseph W. Preusser I want to share with you credit courses, includ ing more than 1,500 that also take why we are so thankful courses on one of the cam puses. An addi tional 8,000 about the year 1993 and why we are excite d about the students are enrolle d in noncredit courses, nearly 2,500 new year of 1994. more are enrolle d in the Adult Ba sic Edu ca tion pro- In 1993, CCC expe ri ence d a re cord enroll m ent of gram, and nearly 1,100 are enrolle d in noncredit re im - 34,083 students , telecourses were offere d at off-cam pus bursable courses. The off-cam pus program s consis t of centers , the founda tion topped the $2 million mark, more than 1,400 college credit courses and 188 trans fer program s were expanded to the Grand Is land noncredit, avocational/rec reationa l courses. Some 360 and Hastings cam puses, and the Platte Cam pus in Co- cit i zens serve on lo cal com mu nity ed u ca tion ad vi sory lum bus raised funds from private sources to estab lish a commit tees to as sist the col lege in ad dress ing the needs na tional train ing cen ter for al ter na tive fuels for of the citizens in our 25-county service area. vehicles. CCC contin ues to em phasiz e service to business . The theme of the col lege an nual re port is “Tal ent, More than 365 busi ness, indus tria l, and profes sional Training, and Technol ogy.” These are the key ingre di - training program s were conducte d during 1992-93 and ents of the inno va tion that has been a hallm ark of CCC even more are planned for 1993-94. More than 200 since it was founded. Talente d fac ulty and staff have com pa nies par tic i pated in these pro grams, ac com mo- made it possi ble for CCC to continue to provide train- dating in exces s of 10,000 employees. ing in the appli ca tion of technol ogy that has becom e so The students who at tend CCC need both edu ca - es sen tial to our econ omy lo cally, re gion ally, nationally, tional and fi nan cial as sis tance. Last year, 75 per cent of and globally. all students attend ing half-time or more re ceived finan - cial aid, with an aver age award of $2,025. Nearly

80 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

$4,700,000 of total aid was dis bursed, includ ing more in struc tional de liv ery sys tems in clud ing cam pus in- than $270,000 in schol arships . The major ity of student struc tion, off-cam pus sites, and in di vid u al ized aid (90 percent ) was based on finan cia l need. The other programs. 10 percent was based on aca dem ic and other personal We look forwar d with specia l antic i pa tion to 1994. skills. In the Tech Prep program , the college is working with CCC, with cam puses in Colum bus, Grand Is land, sev eral high schools in the ser vice area to as sure that and Hastings, has an oper a tional budget of nearly $17 future students will be pre pared for advance d study in million . Our rev enue sources are 32 per cent state aid, tech ni cal ar eas. Sat el lite courses, vid eo tape, and com- 53 percent local property tax, and 15 percent tui tion. puter-as sisted in struc tion are among the tech nol o gies The bud get em pha sizes in struc tion (59 per cent) and we have available to provide courses throughout the students (7 percent for student service s and 1.5 percent 25-county service area. for student aid). The other one-third of the budget is al- We are thankful for people like you that are friends lo cated to in sti tu tional sup port (22 per cent) and and support ers of CCC. It is your support and encour - physical plant (11 percent). age ment that makes us ex cited about the new year. CCC serves a 25-county area in cen tral Ne braska From all of us at CCC, we hope you had a spe cial holi - that has 282,000 people living in a 14,000-square-mile day sea son and we wish you the best for the New Year. area. To serve this vast area, CCC uti lizes a va ri ety of

81 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 1994 North Central Visiting Team Recommends Reaccreditation After an 18-month self-study and a two-day on-site re view, Central Com munity College was inform ed that the North Cen tral As so ci a tion eval u a tion team rec om mended that the col lege be granted con tin ued ac cred i ta tion for 10 years, the maxi mum granted by the re gional ac cred it ing agency. Carroll Bennett, ex ecu tive dean of the New ton Poly technic Cam pus of Des Moines Area Com munity College , chaired the eight-mem ber evalu a tion team, which in- cluded edu ca tors from eight community colleges in seven states. NCA Team Visits CCC Campuses and Administrative Office Team members vis ited each of the three cam puses and the col lege of fices. They met with the Board of Gov er - nors, students , fac ulty, staff, learning center manag ers , and advi sory com mittee mem bers. Prior to arriv ing in Ne - braska, the team mem bers fam iliar ize d them selves with the college through the self-study report, college video tape , cat alog, and other publi ca tions. The re port of the visit ing team was quite com plim entary. They did note that there were some structural com plica tions due to the multicampus nature of the organization. More Than 400 Participate in Self-Study Dr. Joe Preusser es tim ated that more than 400 indi vid u als partic i pate d in the self-study proces s. The self-study and the com pila tion of the report led to the de velop m ent of a revise d mission state ment. The mission state ment read: “As a pub lic higher ed u ca tion in sti tu tion, CCC is ded i cated to pro vid ing qual ity tech ni cal, oc cu pa tional, trans fer, eco nomic de vel op ment, and pub lic ser vice ed u ca tion to di verse in di vid u als and organizations in central Nebraska.” Steering Committee Guides Process Coor di na tors for the self-study proces s were Dr. Dennis Tyson, vice presi dent of edu ca tional ser vices, and Dr. Linda Wilke-Long, paralegal in struc tor at the Grand Is land Campus. Steer ing commit tee mem bers were Kathryn Ballobin, office technol ogy in struc tor, Platte Cam pus; Linda Bowden, li brarian and sci ence instruc tor, Grand Is land Cam pus; Dr. Mike Chipps, dean of students , Hastings Cam pus; Dr. LaVern Franzen, dean of instruc tion, Grand Is - land Cam pus; Lawanda Gengenbach, hotel, motel and res taurant manage m ent student at the Hastings Cam pus; Larry Gla zier, col lege busi ness of fi cer; Vikki Jae ger, grants and spe cial pro jects di rec tor, Hastings Campus; Dr. Eric Jones, col lege man age ment in for ma tion sys tems of fi cer; Vicki Mackenstadt, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, Grand Is- land Cam pus; Paul Rehberg, as so ci ate dean, Platte Cam pus; Karin Rieger, com mu nity ed u ca tion re gional co or di na - tor, Platte Cam pus; Jim Strayer, col lege infor ma tion officer; and Stacy Zwiener, business administration student at the Hastings Campus. Campuses Accredited as Single Institution in 1980 As North Central docu m ents verify, both Central Nebras ka Techni cal Com munity College (CNTCC) and Platte Com munity College were in the candi dacy proces s when they merged in 1973. Platte was subse quently ac credited in 1974 and CNTCC in 1976. In 1978, the college request ed ac credi ta tion as a single insti tu tion. This re quest was granted in 1980 follow ing a com prehen sive eval ua tion in 1979. After a focuse d visit in 1983, the com mission ap - proved con tin ued ac cred i ta tion through l987-88. Fol low ing that visit, con tin ued ac cred i ta tion was ap proved for seven years through 1994-95.

82 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

u Four staff members re ceived as so ci ate of ap plied Grand Island Campus sci ence de grees from CCC: Hylee Asche, stu dent u The Grand Is land Cam pus re ceived one of three ser vices re cep tion ist, in ac count ing; Jody Luce, Part ners in Progres s Awards from the Grand Is land gen eral ed u ca tion sec re tary, in of fice tech nol ogy; Area Cham ber of Com merce at its an nual meeting . Mar i lyn Rott, ad mis sions tech ni cian, in ac count ing The award was given to the cam pus in recog ni tion and office technol ogy; and Kathy Voss, genera l ed- of its ex em pli fi ca tion of prog ress, part ner ship, and u ca tion sec re tary, in data pro cess ing. com mitm ent to the com munity. The Children’s u Five staff members re ceived de grees from other Groundwa ter Festi val and College Park were the higher ed u ca tion in sti tu tions: Beth Bab cock, com - other two award re cip i ents. mu nity ed u ca tion pro gram sec re tary, and Kathy Voss, gen eral ed u ca tion sec re tary, bach e lor of sci - ence de grees in hu man resour ce manage ment from Belle vue Uni ver sity; Gene Manhart, a master of sci ence de gree in busi ness ad min is tra tion from the Uni versity of Ne braska at Kearney; Tim Ziller, elec tron ics in struc tor, a mas ter of sci ence de gree in vo ca tional ed u ca tion from UNK; and Liz Zimmerman, reg is tra tion tech ni cian, a bach e lor of sci ence de gree in manage ment from Belle vue Uni - ver sity. u Kathy Woitaszewski, math instruc tor, and Tim Ziller, elec tron ics in struc tor, made pre sen ta tions on the princi ples of technol ogy pro ject at the Na tional Tech Prep Con fer ence in Min ne ap o lis. u A total of 112 high school se niors from six high schools en rolled in an “early bird” col lege credit writ ten com mu ni ca tions class of fered by the col- Grand Island Cam pus Pres ident Dr. Bill Giddings re- lege at 7 a.m., dur ing the fall se mester. Stu dents ceives a Part ners in Prog ress Award from the Grand from Cam bridge, Centura, Grand Is land, Grand Is - Island Area Cham ber of Com merce. land Central Catho lic, Lexington, and Pleasanton high schools took the course either in the class- u Gov. Ben Nel son was the key note speaker at the room or by satel lite through CCC’s Early Entry Grand Is land Cam pus grad u a tion cer e mo nies. program . Vicki Mackenstadt was the instruc tor. u Kenneth Meyer of Grand Is land re ceived an Out- standing Alumni Award during com mence ment ex - Hastings Campus ercis es. He gradu ate d in 1983 with an as soci ate of u ap plied sci ence de grees in elec tron ics tech nol ogy Ma rie Cecil, su per vi sor of the den tal as sist ing pro- and com puter auto m ation. He began work at Data gram, recei ved the 10th annual Outsta nding Ser - Sys tems Inc., the year be fore his com ple tion at vice Award. She was cited for her poise and CCC. He was prom oted to sys tems ana lyst where pro fes sion al ism, her ded i ca tion to stu dents and her he had re spon si bil i ties for gro cery store soft ware involve m ent in both cam pus ac tivi ties and the com - appli ca tions insta lled in more than 4,000 sites in munity. She gradu ate d from both CCC and Kear- the U.S., Can ada, and South America. He served in ney State Col lege. u the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Navy Re serves. He was Dr. Mike Chipps, dean of students , was selec ted by cited as an active member of his church and as a the North Cen tral As so ci a tion of Col leges and sem i nar speaker. Schools to serve as a consul tant- eval ua tor for its u A writer’s sem inar was of fered on cam pus through Com mis sion on In sti tu tions of Higher Learn ing. u the com mu nity ed u ca tion of fice. Pub lished au thor Em ploy ees of the Santa Fe Railroad be gan taking Pe ter Davidson was the pre senter. advan tage of the two-week training course in welding

83 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

which Latham Mortensen, welding instruc tor, de - makers and single parents . The program , which veloped for the Union Pacifi c Railroad, be ginning was funded by a Perkins Grant be ginning about in 1985. 1985, was expanded dur ing 1994 to provide ser- u The first-ever Ne braska state con fer ence of the vices at se lected off-campus lo cation s. The first Amer i can As so ci a tion of Women in Com mu nity off-cam pus workshops were held in Holdrege fol- College s met at the Hast ing Cam pus. Key note lowed by a 10-week life planning class for men at speak ers were Dr. Carole Leland, au thor of the Hastings Cor rec tional Cen ter. Nancy “Women of Influ ence , Women of Vision,” and Dr. Bjorklund, direc tor of transi tions programs, ac- Linda Moore, author of “Relea se from Power les s- cepted the award on behalf of the college . ness.” u State Sen. Ardyce Bohlke was the key note speaker u Dr. Judy Dresser, campus pres i dent, re ceived the at the Hastings Cam pus grad u a tion cer e mo nies. Pres i den tial Award for Out stand ing Ser vice and u Garry Coleman of Hastings re ceived the 13th an- Sup port of the Amer i can As so ci a tion of Women in nual Outsta nding Alumni Award during com - Com munity College s. Dresser was cited for her mencement ex er cises held on the campus. Af ter years of ac tive in volve ment with the Amer i can As - gradu at ing in 1969 with an asso ci ate of applied sci- so ci a tion of Com mu nity Colleges and AAWCC ence degree in drafting technol ogy, he began work- and her prom otion of AACC chapters on Nebras ka ing at the Silas Ma son Com pany in Grand Island campuses af ter she came to the state in 1991. where he was quickly prom oted to the engi neer ing u Nancy Bjorklund, direc tor of transi tions, was hon - staff. In 1971, he joined the Hastings Ir riga tion ored with a Women of the Year Award by students Pipe Com pany where, as plant engi neer , he had the in her Explore Your World program . She was cited re spon si bil ity for en gi neer ing, qual ity con trol, and for her contri bu tions to the program and her sensi - pro gram ming of all com puter-op er ated ma chin ery. tivity to the needs of her students . He was also cited as an active member of the So ci - u The Explore Your World Transi tions Program re- ety of Manu fac turing Engi neer s and as an active ceived an Exem plary Program Award from the Re- mem ber of his church. gion VII Women Work Confer ence for its u The Hast ing Cam pus, es pe cially the com mu nity lead er ship in pro vid ing ser vices to dis placed home- ed u ca tion de part ment, was one of many or ga ni za- tions that helped pre pare for the state Chautauqua which came to Hastings. The theme of the Chautauqua was “Amer i can Writ ers of the Gilded Age.” The fea tured au thors were Kate Cho pin, Ste - phen Crane, W.E.B. DuBois, Jack London, and Mark Twain. u Four staff members re ceived de grees: Laura Bulas, busi ness ad min is tra tion in struc tor, a mas ter of arts degree in teaching from Hastings College ; Pat Cecil, den tal lab su per vi sor, a bach elor of sci ence de gree in oc cu pa tional ed u ca tion from the Uni ver- sity of Ne braska at Kearney; Alan Hartley, elec - tron ics in struc tor, a master of sci ence de gree in edu ca tion from UNK; and Wayne Huntley, parts Students of the first Drag Race Team pose aboard a sales and man age ment in struc tor, an as so ci ate of 1959 Ford Ran chero pickup donated by George Ander - ap plied sci ence de gree in parts sales and man age - son (third from left), owner of Gessford Motors. The ment from CCC. u truck was do nated to help the club get started, and with Bob Shields, counsel or, becam e a certi fied profes - student effort, raced in several area drag races dur ing sional counsel or in Ne braska. u Evart Barton, machine shop instruc tor, attende d a the follow ing years. Dr. Robin Menschenfreund and four-day school on super abra sive s in Colum bus, club spon sor and parts sales and man agement instruc - Ohio, and joined the Gen eral Elec tric Part ner ship tor Wayne Huntley are on An der son’s left.

84 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

for Man u fac tur ing Pro duc tiv ity. As part of the part- honor soci ety for two-year college students who nership, GE provided 12 video tape s, a textbook, a qualify. Eric Glassmyer, ac counting student, was course outline for an 80 clock-hour course, and the presi dent of the new chapter. Chapter advi ser s grinding wheels and lathe and mill cutting tools us- were Dr. Mike Chipps, dean of students ; John ing super abra sive s. GE also pledged techni cal as- Dobrovolny, as so ci ate dean of in struc tion; Bob sis tance to help add super abra sive s to the machine Glenn, ad mission s di rec tor; and Ken Rezac, as so ci - shop program . ate dean of students . u When the Mid-Amer ica Cheese Plant in Su pe rior u About 1,200 students from Hastings area ele m en- announced its de cision to close affec ting its 90 em - tary schools at tended the first “Sci ence Is Fun” ploy ees, CCC de vel oped a Su pe rior Tran si tion Day on the cam pus. The event was concei ved by Team coor di nate d by Nancy Bjorklund, direc tor of 13 students in Dr. Georgianna Whipple-VanPatter’s transi tions program s, and Vicki Kucera, finan cia l bio chem is try class. Any de part ment on cam pus aid direc tor, under the direc tion of Dr. Judy where chem istry had an appli ca tion was invited to Dresser, cam pus pres i dent. In for ma tion was pro- pro vide dem on stra tions. vided on career and aca demic as sess ment, coun sel - u Beverly Denm an, coor di na tor of the Adult Basic ing, adm issions , finan cia l aid, and other college Ed u ca tion pro gram at the Hastings Cor rec tional ser vices. Center, announced that in the five years since CCC u The dental assis ting, dental hygiene , and dental began offer ing the ABE program at the correc tional lab o ra tory tech nol ogy pro grams were granted ap- center, 216 inm ates had earned GED di plom as. proval for reaccreditation by the Com mission on Through the ABE program , inm ates were also Ac cred i ta tion af ter a self-study by pro gram fac ulty, given the oppor tu nity to take classes in English as a site visit by an eval u ation team, and a re view by a Second Language, parenting, criti cal thinking, the com mis sion. Ap proval is the high est ac cred i ta- pre-relea se and com puters , while those who qual i- tion status granted by the com mission. The next re - fied could take se lected courses. view was scheduled for 2001. u A suc cessful re union was held for die sel program u Forty-five stu dents were in ducted as char ter mem- alumni. Elwood Onken, diesel instruc tor, was bers of the new Beta Al pha Delta Chap ter of Phi among those who orga nize d and hosted the event. Theta Kappa. Phi Theta Kappa is an inter na tional Retired u Katie Bruce of Juniata retired as a hu man services instruc tor. She joined the col lege in 1972 as chair- woman of health oc cupa tions. She had consid er - able prior ex pe ri ence as a reg is tered nurse and in vo ca tional re ha bil i ta tion ser vices. She was ac tive in the Ne braska Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion, the Ne braska Health Or ga ni za tion, and Vo ca tional Re ha bil i ta - tion. u Art Stark, a founding staff mem ber of the Hastings Campus, re tired as boiler fireman. He was first em- ployed by the college as a boiler specia list in 1966. In 1992, he was recog nize d for his loy alty to the cam pus when he re ceived its Outsta nding Service Award. Construction instructor Dale Janitscheck, right, tests a bridge’s weight-bearing ability during the 1994 Tech Platte Campus Day activities on the Hastings Campus. The annual u Con tin u ing the com mem o ra tion of its 25th year, event featured competitions between area high school the Platte Cam pus sponsore d a se ries of students in bridge building, CO2-powered car construc - presentations dur ing the spring se mester: “Ne braska, a tion, and robotics. State Di vided?” by Dr. Jane Renner Hood, Ne braska

85 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Humanities Council; “Ne braska Football, the Coaches, the Play ers, and the Ex pe ri ence” by James Sherwood, Univer sity of Ne braska at Lin- coln; “Black Women of the Great Plains” by Ber - tha Calloway, Great Plains Black Mu seum; “Growing Up in the Sandhills with Mari Sandoz” by Barbara Rippey, Col lege of St. Mary; “Sto ries of the Irish in Nebras ka” by Dr. Thomas Kuhlman, Creigh ton Uni versity; “The Platte River as a Theme for Ninetee nth Century Artists ” by Gary Zaruba, University of Ne braska-Kear ney; and “Our Plains Indian Heri tage ” by Phyl lis Stone, Rosebud Sioux Tribe. u On March 27, the Colum bus Telegram publishe d, “CCC-Platte Campus, a Part ner for 25 Years” as a Sunday sup ple ment in rec og ni tion of the an ni ver- sary of the campus. The sup ple ment was ded i cated Dr. Donald Newport (right) congratulates a member to the mem ory of Dr. Pete Rush. of the Platte Campus Class of ’94. Newport was u Rob ert Stachura, vice pres i dent and ex ec u tive man- founding president of the campus and gave the ager of Douglas and Lomason in Colum bus and a commencement address in 1994, the 25th anniversary 1974 gradu ate of the cam pus, re ceived a Distin - year for the campus. guished Alum nus Award from the Nebras ka Com - u Dr. Donald Newport, founding pres ident of Platte mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. In ad di tion to his Col lege, was the key note speaker at the Platte contri bu tions to his com pany and to the Platte Cam pus grad u a tion cer e mo nies. Cam pus, he was rec ognize d for his com munity in- u Michae l Moser of Colum bus re ceived an Outsta nd - volve ment and for con tin ued ed u ca tion. ing Alumni Award during com mence ment exer - u John Putnam, music instruc tor, re ceived the Fac - cises. He gradu ate d from Platte College in 1971 ulty Mem ber Award from the Nebras ka Com mu - with an as so ci ate de gree in speech com mu ni ca - nity Col lege Asso cia tion. He joined the CCC tions. While at Platte, he was ac tive in music fac ulty in 1971 when he began the Platte Cam pus groups and theate r produc tions, was elected to the mu sic pro gram. Among the ac com plish ments for first stu dent sen ate and was a mem ber of an which he was rec og nized were the Cho rale and award-win ning col lege debate team. Af ter com plet - Cantari vo cal en sembles at the campus for which ing a bache lor’s de gree at the Univer sity of Ne - he served as the di rec tor. braska at Lincoln, he returned to Colum bus and, in u The eighth annual National Ridge Till Confer ence 1977, becam e owner of the Colum bus Music Com - was ded i cated to the late Dr. Pete Rush, campus pany. He was cited as ac tive in both his church and pres ident. The cam pus sponsore d the event in con - com munity and loyal to Platte. He served on the junc tion with Fleischer Man u fac tur ing, a Co lum - origi nal Platte College Founda tion and taught com - bus com pany known for its inno va tions in mu nity ed u ca tion classes. con ser va tion till age equip ment. u Ron Kluck was rec ognize d as the Platte Person of u The En ergy Man age ment Pro gram re ceived a Spe - the Year. He joined the Platte Cam pus in 1982 as a cial Recog ni tion Award from the U.S. De partm ent com mu nity ed u ca tion co or di na tor and was pro- of Energy ac knowledg ing the service s it had pro- moted to as so ci ate dean of com mu nity ed u ca tion in vided to a wide vari ety of orga ni za tions in helping 1984. He was cited for his leader ship, fairness , them to manage their energy consum ption and edu - sense of hum or, ability to work hard, and to think cate their per sonnel. Doug Pauley, di rec tor of the clearly. He was ac tive as a member of the Schuyler energy manage m ent program , was the guest of Grade School Board, the Ameri can Heart As so ci a - Sec re tary Ha zel O’Leary at the awards cer emony tion, and the Adult and Contin u ing Edu ca tion As - in Wash ing ton, D.C. so ci a tion of Ne braska.

86 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Mary Hull was rec og nized as the Faculty Member u Ella Wenman, job de veloper, recei ved the Dis tin- of the Year. She joined the college in 1988 as a guished Service Award in recog ni tion of her work com mu ni ca tions in struc tor. She was also cer ti fied with the Co op er a tive Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion of Ne- as a trainer for business and indus try sem inars . She braska and with co op er a tive ed u ca tion. Behlen was cited as an inno va tive and engag ing instruc tor, Man u fac tur ing of Co lum bus re ceived the Em ployer an ac tive com munity leader, and as the author of of the Year Award from CEAN. two books. u The 1990 Farm Bill required farm ers to com plete u Barb Rebrovich, cam pus grants direc tor, re ceived a two years of training when they apply for new master of sci ence de gree in ed u cation from the loans. The Farm ers Home Adm inis tra tion in Lin - Univer sity of Ne braska at Lincoln. coln de ter mined that it could best reach the farmers u Di ane Stankoski, a med i cal sec re tary stu dent from through the com munity college system . Thus, the Sil ver Creek, be came the first Platte Cam pus stu - Platte Cam pus launched CCC’s training program dent to serve as an intern at Walt Dis ney World. under the direc tion of Verne Buhl, direc tor of agri - She worked as a fast-food hostess at the park dur - cultural program s. About 190 people were enrolle d ing the spring se mester. Upon her return to the in sites in Albion, Aurora, Cedar Rapids, Colum - campus, she com mented that she had be come ac- bus, Da vid City, Fullerton, Grand Island, Hastings, quainted with someone from all but two states of Holdrege, Lexington, and Ord. Instruc tors for the the union. program took 40 hours of training to pre pare to u Ella Wenman, job de vel oper, was cer ti fied as a lead - teach the stan dard ized cur ric u lum. ership instruc tor for both Phi Theta Kappa and the u George Steinsberger, po lit i cal sci ence and so ci ol - Kellogg Lead er ship Pro gram af ter suc cess fully com- ogy in struc tor, ini ti ated a course in in ter na tional re- plet ing train ing pro vided by the two or ga ni za tions. la tions. u Dr. M. Richard (Dick) Shaink of Omaha was ap - u The cam pus was host to Ne braska poet Nancy pointed presi dent of the Platte Cam pus begin ning McCleery as a result of a mini-grant written by Dr. July 1. He had been vice Mel Krutz. pres i dent for com mu nity u An ar ti cle, “Hazelwood: Re sults and Re al i ties,” by and eco nomic de vel op- Krutz was in cluded in “Pre serv ing In tel lec tual ment at Met ro pol i tan Free dom,” a publi ca tion of the National Council of Com mu nity Col lege in Teachers of English. Omaha where he devel - u Mu sic in struc tor Keith Lunde’s orig i nal in stru men- oped and im plem ented tal ar rangement of Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s De - train ing pro grams for sir ing” was ac cepted for pub li ca tion by busi ness and in dus try as Mid-Amer ica Pub lish ers. well as commu nity eco - nomic de vel op ment ac- In Memory tiv i ties, com mu nity u Leo Iwan of Colum bus, 73, died at the Colum bus out reach pro grams, and Dr. M. Richard Shaink Com munity Hospi tal. He served as a custo dian on ser vices for spe cial pop u la tions. Be fore Omaha, he the cam pus from 1972-74. lived in Michi gan where he had adm inis tra tive po- sitions at Kalamazoo Valley Commu nity Col lege and Jack son Com mu nity Col lege. All-College In-Service u The Ne braska Hu man i ties Coun cil speak ers ap - u Lt. Gov. Kim Robak gave the key note addres s ti- pear ing on cam pus during the fall sem ester were: tled “Getting Fit for the Next Cen tury in Nebraska” “The Ho lo caust” by Ol i ver Pollak, at tor ney and at the all-col lege in-ser vice. Den nis Baack, ex ecu - profes sor of history at the Univer sity of Ne braska tive di rec tor of the Nebras ka Com munity College at Omaha; and “Gate way, Com ing to Amer ica” by As so ci a tion, was also a ma jor pre senter. Phil Mar tin, in structor of the ater at Western Ne- braska Com mu nity Col lege.

87 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Board of Governors College Administration u Homer Pierce of Lexington was elected as u Elec tronic de pos it ing of pay checks be came man da- chairman of the Board of Gover nors. Other of ficer s tory for full-time employ ees. elected were Paul Leiss of Cambrid ge, vice u Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres i dent, in an ar ti cle chairman; Don Ander son of Grand Is land, secre - writ ten for the August is sue of “Central Connec - tary; and Ken Wortman of Aurora, trea surer. Har- tion” stated, “CCC must prepare cen tral Ne bras - old “Mac” McClure of Kear ney, imme di ate past kans for a changing world rather than a world of chairman; and Jan Dannelly of Colum bus were ap - perm anence . Our mission is not so much to teach pointed by Pierce to repre sent the govern ing board as it is to cre ate a cul ture driven by technol ogy in on the Ne braska Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion which students , fac ulty, and staff are contin u ously Board of Direc tors. learn ing.” u The Rev. Bill Doran of Grand Island re signed from u Tonya Bruns wick, an a lyst and pro gram mer, made the Board of Gover nors as he was retir ing as pastor a pre senta tion on the Tech Prep listserv and gopher of Trinity United Method ist Church and was mov - at the Na tional Tech Prep Con fer ence in Min ne ap - ing to Broom field, Colo. Doran was first elected to o lis. the board in 1982. u Larry Gla zier, col lege busi ness of fi cer, was ap - u Tom Pirnie, owner of Grand Island Expres s truck - pointed by the Central Asso ci a tion of College and ing com pany and af fil i ated com pa nies, was ap- Uni versity Busi ness Offi cers to its Two-Year Col- pointed to the Board of Gover nors to fill the lege Com mittee . CACUBO is a nonprofit asso ci a - tion rep re sent ing chief busi ness of fi cers at more va cancy cre ated by the re tire ment of the Rev. Bill than 600 insti tu tions in the north central region of Doran as a rep re sen ta tive of Dis trict 4. A for mer the United States. electron ics student at the Hastings Cam pus, Pirnie is ac tive in sev eral com mu nity or ga ni za tions. In Memory u Ronald Logue of Grand Island, 46, died at his Budget home af ter an ex tended ill ness. He was in sti tu - tional ad vance ment of fi cer for the col lege from u The oper at ing budget for 1994-95 was es tablishe d 1979 to 1986. He was asso ci ate d with Chief Auto - at $19,169,529 after the Board of Gover nors re - motive Sys tems, Inc., from 1986 until his death. duced the proposed budget by $135,000. Dr. Joe He is re mem bered as having been the first to de- Preusser, college pres ident, explaine d that dur ing velop ra dio and televi sion prom otional spots for the pre ced ing three years, the bud get had in creased the college. by about 5 percent while the enroll m ent had in- creased 17 per cent. College Foundation u CCC em ploy ees pledged or contrib uted more than Child Care Conference $17,000 to the 1994 cam paign of the founda tion. Gifts could be tagged for the specifi c program or u The Hastings Campus re ceived an Ex cel lence in cam pus or desig nate d for the genera l endow m ent. Team Program ming Award from the Nebras ka Co- u Jack Crowley, exec u tive di rec tor of the CCC Foun- op er a tive Ex ten sion in rec og ni tion for cam pus con- da tion, re ceived the Ne braska Com mu nity Col lege tribu tions to the Child Care Provider Confer ence . Ser vice Award. He was rec og nized for the growth Jeanne Webb, child care program instruc tor, and of the founda tion under his leader ship, for the es- Leslie Rob in son, com mu nity ed u ca tion as sis tant, tablish m ent of an annual Pro-Am golf tourna m ent both from the Grand Is land Cam pus, re ceived cer- and other in no va tive foun da tion ac tiv i ties, and for tif i cates of ap pre ci a tion. The con fer ence was held his ef forts to es tab lish com mu ni ca tion among other at Col lege Park. com mu nity col lege foun da tion di rec tors. u The founda tion worked with the Nebras ka De part- ment of Econom ic Devel op m ent, St. Francis Hos-

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pital in Grand Island, as well as CCC and Rural college . Students came from 92 counties in Ne - Al lied Med i cal Busi ness Oc cu pa tions. More than braska. Forty-three students came from out of state. $60,000 was given to the founda tion for student There were also students from Canada, Egypt, Ma- schol ar ships for those in ter ested in en ter ing the laysia , Russia , and the Virgin Islands . medi cal field. The Edgar Reynolds Founda tion of Grand Island provided $30,000 of that amount. u Retired United Airlines pi lot Cap tain Al Haynes was Lexington Center the key note speaker at the annual Founda tion Appre - u The Lexington Learning Center recei ved a $5,000 cia tion Dinner. Haynes was the pilot of United Flight C-band sat ellite dish DownLink recei ver through a 232 which crashed in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1989. TCI Edu ca tion Projec t grant. The dish al lowed the u Ken Wortman was inducte d into the CCC Founda - center to provide a vari ety of edu ca tional and infor - tion Hall of Fame. The Aurora business man was rec- mational ser vices to the com munity. ognize d as one of the leaders of the com munity u Barb Hinrichs, com mu nity ed u ca tion sec re tary col lege move ment in Ne braska as well as a founding since 1990, re ceived an as so ci ate of ap plied sci - mem ber of the CCC Board of Gover nors who had ence degree in business and manage m ent from served contin u ously since its incep tion and who CCC. had been its chair man for seven years. u Six man u fac tur ing tech nol ogy courses were of fered u The CCC Founda tion re ceived $7,500 in scholar ship for the first time at the Lexington Center. The 12 funds from Nebras ka Public Power Dis trict (NPPD). se mes ter-hours of in de pend ent study in cluded The funds were raised at the an nual Ne braska Open OSHA rules and reg u la tions, in tro duc tion to com - and Invi ta tional Pro-Am Golf Tourna m ent, which is puter-in te grated man u fac tur ing, sta tis ti cal pro cess coor di nate d by NPPD and the Ne braska section of con trol, man u fac tur ing pro cesses lab o ra tory, pro- the Pro fes sional Golf As so ci a tion. duc tion op er a tions man age ment, and time and mo - u The Ford Motor Com pany and Ander son Ford Lin- tion study. Kathy Neil, dis tance learning regional coln Mercury Inc. of Grand Island donate d a 1994 coor di nator, stated at the time that the courses Ford XLT pickup and a Ford Escort LX to the could be used as elec tives in the dis tance learn ing Hastings Cam pus for use in the auto m otive tech- pro gram. nology de partm ent. The com bined worth of the ve- hicle s was $24,619. u Since 1990, 19 small business loans had been made Nursing Program through the Watley Incu ba tor Fund, ranging in size u Mary Lou Holmberg moved from asso ci ate dean of from $2,000 to $10,000 and total ing more than in struc tion to cur ric u lum de vel op ment co or di na tor. $76,000. Loans were provided at half of the na - Linda Walline, asso ci ate degree of nursing pro- tional prime rate. gram di rec tor, be came the as so ci ate dean for nurs - u As of June 30, total asset s of the CCC Founda tion ing. totale d $2,021,499.22. During the 1993-94 college year, the founda tion awarded $198,338 in scholar - North Central Association ship support, either di rectly or with flow-through u Joseph Jeffers, Grand Is land Cam pus student, and dol lars. Fred Roeser, electron ics instruc tor, won the first u The CCC Founda tion again provided $6,000 for place prize in the Self-Study Report Cover Contes t. staff devel op m ent grants. A total of 47 such grants Dr. Joe Preusser present ed a $100 check to Jeffers were awarded since l989. for his personal use. Roeser re ceived a $500 check for use in the elec tronics program . Enrollment u Largely through the efforts of Dr. Dennis Tyson, u Enroll m ent totale d 34,068 during the 1993-94 col- vice pres i dent for ed u ca tional ser vices, the col lege lege year, includ ing full- and part-time students at- designe d “A Plan for the As sessm ent of Student tending on- and off-cam pus. Full-time equiva lent Learn ing.” The as sess ment was re quired of all ac - enroll m ent was 2,967. Eighty percent of the stu- credited in stitu tions by North Cen tral. Once it was dents came from the 25 counties which support the provided for in the college mission state ment and

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im plem ented, the pur pose of the asses sm ent was to struc tors came from Alli ance, Centura, Genoa, as sure ed u ca tional ex cel lence through con tin u ous Gibbon, Grand Island, Grand Is land Northwes t, qual ity im prove ment of stu dent learn ing, cur ric u- and Sandy Creek. CCC instruc tors from the three lum content and design, faculty teaching, teaching campuses also par tic i pated. Kevin Miller, CCC and learning resourc es, and through the edu ca tional Tech Prep coor di na tor, was in charge of the work- en vi ron ment. shop. School-to-Work Vocational Education Awards u Sev eral awards were pre sented to members of the u The fed eral School-to-Work Op por tu ni ties Act of CCC fam ily by the Nebras ka Council for Voca - 1994 was passed into law. It seemed clear from the tional Ed u ca tion. Cer tif i cates of achieve ment went language of the legis la tion that the school-to-work to Grand Island Cam pus students Terri Oleson of sys tem was to build on ex ist ing ed u ca tional ac tiv i- Grand Island and Sonia Kounovsky of Ord as out- ties in clud ing co op er a tive ed u ca tion, Tech Prep, stand ing postsecondary vo ca tional stu dents. Eileen youth works, school to appren tice ship and entre - Ivers of Grand Is land re ceived a cer tif i cate of ap - pre neur ship. preci a tion for her work as a postsecondary lo cal ad vi sory commit tee mem ber for the paralegal pro - Tech Prep gram. The Douglas and Lomason plant in Colum - u A workshop was held on the Hastings Cam pus to bus and Friend’s Motor Supply in Hastings pre pare sci ence and tech nol ogy in struc tors to teach re ceived cer tif i cates of ap pre ci a tion for their sup - the prin ci ples of tech nol ogy cur ric u lum de vel oped port of postsecondary vo ca tional ed u ca tion. The by the Cen ter for Oc cu pa tional Re search and De - awards were pre sented at a reg u lar meeting of the velop m ent of Waco, Texas, to give students a CCC Board of Gover nors by Ray Mueller, exec u - strong under sta nding of physics and how it is used tive di rec tor of the Nebras ka Council for Voca - in the world of work. Many of the instruc tors con - tional Edu ca tion. Later in the year, Kounovsky, structed the equipm ent re quired for the curric u lum , Ivers, and Friend’s Motor Supply recei ved the cor- result ing in substa ntial savings. High school in- respond ing state awards from the council.

90 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College President Shares Legislative History By Dr. Joseph W. Preusser state-supported voca tional /technical school was added (Ed i tor’s note: The fol low ing ar ti cle ap peared in at Sidney in 1965. the “Central Connec tion” of May 1994. It is include d 1960s Bring Vocational Schools here in its en tirety because it pro vides a con cise sum - LB 581 was enact ed in 1965, perm itting mary of Ne braska leg is la tion re lated to com mu nity multicounty area vo cation al-tech ni cal schools. On May colleges.) 10, 1966, electors in 17 counties – includ ing Platte “The col lege is a lo cally gov erned ed u cation al en - County – voted by a nearly five-to-one margin to es - tity, sep arate by law from both the es tab lished el emen - tablish Area Voca tional School #1 at Hastings. This tary and second ary schools and other insti tu tions of later be came Cen tral Ne braska Tech ni cal Col lege. Vo - higher ed u ca tion. Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege is au tho- cation al/tech ni cal schools also were es tab lished at Nor - rized by the Nebras ka Legis la ture and oper ate s under folk and North Platte under this legis la tion. Omaha and the provi sions of Re vised State Statute 79-2636 Rev. Lincoln schools were added to the list of two-year Sup. 1976.” postsecondary vo ca tional-tech ni cal schools through This quota tion is from the current mission state - legislation enacted in 1967. ment of Central Com munity College . Since the mission state ment was adopted, there have been some changes County-Supported Community College in the statutes (Sec tion 85, Ar ticle s 1501-1540, Rev. A law enact ed on March 17, 1967, (LB 452) pro- Sup. 1993). In this ar ticle I will share a brief legis la tive vided the enabling legis la tion needed to estab lish Platte history of the de velop m ent of two-year colleges in Junior Col lege as Nebras ka’s first county-supported Nebraska. com munity college in 1969. The bill spelled out the du- Junior College Roots in 1920s ties and re spon si bil i ties of mem bers of ju nior col lege boards of edu ca tion and amended the law so that junior Begin ning in the 1920s, school distric ts were per- college distric ts could be estab lishe d with boundarie s mitted to estab lish junior col leges within their bound- identi cal with the boundarie s of the county within aries. Five ju nior col leges were which the school was located. founded un der the leg is la tion: The Uni cameral in 1971 en acted McCook in 1926, Norfolk in 1928, LB 759, which com bined six junior Scottsbluff in 1931, Fairbury in col leges, five area vo ca tional-tech ni - 1941, and North Platte in 1961. cal col leges, and two state vo ca- Junior col leges were autho - tional-techni cal colleges into a uni fied rized to of fer ac ademic trans fer sys tem of two-year tech ni cal commu - program s that provided the first nity colleges. It required that af ter two years of a four-year de gree as July 1, 1973, the 13 cam puses would well as oc cu pa tional pro grams de- merge into tech ni cal com mu nity col- signed to prepare students for agri - lege ar eas and that all coun ties in the cul tural, in dus trial, com mer cial, state would be part of the area. and home mak ing vo ca tions. Other Cen tral Ne braska Tech ni cal Col - leg is la tion led to the es tab lish ment lege at Hastings and Platte Ju nior of other types of two-year col- College at Colum bus merged to form leges. Ar ti cle XIV of the Ne braska Cen tral Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col- School Law cre ated the Ne braska lege Area, encom pass ing 25 counties. Vo ca tional Tech ni cal School at Milford in 1941. A second

91 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Enabling Legislation Challenged com munity college s were now local ly controlle d and governe d and not in conflic t with the Duis The new tech ni cal commu nity col leges were sup - Amendment. ported through local property taxes but governe d by a State Board of Techni cal Com munity Colleges. Bill Sets Role and Mission In De cem ber 1972, Banner County resi dents seek - LB 756, enact ed in 1978, required that each public ing 100 percent state funding for the techni cal com mu - college in Ne braska es tablish a role and mission. First nity college s challenge d LB 759. Sheridan County pri or ity of mis sion was given to vo ca tional-tech ni cal refuse d to pay the property tax levy include d in the law ed u ca tional pro grams. In ad di tion, six com mu nity col- and filed suit against the state. lege campuses in the state, in clud ing the Platte Cam- The Nebras ka Suprem e Court deter m ined that the pus, were au tho rized to of fer ac ademic trans fer com munity college system set up by LB 759 was state program s. At the time, it was the only autho rize d loca - controlle d becaus e it had a state govern ing board. It tion for aca dem ic transfer program s within Central found the law to be uncon sti tu tional becaus e it used lo- Com munity College , which by then include d cam puses cal property taxes for a state purpose, which was pro- at Hastings and Grand Island and central administrative hibited under the Duis Amendm ent to the state offices, also in Grand Island. constitution. In Janu ary 1973, a bill was intro duced to provide Coordinating Commission Founded 100 percent state funding for the com munity college s A law enact ed in 1991 create d the Coor di nat ing but it failed to pass. LB 553 was enact ed later in the Com mis sion for Postsecondary Ed u ca tion, giv ing it year, pro vid ing for seven tech ni cal com mu nity college much broader power than a pre vious com mission, in - areas. clud ing au thor ity to ap prove ap pli ca tions for new The bill lev ied a one mill tax in all coun ties to sup - programs. port the college s. Local govern ing boards were to be An ear lier leg is la tive study had rec om mended ex - appointed, but the State Board of Techni cal Com mu - panding ac adem ic transfer program s to other cam puses nity College s would continue to have genera l super vi - in the techni cal com munity college system . In 1993, sion and control over the state system. the com mission approved a proposal by Central Com - munity College that the Grand Is land and Hastings State Governing Board Questioned cam puses join the Platte Cam pus in offering transfer The provi sion for a state govern ing board again programs. raised ques tions of consti tu tion al ity, and LB 344 was The pri ority service region of the college is the en acted in 1975 as a cor rec tive mea sure. It es tab lished state-des ig nated, 25-county cen tral Ne braska area. The six tech ni cal com mu nity col lege ar eas, re tained lo cal follow ing counties make up the col lege ser vice area gov ern ing boards, elim i nated the state gov ern ing which has a popu la tion of 282,321 and more than board, and es tab lished the Ne braska Co or di nat ing 14,000 square miles: Adam s, Boone, Buffalo, Butler, Com mis sion for Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col leges, Clay, Colfax, Dawson, Franklin, Furnas, Gosper, which was elim inate d by further legislation in 1977. Greeley, Hall, Hamil ton, Harlan, Howard, Kear ney, This law withstood a consti tu tional chal lenge when Merrick, Nance, Nuckolls, Phelps, Platte, Polk, the Nebras ka Suprem e Court found that the techni cal Sherman, Val ley, and Web ster.

92 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1995 Future of Hastings Campus Examined Dr. Joe Preusser, col lege pres ident, told Hastings com munity leaders that the Hastings Cam pus will re main CCC’s flagship cam pus for techni cal edu ca tion. The Hastings Cham ber of Com merce had request ed a meet ing with college offi cia ls to discuss concer ns re sulting from deci sions to shorten the contrac ts of some faculty and to elim i- nate intercollegiate athletics. President Expresses College Commitment Preusser assure d those attend ing that the college rem ained com mitted to a strong cam pus in Hastings, not ing that the Hastings Cam pus fa cili ties repre sent ed a $13 million invest ment. Although some budget re ductions had occurre d based on enroll m ent figures , Preusser said the college had al locat ed a specia l $100,000 to the cam pus for 1995-96 to enhance program s and enroll m ents. Preusser also said that the col lege was devel op ing plans to reno vate the Furnas Building to house the auto m otive technol ogy, auto body technology, diesel technol ogy, parts sales and management and truck driving programs. Dr. Den nis Tyson, vice pres i dent for ed u ca tional ser vices, out lined a plan un der de vel op ment to co or di nate cur- ricu lum across the three cam puses of CCC. Under the proposal , adm inis tra tors at the Hastings Cam pus would be re - spon si ble for pro vid ing lead er ship in man u fac tur ing tech nol ogy, me chan ics and trans por ta tion, con struc tion technol ogy, and health and human services programs. Dean Explains Variety of Instructional Methods Dr. Robin Menschenfreund, Hastings Cam pus dean of instruc tion, told the group that the cam pus contin ued to uti lize in di vid u al ized in struc tion meth ods which had made the cam pus a na tional leader in com pe tency-based ed u ca - tion, but that the cam pus also offere d some lecture classes for students who pre fer a more tradi tional approac h to learning. Menschenfreund also said that the cam pus used sat ellite and com puter technol ogy to expand oppor tu ni ties for students at the cam pus and throughout the service area of CCC. Dr. Judy Dresser, Hastings Cam pus presi dent, em phasiz ed that in addi tion to offer ing more lecture classes, more structure was be ing provided to self-paced courses to encour age students to complete assignments in a timely manner. Recruiting Strategies and Activities Discussed Dr. Mike Chipps, Hastings Campus dean of students, discussed a variety of recruiting methods including visits to high schools and activities including an Expo of Technology Day, competitions such as Technical Education Day, and an ACTIONS Day which attract large numbers of high school students to the campus.

Grand Island Campus dele ga tion include d Bob and Pat Hancock, owners and oper a tors of Bob’s Body Shop in Grand Is land. u Natasha Pozdnyakova re ceived an as so ci ate de gree u The Center for Indus try and Technol ogy welding in business from the Grand Is land Cam pus af ter re- labo ra tory on the cam pus was approved as a certi - ceiving two auto body certif i cat es – one in basic fied testing fa cility by the Ameri can Welding So ci- sheet metal and the other in refin ish ing – from the ety. “The ad van tages of this pro gram are many,” Hastings Cam pus. Pozdnykova arrived in the said Vinton Gubbins, welding instruc tor. “The United States in Janu ary 1993 and be came a stu- most im por tant is that em ploy ers will be able to dent at CCC. Her journey to Nebras ka began when elim inate their own testing while still be ing as sured she served as an inter prete r for a group of Ameri - that the welding candi date for em ploy ment is quali - cans who were in Moscow to tour body shops. The fied accord ing to a well-known standard.”

93 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u Dennis Fierstein of Aurora recei ved the Dis tin- the 1995-96 fiscal year and as presi dent for the fol - guished Alumni Award from the Nebras ka Com - low ing year. mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. Fierstein earned an u Lt. Gov. Kim Robak was the keynote speaker for as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in data pro cess - the Grand Is land commence ment. ing in 1984. Be fore gradu a tion, he had started an u Robert Schleicher of Grand Is land was honored in tern ship with Busi ness Man age ment Ser vices of with an Outsta nding Alumni Award. He gradu ate d Grand Is land through the co op er a tive ed u ca tion in 1993 with an as soci ate of applied science degree program and then stayed on as a full-time junior in data proces sing and accept ed a posi tion with the pro gram mer af ter grad u a tion. Over the years, he Prin ci pal Fi nan cial Group as a man age ment trainee earned ad vance ments, be came a sharehol der, and in where he was re spon si ble for the PC hard ware and 1994 was elected pres ident of the orga ni za tion. softwar e for the Grand Is land office . He had been a u Dr. Bill Giddings, cam pus presi dent, was elected to part-time data proces sing instruc tor for the cam pus serve a three-year term on the Grand Is land Area and had worked in the manage m ent infor m ation Chamber of Com merce Board of Di rec tors. He also ser vices depart m ent. He also helped to set up the served on the Busi ness/Ed u ca tion Part ner ship Ac ademic Suc cess Cen ter. He holds a bach elor’ s Com mit tee, the Gov ern men tal Af fairs Com mit tee de gree from Wayne State Col lege. and the Pres ident’s Club. u Four staff members re ceived de grees: Dale Bernth, u Dr. Linda Wilke-Long, paralegal in struc tor, was build ing ser vice tech ni cian, an as so ci ate of ap plied se lected to serve as a con sul tant-eval u ator for the sci ence de gree in me chan i cal draft ing from CCC; Com mis sion on In sti tu tions of Higher Ed u ca tion LaVern Franzen, dean of instruc tion, a doctor of for the North Central Asso ci a tion of College s and ed u ca tion de gree from the Uni ver sity of Ne braska Schools. at Lincoln; Tom Peters , data proces sing instruc tor, u The Ac cred i ta tion Coun cil of Ac coun tancy and a master of sci ence de gree from Uni ver sity of Ne - Tax ation se lected the campus as a test ing site for braska at Kear ney; and Linda Wenn, of fice tech - its six-hour na tion wide exam. The ac cred i ta tion nology in struc tor, a bache lor of arts de gree in pro gram rec og nizes prac ti tio ners and stu dents who ed u ca tion from UNK. demon strate a prac ti cal level of knowl edge in ac - u Thirty-five of the 100-plus persons eli gi ble partic i - count ing. Sa rah Cunningham, ac count ing in struc tor pated in the Gen eral Ed u ca tional De vel op ment and dis tance learning coor di na tor, served as a local gradu a tion held in June at the new Walnut Junior con tact. High School. Dr. Bill Giddings, cam pus presi dent, u Dr. LaVern Franzen, dean of in struc tion, re ceived wel comed the gradu ate s and their guests. Chuck the Outsta nding Adult Edu ca tor Award from the Winkler and Cindy Thiemann from Da-Ly Realty Adult and Con tin u ing Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion. were the guest speak ers. Franzen, who joined the college in 1967 as an ac - u Kevin Miller changed posi tions from Tech Prep co - counting instruc tor on the Hastings Cam pus, was or di na tor to as so ci ate dean of in dus trial tech nol- cited for his broad range of expe ri ence in voca - ogy. tional ed u ca tion and his lead er ship in com mu nity u Sa rah Cunningham, ac count ing in struc tor, re ceived ed u ca tion. ACEAN had pre vi ously rec og nized cer tif i ca tion in stress man age ment from Bio feed - Franzen with a Rookie of the Year Award. back Cer tif i ca tion In sti tute of Amer ica. The cer tif i- u About 50 students and 10 Grand Is land em ploy ers cation involved com pletion of 12 gradu ate hours, a partic i pate d in a caree r day sponsore d by the Phi national cer tifi ca tion test, and teaching 20 hours of Theta Kappa Hon or ary So ci ety and the placement stress man age ment classes. office . The event include d a panel of em ploy ers u Plans were made to build an 11,000-square-foot who dis cussed what they look for in prospec tive ad di tion to the ex ist ing Cen ter for In dus trial Tech - em ploy ees, a luncheon, and mock inter view s con- nol ogy. ducted by the panel ists . u Steve Millnitz, finan cial aid direc tor, was chosen Retired by bal lot as pres i dent-elect of the Ne braska As so ci - u Jim Dutcher of Greeley re tired as as so ci ate dean of a tion of Stu dent Fi nan cial Aid Ad min is tra tors for business and indus try. He did, however , teach for the college on a part-time basis until 1999. He began

94 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

work at the college in 1966 as an electron ics in- struc tor on the Hastings Cam pus. He also served as chair man of the elec tron ics, elec tri cal, and heat ing, air con di tion ing, and re frig er a tion pro grams be fore ac cept ing a po si tion as di rec tor of in dus trial oc cu- pations at the Grand Is land Cam pus in 1976. Be- fore owning his own electri cal and electronic business , he served in the U.S. Air Force where he taught at Scott Air Force Base in Illi nois. Hastings Campus u A ground break ing co op er a tive agree ment be tween CCC and Hastings College resulte d in Ryan Fahey re ceiv ing an as so ci ate of ap plied science de gree in cu li nary arts from CCC and a bach elor of sci ence 1995 marked the end of the intercollegiate sports degree in business and culi nary arts from Hastings program on the Hastings Campus, which at one time College . The person al ize d plan allowe d Fahey to fielded teams in women’s volleyball and basketball, and attend Hastings Col lege on a football scholar ship men’s golf, wrestling, basketball, and baseball. The while pursu ing his caree r goal of becom ing a Lady Rams are shown in a game against the team from world-class chef. the Platte Campus in the Dawson Multipurpose Center. u Terry Kothe, techni cal assis tant in trade and indus - try, attende d a 12-day training session on hazard - ous waste mate ri als at Kirkwood Com munity Pop Corn were the first tenants to occupy 5,000 College in Ce dar Rapids, Iowa, which was spon - square feet of the Kearney Building. sored by the Na tional In sti tute of En vi ron men tal u Dr. Judy Dresser, Hastings Cam pus presi dent, was Health and Safety. the re cipi ent of the Presi dent’s Award given by the u Herb Scott, Ne braska En vi ron men tal Train ing Cen- Ne braska Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. She ter pro gram co or di na tor, re ceived a $900 schol ar- was cited for hav ing imple mented a staff lead er ship ship to attend a six-day training course and earn devel op m ent program , for having worked with the cer tif i ca tion as an en vi ron men tal trainer in wa ter Hastings Eco nomic De vel op ment Cor po ra tion to and wastewater special ties from the Na tional En vi - develop a small business incu ba tor, for her part in ron men tal Train ing As so ci a tion. de vel op ing a tran si tion cri sis re sponse team when a u Walt Miller of Hastings, drafting in structor, and major em ployer went out of business , and for ex- Elwood Onken of Glenvil, die sel instruc tor, shared pand ing the Ne braska En vi ron men tal Train ing the 11th annual Outsta nding Ser vice Award pre- Cen ter. sented by the cam pus. Both were cited for their u The Hastings Youth Leader ship Council, which com mitm ent to their students , knowledge of job consis ted of students from Adam s Central , op por tu ni ties in their re spec tive fields, on go ing Hastings Senior, and St. Ce cilia high schools, be- contac t with gradu ate s and their rapport with other gan a weekly radio program on KCNT-FM. The staff. Like wise, both are ac tive on campus and in program , produced by students in the broadcas ting their com mu ni ties. program on the cam pus, highlighte d music , com - u Through the efforts of the CCC Board of Gover - mu nity events, stu dent ac tiv i ties, and stu dent opin- nor’s, the CCC Founda tion, the Hastings Econom ic ions. De vel op ment Cor po ra tion, and the Ne braska De- u Cammie Farrell, hu man services in struc tor, was partm ent of Econom ic Devel op m ent, a small busi- honored by the Adam s County YWCA with its ness incu ba tor building was provided on the Tribute to Women Program, which rec ognize s cam pus to help smaller startup com panies . Ken and women for us ing their leader ship skills to prom ote Donna Gray, own ers of A-MAIZE-ING GRAYS com mu nity bet ter ment.

95 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u An Intercultural Forum was sponsore d by the Busi - through CCC. One had re ceived a di ploma and the ness, In dus try and Ed u ca tion Coun cil of the other a cer tif i cate, both in data pro cess ing. Hastings Area Chamber of Com merce and the u Three staff members re ceived de grees: Shelly Kort, Hastings Campus Di ver sity Team. Panel members res i dence life and campus cen ter di rec tor, a master said that over com ing mis con cep tions and dif fi cul- of busi ness ad min is tra tion de gree from the Uni ver- ties in com mu ni ca tion were the big gest bar ri ers sity of Ne braska at Kearney; Ann Pattno, office they faced as re cent im migran ts. The fo rum, which tech nol ogy in struc tor, a mas ter’s de gree in ed u ca - was open to the public, was attende d by about 75 tion with an em phasis in agency counsel ing from per sons. UNK; Mar ga ret Stutzman, Adult Ba sic Ed u ca tion u About 450 junior high and high school students sec re tary, an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in took part in the annual Technol ogy Ed uca tion data proces sing from CCC. Com peti tion which include d balsa wood bridge u Jane Stratman, dental hygiene instruc tor, was in - building, cus tom show car, metric 500 car, mouse- stalled as pres i dent of the Ne braska Den tal Hy gien - trap-pow ered vehi cle races, ro botic arm, and small ist As so ci a tion. en gine trou ble shoot ing com pe ti tions. u A mem ber of the parts sales and man age ment ad vi - u Wanda Cloet, dental hygiene super vi sor, was ap - sory com mittee , Hastings business man George An - pointed to a three-year term on the Amer i can Den - derson was named the Outsta nding Postsecondary tal Hy giene As so ci a tion Com mit tee on Na tional Ad vi sory Com mit tee Mem ber by the Ne braska Boards at a dis trict con fer ence in Chi cago. Coun cil on Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion. An der son's busi- u Lt. Gov. Kim Robak was the keynote speaker for ness, Gessford Machine Shop, served as a coop er a - the Hastings commence ment. tive edu ca tion site and donate d a pickup, parts, and u Peggy Paben of Kearney was honored with an Out- machine shop service s to the college and to the standing Alumni Award. She returned to school af- drag rac ing team. An der son is ac tive in a va ri ety of ter 23 years when her husband died in 1988. She civic affair s, and he and his wife estab lishe d a $300 earned a high school equiva lenc y di ploma and then annual scholar ship for a high school student. en rolled in CCC’s med i cal as sist ing pro gram, grad- u Dustina Donner, a 1995 gradu ate with an asso ci ate u at ing with hon ors and re ceiv ing her as so ci ate of of ap plied sci ence de gree in data pro cess ing, was applied science degree in1990. She then enrolle d in named the Outsta nding Postsecondary Specia l Pop- the College of Nurs ing at the Uni versity of Ne - ula tions Student by the Nebras ka Council on Voca - braska at Kear ney where she earned a bach elor of tional Edu ca tion. In spite of a se ries of personal sci ence degree in nursing before accept ing a posi - prob lems and a se ri ous med i cal con di tion, she tion in the children’s and ado les cent unit at Richard found her way to CCC. Af ter a se mester on cam- Young Hos pital in Kearney. pus, she met Nancy Bjorklund, transi tions program u Nine teen of the 115 peo ple el i gi ble par tic i pated in di rec tor. She be came as so ci ated with the pro gram the Gen eral Ed u ca tional De vel op ment grad u a tion where she estab lishe d some goals which helped her held in June on the cam pus. Dr. Judy Dresser, cam - to becom e an out standing student. She served as a pus presi dent, welcom ed the gradu ate s and their tutor on cam pus, as chairwom an of her son’s home guests. The key note addres s was given by Lana room at Hastings Head Start, and as a mentor for Svobado, ed u ca tional co or di na tor at Ne braska Alu- pregnant teens and teen mothers . mi num Cast ings. u The Thermo King Cor pora tion re ceived the Out- u Seven tee n of the 22 inm ates who were eli gi ble par- stand ing Postsecondary Busi ness/La bor In volve- tic i pated in the June Gen eral Ed u ca tional De vel op- ment Award. The Hastings corpo ra tion was ment gradu a tion at the Hastings Cor rec tional nom inate d becaus e of the high prior ity it places on Cen ter. Beverly Den man, Adult Ba sic Ed u ca tion ed u ca tion and train ing for its em ploy ees. Through co or di na tor, wel comed the grad u ates and their a part ner ship ar range ment, CCC pro vided fa cil i ties guests. Mem bers of the gradu at ing class served as and instruc tors to the corpo ra tion and Thermo King the speakers . Specia l rec ogni tion was given to two contrib uted em ployee time and equipm ent to the inm ates who had com pleted program s of study col lege. At the time, ba sic re frig er ation and electri - cal classes had been of fered on-site for 15 years

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and a num ber of em ploy ees took eve ning classes tion De pot which later became the Hastings on cam pus. Thermo King had hired a num ber of Cam pus. He also was a volun tee r firem an for 20 CCC gradu ate s, and had made signif i cant dona - years. tions to the col lege. u Virginia Trail of Hastings retired as a printing as - u Twelve elec tri cal stu dents wired a Hab i tat for Hu - sis tant. Prior to joining CCC in 1989, she worked manity house in Hastings during the fall sem ester in com mercia l printing for 27 years. She also with the super vi sion of Ron Meyer, elec trical in- worked at a subcon trac ting firm where she wrote struc tor. The projec t gave students a chance to ex- and edited the manu als for the Atlas and Titan mis- peri ence a sense of com munity, to volun tee r for a sile systems. good cause, to re view ma te rial they had learned in class, and to see the res i den tial wir ing pro cess In Memory through from begin ning to end. u Lillian Ras mus sen Melton, 82, of Kear ney died at u The Chrys ler Corpo ra tion and Great Plains Chrys - Good Sam ari tan Hospi tal. She be gan at the cam pus ler-Plymouth-Dodge in Hastings donate d a 1994 in 1966 as a bookkeepe r, later trans ferring to fa cili - LeBaron convert ible to the cam pus to be used in its ties and grounds. She retire d in 1975 as sec retary to auto m otive and auto body program s. the as so ci ate dean of stu dents. She was re mem - u In 1990, the En vi ron men tal Pro tec tion Agency pro- bered as having been a good and faithful em ployee. vided a $500,000 nonmatching five-year grant to u Kathy Gilbert, 36, of Hastings died at Mary es tab lish the Ne braska En vi ron men tal Train ing Lanning Hospi tal after an extende d illness . She Center on the Hastings Cam pus. Through the cen- was an ac counting clerk at the cam pus for 13 years. ter, more than 50 workshops were being offere d She is rem em bered for the deter m ina tion and grace annu ally. Based on its succes s, the EPA extende d with which she faced her illness and for her com - the grant for two addi tional years. Greg mitme nt to her family. DuMonthier served as NETC direc tor, and Herb u Haskell Kirkland, 69, of Hastings died at Mary Scott, who taught about half of the workshops him - Lanning Hospi tal after an extende d illness . He was self, was NETC pro gram co or di na tor. Af ter a ho tel, mo tel, and res tau rant man age ment in struc- DuMonthier resigne d in the fall, Scott becam e the tor from 1970-88 and was the first re cipi ent of the direc tor. The growth of the center brought about its Out stand ing Ser vice Award. Af ter be ing re tired for move from the Gausman Building to the Webste r two years, he return ed as a part-time read ing in - Build ing. struc tor. He is re mem bered as an es pe cially accom - u Nebras ka Gov. Ben Nelson appointed Dr. Robin modat ing person and as a hardwork ing and loyal Menschenfreund, dean of instruc tion, to the fac ulty mem ber. 30-mem ber Nebras ka Com mission on the Status of Women. Platte Campus Retired u Among the Ne braska Hu man i ties Coun cil pro- u Mari lyn Gerritsen of Hastings retired as a child grams pre sented on cam pus were: “Ne braska Folk - care and hum an service s instruc tor, a posi tion she lore, Folkies , and Fakelore” by Winfield Dell and had held since 1973 when she joined the college the de partm ent of history and geog ra phy at Ne- staff. A regis tere d nurse, she previ ously worked at braska West ern Col lege; “Af ri can-Amer i can Gos - Mary Lanning Mem orial Hospi tal in a vari ety of pel Music ” by Janice Col lins Brooks, inde pend ent posi tions, includ ing instruc tor at the school of nurs- scholar of music ; “Women Artists : Why We Don't ing and as sis tant di rec tor of nurs ing ed u ca tion. She Know Them” by Helen Lewis of West ern Iowa has also been ac tive in the com munity in a num ber Tech Col lege; and “Pi o neer Ne braska Women of ca pac i ties. Writ ers” by Su san George, as sis tant pro fes sor of u Leon Schafer of John son Lake re tired as elec tri - English at the Univer sity of Ne braska at Kearney. cian, a posi tion he held begin ning in 1978. Prior to u Plans to cre ate a new Busi ness Cen ter were an - joining CCC, he worked for Krieger Electric in nounced. The projec t include d a 5,950-square-foot Hastings. Earlier he was a supply sergeant in the addi tion to the North Edu ca tion Center and rem od - U.S. Air Force and worked at the Navy Am muni - eling 2,500 square feet of exist ing space in order to

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provide addi tional classroom space and allow ac- u James Havelka, super in ten dent of the Howells and count ing, busi ness ad min is tra tion, data pro cess ing, Dodge public schools, was honored with an Out- and office technol ogy to be in close proxim ity. standing Alumni Award. He recei ved an asso ci ate u Dr. Dick Shaink, cam pus presi dent, present ed a of arts degree in edu ca tion from the Platte Cam pus ses sion at the Co op er a tive Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion in 1971. In 1973, he was awarded a bache lor of sci- of Ne braska confer ence on market ing and getting ence de gree summa cum laude from Kear ney State em ploy ers to be come in volved in co op er a tive ed u- College . He then taught at Papillion-LaVista while ca tion pro grams. finish ing a master’s degree at the Univer sity of Ne - u Ella Wenman, co op er a tive ed u ca tion/home eco - braska at Omaha and a special ist de gree from the nom ics in struc tor, was named Teacher/Co or di na tor Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Lin coln. He served as as - of the Year by the Co op er a tive Ed u ca tion As so ci a - sis tant princi pal at Aberdeen, S.D., and as super in - tion of Nebras ka. Elaine Dvorak, coop er a tive edu - tendent at Ris ing City be fore accept ing the ca tion sec re tary, re ceived the Dis tin guished Howells and Dodge posi tion. Prior to enroll ing at Ser vice Award from the same or ga ni zation . Platte, he served in the Marine Corps. While at - u Thirty-five of about 90 people who were el igi ble tend ing classes, he worked as a re porter at the Co - par tic i pated in the June Gen eral Ed u ca tional De - lum bus Tele gram. vel op ment grad u a tion on the cam pus. Betsie u An origi nal speech on writ ing by Dr. Em ily Wotherspoon, Adult Ba sic Ed u ca tion co or di na tor, Uzendoski, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, was pub - wel comed the gradu ate s and their guests. Ann lished in “Writ ing it Down for James: Writ ers on Cham bers, ABE as sis tant/co or di na tor for the Life and Craft” by Bea con Press. 25-county service area of CCC, gave the gradu a - u Dr. Mel Krutz, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, and Ray tion addres s. Plankinton, math in struc tor, were co-re cip i ents of u Ed Eaton of Colum bus was se lected to partic i pate the Teacher of Ex cel lence Award from the cam pus in the Sci ence and En gi neer ing Re search Se mes ter chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. by the U.S. Depart m ent of Energy. A pre-engi neer - u About 2,100 students from 30 high schools partic i - ing grad u ate at Platte and an emplo yee of Behlen pated in the Distric t II Nebras ka High School Ac- Manu fac turing at the time of his selec tion, Eaton’s tiv i ties As so ci a tion Mu sic Con test held on the re search ap point ment was at the Los Alamos Na - cam pus. tional Lab o ra tory. u Doug Pauley, al ter native fu els di rec tor, was se - u The state con fer ence of the Amer i can As so ci a tion lected to partic i pate in a joint pro ject between the of Women in Com munity College s was held on the Na tional Au to mo tive Tech ni cian Ed u ca tion Foun- cam pus. The key note speaker was Dr. Gwendolyn dation and the De partm ent of Energy to develop Stephenson, chancel lor at St. Louis Com munity cer tif i ca tion stan dards for pro grams to train al ter- College in Missouri. native fuels techni cia ns. Four trips to Washing ton, u An Ar bor Day tour to Nebras ka City was spon - D.C. were involved in the projec t. sored by the Humphrey, East Butler, and Sil ver u Dick Abra ham, art instruc tor, and Lee Robbins, Creek com mu nity ed u ca tion pro grams and the com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, or ga nized and hosted Platte Cam pus. Ar bor Lodge, Morton Apple Or- the Euro pean Heri tage Tour. Forty-eight persons chard, John Brown’s Cave, and the Arbor Day Fair com posed of students , staff, and mem bers from the and Festi val were among the at tractions vis ited. com munity journeyed to Spain, England and u The spring concer t tour of the Chorale vocal en- France. sem ble include d perfor m ances in Greenville, Miss., u The Platte Cam pus was one of six col lege sites to New Orlea ns; Disney World; Washing ton, D.C.; be des ignate d as a regional training center for a na - and St. Louis. John Putnam, music instruc tor, was tional pro ject on al ter na tive fuel vehi cles, each col - direc tor of the group. lege recei ving up to $35,000. Accord ing to Doug u C. Thomas White, chief jus tice of the Ne braska Su - Pauley, co or di na tor of the al ter na tive fu els pro- preme Court, was the key note speaker for gradu a - gram on the cam pus, the grant provided for a mo - tion. bile “train the trainer” program , making it pos sible for the cam pus to provide on-site training in sev -

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eral states in clud ing Col o rado, Il li nois, Iowa, Kan- program had 39 high school juniors and 11 high sas, Minne sota , Missouri, Montana, Nebras ka, school seniors taking machine tool courses at the North Dakota, South Dakota, Wiscon sin, and Wy o - cam pus. ming. u Rooms for 10 students were added to the resi dence u Al ice Plettner, prac ti cal nurs ing in struc tor, was re- center, bringing the capac ity to 106. cip i ent of the Faculty Member of the Year Award. u The Raider bas ket ball team, coached by Jack She joined CCC as a nurs ing instruc tor in 1971. Gutierrez, finishe d first in the Nebras ka Com mu - She was cited as an ex cel lent role model with both nity Col lege Ath letic Con fer ence and qual i fied for a very caring and profes sional atti tude towar d her the NJCAA Divi sion II playoffs in Em poria, Kan., stu dents. Her out side ac tiv i ties in cluded mem ber- where they were de feated by Bismark State Col - ship in the Ne braska Nurses Asso ci a tion, lege. co-founder of the Parish Nurse Group within the u Four staff members re ceived de grees: Shelly Method ist Church, and serving as a Big Pal/Little Cornwell, stu dent ser vices sec re tary, an as so ci ate Pal and I Can Cope vol untee r. She served on the of arts de gree in so cial sci ences from CCC; Leon board of direc tors of the Rainbow Program and Finecy, ma chine tech nol ogy in struc tor, a bach e lor was trea surer of the cam pus chap ter of the Amer i - of arts degree in business and manage m ent from can As so ci a tion of Women in Com mu nity Col- Concordia College ; Dee Johnson, re source center leges. as sis tant, an as so ci ate of arts de gree in busi ness ad - u Beth Mierau, career plan ning and place ment co or - minis tra tion from CCC; and Jody Solbach, a bach- dina tor, was recip i ent of the Platte Person of the elor of sci ence de gree in manage ment from Year Award. She joined the college in 1989. She Belle vue Uni ver sity. was cited for her pleasant ness and her genu ine commit me nt to make students her first prior ity. She Albion Learning Center was pres ident of the cam pus chapter of the Ameri - u Kathleen Wil liams, man ager of the Albion Learn - can As so ci a tion of Women in Com mu nity Col leges ing Center, recei ved the Dis tinguishe d Service and ac tive in the Amer i can As so ci a tion of Coun sel- Award from the Adult and Contin u ing Edu ca tion ing and De vel op ment, Amer i can Col lege Per son nel Asso ci a tion. She was hired as manager of the As so ci a tion, Na tional As so ci a tion of Stu dent Per- Albion Learning Center in 1980. About 1993, she son nel Ad min is tra tors, and the Ne braska As so ci a - also becam e coor di na tor of the Albion Distanc e tion of College Regis trar s and Adm issions Learning Program provided by the college . She Of fi cers. was cited for her genu ine inter est in people, her u The Pathways and Part nerships Council, designe d ded i ca tion, and help ful ness. ACEAN had pre vi- to involve leaders from a nine-county re gion in ously rec ognize d her with a Rookie of the Year iden ti fy ing ca reer paths which el e men tary and sec - Award. ondary students should conside r and the types of training and service s workers needed to stay com- peti tive in the job market, was estab lished by the Board of Governors Platte Cam pus with the lead ership of Dr. Dick u The CCC Board of Gover nors unani m ously passed Shaink, cam pus pres i dent. Coun cil mem ber ship in- a res o lu tion op pos ing a pro posal by State Sen a tor cluded em ploy ers, em ploy ees, ed u ca tors, stu dents Bob Wickersham to strip the com munity college s from middle school through college , and repre sen - in Ne braska of their author ity to levy property ta tives from com mu nity or ga ni za tions. Coun ties taxes and re place them with state dol lars. Dr. Joe repre sent ed on the council were Boone, Butler, Preusser, college pres ident, said the com munity Colfax, Greeley, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, and college s were the only one of the three public col- Val ley. lege sys tems in the state that had recently closed u A joint machine tool program was devel oped be- program s or a cam pus in re sponse to program de- tween the Platte Cam pus and Colum bus High mand or fiscal constra ints. Preusser also pointed School, which contin ued from ninth grade through out that com munity college s ac counted for only 3 the second year of college . In the fall of 1995, the per cent of to tal prop erty taxes across the state, so

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elim inat ing their abil ity to levy taxes would have public rela tions prom otion of the 1994 Great Plains provided little in the way of property tax relief . Chautauqua and third place for the news story, u Har old “Mac” McClure of Kear ney re ceived the “Aids in Nebras ka: Norfolk woman shares her Gover nor’s Award from the Nebras ka Com munity story.” College Asso ci a tion. He joined the CCC Board of u Ann Nowak, pur chas ing secre tary, re ceived an as - Gover nors in 1989. He was cited for having served so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in ac count ing in all board of fices, includ ing chairm an in 1993, from CCC. for serving as a mem ber of the NCCA board of di- rec tors, and representing the state’s com munity College Foundation col leges on the Ne braska Ed u ca tional Tele com mu - ni ca tions Com mis sion. u In dus trial ist Jim Merrick and his wife, Norma, of u Donavon Heimes of Colum bus was appointed to Alda contrib uted a lead gift of $100,000 towar d a the Board of Gover nors to fill the vacanc y create d $500,000 fund-raising cam paign ini tiate d by the by the res igna tion of Jan Dannelly who had served CCC Founda tion to help expand the Center for In- since 1987. Heimes, an ac tive Colum bus busi ness - dustry and Technol ogy at the Grand Is land Cam pus man, repre sent ed Distric t V which include s Butler, and to incre ase schol arship funds for the cam pus. Colfax, Platte, and Polk counties and parts of In addi tion to the lead gift, a gift of more than Boone and Nance counties . $100,000 was recei ved from the Edgar Reynolds u The college govern ing board held its May meet ing Founda tion. More than 350 other donors from Au- in Ord to es tablish a di alogue with lo cal leaders rora, Doniphan, Grand Island, Kear ney, and Wood about the role of the college in the com munity. At River contrib uted, allow ing the cam paign to excee d the time, CCC of fered com mu nity ed u ca tion and its goal by more than $70,000. Merrick and E.S. Adult Ba sic Ed u ca tion classes and op er ated a “Bud” Wolbach of Grand Island were honor ary learning center in Ord. chair men for the campaig n. The chairmen were u The CCC Board of Gover nors approved a Doyle Hulme, manager of the Grand Is land New $20,279,951 oper at ing budget for 1995-96. Also Holland plant, and Larry Mace, presi dent of Coun - approved was a $340,000 budget for rem oval of try Gen eral Stores. haz ard ous ma te ri als and com pli ance with the u A mem orial plaque honor ing the late Dr. Pete Rush Ameri cans with Disabil i ties Act, a $2.8 million was unveile d at the Platte Cam pus follow ing a fall capi tal im provem ent fund budget, and a $10.3 mil- meet ing of the CCC Founda tion. Rush’s wife, Pat, lion budget for auxil iary ac counts and reve nue and his son, Jeff, were in atten dance . bonds. The budget total repre sent ed a 6.25 percent u The fifth annual founda tion dinner was held at the over all in crease. Be cause of a $13 bil lion in crease New World Inn in Colum bus. The fea tured speaker in property val ua tions in the 25 counties served by was Dan iel “Rudy” Ruettiger who authored the the college , however , the property tax levy was book, “Rudy’s Rules” and was also the subjec t of down 1.6 percent from the pre vious year. the movie, “Rudy.” In addi tion to speaking at the dinner, he spoke to area high school students and to col lege per son nel at an all-col lege in-ser vice. College Administration u More than $10,000 was raised for scholar ships at u Joni Ransom , news burea u direc tor, won four the fifth annual CCC Founda tion Pro-Am Golf awards in the an nual Ne braska Press Women com- Tourna m ent held at Lochland Country Club. About muni cation s con test. She re ceived first place for 125 people partic i pate d in the event, includ ing 24 news re port ing in an in ter nal pub li ca tion, first pro fes sion als. place for a nonprofit public rela tions promotion for u Ken Torczon of Colum bus was inducte d into the the 1994 Great Plains Chautauqua in Hastings, sec- CCC Founda tion Hall of Fame. Torczon was hailed ond place for edit ing the Platte Cam pus Hilltop Re - as one of the com munity leaders respon si ble for view, and third place for edit ing the Central founding Platte College in 1969. He was one of the Con nec tion. From the Na tional Fed er a tion of Press origi nal mem bers appointed to serve on the Platte Women, she won two awards: second place for the College govern ing board. When Platte and Central

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merged, he was appointed to the Central Techni cal Com mu nity Col lege Area gov ern ing board. Diversity Issues u Ap prox i mately 200 grad u at ing stu dents at tended u Lists of a wide vari ety of re sources relat ing to di- the breakfas ts sponsore d on each cam pus by the ver sity is sues avail able at the three campuses and CCC Foun da tion and Alumni As so ci a tion. A draw - the col lege ad min is tra tive of fice were pub lished in ing was held for an auto graphe d Nebras ka national the “Cen tral Con nec tion.” cham pi on ship foot ball at the con clu sion of each break fast. Financial Aid Workshops u Sixty-four loans total ing $10,265 were made by the u The three CCC fi nan cial aid di rec tors, Steve founda tion through the spe cial emergency student Millnitz of the Grand Is land Cam pus, Vicki Kucera loan program during the 1994-95 college year. of the Hastings Cam pus, and Sandi Schmidt of the u The founda tion contin ued to assis t the RAMBO Platte Cam pus, contin ued their practice of provid - pro gram and the al ter na tive fu els pro ject. ing finan cia l aid workshops to area high school stu- u Total asset s of the founda tion incre ased to dents and their par ents. Togethe r, they con ducted $2,692,008 as of June 30. Scholar ship support of about 20 workshops. $160,000 had been provided, either di rectly or with flow-through dollars , during the college year. Holdrege Center u The Nebras ka Public Power Dis trict Board of Di - u The Holdrege Cen ter was re-es tab lished as the re - rec tors present ed $8,498 to CCC to be used for sult of $40,000 being allo cat ed for that purpose by schol arships . The money was raised through the the CCC Board of Gover nors. Diana Watson was NPPD Nebras ka Open and Invi ta tional Pro-Am named as the sec re tary and Barb Allen was the Golf Tourna m ent, which re sulted in $40,500 in part-time co or di na tor who as sumed the man age - schol arship funds being distrib uted to the five com - ment of edu ca tional ser vices provided by the col- munity college sys tems lo cated within the service lege in Franklin, Harlan, Kearney, and Phelps area of the power dis trict. counties with the super vi sion of Bob Baker, as soci - u New Holland Manu fac turing Inc. of Grand Island ate dean for com munity edu ca tion at the Hastings do nated an in dus trial sin gle-spin dle com put er ized Cam pus. The Holdrege Center had first been open num eri cal control (CNC) machine to the Grand Is - from 1981 to 1986 with Judy Cestaro as the land Cam pus as part of the capi tal fund-raising part-time co or di na tor. cam paign of the founda tion. New Holland pro- u Di ana Wat son, sec re tary, was named the 1995 vided the person nel and equipm ent needed to move Young Ca reerist by the Holdrege Business and the machine , valued at $35,000, from the factory to Pro fes sional Women’s Club. the Center for Indus try and Technol ogy at the cam - u A con tri bu tion by Becton-Dickinson Co. made it pus. possi ble for the college to offer com puter classes in the Holdrege area. The dona tion was used to pur- College Web Site chase laptop com puters to provide on-site com - u CCC devel oped its own Web site. Kristi Bish, re- puter training at Becton-Dickinson and other ports tech ni cian in man age ment and in for ma tion business es and indus trie s as well as at the Holdrege system s, was given the re sponsi bil ity of adding Cen ter, which co or di nates pro grams of fered by the new infor m ation to the site as it evolved. college in 21 com muni ties locat ed in Franklin, Community Education Harlan, Kear ney, and Phelps counties . u In addi tion to the regu lar Spanish classes being of- Kearney Center fered on the Platte and Grand Is land cam puses, Span ish classes were made avail able through com- Retired mu nity ed u ca tion in sev eral lo ca tions. In ter ested u Mar i lyn Carlson of Kear ney re tired as co or di na tor em ploy ees were invited to enroll when possi ble. of the Kear ney prac tical nursing program . She

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joined the col lege in that posi tion in 1970 at the When the classroom training was com pleted, the same time that the nursing program becam e part of students worked part-time at one of the partic i pat - CCC. Prior to working for the college , she was ing business es. Nebras ka Job Training provided su - head nurse in the ICU at Good Sam ari tan Hospi tal. pervi sion and support for the students at the work She had also served as a nurse and as a mission ary, sites. spending three years in Africa and two years in Bel gium. Peer Institutions In Memory u The Ne braska Co or di nat ing Com mis sion for u Marion Melson, 76, of Kearney died at Good Sa - Postsecondary Ed u ca tion iden ti fied 12 peer in sti tu- mari tan Hospi tal. She spent the last 17 years of her tions for Central Com munity College for purposes career as a reg is tered nurse and as a ge ri at ric nurs - of com par i son and study. Those in sti tu tions were: ing instruc tor for CCC in Kearney before she re - l Aims Community College, Greeley, Colo. tired in 1984. She is re mem bered as an instruc tor l Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wis. who was well liked by her students . l Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa Library Automation l Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, Wyo. u An auto m ation proces s was com pleted by the col- l Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, Neb. lege which allowe d students , college staff, and the l Mid-Plains Community College, North Platte, public to acces s cata logs of the library holdings of Neb. all three cam puses. Met ro pol i tan Com mu nity Col- l Moraine Park Technical College, Fond Du Lac, lege made the au to mation pos si ble at a reduced Wis. cost by sharing its library com puter hardwar e and l North Central Technical College, Wausau, Wis. soft ware. l North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho l Southeast Community College, Lincoln, Neb. Lexington Center l Southeastern Community College, West Burlington, Iowa u Barbara Vondras, a busi ness ad min is tra tion stu dent l Trinity Valley Community College, Athens, through the distanc e learning program in Texas Lexington, was named the Outsta nding The chief ex ec u tive of fi cers of each in sti tu tion Postsecondary Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion Stu dent by were asked to com plete a ques tionnaire provid ing the Ne braska Coun cil on Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion. basic infor m ation about the college . They were She pursued the degree while contin u ing to work also asked to identify the major is sues they per- full-time and rema in active in commu nity affairs. ceived com munity college s to be fac ing. In the fall She served as an advi sory board mem ber for the of 1995, Dr. Joe Preusser, college pres ident, visited Dawson Area De vel op ment Lead er ship Pro gram, eight of the peer insti tu tions. Dr. Dennis Tyson, as a task force mem ber for the Lexington Women’s vice pres i dent of ed u ca tional ser vices, vis ited the Cen ter, and as a member of the Board of Trust ees rem aining four, conclud ing in the spring of 1996. for the Ne braska P.E.O. Home. She also was the A re port was then prepare d for the CCC Board of com mu nity li ai son for the Al ter na tive Spring Break Gov er nors. Program for students from Vanderbilt Univer sity. u Twelve high school seniors recei ved training as part of a coop er a tive effort by CCC-Lexington Student Records Procedures Center, Lexington Public Schools, Nebras ka Job u A collegewide stu dent ser vices commit tee was Training, the Lexington Cham ber of Com merce, formed in 1994 to review student re cords proce - and par tic i pat ing busi nesses. CCC pro vided in- dures and recom mend changes so full service s struc tion on cus tomer ser vice, time man age ment, could be provided to students at any cam pus site. com mu ni ca tion skills, and worker re spon si bil ity. “Our ini tial goal was to allow stu dents to reg ister,

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be invoice d, and make pay ments for any class at Lexington, and Shelton. Seven other schools that any campus site,” said Linda Kruse, col lege ac - had pre viously joined were Centura, Genoa, Gib- countant and a mem ber of the com mittee . The bon, Grand Island Northwes t, Kearney, Minden, commit tee ex ceeded that goal and de vel oped a new and Sandy Creek. mailer that in cluded a com plete sched ule of a stu - u Instruc tors from eight high schools par tici pate d in dent’s on- and off-cam pus classes and a single bill- a Tech Prep training workshop held at Northwes t ing for those classes. High School in Grand Is land. u CCC was the sponsor for a “Schools that Work” Tech Prep Tech Prep/In te gra tion Con fer ence at Kear ney un - der the direc tion of Kevin Miller, CCC Tech Prep u The college signed agreem ents with five addi tional coor di na tor. At that time, about 70 high schools high schools to de velop Tech Prep program s. They were involved in Tech Prep consor tium s with one were Clay Cen ter, Grand Is land, Har vard, of the six Ne braska com munity college s.

103 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 CCC Foundation Hall of Fame By Dave Fulton, Retired Columbus Campus their achievements on behalf of the col lege,” said CCC History Instructor Foun da tion Ex ec u tive Director Jack Crowley. Current mem bers of the Hall of Fame include : In 1993, the Central Com munity College Founda - tion es tab lished the CCC Hall of Fame as a way to Lois Behlen of Colum bus was se lected as the first honor in di vid u als who have dem on strated ex cep tional mem ber of the Col lege Founda tion Hall of Fame in support for the college and its mission over the years. 1993. She has been a staunch supporter of Central Honorees are announced dur ing the annual appre ci a - Com munity College for more than 30 years and was a tion dinner. leader in the founda tion kickoff fund-rais ing A per manent dis play honor ing mem bers of the Hall campaigns. of Fame was dedi cat ed in July 2000. Plaques bearing Ken Wortman of Aurora recei ved the honor in pictures and brief descr iptions of the exem plary sup- 1994. He was instru m ental in cre ating Central Com mu - port of each Hall of Fame member are dis played in the nity College and served on the CCC Board of Gover - en trance to the col lege ad min is tra tive of fices in Grand nors from its incep tion until his death in 2004. Island. Ken Torczon of Colum bus was named in 1995. He “The support of the Hall of Fame re cipi ents perm a- was instru m ental in founding a college cam pus at Co- nently bene fits the college , and we thought it was ap - lum bus and served as a mem ber of the first Platte Col- propri ate to have a per manent dis play to recog nize lege board after the cam pus was es tablishe d in 1969.

CCC Foundation Hall of Fame members shown in this 2003 photo are then College President Dr. Joe Preusser, now of Fairfield Bay, Ark.; Carol Cope, Kearney; Rita and Bud Fleischer, Columbus; Ken Wortman, Aurora; Lois Behlen, Columbus; Ken Torczon, Colum bus; and Norma Merrick, Alda.

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Wuanita Butler and the Butler fam ily of ter and estab lish ing the Ron and Carol Cope Founda- Hastings were selec ted for mem bership in 1997. They tion Scholar ship Fund for CCC nursing students. were recog nize d for their early and contin u ing support Bud and Rita Fleischer of Colum bus were se- of the college and the founda tion. lected in 2001 for their long-standing support of CCC Norma and Jim Merrick of Grand Island were and the CCC Founda tion, most nota bly through their also chosen for mem bership in 1997. They were hon- on go ing com mit ment to the de vel op ment and im prove- ored for their outsta nding leader ship in a succes sful ment of the Columbus Campus. capi tal im provem ent cam paign for the Grand Island Dr. Jo seph Preusser of Fairfield Bay, Ark., was Campus. honored in 2002 for his 31 years of dedi cat ed service to Delores and Dale Watley of Centerville, Iowa, CCC, includ ing 18 years as the col lege pres ident, and form erly of Hastings, were honored as mem bers in in grate ful ap pre ci a tion for his on go ing sup port of CCC 1998. They were recog nize d for es tablish ing a small students through the endow m ent of the Preusser Schol - busi ness in cu ba tor loan fund to pro vide low-in ter est arship Fund with the CCC Foundation. loans to startup busi nesses through the Small Business Dr. Jack Yost and his late wife, June, of Hastings Insti tute on the Hastings Campus. were chosen in 2004 in grateful recog ni tion and appre - Carol Cope and her late husband, Ron, of Kear - cia tion for their ongo ing support of CCC and the estab - ney recei ved the honor in 2000. They were cited for lishm ent of the June Yost Nurs ing Schol arship Fund. sup port ing the de vel op ment of the CCC-Kear ney Cen-

105 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 1996 Music, Music, Music “On the Road Again” could eas ily have be come the annual theme song for the Chorale and Cantari singing groups that repre sent ed CCC and the Platte Cam pus. Once again in 1996, the ensem bles prepare d to take to the road for per for mances in Ne braska and else where in the United States. The Cho rale, and a smaller en semble se lected from mem bers of the Chorale called the Cantari, were the groups which toured. Be ginning in 1971, John Putnam, di- rec tor and founder of the two groups and music instruc tor at the Platte Cam pus, pre pared his singers to hit the road for another year of per form ances. Putnam joined the Platte Cam pus faculty in 1971 and was given the task of ini tiat - ing a music program . Putnam’s ensem bles earned a fine repu ta tion for their upbeat and inno va tive perfor m ances. Master ing the music and chore og ra phy required many hours and days of re hearsals from the students who were mem bers of the groups. There was a new theme each year, which meant there were new tunes and new dance steps for the students to learn each fall se mester. While the num ber of student perform ers in the groups var ied each year, 20 to 25 student singers were typi cal . They were very dedi cat ed students who clearly enjoy performing, and their enthusiasm was communicated to their audiences. While some of the mem bers of the ensem bles planned to major in mu sic af ter they trans ferred to a four-year col - lege or univer sity, mem bership in the singing groups was open to all students at the Platte Cam pus, re gardles s of their future areas of study. Wide ranges of program majors were repre sent ed over the years. All the mem bers of the singing groups were required to com plete a satis fac tory num ber of credit hours each se mester and earn sat is fac tory grades in order to remain in the singing groups. The Cho rale and Cantari were suc cess ful am bas sa dors for CCC and the music program at the Platte Cam pus. While it is dif ficult to quan tify the impact they had on re- cruiting stu dents for CCC, it is clear that they pre sented to the pub lic the quality that CCC works to maintain in all its program s. Each spring the groups vis ited and perform ed at more than 20 Nebras ka high schools, and each year the Chorale and Cantari toured and perform ed in loca tions out - side of Ne braska. Under the direc tion of John Putnam, the Cho rale and Cantari es tab lished a na tional rep u ta tion with their im pres sive per for mance style. The vo cal en sem bles were invited to perform in many places throughout the United States, and more impor tantly, were in vited to re turn to places to perform again. One exam ple of their perfor - mances being well re ceived and be ing asked back is the 1997 invi ta tion to perform at Disney World. The singing group was invited to perform at the 25th birthday of Dis ney Cantari was a vo cal mu sic en sem ble founded dur ing World, and this marked the 20th appear ance of the Chorale the early years of the Co lum bus Cam pus. Mu sic in - and Cantari at one of Dis ney’s Magic Kingdom attrac tions. structor John Putnam (standing, center) is shown with The annual spring and sum mer tours begin ning in 1971 members of the 1973-74 Cantari in this public ity took the singing ensem bles to Europe, the Berm uda Music photo.

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Festi val, on cruise ships and many places in the United States. A partial list of places in the United States where the Chorale and Cantari perform ed include d: Dis ney World; Disney land; Sea World; Knott’s Berry Farm; Washing ton, D.C.; New Orleans; St. Louis; Greenville, Miss.; Las Cruces, N.M.; and Sun City, Flagstaff and Tucson, Ariz. Central Community College and especially the Platte Campus were well represented wherever John Putnam’s singers performed. A special loyalty and a strong bond were built up among the performers. That special bond carries on beyond the years they actually performed for the college. Periodic “homecoming” gatherings of former members of the Chorale and Cantari have been well attended, and it is easy to see how meaningful those years of performing together were. In the years since Putnam formed the singing groups in 1971, several hundred students had the opportunity to perform and be special ambassadors for CCC and the Platte Campus music program as they presented their music to appreciative audiences in many locations.

Grand Island Campus u Thomas Conlon, direc tor of de velop m ent for Cen- tral Ne braska Good will In dus tries, re ceived an u CCC re ceived ap proval from the Co or di nat ing Out stand ing Alumni Award dur ing com mence ment Com mis sion for Postsecondary Ed u ca tion to im ple- ex er cises. He re ceived an as so ci ate of ap plied sci - ment an as so ci ate de gree of ap plied sci ence de gree ence degree in com mercia l horti cul ture in 1986 and program in crim inal jus tice. The program was es- an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in busi ness tablishe d on the Grand Is land Cam pus with indi - adm inis tra tion in 1988. In his posi tion, he was re- vid ual courses avail able at all campus sites via sponsi ble for the annual and capi tal cam paigns, satellite. specia l events, and planned giving program u Vicki Mackenstadt, com mu ni ca tions and per sonal throughout the 22-county ser vice area of Central devel op m ent instruc tor, was awarded the 1995 Fac - Nebras ka Goodwill Indus trie s. He also had earned ulty Award by the Ne braska Com munity College a bache lor’s de gree in edu ca tion in 1968 and a As so ci a tion at its an nual con ven tion in Feb ru ary master of public administration degree in 1991 1996. Mackenstadt was recog nize d for her pio neer - from the Univer sity of Ne braska at Omaha. ing work in distanc e learning and early entry pro- u A jointly supported cultural awareness projec t held grams, which of fered Eng lish com po si tion courses an open house to show the progres s that had been to severa l high schools via satellite broadcasts. made with the “Vi sions and Voices” projec t, a joint ef fort spon sored by the Com mu nity Com mit tee on Cul tural Di ver sity, Grand Is land Pub lic Schools, the Grand Is land Cham ber of Com merce and the CCC-Grand Island. u Com mu ni ca tions in struc tor Terry Lee Schifferns had three of her works publishe d. Two poem s were publishe d by the “Many Moun tains Moving” liter - ary journal and a short es say was publishe d by “Rhythms for Women,” a daily desk calen dar pub- lisher. Two other poem s were accept ed for publi ca - tion in other literary journals. u Jeanne Webb, child care in struc tor, was co-chair - woman for the Midwes t As soci a tion for the Edu ca - tion of Young Children Confer ence held in Lincoln. Some 3,000 profes sionals from 12 states at tended the con fer ence. She also at tended the an - Dur ing its annual conven tion in Febru ary 1996, the nual con ven tion of the Na tional As so ci a tion for the Ne braska Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion awarded its Edu ca tion of Young Children in Dallas , Texas. 1995 Faculty Member of the Year Award to Vicki u Dr. Eric Jones, man age ment in for ma tion sys tems Mackenstadt, Grand Is land Cam pus com mu ni ca tions offi cer for the college since 1984, was appointed and per sonal de vel op ment instructor.

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dean of edu ca tional ser vices on the Grand Island trans mit ted and a sat el lite au diovi sual con tact was Cam pus, re plac ing Dr. LaVern Franzen who be- also es tab lished be tween the two cam puses. The came the Hastings Campus pres i dent. CIM op er a tion bene fited ed u ca tional train ing needs u Elec tron ics in struc tor Fred Roeser was elected the for man u fac tur ing en gi neer ing students and helped ed u ca tor di vi sion chair man of the Elec tron ics fulfill the needs of industry. Tech ni cians As so ci a tion In ter na tional at a con ven- tion in Fairbault, Minn. Retired u Pam Price, ad mission s di rec tor, started her term as u Gene Budde of Cairo retire d as business adm inis - pres i dent of the Ne braska As so ci a tion of Col le giate tration instruc tor, a posi tion he accept ed in l976. Reg is trars and Ad mis sion Officers. Having had a varied background, he was known as u Steve Millnitz, finan cial aid direc tor, was installed a per sonable , well inform ed, and ener getic instruc - as pres i dent of the Ne braska As so ci a tion of Stu dent tor who was active in many community affairs. Fi nan cial Aid Ad min is tra tors at the spring con fer- ence. Millnitz has served as commu nity col lege Hastings Campus rep re sen ta tive and pres i dent-elect of the Ne braska u asso ci a tion, which is a mem ber of the eight-state Dr. Judy Dresser, cam pus presi dent, announced her Rocky Moun tain As so ci a tion of Student Financial res ig na tion to take a po si tion as ex ec u tive vice Aid Administrators. pres i dent of in struc tional ser vices at Lake Wash - u The cam pus was the host for the sixth annual Job ington Techni cal College in Kirkland, Wash. u Fair for Nurses. Thirty-two fa cili ties which pro vide Todd Jensen, store manager for Friend’s Motor nurs ing care in cen tral Ne braska were rep re sented Supply in Aurora, recei ved an Outsta nding Alumni at the event, along with 76 nurs ing students and 34 Award dur ing com mence ment ex er cises. He grad u - fac ulty and staff. Stu dents were given the chance to ated in 1979 with an as soci ate of applied science visit with pro spec tive em ploy ers and in ves ti gate de gree in parts sales and man age ment. Af ter grad u - pos si bil i ties of fur ther ing their nursing education. ation , he became a member of the ad vi sory com- u Some 3,000 students from 85 ele m entary schools mittee of the program and provided caree r attende d the eighth annual Children’s Groundwa ter guidance ses sions for students in the program . In Fes tival at the Grand Is land Cam pus. The fes tival 1995, he was named Out standing Salesm an of the was co-sponsore d by CCC, Cargill Inc., and Cen - Year by the Na tional Auto Parts As so ci a - tral Nebraska Pub lic Power and Irri ga tion Dis trict. tion/Omaha Distri bu tion Cen ter. He was also Specia l guests on hand include d U.S. Geolog i cal named Optimist of the Year by the Aurora Survey Direc tor Dr. Gordon Eaton and Nebras ka Optimist Club. u Gov. Ben Nelson. Ja son Cockrell, a chief elec tron ics tech ni cian in the u The cam pus Al pha Tau Tau Chapter of Phi Theta U.S. Coast Guard, received an as so ci ate of ap plied Kappa initi ate d 42 new mem bers. Chapter advise r science degree in elec tron ics. He was cho sen for Bob Sanner re ported the new of fi cers elected for the Advance d Com puter and Training Program of 1996-97 include d Audrey Volk of Grand Island, the Coast Guard through which se nior techni cia ns presi dent; Kristi Peters of Hastings, vice pres ident; are sent to ci vil ian col leges to earn as so ci ate of ap - Colette Loseke of Kear ney, sec re tary; and Shir ley plied sci ence de grees. Cockrell chose the Hastings McKinney of Fullerton, treasurer. Cam pus becaus e of the quality of the elec tronics u An op er a tional com puter-in te grated man u fac tur ing pro gram, be cause it was rel ativel y close to (CIM) cell hookup betwe en Central Com munity Chadron where his parents were living, and be - College -Grand Island and Chadron State Col lege cause the sys tem of in di vid u al ized in struc tion al- was completed . In struc tor Dana Wert said the lowed him to move faster through material with hookup allowe d students and staff at Chadron State which he was already familiar. u to op er ate a CIM cell lo cated in Grand Is land that The Hastings Cam pus opened an office at the Im - contains two robots and a com puter num eric con- perial Mall in Hastings. Students could reg ister for trolled lathe. A telephone connec tion betwe en the classes at the new site and complete some course two cam puses allowe d com puter signals to be work there.

108 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Alan Hartley, as so ci ate dean of in struc tion, re - homem akers . Twelve students took part in the ceived the 12th annual Outsta nding Ser vice Award course during the program ’s first year. The suc - at a staff recog ni tion as sem bly on the cam pus. In cess ful in no va tive ap proach was rec og nized by the addi tion to be ing a popu lar faculty leader, he was Amer i can As so ci a tion for Women in Com mu nity rec og nized for hav ing been in stru men tal in many College s with a Model Program s Award. Nancy cam pus pro jects in volv ing tech nol ogy. He helped Bjorklund, tran si tions pro gram di rec tor, ac cepted design the cam pus ra dio sta tion, de signed and su- the award in Atlanta on behalf of CCC. pervised the in stalla tion of the first dis tance learn- u Jaunice Meyers, ad mis sions sec re tary, re ceived a ing classroom and micro wave link to Hastings $2,000 in di vid ual art ist’s fel low ship from the Ne- College , helped with the design and insta lla tion of braska Arts Council for playwriting. Her the cam pus com puter network, and devel oped a full-length play, “Carrion,” was in com peti tion proposal whereby Hastings Cam pus students with a wide vari ety of works from the creative arts. helped to build more than 150 com puters for CCC. u Bob Glenn, ad mis sions and re cruit ing di rec tor, re- u Beverly Denm an, coor di na tor of the Adult Basic ceived the Spirit Award at the an nual awards con - Edu ca tion program , reported that 15 inm ates at the voca tion. The award is present ed to an indi vid ual Hastings Correc tional Center recei ved GED diplo - or cam pus or ga ni za tion that has shown out stand ing mas. Since 1989 when the program began at the support and com mitm ent to the cam pus. Glenn was Correc tional Center in Hastings, 265 inm ates had cited for helping students get a good start at CCC, earned GED diplo m as. for fill ing in as “Dorm Dad” at Clay Hall when a u The Hastings Cam pus, with funding and support of vacanc y oc curred, and for his devotion to the the Nebras ka Assistive Technol ogy Pro ject, the college. CCC Founda tion, and Thermo King Cor pora tion, u Re cip i ents of Stu dent Sen ate Ap pre ci a tion Awards launched the Ru ral Ed u ca tion Ac ces si bili ties Pro- include d the fol lowing: Dr. Mike Chipps, dean of ject (REAP). This outreach project assisted indi vid - stu dents; Nancy Fricke, stu dent ser vices test ing u als with disabil i ties to achieve greater tech ni cian; Bob Glenn, ad mis sions and re cruit ing inde pend ence at home, school, and in the work- di rec tor; Wayne Hunt ley, parts sales and manage - place through the use of assistive technol ogy. The ment in struc tor; Brad Lang, ag ri cul ture in struc tor; tech nol ogy in cluded a voice-ac ti vated com puter Deb Schmitz, stu dent ser vices sec re tary; Breck and a “reader” that can scan a page and then read it Tuttle, as sis tant elec tron ics tech ni cian; and Jo anne as well as other assisted technology devices. Wieland, med i cal as sist ing and health care ad min - u Mari lyn Lange, super vi sor of the truck driving pro- istra tion in structor; the physi cal plant staff; and the gram, was a pre senter at a Las Ve gas con ven tion of staff of Professional Food Service Management. the Asso ci a tion of Publicl y Funded Truck Driving u Dr. Mike Chipps, dean of students , served on an in- Schools held in March 1996. Lange served on the ter na tional ed u ca tional con sul tant team in Ger- ex ecu tive board and was a mem ber of the as so ci a - many. The purpose of the team’s visit was to as sess tion’s legislative committee. and help im prove the quality of college and univer - u The CCC Board of Gover nors named Dr. LaVern sity pro grams at mil i tary in stal la tions around the Franzen as pres ident of the Hastings Cam pus. He world. joined the CCC faculty as an account ing instruc tor u Latham Mortensen, welding instruc tor, earned cer - at the Hastings Cam pus in 1967 and served as tif i ca tion as a weld ing ed u ca tor and weld ing in- chair man of the busi ness oc cu pa tion pro grams on spec tor from the Amer i can Weld ing So ci ety. that cam pus, asso ci ate dean of the Lexington Cen - Mortensen was required to pass a six-hour ex am i- ter of CCC, and dean of instruc tion at the Grand nation and a skilled welding test for his Island Campus. certification. u A unique program , funded by a Carl D. Perkins u Bob Shields, counsel or, had an arti cle publishe d in Grant, offere d a spe cial eight-week truck driving the “In ter na tional Fo rum of Logotherapy Journal.” course for women. The program was designe d to Shield’s ar ti cle was ti tled “Mean ing Po ten tials of help women becom e more self-suffi cie nt – es pe- Burn out in Help ing Pro fes sions.” Logotherapy is a cially women who were single parents or displac ed form of psycho ther apy based on the prem ise that

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people must have meaning in their lives to be l981. Be fore joining CCC he had expe ri ence as a mentally healthy. printer and shop owner, as a print ing teacher and u Lori VanBoening, sci ence tech nol ogy in struc tor, adult ed u ca tor, as a vo ca tional de part ment su per vi- was one of 16 people selec ted to partic i pate in a sor for the Missouri Depart m ent of Edu ca tion, and program sponsore d by the National Science Foun- as a mem ber of a spe cial con tract di vi sion where he da tion and Georgetown Uni ver sity. Par tic i pants helped set up and oper ate schools for Arabian stu- were part of a one-week program designe d to begin dents in the Middle East. the pro cess of de vel op ing a stan dard ized bio tech - u Dick Longwith of Hastings retire d as an auto m o - nol ogy cur ric u lum by ex am in ing industry skills tive instruc tor, a posi tion he held begin ning in and standards. 1983. Prior to becom ing a faculty mem ber, he u Dr. Georgianna Whipple-VanPatter, chem istry in- worked as a mechani c for sev eral deal er ships and struc tor, re ceived the Cat aly st Re gional Award for owned and oper ate d Longwith Sales in Hastings Ex cel lence in Chemis try Teach ing from the Chem- for 13 years. He was awarded Auto m otive Service i cal Man u fac tur ers As so ci a tion. As a Cat a lyst Ex cel lence cer tif i ca tion through sev eral au to mo tive Award win ner, Whipple-VanPatter received a cer - train ing pro grams. tifi cat e, a medallion, and $2,500. u Dr. Jan McReynolds of Har vard re tired from a po- u Cus tom ap pli ca tion tech nol ogy be came a new op - sition as psy chology in struc tor. She joined the tion in the CCC agri cul ture program . Due to the CCC fac ulty in l976. She earned master's de grees high dem and for trained oper a tors from the fertil - from both UNL and Creighton before com pleting a izer and chemi cal deal er ships, two-year de gree and doc tor ate from UNL. one-year diplom a options were initi ate d in the agri - culture program . CCC was the only school in Ne - In Memory braska to offer such a program. u Edwin Minnick, 70, died unex pect edly in Tucson, u Ron Meyer, electron ics instruc tor, passed the na - Ari zona. He served as dean of students from the tional cer tif i ca tion exam for con struc tion code in- begin ning of the cam pus in 1966 until his retire - spec tors. Meyer was cer ti fied as an in spec tor for ment in 1988. He served as interi m cam pus presi - one- and two-fam ily dwell ings and electri cal dent in 1984. He is re mem bered for his dedi ca tion general. to CCC and for his kind and friendly approac h. u The 13th annual Outsta nding Ser vice Award was u Henry (Herky) Weber, age 69, died on Febru ary 2 pre sented to Dee Cochrane, as so ci ate dean of busi - in Hastings. He joined the CCC staff in 1973 as a ness and health occu pa tions, at a staff recog ni tion boiler fire man and then later worked with se curity. as sembly . Cochrane was rec og nized for her char ac - He retire d in 1989 as assis tant plumber and assis - ter, intel li gence , and integ rity, and for her many tant boiler fireman. con tri bu tions to the col lege and com mu nity. She began her em ploy ment at CCC in 1984 as a Platte Campus part-time instruc tor in business and management. u u Sherri Portenier, reg is tra tion tech ni cian, re ceived Robert Stachura, vice presi d ent and exec u t ive man- an as so ci ate of arts de gree in aca demic trans fer ager of Douglas and Lomason Com pany in Colum - from CCC. bus, re ceived an Outsta nding Alumni Award dur ing com mence ment ex er cises. He grad u ated Retired from Platte in 1972 and from Kearney State Col- u Carl Brown re tired as as so ci ate dean of in dus trial lege in 1979. He worked as an indus tria l engi neer occu pa tions. He joined the fac ulty of the Hastings at Dale Elec tron ics and Fleischer Man u fac tur ing Cam pus in 1967 as an elec tronics instruc tor and before joining Douglas and Lomason in 1974. He was later prom oted to chief instruc tor. During his was elected vice president in 1990. ten ure he also served as act ing chair per son, chair - u The 26th annual Fine Arts Festi val, under the lead - person, asso ci ate dean, and acting dean of instruc - ership of Richard Abraham , was held on the cam - tion. pus. Some 300 exam ples of student work were u Dick Downey of Hastings re tired as a printing displayed and repre sent ed a wide range of media tech nol ogy in struc tor, a po si tion he ac cepted in

110 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

and subjec t matter. The public had the oppor tu nity u Alice Plettner, of Colum bus retired as a clini cal to buy some of the pieces. nurs ing in struc tor, a po si tion she held be gin ning in u Nick Wagoner earned alter na tive fuel light duties l971. Among her sev eral com mu nity ac tiv i ties re- cer tif i ca tion in com pressed nat u ral gas from the lated to hu man services and health care, she had Na tional In sti tute for Au to mo tive Ex cel lence. Only expe ri ence as a parish nurse and taught parish one per cent of ASE-cer ti fied au to mo tive tech ni- nurse training through CCC. cians had passed the special ized writ ten exam, u Mary Lou Holmberg of Colum bus re tired as curric - which tested com pe tence in con vert ing ve hi cles to u lum de vel op ment co or di na tor. She was the first use com pressed natu ral gas and providing service fac ulty mem ber hired when the Colum bus Cam pus to them. opened in 1969. She de veloped the prac tical nurs- u Karin Rieger, com mu nity ed u ca tion re gional co or- ing program for the cam pus and served as di rec tor dina tor, was honored at the fourth annual Rural En - of the program until 1988 when she trans ferred to ter prise As sis tance Pro ject Con fer ence in the Grand Is land Cam pus to de velop the asso ci ate Colum bus. Rieger recei ved the “Above and Be - degree in nursing program . She served as asso ci ate yond the Call of Duty Ev ery Time” award for her dean of nursing until 1995 when she becam e cur - sup port. ric u lum co or di na tor. u Carol Taczek and Ella Wenman, staff ad vi sers for u Ray Plankinton of Colum bus re tired as a mathe - the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at the Colum bus Cam - mat ics in struc tor, a po si tion he held be gin ning in pus, were awarded the Para gon Award for New 1971. Prior to joining the CCC faculty, he taught Advisers at the Inter na tional Phi Theta Kappa con - at Emmetsburg Junior Col lege in Iowa. He served vention in Washing ton, D.C. The award is pre - as a mem ber of the board of trustees of the Ne- sented to de serving advi ser s from among the more braska He mo philia Chapter. than 1,200 chapters of the scholas tic honor ary soci - ety. Taczek and Wenman were honored for their AAWCC contri bu tions that led to the succes s of the local u The Amer i can As so ci a tion for Women in Com mu - Columbus Campus chapter. nity College s pre sented the 1996 Pres iden tial u The Faculty Member of the Year was Pat Karsk, Award to Dr. Joseph Preusser during its annual nursing instruc tor on the cam pus since 1980. She con fer ence in At lanta. The award was pre sented to was rec og nized for the ex cel lent rap port she main - a per son who showed excep tional support of the tained with the nurs ing students and with staff AAWCC by prom oting issues that concer n women mem bers, her out standing teaching skills and her and en cour ag ing oth ers in their in sti tu tions to high degree of professionalism. become more involved. u Platte Per son of the Year was Kathy Harsh. She joined the Colum bus Cam pus staff in 1972 and Board of Governors worked in a va riety of secre tari al posi tions on cam - u Don Ander son of Grand Is land was elected the pus and be came staff assis tant in 1989. Harsh was chairm an of the Central Com munity College Board rec og nized for her ded i ca tion and en thu si asm, and of Gover nors for 1996. Other offi cer s se lected her willing ness to go the extra mile. were Bill Schnei der of Dwight as vice chair man, Retired Paul Liess of Cambrid ge as sec re tary, and Tom Pirnie of Grand Island as treasurer. u Dr. Mel Krutz retired as a commu ni cation s in struc - u The Central Com munity College Board of Gover - tor. Dr. Krutz joined the CCC staff in 1989. Prior nors approved construc tion bids for projec ts on the to teaching at CCC she taught English courses for Colum bus and Grand Is land cam puses. The con - Hastings College and Concordia Univer sity. struc tion projec ts totale d about $1.l million dollars u Dick Bentz re tired as the phys i cal ed u cation in - and were used to in crease the class room space on struc tor. Bentz joined the CCC staff in 1978. He each cam pus. Grand Is land re ceived an addi tion to was a high school coach for many years be fore the Center for Indus try and Technol ogy, and the com ing to CCC, and was a well- known athleti c of- Co lum bus Cam pus re ceived an ad di tion to the ficia l for high school and col lege athleti c contes ts in Ne braska.

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North Edu ca tion Center as well as some reno va tion in that building. Distance Learning u Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege re ceived a $19,548 College Administration grant from the U.S. West Founda tion to im prove u Joni Ransom , CCC news direc tor, won three distanc e learning training in Ne braska. A spokes- awards in the Ne braska Press Women’s Com muni - per son for U.S. West stated that teach ers and stu - cation con test. She won first-place awards for writ - dents in Ne braska needed to know how to best use ing and news photog ra phy in an inter nal the new technol ogy, and the grant provided oppor - publi ca tion and a sec ond-place award for news let- tu ni ties for that training. CCC used the grant in its ter editing. part ner ship with the Tri-Val ley Dis tance Ed u ca tion u Tom Peters , data proces sing instruc tor at the Grand Consor tium which include d 17 sites where dis tance Island Cam pus begin ning in 1981, be came the education training was conducted. comput er manager for the col lege, replac ing Dr. Eric Jones, who becam e the dean of edu ca tional English as a Second Language ser vices at the Grand Island Campus. u U.S. Rep. Bill Barrett visited the Eng lish as a Sec - u The prac tice of se lect ing a fac ulty rep re sen ta tive to ond Language classroom s of CCC at the old Wal- serve on the College Cabi net was inau gu rate d. nut Junior High building in Grand Is land. In Marcy Echternacht, nursing instruc tor at the Grand talking with the students , he found that they came Island Cam pus, was chosen to be the first to serve from many differ ent countrie s, that some had been in that capac ity for the 1996-97 college year. prison ers of war, that some had been col lege stu- dents, and that still others had left profes sional ca - College Foundation reers to come to the United States. u The CCC Foun da tion ini ti ated a new char i ta ble gift annu ity plan. Under the provi sions of the plan, do- HIMS nors could make a gift to the col lege but were able u The Co or di nat ing Com mis sion for Postsecondary to retain lifetime rights to a tax-free, fixed-rate in- Edu ca tion gave approval to CCC to offer an asso ci - come as long as they were alive. The value of such ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in health in for mation gifts strengthened the finan cia l future of the col- man age ment ser vices in co op er a tion with Ne braska lege and provided oppor tu ni ties to help students Western Com munity College . The two col leges finance their education. shared re sources and deliv ery of instruc tion u Despite rainy weather, the 1996 CCC Founda tion through telecommunications. Pro-Am Golf Tourna m ent raised alm ost $10,000 to be used for student scholar ships by CCC students . Tech Prep u About 115 people played in the tourna m ent that The CCC Tech Prep Consor tium , in partner ship was held at the Elks Country Club in Colum bus. with the cham bers of com merce from Colum bus, u Air Force Cap tain Scott O’Grady was the key note Grand Island, Hastings, Kear ney, Lexington, and speaker at the annual CCC Founda tion recog ni tion Schuyler sponsore d a two-week sum mer intern ship din ner. O’Grady was shot down by a surfac e-to-air pro gram for teach ers. Par tic i pants had an op por tu- missile in June 1995 while helping to enforce the nity to de termine firsthand the skills that were re- no-fly zone over Bosnia. He was forced to eject quired in the workplac e. Teachers from 17 area from his dam aged F-16, and he spent the next six schools served as interns in the “Building Partner - days evad ing search ers be fore he was rescued. ships” projec t. High school sci ence teach ers from u Also re ceiv ing Hall of Fame awards at the an nual sev eral area high schools par tic i pated in a train ing CCC Founda tion dinner were Jim and Norma workshop on the Hastings Cam pus, learning how Merrick of Alda. A schol arship fund estab lishe d by best to teach the princi ples of a technol ogy curric u - the Mer ricks had al ready pro vided $37,000 in fi- lum in order to give students a strong under sta nd - nancia l as sis tance to 45 CCC students . In addi tion, ing of physics and how it is used in the world of the couple made a $100,000 lead gift to the capi tal work. Dr. Don Carlson, a physics profes sor from cam paign for the Grand Island Campus. the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Kear ney, led the work shop.

112 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1997 CCC Makes Positive Economic Impact on the Area In 1996, Central Com munity College com missione d the Applied Socia l Re search Unit of Il linois State Univer - sity to conduct a study of the econom ic bene fits the college brought to the 25-county area the col lege serves. The econom ic im pact study, titled “Econom ic Im pact Study: A Study of the Incom e Gener a tion, Job Cre ation, and Credit Base Expan sion Ef fect of the Com munity College on the Local Dis trict,” was com pleted by the Resea rch Unit of ISU and published in July 1997. College Accounted for $19 Million in Income The first of the econom ic bene fits consid ere d in the study was incom e gener a tion. The study found that in 1996 Central Com munity College made pur chases in exces s of $6 million and had a total em ployee pay roll (take-home pay) of more than $9.1 million. Col lege Founda tion expen di tures and capi tal expen di tures were more than $1.6 mil- lion and finan cia l aid to students amounted to alm ost $2.6 million. Total incom e gener ate d in the service area in 1996 was $19,315,416. The report fur ther stated that these fac tors alone did not repre sent the total amount of incom e gener ate d by Central Com munity College becaus e the $19.3 million gener ate d by the college cre ated further spend- ing by lo cal business es and indi vid u als not direc tly asso ci ate d with CCC. The study in dicat ed that for each new dol- lar that had been spent by CCC in 1996, addi tional local spending was produced. Using a multi plier of 2.0, the total incom e gener a tion ef fect of CCC spending was $38,630,832 for 1996 – clearly a substa ntial contri bu tion to the local econ omy in the CCC ser vice area.

As CCC continued to grow, so did its impact on the economy of central Nebraska. A 1996 study showed that the college generated more than $19 million in income within its 25-county service area.

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Job Creation Tops 2,700 Mark The second major econom ic bene fit consid ere d in the study was job cre ation. During 1996, the study showed the full-time equiva lent num ber of faculty, staff, and adm inis tra tive em ploy ees of CCC totale d 1,182. The college pro- vided jobs for area resi dents both direc tly and indi rec tly. The study in dicat ed that many addi tional jobs were cre ated in di rectly as a re sult of the fi nan cial trans action s of the col lege and its em ploy ees. It was es ti mated that because of the exis tenc e of the college , an addi tional 1,545 jobs were cre ated local ly. Com bined with the 1,182 jobs di rectly re- lated to em ploy ment by the college and the 1,545 indi rec t jobs result ing from business gener ate d by the college and its em ploy ees, the study in dicat ed it was reason able to conclude that more than 2,727 jobs were available in the cen- tral Nebras ka re gion in 1996 due to the exis tenc e and oper a tion of CCC. The Illi nois State Univer sity resea rchers based their conclu sion on a job-creation coefficient of 80 jobs for each $1,000,000 of college expenditures. Credit Base Expanded by $10 Million The third major econom ic bene fit consid ere d in the study was the expan sion of the area credit base. The study found that finan cia l insti tu tions throughout the CCC area bene fited from the invest ments and checking and savings depos its made by CCC and its em ploy ees. Those funds added to the credit base of those finan cia l insti tu tions and in- creased the availabil ity of funds for business and consum er loans. In 1996, the econom ic im pact study indi cat ed CCC had an aver age of $9,307,316 in de posits and invest ments with area finan cia l insti tu tions. In addi tion, of the $9,111,036 of take-home incom e earned by college em ploy ees living in the ser vice area, it was esti m ated that ap - proxi m ately 8 percent or $728,154 was added to the credit base of area finan cia l insti tu tions. These dollars then flowed through the area in the form of loans, and served as a stim ulus to the local econom y. The total expan sion of the area credit base at tributed to CCC and its employees amounted to $9,307,316 plus $728,154, or $10,035,470. Although an insti tu tion of higher edu ca tion is gener ally re garded as an edu ca tional asset to a re gion, the study showed that in addi tion to provid ing edu ca tional ser vices and im proving the quality of life for area resi dents , Central Com munity College added substa ntial ly to the econom ic well-being of the central region of Ne braska and repre - sented a “return-on- invest ment” for those who paid taxes to help support the operation of the college in 1996.

Substantial portions of the above article were taken from the Economic Impact Study report and from related materials provided by the Research Unit of Illinois State University.

Grand Island Campus Henry Fonda and the railroad depot. Drafting students worked on nearly 20 museum buildings in u A 10,400-square-foot addition to the Center for the project. Industry and Technology was dedicated Feb. 20, u Mary Klein was honored as alum nus of the year at 1997. Special recognition at the dedication was the grad u a tion cer e mo nies. Klein was a mem ber of given to Jim and Norma Merrick of Alda for their the first class to grad u ate with an as so ci ate de gree leadership and financial support in making the in nursing at the cam pus in 1991. Nursing was her expansion project possible. The new addition origi nal goal, but she was per suaded to change her housed the automotive technology program and major to zool ogy and earned a bache lor of science provided additional classroom space and shop degree from the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lincoln areas. in 1971. She worked as an assis tant to the head of u Drafting students were involved in assisting Stuhr virol ogy at Norden Labs, was a buyer for Ben Si - Museum with a special project. The drafting mon Clothing, and started and ran her own ca tering students, under the direction of instructor Paul business in Grand Island be fore de ciding to re turn Sears, drew the floor plans and elevations of the to col lege at the Grand Is land Campus. Af ter earn - buildings located in the museum’s Railroad Town. ing her nursing degree from CCC, she becam e em - There were several historic buildings and homes in ployed as a reg is tered nurse at St. Fran cis Me dial that area of the museum, including the birthplace of Center in the hos pice depart m ent.

114 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Com mu ni ca tions in struc tor Maureen Hoffman had u Contryman Associates P.C. in Grand Island and the one of her es says publishe d in a new book titled Grand Island Campus developed a partnership “Cour age of Convic tion: Women’s Words, effort that allowed information technology students Women’s Wis dom.” Her es say, “Tillie Olsen: to receive extensive training on the AS/400 Catch ing a Life time in a Phrase,” was a re write of computer located at Contryman Associates. her 1990 master’s thesis. u Dr. Eric Jones, dean of edu ca tional ser vices, gradu - u The Child Care Center celebrated its 10th ated from the Insti tute of Leader ship Training and anniversary with an open house. Director Jeanne De vel op ment. The in sti tute is a pro gram cre ated by Webb noted how the operation of the Child Care the Chair Acad emy in Mesa, Ariz. Jones was el i gi - Center had changed over the last decade. ble to re ceive pro fes sional cer tif i ca tion from the Enrollment steadily increased and the center Chair Acad emy af ter com plet ing the yearlong became licensed to handle 26 children. The child program. care program was also expanded to allow students u Four employees received as so ci ate of ap plied sci - to earn a certificate, a diploma and an as so ci ate of ence de grees from CCC: Sheila Hansen, computer applied sci ence degree as they gain work technician, in busi ness administration; Jody Luce, experience at the center. general education secretary, in data processing; u Terry Lee Schifferns, communications instructor, Michelle McConnell, print ing mailroom co or di na - was honored for her contributions at a book tor, in printing technology; and Karen Miller, publications party held at Devils Tower National admissions techni cia n, in paralegal studies. Monument in Wyoming. Schifferns was one of more than 50 contributors who attended a kickoff Retired celebration for the release of the book, “Leaning u Head custo dian, Harold Buhrman, re tired after 10 into the Wind: Women Write from the Heart of the years of ser vice. Buhrman farmed near St. Libory West.” The event included readings, book signings, before moving to Grand Is land. He worked for and a barbecue hosted by the Crook County Servicemaster for 10 years and was head of house - Cattlewomen. keeping at Grand Is land Me morial Hospi tal for 13 u Linda Dalton, nurs ing instruc tor, was one of nine years be fore joining the college staff in 1987. nurses in the nation elected to partic i pate in the Am bassa dor 2000 Program sponsore d by the On- Hastings Campus col ogy Ed u ca tion Ser vice As so ci a tion. The on col- u ogy group is a na tional orga ni za tion that prom otes The campus made the Work Keys system available shar ing in for ma tion about man ag ing pain, fa tigue, to businesses and high schools in south central and nutri tion in cancer care with the genera l public Nebraska. Work Keys was developed by the and health care profes sionals . Dal ton provided American College Testing Program and was used sem inars on the subjec ts through the Am bassa dor for job profiling, skill assessment, and instructional 2000 Program . support. High schools were able to get help with u Dee Rogers, art instructor, received the 1997 their career planning, and businesses were able to Association of Nebraska Art Clubs Art Award. help current employees update their skills. u Representing more than 50 art clubs in Nebraska, Lori VanBoening, biotechnology instructor, the association presents the award annually to an attended an advanced technology training meeting individual who made an outstanding contribution in Washington, D.C. She was one of 16 individuals to art and art education in the state. Rogers taught selected to participate in the program that was art at Grand Island High School for 25 years before established to promote math and science. u retiring. Janice and Dave Nervig became the proud owners u The Electronics Technicians Association of a new house that was constructed by students International elected elec tron ics in struc tor Fred enrolled in various technology programs on the Roeser as secretary and treasurer of the certified campus. Students from drafting, electrical, technician division. construction, and heating and air conditioning all assisted in the construction, gaining much valuable and practical experience in the process. The 1,580-

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square-foot house, which was the first to be built working careers. A panel of faculty members and by students on the campus, was sold at auction for business representatives discussed job $68,500. The Nervigs then moved it to a home site opportunities and the training requirements for jobs which they owned. in the metal working industry. u The Trailblazers Resource, Conservation and u The Franklin County Memorial Hospital was a Development District recognized the campus for its regular meeting place for 10 students and three cooperation in promoting the district’s goals Hastings Campus instructors each Thursday through the annual Expo of Technology. The evening for 18 months. Students and instructors campus expanded Expo to bring information about met at the hospital to complete courses in general technology careers to young people in central education. The on-site instructional venture was Nebraska. Hands-on experiences were provided to part of an agreement between Bryan Memorial more than 2,000 young students. Hospital in Lincoln and CCC to provide general u The campus and Baldwin Filters Consumer education courses to students who planned to Products were the co-sponsors of an informational enroll in the regis tere d nursing education program seminar held in Kearney on precision metal offered by Bryan Memorial. u Dr. Georgianna Whipple-VanPatter, chemistry instructor, was selected as chairwoman-elect for the Nebraska Section of the American Chemical Society. In her posi tion, she arranged for speakers for the 1998 meetings and served as chairwom an for the society’s meetings. u The ninth annual Clay County Cruise was held on the campus. The cruise was a bi cy cle tour spon - sored by the CCC Wellness Program , the Hastings Am ateur Radio Club and Hastings Cy cling and Fit- ness. The annual tour offere d a choice of three routes: a 19-mile tour to Glenvil and back, a 35- mile route to Clay Center and back, or a 52-mile tour past Clay Center on highways 14 and 74 and back through Glenvil. u Welding instruc tor Latham Mortensen gave a presentation at the 78th annual American Welding Society Convention that was held in Los Angeles. The society’s convention was held in conjunction with the International Welding and Fabrication Exposition. u Roger Scott of Aurora was recog nize d as out stand - ing alumnus dur ing grad u a tion cer e mo nies. Scott grad u ated with an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de - gree in archi tec tural draft ing in 1975. Fol lowing his gradu a tion, he worked in a lum beryard and handled building mate ri als and then joined the staff of Chief Indus trie s in the housing divi sion of Bonnavilla Homes in Aurora. Scott first worked as a draftsm an in the engi neer ing divi sion and then Student Senate is an example of one of the many be came as sis tant en gi neer ing man ager be fore be - active student organizations on the Hastings Campus. coming plant man ager in Au rora. He later became The senate sponsored a variety of campus activities plant manager for Bonnavilla’s new man u fac tur ing and promoted social interaction among students. plant in Bradshaw. Members for 1997 are shown here.

116 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Four 1996 graduates of the dental hygiene program re ap pointed to the com mit tee by as so ci a tion pres i- had their student research abstracts published in the dent Maria McKenzie. 1997 March/April issue of “The Journal of Dental u Dental hygiene instructors and 15 dental hygiene Hygiene.” The four student researchers and students attended the district conference of the graduates of the program were Sara Bohl of American Dental Hygiene Association in Carthage Madison, Wis.; Belinda Bridges of Elkhorn; City, Mo. The conference provided an opportunity Maxine Wehling of Broken Bow; and Jodi Hanson for participants to learn more about the ADHA and of Fremont. to meet other participants from Illinois, Iowa, u Dale Janitscheck, con struc tion tech nol ogy in struc- Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. tor, re ceived the 1996-97 Spirit Award at the 28th u Wayne Huntley, parts sales and management annual student awards convo ca tion. The award is instructor, was named to the parts specialist testing given annu ally to an indi vid ual or group that shows and certification program committee of the outsta nding com mitm ent and support for the cam - National Institute for Automotive Service pus and the students . He also re ceived the 14th an- Excellence. He was one of about 15 technical nual Outsta nding Ser vice Award in De cem ber at a experts chosen nationwide to serve on the staff recog ni tion luncheon. Janitscheck was cited committee. for his hon esty, sin cerity, ex cellent skills and u The Hastings Elks Club announced plans to devotion to his job. construct a new nine-hole golf course on the u As part of the School-to-Work Initia tive, CCC re- campus. The location of the new golf course ceived approval from the U.S. De partm ent of La- enhanced the curriculum for Hastings Campus bor’s Burea u of Appren tice ship and Training and students in several fields of study, including Ac cred i ta tion by the Na tional Cen ter for Con struc- horticulture, food service and construction. tion Edu ca tion and Resea rch to of fer an appren tice - u Dale Janitscheck, con struc tion tech nol ogy in struc- ship-training program to develop skilled workers tor, re ceived the 1996-1997 Spirit Award at the for the construction industry. 28th an nual stu dent awards con vo ca tion. The u A new scholarship program was initiated for award is given annu ally to an indi vid ual or group students by Nebraska Machinery Company in order that shows out standing com mitm ent and support to address the critical shortage of diesel technicians for the cam pus and the students. in the state. The company paid for tuition, fees, u About 1,000 elementary school students attended books, supplies and tools. In return, students the fourth annual Science is Fun Day. During the earned an associate degree in diesel technology event, students were able to see demonstrations and from CCC and agreed to work two years for participated in a wide variety of activities. More Nebraska Machinery Company. than 65 Hastings Campus staff and students u Dr. Mike Chipps, assistant to the vice president of assisted with the activities. About 20 elementary educational services, was selected by the North schools were represented. A number of home- Central Association’s Commission on Institutions schooled students were also in attendance. of Higher Education to serve a four-year term on u Nancy Bjorklund, grants and special projects its Accreditation Review Council. About 35 director, was appointed by Gov. Ben Nelson to the consultant-evaluators are selected annually to sit on 30-mem ber Nebraska Commission on the Status of the 120-member council, which made Women. Dr. Robin Menschenfreund, dean of recommendations to the commission on institutions educational services, was also reappointed to the seeking NCA accreditation. Chipps became an commission for an additional term. NCA consultant-evaluator in 1994. u Pam Koch, health information manage m ent-of fice u Wanda Cloet, supervisor of the dental hygiene pro- technology instructor, served as second-year gram, was ap pointed to serve a sec ond three-year director on the executive board of the Nebraska term on the com mittee of national boards of the Health Information Association. Koch also Amer i can Den tal Hy giene As so ci a tion. Cloet was represented Nebraska at the American Health

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Information Management house of delegates in In Memory Phoenix. u Richard Gerald Downey of Henryetta, Oklahoma, u Two employees received as so ci ate of applied sci - died Febru ary 17, 1997, at Prowers Medi cal Center ence de grees from CCC: Karmen Hoos, REAP in Lamar, Colo rado. He had joined the fac ulty in assistant project co or di na tor, in business 1981, and he retire d in 1996. While he was quiet administration; and Vicki Kucera, finan cial aid di- and easy go ing, he is re mem bered as a knowledge - rec tor, in business administration. able instructor. Retired u Dee Cochrane, as so ci ate dean of in struc tion for Platte Campus business and health, re tired. Dee Cochrane joined u The campus received two donations that were used the CCC staff in 1984 as a part-time busi ness man- for alternative fuels training. AmeriGas in age ment in struc tor but became a full-time staff Bridgeport, Ohio, donated a Clayton Dynamometer mem ber in 1985. During her tenure with CCC she that was used to simulate the load placed on an served as a class room instruc tor, be came acting engine as if the vehicle were actually moving on chair per son of the busi ness oc cu pa tions de part ment the road. The second donation came from the in 1987 and then chairper son of the depart m ent in Chrysler Corpo ra tion, a 1995 Dodge Dakota 1988. Later her title was changed, and she assum ed pickup truck valued at more than $20,000. The super vi sion of health program s on cam pus. pickup ran on compressed natural gas. Cochrane is a mem ber of many com munity groups u The alternative fuels and energy management and served on sev eral key col lege commit tees dur - programs received a certificate of recognition from ing her tenure with CCC. the U.S. Department of Energy. The award was u John Haizlip of Hastings retire d as dental hygiene given to recognize programs throughout the United in structor at the Hastings Cam pus. Haizlip joined States that have done outstanding work in the faculty in 1978. Hailzlip earned a bache lor' s de- promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy gree in physi cal edu ca tion from Iowa State and a technologies. Energy Management Circuit Rider master's de gree from Adams State Col lege. He was Doug Pauley reported that the Columbus Campus awarded an as so ci ate's de gree in Den tal Hy giene was one of only six colleges designated as a from Col o rado North west ern Com mu nity Col lege training center for alternative fuels. The campus in Rangely. trained both students and technicians who were u Latham "Mort" Mortensen re tired from his posi tion already working in the industry and needed to as a weld ing in struc tor. Mortensen became a mem- update their skills. The energy management ber of the Hastings Cam pus faculty in 1967. While program provided energy accounting for schools at the Hastings Cam pus Mortensen devel oped and hospitals as well as training in energy many unique and specia lize d training program s and conservation and preventative maintenance for recei ved many local , state and national honors for their maintenance workers. his ac com plish ments. u Pro fes sional singer and actress Em ily Wal ter, a u Elec tron ics In struc tor Gene Young re tired. Young 1987 Platte Cam pus gradu ate , returned to the cam - joined the Hastings Cam pus faculty in 1972. Prior pus to di rect a mu si cal re vue, “Some En chanted to joining the CCC faculty, Young owned and op- Eve ning.” The per for mance de vel oped by Wal ter erate d his own business in Supe rior and also include d a cast of four other Platte Cam pus gradu - worked for United Telephone Com pany and Vern ates who perform ed in vocal groups under the di- Bruce Appli ance s, both in Scottsbluff. rec tion of music instruc tor John Putnam. A native u Long-time faculty mem ber Moe Rucker re tired as of Ra cine, Wis., Walter appear ed in many produc - com mer cial hor ti cul ture in struc tor. He joined the tions and perfor m ances at the Colum bus Cam pus Hastings Cam pus faculty in 1967. He was a and then, follow ing gradu a tion, she becam e a vo- two-time re cipi ent of the Hastings Cam pus Student calist with the U.S. Air Force Strate gic Air Com - Sen ate Ap pre ci a tion Award and a re cip i ent of the mand Looking Glass band for four years. While Aggie Award from the agri cul ture com mittee of perform ing with the Air Force, she toured exten - the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce.

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sively throughout the Midwes t and later toured the u The Platte Person of the Year Award was presented Middle East, enter tain ing troops in the Persia n Gulf to Karin Rieger. Rieger joined the Columbus region. Af ter leaving the Air Force, Walter contin - Campus staff in 1987 as regional community ued her ed u cation and her ca reer as a pro fes sional education coordinator. She received praise for her per form ing art ist through out the na tion. leadership and dedicated professionalism. She was u Agricultural Director Verne Buhl was elected to a cited especially for her determination and two-year term on the board of directors of the persistence in making a satellite chemistry course a Nebraska Association of School Boards. Buhl success. served as a school board member at Newman u Chuck Hassebrook was honored as the outsta nding Grove for more than 10 years. alum nus at the grad u a tion cer e mo nies. Hassebrook u Wakana Nakamura of Tokyo, Japan, gradu ate d gradu ate d from the Platte Cam pus in 1975 with an from the Platte Cam pus with an as so ci ate of arts as so ci ate of arts de gree. Fol low ing his grad u a tion de gree. In the pro cess of earn ing an as so ci ate de - from CCC, he transferr ed his credits to UNL where gree, Nakamura also earned a cer tif i cate and di - he earned a bache lor’s de gree in univer sity studies . ploma in com mercia l art. By study ing in the United Hassebrook was program direc tor for the Center of States, she followe d in the footste ps of her her fa- Ru ral Af fairs, where he started as part of the Vol - ther, Shizuo Nakamura, spent time with CCC as untee rs in Service to America in 1976. He also part of the In ter na tional In tern ship Pro gram in worked as a leader of the Stew ard ship and Tech - 1991-92. Wakana planned to major in art when she nology Pro gram and was a legis la tive aid to State trans ferred to a four-year college. Sena tor Bill Bur rows in 1978. Hassebrook was u The Chorale, a vocal ensemble under the direction elected to the Nebras ka Board of Re gents in 1994 of John Putnam, gave a concert at College Park in and held vari ous posi tions with groups deal ing Grand Island. It was the same concert the Chorale with is sues re lated to sus tain able ag ri cul ture performed before 22 high schools in Nebraska and research programs and family farm preservation in during its tour of southeastern United States in the Nebraska. spring. u Dedication of the new addition to the Business and u Ron Kluck, associate dean of community Technology Center was held in May. The almost education, was one of several individuals honored 6,000-square-foot addition to the North Education at the 14th annual Nebraska Emergency Medical Center and another 2,500 square feet of renovated Technician As so ci a tion con fer ence held in space were dedicated with a ceremony directed by Columbus. Kluck was given the Presidential Campus President Dr. Dick Shaink. Award in recognition for his efforts in organizing u Bonnie Campbell, direc tor of the U.S. Justice De- and publicizing the programs and training efforts part ment’s Of fice of Vi o lence Against Women, of the NEMTA. was the key note speaker at a Do mestic Vi o lence u Jim Fisher, dean of students, was re-elected to a Confer ence sponsore d by the cam pus. Campbell three-year term as the representative from was appointed to her posi tion by Pres ident George Nebraska on the American College Testing H.W. Bush in 1994 after having been elected as Corporation. Fisher had been a representative from Iowa’s first fem ale attor ney genera l in 1990. Nebraska on the ACT since 1985. Campbell spoke about efforts to make the judi cia l u Lee Robbins, a communications instructor since system more vic tim friendly for women by shift ing 1993, was the recipient of the Faculty Member of the focus from the vic tim to the crime. The confer - the Year Award. He was cited for his creativity, ence was attende d by some 200 people. vitality, and unassuming dem eanor; for having u Two em ploy ees earned degrees from CCC: Doug started the Spanish classes on the cam pus; for Hann, com mu ni ca tions-me dia technician, re ceived building a Spanish language col lec tion; and for an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in business developing customized Spanish instruction for adm inis tra tion and Kerry Larson, NETV distance banking, manufacturing, and medical and education tech ni cian, re ceived an as so ci ate of arts emergency groups. He also resurrected the degree in academic transfer. photography course.

119 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u Ella Wenman, family and consumer science u Elaine Gertsch retired from her po si tion as clerk in instructor, received the first Columbus Campus student accounts , a posi tion she held for 20 years. APPLE award. The award was presented to a Prior to her em ploy ment by CCC Gertsch worked campus faculty member who was creative, as a long distanc e telephone oper a tor for GTE. She innovative, enthusiastic and used outstanding was a gradu ate of Colum bus High School and she teaching techniques. Wenman also received a and her husband oper ate d the Ever gree n Tree Farm $1,000 cash bonus from the CCC Foundation, a in Monroe. certificate and a golden apple for classroom accomplishments. Academic Transfer Initiative u An accelerated degree program was launched on the campus so that students were able to earn an u Dr. Dennis Tyson reported to the CCC Board of associate of applied science degree in business Governors that progress continued on the administration. The accelerated program was development of statewide partnerships with other divided into 15-week terms with four courses postsecondary institutions in Nebraska. An offered during each term, allowing students to Academic Transfer Initiative was signed in finish their degree in a shorter length of time. November 1995, and Nebraska community u Specia l honors were given to four indi vid u als con- colleges worked together to identify and develop a nected with the Platte Cam pus vol ley ball team. common core of courses that were offered by the Head coach Mary (Owens) Young was named community colleges in the state. When these Coach of the Year by the Nebras ka Com munity common core courses were identified, students Col lege Ath letic Con fer ence for the sec ond year in were then able to transfer those selected courses to a row. The team finishe d the year with a 33-8 re- virtually all the four-year colleges in Nebraska. cord and was ranked 16th in the nation by the Na - tional Ju nior Col lege Ath letic As so ci a tion. Three Adult Basic Education play ers on the Platte Campus squad also re ceived u hon ors for their out stand ing per for mances. Monica Adult Basic Education courses were made Caspar of Grand Is land, ReeAnna Morgan of Lin - available in 33 communities throughout CCC’s coln, and Lindy Muhle of Colum bus were all 25-county service area. ABE classes were free and named to the All-Con fer ence Team of the Ne - available to any person more than 16 years of age braska Com mu nity Col lege Ath letic Con fer ence. who was not enrolled in a secondary school. The Mor gan and Muhle were also named to the All-Re - classes prepared students to receive their high gion Team for Re gion 9, which include d teams school equivalency certificate or GED. u from Ne braska, Wy o ming, east ern Col o rado and Margaret Stutzman, Adult Basic Education east ern Montana. assistant, received an appreciation award during the u The annual Phi Theta Kappa Excellence in 16th GED graduation ceremonies at the Hastings Teaching Award for 1997 was presented to Doris Correctional Center. The award was presented to Lux, cooperative education director. The honoree Stutzman by the correctional center’s education was chosen through a review of student department in recognition of her dedicated service. nominations. Since 1989, 310 inmates had earned their GED diplomas at the Hastings Correctional Center. Retired u ABE Staff As sis tant-Co or di na tor Ann Chambers, u Norry Augustin re tired as regis trar at the Colum bus Grand Island ABE Coordinator Arshi Nisley, Campus af ter 27 years of ser vice to the col lege. Hastings GED Instructor Marilyn Harris and Co- Augustin joined the Colum bus Cam pus staff in lum bus ABE Coordinator Aditha McLaughlin 1970 as an aca dem ic counsel or and later was given attended the Commission on Adult Basic re spon si bil i ties for ad mis sions and reg is tra tion. Education Conference in Detroit. The conference Prior to his em ploy ment at CCC, Augustin was a featured workshop presenters and speakers from music teacher at Campbell High School, a high the U.S. and foreign countries. school counsel or at Blue Hill, and direc tor of guid- ance for the Colum bus Public Schools.

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Board of Governors College Administration u New board member Paul Krieger of Hastings took u The 1996-97 college year saw an im portant effi - the oath of office along with four other members of ciency measure completed when a shift occurred in the board who were re-elected: Harold McClure of the ad min is tra tive struc ture of CCC. The pre vi ous Kearney, Tom Pirnie of Grand Island, Bill Schnei- posi tions of dean of instruc tion and dean of stu- der of Dwight and Ken Wortman of Aurora. dents on each cam pus were com bined into a single u Approval was given by the CCC Board of Gover - po si tion of dean of ed u ca tional ser vices. Com bin- nors to procee d with the purchas e of 102 micro - ing the form er two deans’ jobs into one posi tion comput ers and acces so ries for the three main was designe d to pull the cam pus com mittee s closer campuses and the Area Of fice. The board also gave togethe r and provide for more re sponsive deci sion au tho ri za tion for the col lege ad min is tra tion to seek mak ing. The collegewide re spon si bil i ties of the bids for the re model ing of the Area Office in Grand deans were also incre ased. Serving in the new posi - Island. tions were Dr. Roger Augspurger, Platte Cam pus; u The CCC Board of Governors approved a budget Dr. Robin Menschenfreund, Hastings Cam pus; and of about $40.6 million, up about 3.02 percent. In- Dr. Eric Jones, Grand Island Cam pus. Serving as cluded in the plan was $21.9 million for operations, as so ci ate deans of stu dents were Jim Fisher, Co - $1.79 million for capital improvements, and lum bus Cam pus; Dr. Lynn Black, Grand Is land $323,404 for hazardous material removal and Campus; and Ken Rezac, Hastings Campus. Amer i cans With Dis abil i ties Act com pli ance. The u Jaye Kieselhorst, hotel, mo tel and res tau rant final budget also included $11.9 million in management instruc tor at the Hastings Cam pus, self-supporting funds and $4.7 million in cash was designated as the faculty representative to the reserves, bringing the total to be certified to the college cabinet for the college year 1997-98. state to $40,629,953. Chosen as alternates were Sharon Maul, commercial horticulture instructor, Hastings Campus; George Steinsberger, social sciences Campus Activities Association instructor, Columbus Campus; and Marcene u Fourtee n CCC students and their sponsors attende d Wurdeman, accounting instructor, Columbus the Na tional As so ci a tion of Cam pus Ac tiv i ties re- Campus. gional con fer ence in Den ver. CCC par tic i pants were able to watch en ter tain ment and lecture show - Co-op Education Conference cases so they could better decide which indi vid u als u Three em ploy ees of CCC attende d the 1997 Coop - or groups to contrac t for appearances at the er a tive Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion of Ne braska Con fer- campuses. ence in Kear ney. They were Vir ginia Ahlschwede from the Grand Is land Cam pus, Ka ren Ander son Career Fair from the Hastings Cam pus and Doris Lux from the u Career Fair 1997 was held at Fonner Park in Grand Platte Cam pus. An der son re ceived a Dis tin guished Island in November. More than 70 professions and Service Award for her work on the Hastings Cam - 12 colleges were represented. The fair was pus and Lux was one of the present ers at the con- co-sponsored by Central Community College, fer ence. Central Nebraska Partners for the Future and the Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce. Community Education Participants at the fair were given an opportunity to u Grand Island Campus President Dr. Bill Giddings explore career interests, watch demonstrations, and reported that the increased enrollment in CCC’s learn about educational options and job availability community education program was high enough to in Nebraska. consider it as a “fourth campus.” There were more

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than 33,500 registrations in off-campus programs opportunities were also available to qualified and courses, yielding 740 full-time equiva lent graduates from CCC. (FTE) enroll m ents. (One FTE is equal to 30 se mes- ter-hours of college credit.) CCC offered college Holdrege Center credit courses in about 90 communities throughout u The CCC Center in Holdrege was a co-sponsor for a 25-county area served by CCC. the “Family Enrichment: A Journey for Parents and Children” event held in Franklin. The program was College Foundation designed to help parents learn how to respond to u About $10,000 in schol arship funds was raised dur- their children without anger or guilt and to teach ing the Septem ber 1997 seventh annual Pro-Am children how to make good choices and become Golf Tourna m ent. The golf event was a fund rais ing responsible citizens. effort sponsore d by the Central Com munity Col- lege Founda tion and was held at the River side Golf Club in Grand Is land. Founda tion Di rec tor Jack Kearney Center u Crowley said the annual golf event had raised more The CCC-Kearney Center found a new home at the than $72,000 that was used to provide scholar ships Hilltop Lanes building that was donated to the to attend CCC. college foundation by owners Kent and Joan u Pat Stange of Juniata, alumni as so ci ation Smallcomb. The Kearney Learning Center had coordinator, re ceived an associate of applied been housed at a church in Kearney, but the church science degree in accounting and a diploma in data was seeking to sell the building. The donated processing from CCC. building contained about 17,000 square feet of space. Services provided at the Kearney Center included: a practical nursing program, credit and Global Leaders Conference noncredit classes, customized training programs, u Two students attended the Global Leaders Program and ABE and GED courses for people who did not held at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, graduate from high school. Enrollments at the Ontario, Canada. Barb Huffman from the Grand Kearney Center totale d about 4,000 people in Island Campus and Sheila Whitten from the 1996-97. Hastings Campus were selected to attend the program and were accompanied by dental lab technology instructor Pat Cecil during the 12-day Leaders Program conference. u Four CCC employees were selected to participate in a national leader ship training program for people Graduation Ceremonies in higher education. The CCC employees who u Da vid Pierce, pres i dent and CEO of the Amer i can were chosen for the lead ers progam were Nancy As so ci a tion of Com mu nity Col leges, was the com - Bjorklund, grants and special projects director, mencement speaker for cer emo nies at all three Hastings Campus; Sarah Cunningham, CCC campuses in early May. instructional technology and advancement director, Grand Island Campus; Stephanie Jacobson, college registrar; and Michele Lutz, student services Hastings College Bound assessment coordinator, Platte Campus. The u CCC graduates who planned to transfer credits to employees were selected because of their Hastings College benefited from the new Hastings professional abilities, their interest in advancement, College Bound program. An agreement was and the quality of their proposed projects. The reached that allowed CCC graduates to transfer Leaders Program was a yearlong training program credits to Hastings College after completing an designed to enhance the skills participants needed associate of arts degree from CCC with at least a to assume major decision-making roles in their 2.4 GPA. Scholarship and tuition benefit institutions.

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Most Distinguished Chapter President Award from the Nebraska-Wyoming-Western Iowa Region. PTK Chapters on all three CCC campuses received Milestone Awards at the convention for their increased involvement in regional and international activities. u More than 70 students from Nebras ka, Wyo m ing, and western Iowa at tended the Phi Theta Kappa In- ter na tional Honor So ci ety re gional con fer ence held on the Platte Cam pus. Partic i pants heard from a va- riety of speakers , square danced, toured the Indian School and Pawnee Indian Museum in Genoa, and enjoyed a chuck wagon meal at the Burke Ranch near Genoa. The event also conclude d the term of office in the regional or gani za tion for two CCC After being located in a series of rented buildings, the students . Nina Morgan com pleted her term as re- Kearney Center found a permanent home in 1997 in gional pres i dent and Wakana Nakamura com pleted the former Hilltops Lane building at 3519 Second Ave. her term as regio nal vice pres i dent. u New regional of ficers were elected to fill po sitions in Phi Theta Kappa for 1997-98. CCC students Lexington Center elected to of fices were Ja son Gladney from the u The Lexington Community Education Center of Hastings Campus, elected as regio nal pres i dent; CCC offered a program in Lexington in honor of and Shana Olson from the Platte Cam pus, elected Secretary’s Week. The program was titled “New as re gional sec re tary. Strategies for Women Working with Women.” u Hastings Cam pus student Nina Mor gan repre sent ed Training consultant Sue Schlichtemeier-Nutzman the Phi Theta Kappa Nebras ka-Wyo m ing and discussed the dynamics of predominately female Western Iowa Re gion at the Euro pean Honors In- work groups and the challenges of a predominately stitute in Mannheim, Ger many. The event was the female workplace. first of its kind to be sponsore d by PTK. u Paul Stubbe and his wife, Kathy, left their jobs and joined the Peace Corps. Kathy gave up her job as a Staff Development Grants comptroller with Home Federal Savings and Paul u Five CCC staff members received staff resigned from his posi tion as CCC asso ci ate dean development grants for the l998-99 college year. of education at the Lexington Center. Their new Receiving $1,000 grants were Stephanie Jacobson, home-away-from-home was in Kyrgyzstan, a college registrar; Dee Johnson, resource center former republic in the Soviet Union that gained its assistant, Platte Campus; Wendy Keezer, nursing independence in 1993. instructor, Grand Island Campus; and Vicki Kucera, financial aid director, Hastings Campus. Phi Theta Kappa Dr. Georgianna Whipple-VanPatter, chem istry in- u The Phi Theta Kappa chapters at CCC received struc tor at the Hastings Campus, received a $2,000 recognition at the April International PTK grant from the college. Convention held in Dallas. Wakana Nakamura, president of the Columbus PTK chapter, was Tech Prep selected as the Nebraska flag bearer and as one of u About 30 teachers from more than 20 central Ne- 12 students nationwide to represent PTK’s diverse braska high schools partic i pate d in the Building membership in the opening ceremonies. Part ner ships Pro gram. The pro gram was a teacher- u Nina Morgan, president of the Hastings Campus business sum mer intern ship sponsore d in part by chapter of PTK, received a Distinguished Chapter the CCC Tech Prep Consor tium and other agencie s President Award from International PTK and the in central Nebras ka. Teachers in the intern ship pro-

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gram gained firsthand knowl edge of the many the project. The new system provided direct calls changes occur ring in today’s workplac e by spend- between campuses. ing three 40-hour weeks in specia lly designe d posi - tions in business es locat ed in central Nebras ka. The Tuition and Fees teach ers then ap plied what they learned to their u The CCC Board of Gover nors agreed not to raise teaching duties and shared infor m ation with others tui tion for 1997-98. The cost of tui tion re mained at in their school. $41 per sem ester- hour, and the $75 per week for room and board for students living in the dorms at Telecommunications System the Hastings and Colum bus cam puses also re- u A new telecommunications system was approved mained unchange d. The only change approved by that linked the Columbus, Grand Is land and the CCC Board was the addi tion of a $1.60 per se- Hastings cam puses, elim i nat ing some long-dis tance mester- hour technol ogy fee to help pay for equip- charges. Aliant Communications was approved for ment needed to keep instruc tional program s cur rent with emerg ing tech nol o gies.

124 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1998 Alternative Fuels Program Looks to the Future By 1998, the alter na tive fuels program on the Platte Cam pus of CCC had been function ing for five years, and it had gained a na tional repu ta tion as a leader in the de velop m ent of the use of alter na tive fuels . The 1990 Clean Air Act and the 1992 National Energy Act cre ated a need for more training and prom otional activ ity in the area of alter - native fuels . The National Energy Act estab lishe d a time line for owners of fleets of vehi cle s of 50 or more to con - vert those ve hicle s to some al terna tive fuel – includ ing the fleets of ve hicle s owned by the federa l govern m ent (postal service , mili tary and other govern m ent agencie s). Law Requires Cities to Use Alternative Fuels The 1992 law further said that cit ies with a popu la tion of more than 250,000 would be required to convert their vehi cle s to use some type of alter na tive fuel. The 1992 law stated that 75 percent of the ve hicle s should be converte d to use an al terna tive fuel source by 1994. Although that time line was delayed by later federa l legis la tion, it was clear that such a fed eral man date would even tu ally become a reality.

Platte Cam pus al ter na tive fu els in struc tor Nick Wag oner (cen ter, with arm ex tended) con ducts a train ing ses sion in India in Janu ary 2003. He was part of a three-person training team from the Nationa l Al terna tiv e Fuels Training Consor tium that provid ed training requeste d by the India n gov ernment after it passed a law requir ing all vehi cles in the nation to oper ate on something other than gaso line.

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In 1983, an alter na tive fuels energy projec t had be gun at the Grand Island Cam pus under the direc tion of Jim Dutcher, chairm an of indus tria l and re lated program s. The projec t involved the distil la tion and use of etha nol. This effort did not, however , lead to the estab lish m ent of an instruc tional program . As early as 1990, there was dis cussion on the Colum bus Cam pus about cre ating an alternative fuels program. Platte Campus Part of National Training Program By 1992, the cam pus becam e part of the National Alter na tive Fuels Training and Awareness Program . Federa l funding for alter na tive fuels program s was first granted to the Uni versity of West Virginia and they looked for part - nerships with other inter est ed col leges. In 1993, the Platte Cam pus re ceived a grant of nearly $63,000 to help es tab- lish an alter na tive fuels training and edu ca tional program on the cam pus. The funding came from natu ral gas com pa nies and four other or ga ni za tions: Ne braska Soy bean As so ci a tion, Ne braska Eth a nol Board, Pro pane Gas As- so ci a tion of Ne braska, and Ne braska Blue Flame As so ci a tion. Training, Awareness, Conference are Key Goals The goal was to cre ate a na tion ally rec og nized al ter na tive fu els cen ter on the Platte Campus. The cam pus began to offer edu ca tional program s in the spring of 1993 and had training program s in place by the early fall. The al terna - tive fuels program had three main goals: (1) to develop training program s to certify auto m otive techni cia ns to work on vehi cle s using alter na tive fuels and to train others so they could in turn do training, (2) to prom ote greater aware - ness of alter na tive fuels by taking edu ca tional program s to area schools and com munity orga ni za tions, and (3) to make an al ter na tive fu els con fer ence an an nual event. (The Platte Campus spon sored the first con fer ence in No vem- ber 1992.) The Central Com munity College Founda tion Annual Report of 1993-94 states that the founda tion was involved in helping to solici t funds for the alter na tive energy fuels program and that over the pre vious two years more than $100,000 had been com mitted to the projec t. The purpose of the projec t in 1994 contin ued to focus on the im por- tance of edu cat ing the public about the use of alternative fuels.

Al ter na tive Fu els in struc tor Nick Wag oner and oth ers ad mire an al ter na tive fuel ve hi cle par tic i pat ing in an event on the Platte Cam pus.

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Training Provided for Technicians from Across Nation By late 1997 and early 1998, the Platte Cam pus was offer ing hands-on, inter ac tive training sessions to auto m o - tive techni cia ns from around the nation, thanks in large part to a grant recei ved from the National Auto m otive Tech- nicia ns Edu ca tional Founda tion. The direc tor of the alter na tive fuels program was Doug Pauley. Platte Cam pus auto m otive instruc tor Nick Wagoner taught training sessions on the cam pus. Wagoner had earned certif i ca tion as an Au to mo tive Ser vice Ex cel lence Mas ter Me chanic and as an Au to mo tive Ser vice Ex cel lence Al ter na tive Fu els In - struc tor and In spec tor. Train ing ses sion par tic i pants were au to mo tive tech ni cians, fleet man ag ers and other au to mo - tive in struc tors. The ses sions cov ered sys tems in te gra tion and emis sions, elec tronic sys tems and di ag nos tic meth ods. Par tic i pants ac tu ally con verted test ve hi cles to op er ate on nat u ral gas. The pro gram re ceived calls and in qui ries about the training from many inter est ed par ties in this country and in for eign countrie s. Platte Campus Named Regional Training Center By 2001, the Platte Cam pus was one of 20 national alter na tive fuel training centers in the United States. More than 3000 techni cia ns re ceived training at these centers locat ed across the na tion. The Platte Cam pus, in addi tion to being a training center, was named one of six college s to be a re gional training center and a mem ber of the Na tional Alter na tive Fuels Training Consor tium . As a consor tium mem ber, the cam pus gets annual funding from the Envi ron - mental Protec tion Agency and helps to de velop training manu als and textbooks used in the training centers . Nick Wagoner serves on the curric u lum com mittee of the NAFTC. Training Provided for Disney World, Atlanta Olympics Be cause the campus became one of the six re gional train ing cen ters in the nation , it was sometimes called upon to provide specia l training sessions . At the request of Dis ney World, Nick Wagoner travele d to Florida to certify the mainte nance workers at the park. Most rides at Dis ney World are powere d with alter na tive fuels . In 1996, Wagoner was in vited to the Sum mer Olym pics in At lanta as part of a team that prepared the al ter na tive fuel vehi cles that were used to trans port the athlete s and Olympic offi cia ls during the games. There were 269 light-duty vehi cle s and 250 buses used in the fleet at Atlanta . Wagoner also travele d to India in Janu ary 2003 as part of a three-person training team from the National Alter na tive Fuels Training Consor tium . The Indian govern m ent re quested the training ses- sions in alter na tive fuels after passing a law that requires vehicles in India to operate on something other than gasoline. Alter na tive fuels such as nat ural gas, propane and etha nol were com monly the focus of training sessions and re - main a vital part of the alter na tive fuels program . Another type of fuel that the col lege program has em phasiz ed is elec tric ity. Elec tric-pow ered vehi cles have re ceived much at ten tion in the train ing pro gram. The Omaha Pub lic Power Dis trict and Ne braska Pub lic Power Dis trict became very ac tive pro mot ers of ed u cation al pro grams that promote interest in electric-powered vehicles. Campus Sponsors Power Drive Event for Electric Vehicles A unique edu ca tional activ ity called Power Drive involved 75 high schools and six college s in projec ts with elec tric vehi cles. Each in ter ested school was given the iden ti cal core equip ment for the con struc tion of an elec tric vehi cle , and each school was to use the same size battery. Us ing the ba sic core ingre di ents donate d by Omaha Public Power Dis trict and Nebras ka Public Power Dis trict, students procee ded to de sign and build their own ve hicle . Stu- dents from a vari ety of disci plines contrib uted to the construc tion of the school’s vehi cle . Students in program s such as auto m otive, draft ing, machine technol ogy and even journal ism and public rela tions played a role in the construc - tion and prom otion of inter est in the school’s ve hicle . After the vehi cle was built, the school entere d the ve hicle in the Na tional Al ter na tive Fu els Ve hi cle Day Od ys sey where stu dent-built cars were judged and raced. The win ners of the rac ing con tests were deter mined by speed achieved and the dis tance the ve hi cle trav eled. OPPD and NPPD spon- sored the one-day Od ys sey event. Some schools con structed a new car each year for three to four years. The Platte Cam pus played host to an Odys sey event in 2004.

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State Ethanol Board Sponsors Fuel Quality Workshops The Nebras ka Etha nol Board has made good use of the exper tise and expe ri ence of the Platte Cam pus per sonnel in the alter na tive fuels program by spon soring free fuel quality workshops around the state of Ne braska since about 2002. The evening workshops are de signed to edu cat e auto m otive techni cia ns, teachers and the genera l public about the pos itive features of using etha nol and to teach workshop par tici pants the value of conduct ing fuel quality tests in their place of work. Auto m otive techni cia ns working in dealer’s shops are given infor m ation about exist ing addi - tives in gas o line, fuel sys tem de pos its, fuel-va por test ing and in for ma tion about automaker fuel rec om men da tions. Com pari son fuel testing is conducte d during the workshops, us ing gas oline and etha nol in order to show the reli abil - ity and depend abil ity of etha nol fuel used in today’s auto m obiles . Inter est and par tici pa tion in these Fuel Quality sem inars has steadily incre ased, and Nick Wagoner, who conducts the sem inars , rem ains much in de mand. Program Role Expected to Grow While progress and advancements in technology for the use of various alternative fuels has been a bit slow nationwide, there are some indications more time and effort will go into programs in the future. As the price and availability of gasoline become a greater concern in this country, the Central Community College alternative fuels program will remain on the cutting edge of advancing technology in the use of alternative fuels.

Grand Island Campus u About 96 students from the nursing programs in Columbus, Grand Island, and Kearney attended the u Grand Island Campus graduate Kenneth Meyer annual Job Fair for Nurses held on the Grand was honored by the Nebraska Community College Island Campus. Students were able to meet and talk Association at the annual convention in Lincoln. with representatives from 34 hospitals, nursing He was given the Distinguished Alumni Award. He homes, seven other colleges, and three began his career with Data Sys tems Inc. as a health-related organizations. The event also part-time employee through the cooperative allowed employers to meet and recruit potential education program. In 1983, he earned an associate employees. of applied science degree in electronics technology u Gender equality in the workforce was one topic in and became a full-time employee of Data Systems Clarence McConkey’s Ethics in America class. where he worked as development manager for Addressing the class on the subject was State Sen. Software 4 Retail Solutions. As manager, he Chris Peterson who served as co-chairwom an of a coordinated the manufacturing of software used in task force that aimed to promote gender equality. more than 4,000 stores in this country, Canada, and The task force targeted areas such as law, colleges, South America. business and boardrooms in an attempt to bring u The human services faculty began offering all eight more opportunities to women and minorities in courses required by the Nebraska Department of Nebraska. Health and Human Services for provisional alcohol u Kevin Miller, associate dean of industrial counselor certification. The campus had offered occupations, graduated from the Academy for five of the courses beginning in 1991. Leadership Training and Development. The u Arshi Nisley, coordinator of the Grand Island training was created by the Chair Academy and Adult Basic Education program, was honored by was a year long program that included on-site the Continuing Education Association of Nebraska training, a practicum, and a final on-site training at the annual convention in Kearney. Nisley was experience. presented the Rookie of the Year Award given u Dr. Linda Wilke-Long, paralegal and history annually to an indi vid ual for distin guishe d ser vice instructor, presented a paper at the 41st annual during his or her first year of ABE duties. Nisley convention of the Missouri Valley Historical joined the CCC staff in 1996 and taught applied Society in Omaha. Her paper was ti tled “Finding writing and communication in addition to her work Her Voice: Nebraska Clubwomen and Indian with ABE.

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Reform.” Her master’s the sis, “Clubwomen and full pre school program. The center also became a Indian Reform ,” showed how women’s clubs of the lab for students in the early childhood program. 1920s and 1930s prepared women to enter the Additional funding for the center was provided by political arena. a $10,000 grant from the Nebraska Health and u Kathleen Hurst was honored with the 1998 Human Services System. That grant money was Outstanding Alumni Award during the May used to purchase cribs, tables, chairs, cabinets, car graduation exercises. Hurst earned a diploma in seats and other essentials for the 5,000-square-foot management in 1994 and an associate of applied facility. science degree in business administration in 1996. She worked as a dental assistant for 14 years before becoming office manager for the Midwest Dermatology Clinic in Grand Island. As office manager for the clinic, she negotiated building maintenance contracts, supervised employees, scheduled pa tient care and com pleted insurance bill ing. She kept close ties with CCC by participating in many college programs as a speaker and a member of college committees. u Barb McGraw, nursing instructor, was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. McGraw became a charter member of the Omicron Epsilon Chapter at Clarkson College in Omaha. Sigma Theta Tau had more than 400 chapters and 200,000 members throughout the Housed in the campus’ refurbished fire station, Pooh world at the time. Corner College, a day care center for the children of u The campus chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honor students and staff, opened in 1998. The on-campus day society collected nearly 300 books. The books care center also offered students in the child care and were then divided between the Crisis Center and related programs the opportunity for on-site work the Humanitarian Resource Center. training and experience. u Hylee Asche, financial aid technician, and Nick Freelend, counselor and student activities director, u Students from the campus who were members of formed the Thunder and Lightning bowling team the Hastings Campus drag racing club completed that won the fall competition in the CCC bowling work on a 1959 Ford Ranchero pickup truck. The league. It marked the fourth time the team had completed project represented two years of work finished among the winners. by some 50 students. George Anderson of the Gessford Machine Company located in Hastings Hastings Campus donated the pickup truck to the college. Students rebuilt the transmission, overhauled the engine, and u A child care service center, Pooh Corner College, finished the interior and exterior of the vehicle. operated by the Child Development Council of The drag racing club then ran the car at the Adams County, was established on campus in the Kearney Raceway. The students named their Sherman Building which was remodeled for that modified pickup “The Educator.” purpose. Remodeling the old fire station was made u Instructor Wayne Huntley received the Faculty possible by a $135,000 matching grant from the Member of the Year Award from the Nebraska Peter Kiewit Founda tion and a $10,000 grant from Community College Association. Huntley was Aliant Com muni ca tions, as well as contributions recognized as a faculty member in the parts sales from area businesses and individuals and from the and management program and as the faculty CCC Foundation. The center was licensed for 90 sponsor for the drag racing club. Huntley was children from six weeks to 12 years and provided a commended for his well-designed course materials

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and his work as an advise r and counselor to his cam pus news let ter, and reg u larly at tended many students. He organized an annual volleyball Student Senate functions and activities. tournament that raised more than $5,000 for u Dr. Robin Menschenfreund, dean of edu ca tional student scholarships. Huntley won the Nebraska ser vices, was awarded the pres ti gious Athena Vocational Association’s Outstanding Award from the Hastings Area Cham ber of Com - Achievement Award in 1989 and the Hastings merce during its annual meet ing. The award is pre- Campus Student Senate Appreciation Award in sented each year to a per son who has at tained the 1997. highest level of profes sional excel lence and de - u Cindy Gaskill and Jane Stratman, dental hygiene voted time and energy to the com munity and instructors, attended the Nebraska Dental opened doors of oppor tu nity for women. She was Hygienists’ Association executive board meeting also made an ad miral in the Ne braska Navy by and fall session in Kearney, along with Kathy Gov. Ben Nel son. Menschenfreund was also one of Bowers, president of the Student Dental Hygienist 35 com munity college leaders from across the U.S. Association. Gaskill was elected NDHA alternate se lected to at tend the 1998 Ex ec u tive Lead er ship representative and attended the ADHA conference In sti tute in Cal i for nia. in San Diego in June 1999. u An event sponsored jointly by CCC-Hastings u Pat Sinnard of Hastings received the 15th annual Campus and Action Ideas brought professional Outstanding Service Award. Sinnard joined the speaker, Richard Flint, to Hastings. Flint spoke to CCC staff in 1979 as a part-time secretary and the audience about the risks of staying in the became a full-time secretary in the health “circle of sameness” and the reasons why people occupations program in 1982. She was recognized must improve and show they can develop a plan for her helpful and pleasant manner, and her for improving their lives. dedication to the college. u Jan elle Grabowski of Ravenna was honored as the u A 1998 Chevrolet car valued at $12,500 was Out stand ing Alumni dur ing the grad u a tion cer e mo - donated to the college by Chevrolet Motors nies. Grabowski earned an as so ci ate of ap plied sci - Division and Sullivan Motors of Albion, and was ence degree in hum an service s in 1980. After used to train automotive technology students . A gradu at ing from CCC, she went on to earn bache - Challenger farm tractor, used by diesel technology lor’s and master’s degree s from the Univer sity of students, was made possible by the generosity of Nebras ka at Kearney. Grabowski taught journal - the Nebraska Machinery Company in Doniphan. ism, English, reading, and mathe m atics in the The farm tractor was valued between $125,000 and Ravenna Public Schools. In addi tion to her teach- $150,000. ing du ties, she co or di nated the Aid ing Ad o les cent u Printing technician Marilyn Reynolds held an art Devel op m ent Program , led a week-long training show in Hastings. The exhibition of her work was ses sion for people in the Ravenna Com munity Plus titled “The Color of My World” and featured a Program , super vise d 50 high school students who wide variety of artwork she had produced. The par tic i pated in an el e men tary mentoring pro gram, exhibition was displayed at Phelps Fine Art and sponsored a Youth Leadership Program for Gallery in Hastings. high school students. u Juanice Myers, sec re tary for the ad mission s of fice, u Chief Automotive of Grand Island donated a Chief was honored at the 29th annual Student Awards EZ Liner 25 frame alignment machine to the auto Convo ca tion. Myers recei ved the Spirit Award dur- body technology program. The machine, valued at ing the convo ca tion which is given each year to an $30,000, was used to train students to align frames indi vid ual or cam pus group who showed outsta nd - on small trucks, vans and cars. The donation is a ing support and com mitm ent to the cam pus and result of a partnership between CCC and Chief cam pus ac tiv i ties. Myers was rec og nized for the Automotive to keep the auto body program up-to- friendly and atten tive way she addres sed student date. needs. She made com mu ni ca tion skills pre sen ta - u More than 50 individuals from about 21 learning tions at cam pus workshops, served as edi tor of the centers attended an in-service training program in August. Sessions were available for learning center

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managers, instructors, and staff members where manage ment pro gram at CCC played a key role in they learned about the Tech Prep program, learning their efforts to turn things around and save the farm center forms and procedures, student services, and and their way of life. other topics. u The 1998 Ram Run was held in September under Retired the direction of Chuck Breunig, wellness u John Dobrovolny retired from his position as coordinator and counselor. The event was open to associate dean of instruction for general education, all runners and featured a seven-mile and human services, the family and consumer science five-kilometer run and a one-mile walk-run. The program s and the instructional development center. male and female winners in the two runs received He joined the CCC staff in 1968 as a speech gift certificates for Hogan’s Sporting Goods, and instructor and served in that position until 1975 the top three finishers in each division received when he accepted the associate dean’s position. medals for their performances. Prior to joining the CCC staff, he had 13 years of u Two programs were combined into one in order to teaching and administrative experience in public provide a broader range of opportunities for school systems and at a junior college. students. The former broadcasting and printing u Gary Minnick re tired from his posi tion as an auto - programs were united into the new media arts motive instruc tor. Minnick joined the cam pus fac- program that included training in graphic arts and ulty in 1967. He held an Auto m otive Service photography, as well as printing, broadcasting, and Ex cel lence cer tif i cate in en gine per for mance, elec - video production. The new media arts program trical and engine re building. Prior to joining the complemented the commercial art program at the CCC staff, Minnick worked as a heavy equipm ent Platte Campus. oper a tor for a construc tion com pany and as a tech- u Juanita Buschkoetter, a Hastings Cam pus gradu ate , ni cian at Laird Motors in Hastings. brought na tional at ten tion to Cen tral Com mu nity u Rod Roberts of Hastings retire d as media specia l- College as a result of a six-hour telecas t on the ist, a posi tion he held begin ning in 1984. In that ca- Pub lic Broad cast ing Sys tem in Sep tem ber 1998. pac ity, he shared some su per vi sory re spon si bil i ties The PBS produc tion was titled “The Farm ers in gen eral ed u ca tion and the in struc tional de vel op - Wife” and focuse d on a three-year struggle by ment center. Prior to joining the college , he had Buschkoetter and her husband to save their fam ily been with the Hastings Public Schools for 23 years. farm from eco nomic fail ure. The farm and ranch He earned both a bach elor’ s and a mas ter’s de gree from Kear ney State Col lege. He was ac tive with the Ne braska Li brary As so ci a tion and the Ne braska Ed u ca tional Me dia As so ci a tion. He is a charter member of the Hastings Chorus of the Plains. u Rita Vacek of Hastings retired as the indus trial oc- cupa tions secre tary. She joined the col lege in 1974 as sec re tary of the trans por ta tion di vi sion. Sub se - quent re or ga ni za tions ex panded the in struc tional ar eas which were served by Vacek and the asso ci - ate dean with whom she worked. A diplom a gradu - ate of CCC, she had pre viously worked for the Sioux Or dinance Depot in Sidney and for the U.S. Army Corps of Engi neer s in Nebras ka City.

Hastings Campus retirees in 1998 included Gary Platte Campus Minnick, automotive instructor; Rodney Roberts, u A collaborative effort of 10 employers from media specialist; and John Dobrovolny, associate dean Columbus, Lindsay, Norfolk, and Platte Center of education. Rita Vacek, indus trial occu pa tion s secre - resulted in a $229,246 grant from the Nebraska tary, retired later in the year. Workers Training Program which provided

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training by the campus for nearly 1,200 employees. anniversary, the Chorale had per formed more than Training was provided in industrial management, 1,500 times and traveled more than 225,000 miles. leadership development, industrial maintenance, They sang at 129 Nebraska schools and made more computer software, and quality concepts. The than 100 special appearances throughout the state. emphasis of the project was on employee retraining The Chorale annually took an out-of-state tour and career development. The state had made funds each May. Past tours included Austria, Germany, available to the 40,000 employers who contributed France, Italy, Switzerland and various places in the to the State Unemployment Trust Fund. United States. u The 1998 volleyball team performed superbly on u The Platte Community Band, Chorus and Chorale and off the court during their fall season. The team vocal ensembles were featured at the annual completed their season with a 38-9 record, finished Christmas concert in the Fine Arts Theater. Music 7-1 in conference play, won the conference instructor Rex Hash directed the band and John tournament, placed third in the Region IX Putnam directed the vocal groups. A full-house tournament, and was ranked 13th nationally. Coach audience enjoyed a combination of traditional and Mary Young was equally proud of the team be- contemporary music for the Christmas season. cause it was ranked fifth nationally in team u The Platte Campus Community Band attracted academic standings. The team had an overall grade people of all ages who wanted to perform with a point average of 3.35 on a 4.0 scale. Another band. One of the youngest players was Becky special honor for the Lady Raiders was winning the Hadcock, a 15-year-old student at Scotus Central Sheila Worley Sportsmanship Award at the Region Catholic High School in Columbus. Encouraged by IX tournament. her high school band teacher to join the community u The campus and a Columbus radio station, band, Becky enjoyed her experiences as a band KJSK-KLIR, saw a successful end to the Brain - member. The community band was the largest of storm contest. In an effort to promote academics, the instrumental music groups, usually having 35 40 area high school teams of five members each to 40 members who rehearsed weekly and gave competed in the contest. Each team went through four performances during the year. two rounds of answe ring 10 questions during a live u A new leader ship program called “Tom orrow’s radio broadcast and the teams with the best scores Leaders Today” was intro duced. The program moved on to the next round. The field of teams was stressed lead er ship de vel op ment and com mu nity narrowed from 40 to 32, and then from 32 to 16, volunteerism. Curt Beck. program direc tor and ca- then to the final eight schools. The last eight reer ser vices co or di na tor, was pleased that 26 stu - schools came to the campus for the final dents from the cam pus and the three local high competition, and Seward High School became the schools were able to partic i pate in the program . eventual winner. The first-place prize was $2,000. U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel was the key note speaker About 20 faculty members created approximately for the student group. Each student perform ed at 1,500 questions that were used during various least 20 hours of volun tee r service in the Colum bus rounds of questioning in the contest. community as part of the program. u The campus hosted the high school agriculture u Bill Erwin, science instructor, received the contests for dis tricts V and VI. Approximately 550 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Phi Theta students from 18 high schools were involved in the Kappa chapter. This annual award from PTK is daylong event. The contests involved tests in farm determined from nominations submitted by management, agriculture mechanics, agronomy, students. Students who nominated Erwin spoke livestock production, floriculture, meat competition about the high expectations he set in his courses and an envirothon contes t sponsored by the Natural and the way he went the extra mile to be sure Resources District. students met those expectations. u The 26-member Chorale celebrated the 25th u Dr. Emily Uzendoski, communications instructor, anniversary of the founding of the special vocal and Vincent Lempke, mathematics instructor, ensemble. The director and founder of the group shared the Platte Campus APPLE Award in 1998. was music instructor John Putnam. By its 25th The APPLE Award stands for “Accomplished

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Platte Professor and Leader for Excellence,” and is Cam pus in 1973. He worked as a golf profes sional presented each year to an instructor who in Beatrice, Lincoln, and Sioux Falls be fore joining demonstrated innovative and creative teaching. an in sur ance agency in Beatrice. He was pres i dent u A spe cial class pro vided 32 area res i dents with an of Maurstad In sur ance Ser vices in Beatrice at the oppor tu nity to take a 16-day tour of Germ any, the time he re ceived his award. Maurstad was elected Czech Re pub lic, Aus tria and Swit zer land. In struc- to the Nebras ka State Legis la ture in 1994 and also tors Richard Abraham and George Steinsberger or- had served as mayor of Beatrice. He re ceived many ganize d and led the tour to many fam ous loca tions awards for his com munity service and his work in and to places beyond the tra ditional tourist stops. the in sur ance field. u The Adult and Con tin u ing Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion u Ella Wenman was named Out standing Voca tional of Ne braska honored Ron Kluck at its annual con - In struc tor by the Ne braska Vo ca tional As so ci a tion ven tion. Kluck, as so ci ate dean of com mu nity ed u- at the annual conven tion. Wenman was a fam ily cation, was given the Distin guishe d Service Award and consum er science instruc tor. She was given the by the asso ci a tion. He joined the staff in 1982 as award for the new and re lated divi sion. com mu nity ed u ca tion co or di na tor and was pro- u For Troy Gustafson, enroll ing in his first real art moted to asso ci ate dean in 1984. He recei ved the class with art instruc tor Richard Abraham in 1980 ACEAN’s Rookie of the Year Award in 1985. was an im por tant step to ward a ca reer as a spe - u The Faculty Member of the Year Award was given cial-ef fects il lus tra tor for the Dis ney Fea ture An i - to Gary Senff. Senff was hired as a welding in- ma tion Cor po ra tion in Florida. Gustafson struc tor in 1979 but his connec tions to CCC started completed his first two years of col lege at the after his high school gradu a tion when he earned an Platte Cam pus in 1982. He went on to earn a bach- as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in weld ing elor’s de gree from the Kansas City Art In stitute technol ogy from the Hastings Cam pus. He worked and com pleted an intern ship with the Dis ney Cor- severa l years for a com pany in Fullerton and then pora tion. The intern ship eventu ally led to his posi - for the Ne braska Pub lic Power District’s Nu clear tion as su per vis ing an i ma tor. Station before return ing to Hastings to teach weld- u Controlle d may hem ruled in late June when more ing at CCC. Sneff later left his job at the Hastings than 60 ele m entary and junior high school students Cam pus and took a job with Hobart Brothers in desce nded on the gym to work on their volley ball Ohio. As a welding techni cia n for the com pany, he skills. Vol leyball coach Mary Young direc ted ac- had the oppor tu nity to travel exten sive ly in the tivi ties at the annual volley ball camp where young United States as well as Korea, the Philip pines, and girls were able to im prove all phases of the game. South America . The faculty award is given annu - Varsity volley ball play ers assisted at the four-day ally to an indi vid ual who has displayed excel lence camp. in teaching and rapport with students and the insti - u Elena Dodd of Verm ont brought her one-woman tu tion. the ater show, “Meet El ea nor Roo se velt: Pri vate u Jim Swanson recei ved the annual Platte Person of Citi zen and First Lady of the World” to the Fine the Year Award. The award is pre sented each year Arts Theate r. Dodd brought to life Elea nor Roose - to a cam pus em ployee who has dem onstra ted dedi - velt’s expe ri ence s in the years follow ing the death ca tion, en thu si asm and in no va tion, as well as rap- of Presi dent Roose velt in 1945 until her own death port with students and other staff mem bers, and the in 1962. The perfor m ance was open to the public will ingness to go the extra mile. Swanson joined free of charge. the staff in 1989 as a building service techni cia n and worked on many cam pus construc tion projec ts. Retired He had ex ten sive ex pe ri ence as a car pen ter prior to u Lynn Hig gins re tired as a busi ness ad min is tra tion joining the cam pus staff. instruc tor. Higgins joined the CCC staff in 1974. u The Outsta nding Alumni Award was pre sented to He earned his bach elor's and master's de grees from Da vid Maurstad. He gradu ate d from the Platte the Uni ver sity of Ne braska in Kear ney. He also earned a sec ond master's de gree in busi ness ad min -

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istra tion from the Univer sity of Ne braska in than 3 percent, and resulted in an $800,000 Omaha. Prior to joining the CCC staff, Higgins reduction in property taxes. It was possible to taught business classes at Loup County High reduce dependency on property taxes for 1998-99 School in Taylor for eight years. because of an increase in state aid. The total budget u Keith Lunde re tired as a full-time mu sic instruc tor. approved was $36,922,348, up $1,010,313 from He had been a mem ber of the staff since 1979. the previous year. Prior to joining the faculty, Lunde taught music at public schools in Iowa and Wis consin and at Lau - College Administration rel-Concord Public Schools. He was a mem ber of u Gov. Ben Nel son appointed Dr. Dennis Tyson, vice the Ne braska and Amer i can Cho ral Di rec tors As so - pres i dent of ed u ca tional ser vices, to the Pro pane ci a tions, Ne braska Band mas ters As so ci a tion, and Edu ca tion and Resea rch Safety Council. The coun - the Ne braska Mu sic Ed u ca tors As so ci a tion. Lunde cil was autho rize d during the 1998 legis la tive ses- started the Honor Band Program and direc ted the sion and was cre ated follow ing an industrywide cam pus chorus and the Platte Community Band. ref er en dum in Sep tem ber. The pur pose of the u Sandi Schmidt re tired as fi nan cial aid di rec tor. Council was to develop program s to encour age the Schmidt joined the college staff in 1971 as secre - safe, effi cie nt use of propane; to edu cat e the public tary to the dean of students and vet eran's ser vice and indus try em ploy ees on safety; and to prom ote of fi cer. In 1982 she became the fi nan cial aid di rec - the use of propane and its environmental tor for the cam pus and held that same posi tion at advantages. the time of her retire me nt. Prior to join ing the col - u The North Central Association selected Dr. Mike lege staff, Schmidt was a sec re tary and book keeper Chipps, assistant to the vice president of at Franklin High School and an office manager at educational services, to serve a four-year term as a Risk Indus trie s in Colum bus. She was a mem ber of team chairma n of the association visitation teams the Amer i can As so ci a tion for Women in Com mu - and to serve on the Accreditation Review Council. nity Col leges and served as sec re tary and commu - Chipps completed team chair training in Chicago. nity col lege rep re sen ta tive to the Nebraska u Duane Waddle, agriculture instructor at the Platte Association of Financial Managers board. Campus, was designated as the faculty representative to the College Cabinet for the Adult Basic Education 1998-99 college year. u The Grand Is land Adult Ba sic Edu ca tion Program moved from the old Walnut Junior High School to College Foundation new spaces in the form er Grand Is land Salva tion u The eighth annual Central Community College Army Building. Foundation Pro-Am Golf Tournament was played at the Lochland Country Club in Hastings. Board of Governors Twenty-one professional golfers played in the u The Central Community College Board of event, along with 84 amateur players . Proceeds Governors elected new officers at the January from the event were used for scholarships for meeting. The new officers were: Bill Schneider of Central Community College students. About Dwight, chairm an; Tom Pirnie of Grand Island, $10,000 was raised in the event, bringing the total vice chair man; Paul Liess of Cambridge, secretary; amount raised by the eight tourna m ents to about and George Hasley of Hastings, treasurer. $82,000. Schneider and Harold McClure of Kearney were u More than $600,000 was pledged or promised in reappointed to represent CCC on the Nebraska the drive to obtain funds for the construction of the Community College Association Board of new Elks Club Golf Course constructed on the Governors. Hastings Campus. Elks Golf Club members worked on the final designs for the course that Budget opened for play in 1999. u u The CCC Board of Governors approved the college The CCC Foundation Board approved $6,000 in budget. The approved budget was increased by less funding for the 1998-99 Professional Development

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Grant Program. A $1,000 grant was available to personal development credit. To earn the credit, each campus and the administrative office while stu dents were required to write a research paper. the remaining $2,000 was used for collegewide u About 100 people attended an open house to see awards. The grants are awarded each year and used the new location for CCC’s Holdrege Center in the by staff members to take courses or attend seminars Phelps County Agricultural Center. The Holdrege that contribute to increasing an employee’s Center moved into its new quarters in July 1998, expertise. A committee reviewed the applications having outgrown space previ ously used in a for the grants and decided which staff members downtown location. The new site provided access received the awards. to three classrooms, three conference and u Dr. Tom Osborne was the featured speaker at the workshop rooms, and an exhibition hall that can eighth annual CCC Foundation Appreciation accommodate up to 500 people. Dinner. He shared with the more than 280 people in the audience his views of what it takes to win in the game of life, not just on the playing field. A highlight of the evening was the induction of Dale and Dolores Watley into the Foundation Hall of Fame. u As of June 30, 1998, the total assets of the CCC Foundation were $5,471,656, a gain of $1,637,521 over the previous year. It was the first time that the assets exceeded the $5 mil lion mark. Emergency Services u Central Community College entered into a partnership with five other community colleges and six government agencies which allowed people in The Holdrege Center moved into office space in the Nebraska to earn a certificate or associate’s degree Phelps County Agricultural Center in July 1998. in emergency services management without having to leave the state. The joint effort resulted from the Kearney Center passage of LB 43 that mandated every town, city, u Re gional Com mu nity Ed u ca tion Co or di na tor Mi- and county must have a full-time, certified chael Cox was a presenter at the 14th an nual Farm emergency management director. In addition to And Ranch Manage m ent Confer ence . The theme meeting this need, the partnership program for the confer ence was “Women in Agri cul ture: provided for the delivery of educational services in The Crit i cal Dif fer ence.” Cox presented a ses sion many locations that allowed workers in the field to on “Oppor tu ni ties Beyond the Farm Gate,” which update their skills conveniently. covere d the proces s of going back to school and venturing into the work world. Holdrege Center u The CCC Board of Governors approved a u Holdrege High School students earned college $536,000 contract to remodel the donated Hilltop credit while traveling in Europe. High school Lanes building in Kearney. CCC acquired the teachers Pat Peterson and Ron Uribe of Holdrege building after it was donated to the college by and Judy Schrock of Loomis planned the trip former owners Kent and Joan Smallcomb in Sep- through the American Council of International tem ber 1996. The Kearney Center, including the Studies. They also worked with Diana Watson, Kearney practical nursing program and the learning Holdrege Center coordinator, and Bob Baker, center, moved to the new, more permanent location associate dean of community education at the in August 1998. The center had been located in a Hastings Campus, and found that students making series of rented facilities and had moved four times the European trip could earn three hours of in the previous 10 years. The new location was re-

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mod eled for use as an educational facility by col - employed or continuing their education. The report lege staff. also showed that 79 percent of the 1997 CCC gradu ate s stayed within the 25-county service area Nebraska Academic Team of CCC. u Jo Dietz from the Grand Is land Cam pus and Nina Morgan from the Hastings Cam pus were among Tech Prep the 17 com munity college students who were u Tech Prep Coor di na tor Barb Larson was appointed named to the first Ne braska All-State Ac ademic by Gov. Ben Nelson to serve on the Southeas t Team, which was sponsore d by Phi Theta Kappa Regional Workforce De velop m ent Board of the and the Ne braska Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. Nebras ka De partm ent of Labor. The board keeps A cere m ony recog niz ing the students was held in the Hu man Re source In vest ment Coun cil in formed the state capitol build ing in Lincoln. Medal lions of the needs and concer ns of the region. were pre sented to each honoree by Gov. Ben Nel- u The Tech Prep Consor tium of Central Com munity son and Dr. John Harms, presi dent of West ern College sponsore d a pre senta tion by Chad Fos ter, a Nebraska Com mu nity Col lege. suc cess ful en tre pre neur. Fos ter spoke to nearly 3,000 high school students , edu ca tors, and busi ness people during his talks in Grand Island and Colum bus. His Phi Theta Kappa message shared advice about fol lowing dreams and u More than 30 students and advisers attended the the need to pre pare properly with a good edu ca tion. Nebras ka-Wyo m ing Regional Phi Theta Kappa Foster, who re tired at age 33, now works full-time Honor Society Conference that was held on the speaking to audi ence s across the country. Grand Island Campus. Participants attended several u The Tech Prep program of CCC orga nize d two programs, conducted their annual business meet - one-day ag ri cul ture ed u ca tion work shops – one on ing, heard reports from the PTK chapters, and the Platte Cam pus and the second one on the elected new regional officers. Jeanne Bonin from Hastings Cam pus. The in for ma tional work shops the Hastings Campus was elected re gional pres i - were designe d to fam iliar ize high school agri cul - dent for 1999. ture in struc tors, coun sel ors, and ad min is tra tors with the CCC ag ri cul ture pro gram. In for ma tion Placement was shared about col lege fa cil i ties, course of fer - ings, and di ploma and de gree op por tu ni ties. Par tic- u CCC released a placement report which showed ipants also learned how high school students could that the 1997 graduates of the college did well in earn college credit while taking high school agri - the job market. Ninety-seven percent of the gradu - cul ture classes and gain prac ti cal ex pe ri ence ates who answered a survey said they were either through in tern ship and ap pren tice programs.

136 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 1999 Extending the Possibilities in Central Nebraska From the be gin ning of the col lege, there was a com mit ment to pro vide com pre hen sive ed u ca tional op por tu ni ties to all types of students . The com prehen sive philos o phy for two-year college s involved three main areas of learning ac tiv i ties – ac a demic pro grams, tech ni cal pro grams and com mu nity ed u ca tion pro grams. The ac a demic and tech ni cal program s at Central Com munity College have contin ued to change by offer ing courses that re flect techni cal ad- vances and the dem ands of soci ety. Those changes have affec ted the edu ca tion oppor tu ni ties that Central Com mu - nity College extends beyond its cam puses, as well. Com munity education was descr ibed in a 1973-74 college cat alog as the revo lu tion ary divi sion of the col lege, offering courses, ac tiv i ties, and ser vices that sel dom con form to tra di tional ac ademic time, space and con tent restric - tions. Although that statement is more than 30 years old, it still applies to what has evolved into Extended Learning Services. Community Services Becomes Community Education Before the name Extende d Learning Ser vices was adopted in 1999, there had been two earlier names assigne d to this depart m ent of the col lege. When the Nebras ka Techni cal Com munity College System was formed in 1973, the de partm ents on both the Hastings Cam pus and the Platte Cam pus were called Com munity Service s Of fices.

Lexington Center students take advantage of CCC extended learning progra ms.

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Later the name was changed to Commu nity Ed u cation and a sep arate Com munity Ed u cation ser vice area was es tab - lished for each of the cam puses. The of fice at each cam pus provided service s to the counties locat ed within the as- signed region, and local advi sory com mittee s were estab lishe d in com muni ties in each re gion to suggest the type of courses and program s that would best serve the needs of the people in that re gion. Com munity Edu ca tion office s on each campus began to es tab lish per manent learn ing centers in communities that offered a variety of courses and programs. The cen ters were lo cated in high schools, li brar ies, church base ments, and wher ever there was space avail able to house instruc tional mate ri als and places for students to work on tests and assign m ents. By the end of the 1970s, learn ing cen ter man ag ers had been hired as part-time college emplo y ees to su per vise op er ation s at the off-campus learning centers . By the early 1980s, doz ens of learning centers had been estab lishe d throughout the 25-county ser - vice area and col lege credit classes were be ing of fered that used cur ric u lar mate ri als de vel oped by col lege fac ulty mem bers for use in their on-campus individualized courses. Courses, Degrees Available Throughout Service Area The co or di nated and co op er a tive ef forts of the cam puses and the pos i tive ef forts of in di vid ual fac ulty mem bers allowe d students in distant loca tions to take a host of college credit courses and com plete degree s, diplo m as, and cer tifi cat es without ever setting foot on a cam pus. In 1985, Com munity Edu ca tion services from the three cam puses and the Lexington Office were budgetarily split from the sepa rate cam puses, and Com munity Edu ca tion at CCC be- came a collegewide oper a tion, re sulting in a more coop er a tive spirit that led to a better coor di na tion of workshops, train ing pro grams, and course of fer ings. En roll ments at all of the Com mu nity Ed u ca tion of fices in creased dra mat i- cally from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. In 1997, a report to the Board of Gover nors re ferred to the high enroll - ments in Com munity Edu ca tion courses as a fourth cam pus without walls be cause during the 1996-97 college year there had been more than 30,000 regis tra tions in off-cam pus program s and courses in nearly 90 towns throughout the 25-county area served by CCC. In 1997, a study com mittee was formed to re view the exist ing structure and orga ni za tion of the CCC Com mu - nity Ed u ca tion pro gram and to make rec om men da tions for pos si ble changes in or ga ni za tion, ti tle, or pro gram ming. The plan was to conduct a review in vari ous stages. In De cem ber 1998, the study comm ittee rec om mended that the title of the program be changed from Com munity Edu ca tion to Extende d Learning Ser vices, effec tive with the start of the 1999-2000 college year and that the exist ing area-wide, campus-based structure be continued. Extended Learning Services Continues to Expand Since the name change, Extende d Learning Ser vices has contin ued to expand its efforts to help students achieve their edu ca tional goals by of fering courses and training program s in the most conve nient and prac tical manner pos si- ble. From a rather sim ple be ginning in the early days when Com munity Edu ca tion classes in cake deco rat ing, dog obedi ence , or the use of the slide rule, seemed to be the pri mary role, ELS has contin ued to re invent it self in order to meet the de mands of people for the latest in edu ca tional infor m ation and training. The current ELS bears only a slight resem blance to the early Com munity Edu ca tion program of the early 1970s. The role and scope of ELS func- tions in the 21st Century are in-step with the ever-changing demands for access to learning opportunities. While craft and hobby-type classes con tinue to be of fered by ELS, these avocational classes that once nearly dom inate d the list of classes offere d by the form er Com munity Edu ca tion depart m ent now make up less than 15 per- cent of the ELS enroll m ents since 2000. About 80 percent of the more than 30,000 enroll m ents now come from credit and noncredit reim bursable courses, and these two types of courses produced 930 FTE (full-time equiva lent enroll m ent) for CCC during the 2004-05 fiscal year. Technology Opens New Opportunities Devel op ing technol ogy has greatly influ ence d ELS instruc tional deliv ery methods since the early 1980s. ELS utilize s a wide va riety of com muni ca tion system s, includ ing video by telephone, by Internet, and by satel lite broad- casts. Web-based courses are incre asingly used to reach off-cam pus students who can use their own com puters or computers locat ed in the learning centers to com plete course work. When there might be differ ence s in the capabilities

138 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College betwe en the update d com puter sys tems of the college and older com puters used by some students , a new projec t called Taran tella al lows stu dents to re motely access up dated soft ware di rectly from the col lege so they can com plete course work and per form other functions. Early En try program s have allowe d selec ted and quali fied high school students to earn college credit at local learn ing cen ters or by at tend ing classes on any of the CCC campuses. ELS has made avail able a vari ety of health- relate d courses and training program s, includ ing EMT training and nurs ing classes. Adult Ba sic Edu ca tion program s in 2004-05 provided classes to more than 2,300 people, and that include d many indi vid u als who were able to earn a GED and also recei ve instruc tion in English as a second language. ELS constantly develops new markets and strategies to provide courses and training to satisfy the diverse needs of people and businesses in the CCC service area and across the state. ELS has continued to reinvent itself as it lives up to its mission statement that dedicated it to enhancing the quality of life by helping learners achieve their educational goals through quality local and distance education.

Grand Island Campus attend the University of Nebraska at Kearney as an education major. u The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce Small u Students and staff members had the opportunity to Business Division recognized Grand Island emphasize the importance of the Alcohol Campus grad u ate Bob Lubbe of Ashland. As the Awareness Week in October by participating in a owner and president of Connections 2000 Inc., he mock field sobriety test on campus. Hall County received an Omaha 25 Award that is given Deputy Sheriff Mark Hogue conducted the mock annually to the city’s 25 fastest growing sobriety test called “walking the line.” In the mock companies. Connection 2000 employs more than test, partic i pants wore the Fatal Vision goggles that 50 computer professionals who provide creative are used to train law enforcement officers to detect information solutions to organizations throughout drivers under the influence of alcohol. The goggles the Midwest. Lubbe earned associate degrees in impair the vision to duplicate distinct stages of electronics, data processing, and business inebriation. administration from the Grand Island Campus. u Draft ing tech nol ogy stu dents gave the Gold en rod u A 16-session class on basic automotive shop Girl Scout Council more than they asked for when practices was taught in Spanish during the fall the Council asked them to help plan im provem ents semester. Fifteen Spanish-s peaking students at its Camp Cosm opol i tan. The drafting students completed the class. The students in the class and their instruc tors surveyed the 34-acre camp lo- learned about safety practices, tools and cated a few miles south of Grand Is land and ended equipment, hazardous materials, electronic up giving the council a 5-by-12-foot scale model of equipment, and measuring devices. The instructor the camp, in addi tion to topo graphic draw ings and for the class was Vince Mendez, automotive plans for cabins and other structures . Council lead- instructor. Mendez first taught a similar bilingual ers said the model and draw ings would be very automotive class on the Hastings Campus during helpful in their planning. the previous semester. u Nick Freelend and the student activities/advisory u Graduate Melissa Duerr completed an internship committee he sponsored won an award at the during the summer of 1999 at the Department of Central Plains Red Cross Chili Cook-off. Education in Washington, D.C. She worked with Thirty-six groups prepared chili for the 11th annual the America Reads Project at the Department of event. The campus group won with a chili recipe Education. Duerr became eligible for the internship called “Y2K Meltdown Chili.” when she was named to the 1998-99 All-USA u Paralegal studies and history in struc tor Dr. Linda Academic Team sponsored by the American Wilke-Long had an article published in the May Association of Community Colleges, USA Today, 1999 issue of The Nebraska Lawyer. The article, and Phi Theta Kappa. She graduated from the “Populists, Politics and Prohibition,” focused on Grand Island Campus in May 1999 and planned to the controversial Nebraska state election of 1890

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and the resulting Nebraska Supreme Court case, nies which were held at the Grand Island Senior State v. Elder. Wilke-Long was also recognized as High auditorium. an “Extraordinary Person” by the Grand Island u René Tiedt of Beatrice was rec og nized with an Daily Independent. Out stand ing Alumni Award dur ing com mence ment u Sev eral staff mem bers at tended the 21st an nual in - cer em onies . Tiedt gradu ate d in 1991 with an as so- ter na tional con fer ence of the Na tional In sti tute for ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in child care and de - Staff and Or ga ni za tional De vel op ment in Aus tin, velop m ent. She previ ously worked as a toddler Texas. Dr. Bill Giddings, cam pus presi dent, was a teacher for the U.S. Army in Berlin, Ger many, and present er on the topic of “Coop er a tion Pays: Cre - was the child care cen ter co or di na tor at the Grand ative Cost-Shar ing for Qual ity Ed u ca tion.” Maureen Island Cam pus. Be ginning in 1992, she worked for Hoffman, Linda Petroff and Dr. Wayne Vian made a the State of Ne braska as a child care re source spe - presen ta tion on the topic, “Magic or Myth: Indi vid u - cialist who in spected child care facil i ties in six alize d Instruc tion Works.” Hoffman, Vicki southeast Nebraska counties. Mackenstadt and Vian all re ceived a NISOD Ex cel - lence in Teach ing Award at the con fer ence. Hastings Campus u About 100 students and 75 health care rep re sen ta - tives attende d the ninth annual Job Fair for Nurses u Wanda Cloet, dental hygiene supervisor; Barb in March at the cam pus. The event gave nursing Neubacher, dental hygiene instructor; and four students enrolle d in the asso ci ate degree in nursing dental hygiene students participated in the Special program and the prac tical nursing program an op- Smiles for Special Athletes occasion at Creighton por tu nity to meet rep re sen ta tives who em ploy University as part of a Special Olympics event. The work ers in the health care field. athletes were given a general screening and they u Dr. Bill Giddings, cam pus presi dent since 1992, re- learned about caring for their teeth. ceived an Outsta nding Edu ca tor Award from the u The campus received a check for $25,000 for its Adult and Con tin u ing Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion of diesel technology program. The money completes Ne braska for the many ad vances made in adult and the funding of a $75,000 matching grant from the con tin u ing ed u ca tion un der his guidance and Caterpillar Foundation. The money was used for direction. student scholarships, the purchase of equipment u Approximately 300 persons attended a job fair held and recruiting new students for the program. on the campus. KOLN/KGIN-TV and the Grand u More than 1,000 first, second, and third graders Island Area Economic Development Corporation attended the sixth annual Science is Fun Day on co-sponsore d the event in addition to the campus. About 30 employers were represented, some of whom were accepting applications. Later in the year, the campus placement office and the campus chapter of Phi Theta Kappa sponsored a career day during which 19 students participated in mock interviews conducted by members of the business community. u The Reynolds Library marked its seventh year at the College Park location at the end of the year. Linda Bowden, librarian, recalled that the creation of the library had actually begun on the main campus two years prior to the move to College Park. By 2005, the collection numbered about ROOT 1, a campus organization designed to promote 6,000 volum es, with an emphasis on social science cultural awareness and understanding, was formed on and nursing. the Hastings Campus. The group evolved into the u Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court John Multicultural Club, members of which are shown here V. Hendry was the graduation speaker at cer emo - in a campus performance in 2003.

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the campus. The annual event is co-sponsored by u Juanita Buschkoetter, a 1997 Hastings Campus the Hastings Campus, the Hastings Chamber of graduate, received a Distinguished Alumni Award Commerce, and the Nebraska American Chemical from the Nebraska Community College Society. Students were able to visit some 30 booths Association at its annual meeting. She and her staffed by CCC students and staff who used family were featured in a six-hour documentary on demonstrations and hands-on activities to show the PBS in September 1998. The documentary, called young students how science re lates to everyday “The Farmer’s Wife,” chron i cled the family’s life. Students from more than 25 elementary struggle to save their family farm operation. schools were invited to attend. u While being interviewed for an article in the u The Bike Shop in Hastings and the Hastings Central Connection, Dave Jenner credited his Campus wellness program sponsored the 11th success in radio to the broadcasting technology annual Clay County Cruise. The bicycle tour program at the Hastings Campus from which he started from the campus and included a 19-mile received a diploma in 1990. For seven years, Jen - route to Glenvil, a 35-mile route to Clay Center, ner was a popular radio personality heard by many and a 50-mile ride through Clay Center and listeners in central Nebraska. Each weekday from Fairfield. The cruise, which typically attracted 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Jenner and a partner teamed up about 60 riders, was designed as a recreational ride on the Hits 106 Morning Zoo program. He gave rather than a race. The event was organized by special credit to Hastings Campus instructors John Chuck Breunig, counselor and wellness director. Brooks and Gordon Wheeler for sharing their u The Hastings Campus started training truck drivers knowledge and experience with him. for one of the largest carriers in the United States. u The Rural Education Accessibility Project at the Werner Enterprises Inc., with headquarters in Hastings Campus received a $3,000 grant from Omaha, recruit ed nation wide for the six-week Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership. REAP training program . Graduates of the program were was designed to help individuals with disabilities qualified to take the test for a commercial driver’s to achieve greater independence in their lives licens e. The CCC Board of Governors approved through the use of technology. The grant money the construction of a 1.8-mile driving track and was used to upgrade equipment and computer range on the campus for the truck driving training software in the demonstration center. activities. u GED graduation ceremonies were held on the u Shaun Schleif of Grand Island received the 1999 Hastings Campus for 16 individuals who earned Out stand ing Alumni Award dur ing grad u a tion cer - their GED diplomas. Speakers for the graduation e mo nies. Schleif grad u ated with an as so ci ate of ap - exercise were Dr. Robin Menschenfreund, dean of plied science degree in broadcas ting in 1978. His educational services, and GED graduate Maybel broadcas ting ca reer began in 1976 with KICS in Scheiding of Blue Hill. Hastings and in the 10 years with that sta tion he u Jim Cronin of Bladen was one of 10 individuals worked in nu mer ous po si tions, in clud ing sta tion honored at the annual Nebraska State Arboretum manager. He was also gen eral man ager of a sta tion banquet. Cronin retired as the physical plant in Pensacola, Fla., before joining KRGI and director at the Hastings Campus. The award was KMMJ in Grand Is land where he became the given in recognition of his efforts in helping to general manager. make the Hastings Campus a more beautiful place. u Sherri Portenier of Hastings received the 16th Cronin spent more than 30 years developing annual Outstanding Service Award. She joined the landscape schemes and planting more than 100 staff in 1973 as a switchboard operator and a year species of trees and shrubs. later became a technician in the registrar’s office u About 180 dental hygiene students and faculty before becoming the student records coordinator. members from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and She received the award in recognition of her Nebraska attended the American Dental pleasant, positive and professional demeanor, and Hygienists’ Association District VIII Stu dent- her willingness to help with any task. Fac ulty Conference. The Hastings Campus served as host for the conference. About 36 Hastings

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Campus students and staff members attended the playwriting contes ts and won a $2,000 fellow ship two-day conference. in playwriting from the Nebras ka Arts Council. u The South Platte Regional School-to-Work She authored five one-act plays and five full-length Partnership awarded $22,500 to the Work Keys plays that were produced in five different states. Satellite Center at the campus. The money was u Elwood Onken of Glenvil re tired from his posi tion used for profile development and assessment at as diesel instruc tor. He joined the faculty in 1972. businesses and schools in south central Nebraska. Prior to joining the CCC staff he worked as a me- Work Keys was developed by the American chanic at Al li ance Trac tor and Imple ment in Al li - College Testing Program to do job profiling, skill ance and as shop fore man at McClelland Farm assessment, and to provide instructional support. Equipm ent in Hastings. He was also a diesel in- u Beginning with the fall semester, those who struc tor at Iowa Western Com munity College in completed the diploma program in medical Council Bluffs, Iowa. He is a gradu ate of Glenvil assisting were eligible to become certified by High School and the Nebras ka Trade School in taking the National Certification Examination for Milford. He completed courses at Iowa State and Medical Assistants. Joann Wieland, program Kear ney State Col lege and re ceived Au to mo tive instructor, stated that the diploma program could Ser vice Ex cel lence cer tif i ca tion in diesel engines be completed within two semesters and one and electrical. summer session. u Alica Throckmorton of Hastings re tired as library u Alan Hartley was prom oted to dean of edu ca tional assis tant. Prior to joining the staff in 1991 she ser vices. An early grad u ate of Cen tral Commu nity taught English and worked in the X-ray depart m ent College , he was em ployed by the college in 1969 office at Mary Lanning Me morial Hospi tal. as a ba sic elec tron ics in struc tor. Af ter hold ing sev- u Willis Gabbert of Harvard re tired from his posi tion eral po si tions with the col lege, he be came an asso - as a draft ing instruc tor. He joined the faculty in ciate dean of instruc tion in 1996. He re ceived a 1968. Throughout his tenure he was an ac tive and master of science degree from UNK. re spected mem ber of the cam pus commu nity He was a grad u ate of Kear ney State Col lege with a Retired mas ter's de gree in vo ca tional ed u ca tion. u Walt Boyll of Kear ney re tired from his posi tion as u Bob Baker of Hastings re tired as as so ci ate dean of an ac counting instruc tor at the Hastings Cam pus. com munity edu ca tion. Baker joined the CCC staff Boyll joined the faculty staff in 1981. Prior to be - in 1993. Baker had been a dean for contin u ing ed- com ing an instruc tor he worked as an accoun tant uca tion and regional service s for Peru State Col- for Bobcat and Boughton Equipm ent com panies in lege and had worked as dean of adult edu ca tion at Grand Is land. Af ter re tire ment, he con tin ued work- Highland Com munity College in Illi nois. He was ing for the college on a part-time basis through the the re cipi ent of a Dis tinguishe d Service Award pre- Kear ney Cen ter. sented by the Adult and Contin u ing Edu ca tion As - u Cammie Farrell of Hastings re tired as a hu man ser - so ci a tion of Ne braska. vices instruc tor. She joined the CCC staff in 1983 as a reading instruc tor and also served as coor di na - In Memory tor of the Explore Your World Program and taught u Richard Fuehrer, age 56, of Neligh, died of an ap - ba sic math e mat ics be fore be com ing a hu man ser - par ent heart at tack. Fuehrer had worked as a coun - vices instruc tor in 1991. She earned a master' s de- selor on the Hastings Cam pus and was working as gree in counseling from UNK. a school psychol o gist at ESU #8 in Neligh at the u Juanice Myers re tired from her posi tion as adm is- time of his death. He is re mem bered as be ing both sions sec retary at the Hastings Cam pus. She joined car ing and pro fes sional. the CCC staff in 1994 as a switchboard oper a tor. u Frank Piskorski, age 62, died in rural Adam s Prior to joining the CCC staff she worked at County. He served in the Navy from May 1955 to Wayland Univer sity Bookstore in Texas and as ad- May 1959, and again from Decem ber 1959 to Oc- min is tra tive as sis tant for the South east Texas Arts tober 1962. Piskorski joined the Central Com mu - Council in Beaum ont, Texas. She won two national nity College -Hastings Cam pus staff in 1968 as an

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audio-vi sual techni cian, a title that was later u Representatives from the Nebraska Department of changed to media produc tion techni cia n. He is re - Labor awarded the 1999 Celebrate Nebraska mem bered as an expert photog ra pher whose gruff Worker Award to representatives of the Platte ex te rior masked the fact that he of ten came to the Campus. The campus was chosen for the aid of students or staff mem bers who were in need. leadership it provided in business and industry A scholar ship fund was estab lishe d in his memory training and for the grant funding received for with the CCC Foundation. workforce development. Labor Commissioner Fernando Lecuona presented the award. Platte Campus u The Chorale present ed its annual home concert in u Marjorie Johnson of Leigh, a financial aid the Fine Arts Theater. The concert was based on technician who joined the staff in 1991, was named the theme, Straight to the Top, and included a Platte Person of the Year. She was recognized for mixture of musical selections, including a song in her dedication, enthusiasm, and innovation, and for which the group used sign language. Proceeds from establishing good rapport with students and other the concert were used to help pay expenses for the staff members. She earned an associate of applied group’s spring tour of the southeastern part of the science degree in office technology at the Platte United States. u Campus in 1997. Mike Bower, associate dean of technical programs, u The Platte Campus provided the leadership that graduated from the Academy for Leadership and resulted in $1.2 million in grants from the U.S. Training at Mesa, Ariz. The program was designed Department of Labor and the Nebraska Training to advance academic and administrative leadership Program. Nebraska was one of 12 states to receive in community and technical colleges. The year- such a grant. The grant was used to enhance long program included on-site training, a training programs for businesses and industries practicum, and a final week of additional on-site with fewer than 500 employees throughout the training. u state. A total of 1,200 workers received training The campus earned the Automotive Ser vice Ex cel - through the use of the grant dollars administered by lence certification from the Department of Energy the Platte Campus, although CCC was only one of National Automotive Technician Edu ca tion Foun- several collaborative partners across the state. da tion. The campus was also certified in the al ter - na tive fuels area. The college also received $7,500 for scholarships for students interested in alter na - tive fuels training. u The music depart m ent pre sented its annual Christ - mas concer t before a full house in the Fine Arts The ater. Mu sic in struc tor Rex Hash di rected the Platte Cam pus Com munity Band, while music di- rec tor John Putnam direc ted the College Chorus and the Chorale . The annual concer t was open to the public without charge. u Five members of the Lady Raider volleyball team and Mary Young, volleyball coach, earned honors for the 1999 fall season. Skye Greenland of Arcadia, Holly Johnson of Daykin, April Olson of Pickstown, S.D., Katie Stepanek of St. Paul and Cara Truitt of Hastings were named to the 1999 All-Nebraska Community College Athletic Englis h instr uctor Bill Tuttle makes a pur chase from Conference Volleyball Team. Greenland, Olson book store assis tant man ager Rita Tuma in the Platte and Truitt were also named to the All-Region IX Cam pus book store. Follett Cor po ra tion also op er ates Team. Coach Mary Young was named Coach of book stores on the Grand Island and Hastings cam - the Year in the athletic conference. In the five puses.

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years she had coached at the Platte Campus, her journal ism from the Univer sity of Ne braska at teams captured the NCCAC conference title every Lincoln, and com pleted her law degree from the year. Univer sity of Ne braska Law School. Begin ning in u Six members of the Raiders volleyball team were 1988, she was em ployed as deputy attor ney in the awarded academic honors for the 1998-99 Adam s County Attor ney’s Office in Hastings, academic year. A.J. Dugan of Greeley, Kelly working as a prosecutor. Johnson of Daykin, and Anne Kozal of Scottsbluff u Central Community College sponsored a special were named to the Nebraska Community College recognition luncheon to honor the Loup Power Athletic Conference All-Conference Academic District for its support of Platte Campus students Team. Athletes must complete 45 se mester-h ours through its scholarship awards over the previous 28 of credit and have a minimum GPA of 3.25. years. The Columbus-based power district had Dugan, Johnson and Kozal along with freshman provided scholarships to 198 students which Sara Anderson of Pleasant Dale, Skye Greenland covered 467 semesters of study at the Platte of Arcadia and Erin Malmkar of Milford received Campus. Francis Sand and Bob White accepted a Academic All-Region IX recognition. plaque on behalf of the power district. u Gary Senff received the regional Faculty Member u An associate of applied science degree in quality Award from the 11-state Western/Pacific Region of control technology was begun at the campus, as the As so ci a tion of Com mu nity College Trustees at approved by the Board of Governors. By 2002, the re gional con fer ence at Lake Tahoe in June. instruction was expanded to the other campuses Senff was a member of the Platte Campus faculty through the Web. since 1979 and was recognized for his efforts to u Mike Bower, associate dean of business and provide customized training programs for technical education programs, told the CCC Board Columbus area manufacturers and his development of Governors about partnerships between industry of a welding curriculum that prepares his students and the Platte Campus designed to improve the to meet the demands of a modern world of work. skill levels of manufacturing employees. In Project Sneff earlier had received the Nebraska NEON (Nebraska Employment Opportunities Community College Faculty Award and previously Now), a total of 1,197 area employees had had been named Platte Campus Faculty Member of completed training in industrial management, the Year. leadership development, industrial maintenance, u The spring tour of the Chorale included computer software, and/or quality. In Project performances in Kansas City; Fayetteville, Ark.; NICE-TIM (Nebraska Interactive Computer-based Greenville, Miss.; New Orleans; Tallahassee; the Education-Training in Industrial Maintenance) the Epcot Center; a cruise to the Bahamas; and at the campus, with the assistance of employers from six St. Louis Cathedral. communities, compiled a library of training u Nick Wagoner of Columbus was named Faculty compact disks which were made available for a fee Member of the Year during the commencement throughout the state. Project Elevation (Bringing ceremonies. Wagoner joined the Platte Campus as Nebraska Employers to a New Level in Technical an automotive technology instructor in 1983. In Training) grew out of the concerns of 20 this posi tion, he provided training on alternative Columbus-area employers. The result was a fuels, helped with the FFA agricultural contests statewide project involving employers and and administered the Ford test in area high schools. Nebraska’s community colleges working together The award is given annually to a faculty member to provide training in industrial maintenance, who displays excellence and innovation in safety, instrumentation, quality, and human teaching. relations. u Meredith Oakes Pe ter son of Kenesaw received the 1999 Outsta nding Alumni Award during gradu a - Retired tion cer emo nies. She earned an as so ci ate of arts de - u Data pro cess ing in struc tor Gary Wil liams retired. gree from the Platte Cam pus in 1981. She then Prior to joining the college in 1970, he was a high earned a bach elor’ s de gree and a master’ s de gree in school teacher. He also did photog ra phy and audio - visual work for the Church of the Brethren in

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Elgin, Ill., and perform ed re lief work with refu gees Tahoe. Wortman was widely recognized as one of in Aus tria and Germ any as a consci entious objec - the key architects of Nebraska’s commu nity col - tor. He earned a bach elor’ s de gree in busi ness ad - lege system. He helped lead the drive to establish minis tra tion from McPherson College in Kansas the first community college at the Hastings Cam - and a mas ter of arts degree de gree from Col o rado pus. He served continuously on the CCC Board of State University. Governors from its beginning in 1966 and was chairm an four times. He supported CCC’s efforts In Memory to develop a system of competency-based u Joseph Kobus, age 78, died April 14, 1999. When individualized instruction and was a leader in Kobus was hired by the college he becam e the first establishing the dental hygiene program at the person to serve as super vi sor of the physi cal plant Hastings Campus. Wortman was also recognized as after the cam pus was built. He served in that posi - being active in community and economic tion un til the time of his retire me nt. He was named development efforts throughout the state. Platte Person of the Month in April 1989. Prior to joining the Platte Cam pus staff Kobus worked for the Rail way Ex press Agency, as so ci ated with the Budget Union Pacifi c Railroad. His wife, nine daughters , u The Central Com munity College Board of Gover - five sons, and 42 grandchil dren survived him. nors at its Septem ber meet ing approved the college budget for 1999-2000. The approved budget cut Adult Basic Education the college property tax levy by alm ost 50 percent , but the board said the tax cut wouldn’t be per ma- u Ann Chambers, ABE coordinator, was selected by nent. The tax reduc tion was the result of a one-time the Nebraska Department of Adult and Community in crease in state aid for Ne braska’s six com munity Education to attend a Bridges in Practice Confer - col leges. State aid for CCC in creased from $7.1 ence held in Chicago. Chambers also attended the million in 1998-99 to $15 million in 1999-2000, National Adult Literacy and Technology thus allow ing for the cut in property taxes for col- Conference in St. Paul, Minn, after which she gave lege support. a report on the conference to state ABE personnel. College Administration Board of Governors u Nancy Bjorklund, grants manager , gradu ate d from u Tom Pirnie of Grand Is land was elected chair man the Re source Spe cial ist Train ing In sti tute. She of the CCC Board of Gover nors. Other of ficer s spent a week at Utah Val ley State Col lege and a elected were: Paul Liess of Cambrid ge, vice chair - sec ond week in Washing ton, D.C., where she man; George Hasley of Hastings, sec re tary; and learned about advance d grant writing and founda - Paul Krieger of Hastings, trea surer. Liess and Har - tion fund-rais ing and alumni program devel op - old McClure were appointed to repre sent CCC on ment. The in stitute was a year long program in the Ne braska Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion which partic i pants devel oped a long-range plan and Board of Gover nors. completed additional training. u Diane Keller of Harvard, assistant administrator at u Bob Sanner, accounting instructor at the Grand Memorial Hospital in Aurora, was named to fill the Island Campus, was designated as the fac ulty rep - vacancy on the CCC Board of Governors created resen ta tive to the College Cabinet for the 1999- by the resignation of George Hasley of Hastings. 2000 college year. Jeanne Webb, child care in - Keller is a graduate of the Lin coln General School struc tor and coordinator of the child care center at of Nursing and holds a master’s degree in hospi tal the Grand Island Campus, was named an alternate. adm inis tra tion from the University of Minnesota. u Ken Wortman of Aurora received the regional Retired Trustee Leadership Award from the 11-state u Paul Stobbe, re cruit ing direc tor for Central Com - Western/Pacific Region of the Association of Com - munity College , retire d. Stobbe joined the college munity College Trustees at its con fer ence at Lake staff in 1979 as an account ing instruc tor, re cruiter

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and public rela tions of ficer . In 1980, he was pro- Farm Crisis moted to his posi tion as recruit ing direc tor for the u Because of the farm crisis, Central Community college. College offered a free workshop, “Options in Agri - culture, ” for people who might be forced to leave College Foundation the farm. Meetings were held in November in u The Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege Foun da tion ap- Lexington, Columbus and Grand Island. An ac- proved funding for the 1999-2000 Profes sional De - countant and an attorney made participants aware vel op ment Grant Pro gram. Em ploy ees of the of tax consequences, legal issues and other details college who had been em ployed by the college for that should be considered when leaving or at least a year were el i gi ble to ap ply for a grant. reorganizing their farm business. The founda tion made $6,000 available for grants, to be divided into $1,000 allot m ents for each cam - Holdrege Center pus and the ad min is tra tive of fice. The re main ing u GED graduation ceremonies were held at the $2,000 was used for collegewide awards. Holdrege Center to award GED diplomas to 12 u Tiffany Roberts, a member of the U.S.A. Women’s individuals. Speakers for the graduation exercise World Soccer Championship team, was the fea- were Dan Atchison, the ABE coor di na tor, and tured speaker at the CCC Foundation Appreciation Rosemary Reiter, co-chairwom an of the Holdrege Dinner at the New World Inn in Columbus. Literacy Council. Roberts played midfielder on the squad that beat u Enrollments in classes offered by Central China in an overtime shoot-out match before Community College increased by 66 percent in 91,000 stadium fans and a worldwide TV audience Franklin, Harlan, Kearney and Phelps counties of 2.9 million viewers to win the 1999 world cham - after the college opened its Holdrege Center in pion ship for the United States. 1995. The Holdrege Center co or di nated in di vid u al- u Jack Crowley, ex ecu tive di rec tor of the Cen tral ized classes through learning centers in 10 com mu - Com mu nity Col lege Foun da tion, re ported to the nities , community education classes in nine CCC Board of Gover nors that the founda tion’s as - com muni ties , and classes broadcast from the CCC sets incre ased from $5.2 million in 1998 to $5.7 campuses to four communities. In 1995, enroll m ent million in 1999. About $3 million of the total is in was 731 students , and in 1999, it was more than a per ma nent en dow ment and in ter est earned from 1,200 students. the endow m ent fund was used to provide scholar - ships and other types of support for the college . Kearney Center Crowley re ported that schol ar ships to tal ing u Central Community College -Kearney began to $188,000 were awarded to CCC students in 1998 offer General Education Development testing in during the fall sem ester. The ninth annual Pro-Am addition to GED classes. CCC received the con - Golf Tourna m ent added more than $10,000 to tract for GED testing at the Kearney Center in May schol arship funds for CCC students . 1999 from the GED Testing Service in Washing - ton, D.C. Virginia Wiegand of Kearney completed Enrollment training to be the GED chief examiner. Previously the University of Nebraska at Kearney had u Population growth in the service area and the Tech conducted the GED testing. Prep and Early Entry programs contributed to a substantial growth in enrollment at CCC for 1998-99. A total of 7,257 people took classes on Phi Theta Kappa the three campuses and 21,902 people took credit u Phi Theta Kappa sponsors Dr. Mike Chipps, Bob courses off campus. Enrollment in noncredit Glenn and Ella Wenman, along with 10 students, courses was 3,817, and 3,123 students enrolled in attended the 81st annual PTK Inter na tional Con- Adult Basic Education classes, bringing the final vention at Anaheim, Calif. Chipps received the total enrollment to 28,842. Paragon Award for New Advisers in recognition of outstanding service to PTK.

146 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Nebraska Lt. Gov. Dave Maurstad, a 1973 Platte Bonin of Davenport, a media arts major at the Campus graduate, presented awards to 21 Nebraska Hastings Campus; Melissa Duerr of Grand Island, community college students in April in recognition a pre-education major at the Grand Island Campus; of their selection as members of the Phi Theta Anne Kozal of Scottsbluff, a pre-nursing student at Kappa Nebraska All-State Academic Team. CCC the Platte Campus; and Eric Novotny of Schuyler, had four students on the team. They were: Jeanne a pre-medicine student at Platte.

147 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 2000 Raider Men Finish Fourth at National Tournament The men’s bas ketball team played its way to a fourth-place fin ish at the National Ju nior Col lege Athletic Asso - cia tion Di vision II Tourna m ent held in Danville, Ill., in March 2000. The Colum bus Cam pus Raiders com pete as mem bers of the Nebras ka Com munity College Athleti c Confer ence during regu lar season. All of the other college s in the Nebras ka confer ence are NJCAA Divi sion I schools. In order to qualify for the Divi sion II National Tourna m ent in Illi nois, the Colum bus Cam pus squad had to finish the regu lar sea son with a better than .500 record and win a playoff game against the winner of the Region 13 cham pion ship. Win Over United Tribes CC Earns Berth in National Tourney The Raider men finishe d their regu lar season schedule with a 19-11 record against some top quality NJCAA Di- vision I college s. To qualify for the 2000 tourna m ent, the Raiders defea ted a very good team from United Tribes Com munity College locat ed in Bism arck, N.D. The United Tribes team had gained national atten tion with its high scor ing, run-and-gun offen sive style of play during the 1999-2000 sea son. Us ing a home court advan tage in the field house on the Colum bus Cam pus, the Raiders were vic tori ous over United Tribes in a thrilling game, 112-106. Raider coach Jack Gutierrez had lit tle time to find out much about the team they would be playing in the open- ing round of the national tourna m ent. As it turned out, the unranke d Raiders had to play the #5 nation ally ranked team in Divi sion II, Lackawanna Junior Col lege from Scranton, Pa. The Raiders surprise d the Pennsyl va nia team with a hard-fought 71-69 vic tory and moved to the next round in the winner’s bracket. In the sec ond game, the Raider squad went on to defea t Northwes t Shoals Com munity College from Phil Campbell, Ala., 90-83. Unfor tu - nately, the Colum bus Cam pus team dropped its next two games, fall ing to the tourna m ent’s eventual cham pion Dundalk Area Com munity College from Bal tim ore, Md., 88-77, and then los ing the conso la tion game to the host college , Danville Area Community College, 88-77. The Raiders finishe d their sea son with a 21-13 record. Gutierrez attrib uted the team’s post-season suc cess to the dif fi culty of its reg u lar sea son sched ule where the Raiders played many teams that re cruited na tion ally and in ter na - tionally for good players. Columbus Player Sets Tournament Record for Three-Pointers The Raiders had a player who earned specia l honors with his tourna m ent play, Jesse Heart from Kyle, S.D. Heart set a tour nam ent re cord when he hit 10 three-point ers in a single game, and he was runner-up for tourna m ent MVP honors. “Our kids did a good job,” said Coach Jack Gutierrez. “They worked hard all year. We had a lot fun, and it will be an ex pe ri ence that the play ers, coaches and fans will re mem ber for a long time.” The members of this suc cess ful team were Beau Brown, Gayle Carey, Bryan Doke, Jeron Epting, Jesse Heart, Andy Johnson, Vernon Johnson, Jeff Kopecky, J.J. Oberg, Bill Parker, Travis Ratzlaff, T.J. Rickert, Ted Standing Soldier, and Justin Vogt. A final post-season honor for the Raider bas ketball program present ed at the na tional tourna m ent was given to Coach Jack Gutierrez when he was named Na tional Junior Col lege Athleti c As soci a tion Distric t 11 Men’s Basket - ball Coach of the Year. Gutierrez serves as the Colum bus Cam pus athleti c direc tor and physi cal edu ca tion instruc tor and has been the head coach of the Colum bus Cam pus Raiders men’s bas ketball program for more than 20 years.

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and finished second in the Region IX East Columbus Campus Tournament. The Raiders finished their season u In conjunction with the adoption of a new logo for with a 27-18 record. Holly Johnson of Daykin, Central Community College, the name of the Platte Cara Truitt of Hastings, Missy Shaw of Madison Campus was changed to the Columbus Campus. and Mandy Wood of Overton were named to the While there was considerable support for maintain - 2000 All-Conference Team. They also received ing the original name, a study indicated that be- All-Region honors, along with Katie Stepanek of yond the immediate area of Columbus, the older St. Paul. Coach Mary Young was named Region name was creating some confusion. With the IX East Coach of the Year. change, all campuses and centers were designated u The theater department presented a production of by the city in which they were located. Neil Simon’s “The Good Doctor” in the Fine Arts u The Columbus Campus was named the winner of Theater. The play was a collection of eight the 2000 Bellwether Workforce Development vignettes inspired by the stories of Anton Chekhov. Award. The award was presented at the Commu - The production was under the direction of nity College Futures Conference in Orlando, Fla. Columbus Campus theater instructor Gwen Jensen. The award honors outstanding and innovative u Mike Bower was prom oted to dean of edu ca tional practices by a community college that is leading ser vices. He joined the col lege in 1997 as as so ci ate the way into the 21st century. The Institute of dean of indus try and technol ogy. He had earned a Higher Education-University of Florida and the mas ter of busi ness ad min is tra tion from In di ana National Council for Occupational Education Wes leyan University in 1992. sponsored the award. The campus was selected u Gary Schafer of Columbus was named the Faculty because of its efforts to establish a Statewide Member of the Year during the commencement Interactive Multimedia Training Library in ceremonies. Schafer joined the staff as a drafting Nebraska. By January 2000, there were 3,680 instructor in 1978. Prior to joining the faculty in individuals from 93 Nebraska businesses involved Colum bus, he taught drafting at McCook High in the training. School and Columbus Senior High. He also owned u The Raider volleyball team captured its fourth and operated his own construction business for conference tournament title in five years by several years. Schafer is a graduate of Albion High winning the Nebraska Community College Athletic School and the University of Nebraska at Kearney Conference Tournament in Beatrice in November, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial education. u Dee Johnson was named the Columbus Campus Person of the Year for 2000. Johnson started work on the campus in 1993, as a part-time employee in the Resource Center and became a full-time resource assistant in 1994. She was recognized as a team player and a person who maintains good rapport with students and staff members. u Seven students earned their certificate in the qual - ity control program on the Columbus Campus. The program involved a minimum of 15 credit hours and included courses in design of experiments; statistical process control, parts I and II; technical math; and a course in tools and gauging procedures. In 2000, CCC was the only college in the state to offer a two-year as so ci ate degree in Students have an opportunity to display their art work quality control. CCC had contacts from people all at the annual Fine Arts Festival at the Columbus over the state about the quality control program. Campus.

149 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u William Fox of Arlington, Va., was named as the Outstanding Alumni for 2000 from the Columbus Campus during graduation ceremonies. Fox graduated from the Columbus Campus in 1981 with an associate of arts degree and then earned bachelor’s and law degrees from Creighton University in Omaha. In 1988, Fox went to work for the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as senior attorney for the Chicago Field Office. In 1997, he became ATF’s senior counsel and then was promoted to deputy chief counsel for ATF in 1999. u Major Tami Averett-Brauer’s career in the U.S. Air Force took her to many exotic locations throughout the world after her graduation from the Columbus Michelle Bentz, career and transitions coordinator, Campus in 1980. After receiving an associate of (second from right) shares information with high arts degree, she earned a bachelor’s degree in school counselors at a Career Connections event at nursing from the University of Nebras ka at Lincoln the Columbus Campus. and a master’s degree in nursing in critical care and oncology from the University of Washington in 1997. On active duty as a flightnurse, a flight- u Dr. Roger Augspurger, dean of edu ca tional ser - nurse instructor and examiner, she logged more vices, be came the in terim campus pres i dent upon than 1,000 hours in air evacuations from Bosnia, the resig na tion of Dr. Dick Shank. Augspurger Dhahran, Pakistan, Germany, Africa, Russia, joined CCC in 1974 as chairm an of the cre ative Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other locations. She is and socia l clus ter. He was prom oted to dean of in- the daughter of Dick Averett who retired from the struc tion in 1985. He had previ ously served as in- Columbus Campus. (In 2005, she was prom oted to terim cam pus presi dent in 1993-94 after the death lieuten ant colonel in the Air Force and was of Dr. Pete Rush. stationed in South Korea .) u The spring tour of the Chorale vocal ensemble u Karin Rieger from the Columbus Campus received included performances in Clearwater, Kan.; Las the Outstanding Adult Educator Award from the Cruces, N.M.; Yuma, Prescott and Flag staff, Ariz.; Adult and Continuing Education Association of Rolling Hills, Calif.; Knott’s Berry Farm; and Nebraska at its annual conference. Rieger served as Disneyland. The tour concluded in Denver. Extende d Learning Ser vices regional coordinator u In August 2000, the Colum bus Cam pus began of- for the Columbus Campus beginning in 1987. She fering a 15-week English as a Second Language was recognized for her efforts to use technology to class for indi vid u als who wanted to be come fluent expand educational opportunities for students at in reading, writing and speaking English. Students off-campus locations, such as offering com pleted a test ing in ter view be fore en roll ing in cyber-tutoring assistance with the use of e-mail to the ESL course. off-campus students. u The Columbus Campus Diversity Committee’s u Lt. Gov. David Maurstad received the Latino Strategic Team sponsored a “Bridges to Distinguished Alumni Award from the Nebraska Success 2000” conference for Latino students in Community College Association. He was a 1973 July. During the two-day confer ence , partic i pants graduate of the Columbus Campus. He completed a toured the campus and were given firsthand bachelor’s degree at UNL and became president of information about college attendance. They stayed an insurance company in Beatrice. After having overnight in the dorm, ate in the college cafeteria, been mayor of Beatrice, he was elected to the attended information sessions and enjoyed some Nebraska legislature in 1995. He be came lieutenant recreational activities during their time on campus. governor in 1998.

150 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u The CCC Board of Governors appointed Dr. u Kathy Harsh-Pollard of Colum bus re tired from her Glenda Gallisath as campus president. She filled po si tion as ad min is tra tive as sis tant to the cam pus the post held by Dr. Dick Shaink, who resigned to pres ident. She joined the cam pus staff in Colum bus accept a community college presidency in in 1972 as a coun sel ing cen ter sec re tary. She also Michigan. Gallisath is a native of Wymore and served as a sec re tary for the cre ative and so cial de - earned her bachelor’s degree in business partm ent and to the dean of instruc tion before ac- administration from Wayne State College. She cept ing the posi tion in the office of the campus received a master’s degree in business president in 1992. administration from the University of South u Larry Funkhouser of Shelby retire d from his posi - Dakota and a doctorate from Iowa State University tion as a building service techni cia n. Prior to join- in professional studies in higher education. “Dr. ing the cam pus staff he worked as a sec tion man Gallisath has the breadth of experience in for the Un ion Pa cific Rail road and as a radar tech - community college administration and record of nicia n for Mc Donald-D ouglas in St. Louis. community involvement we know is important for u Dr. Nell Burnham of Colum bus re tired from her a campus president,” said Dr. Joe Preusser. posi tion on the Colum bus Cam pus. She joined the u The 30th annual Fine Arts Festival was held on the staff in 1970 as a sec re tarial sci ence in struc tor and Columbus Campus in April. Visitors were able to be came asso ci ate dean of the learn ing cen ter in listen to performances by the college chorus and 1985. She earned a doctor of edu ca tion degree in the Platte Community Band, and to view ad min is tra tion, cur ric u lum and in struc tion from the student-produced artwork. The artwork on display Univer sity of Nebraska in Lincoln. included computer graphics, designs, photography, u Dr. Roger Augspurger of Colum bus re tired from prints, sculptures and pottery. the Colum bus Cam pus. Augspurger joined CCC in 1974 as chair man of the cre ative and so cial clus ter. Retired In 1985, he was prom oted to dean of instruc tion, a u Ken Cielocha of Colum bus re tired from his posi - title that changed in 1997 to dean of edu ca tional tion as a building service techni cia n. He joined the ser vices. He also served two seven-month terms as Colum bus Cam pus staff in 1973. Prior to joining in terim pres i dent of the Co lum bus Cam pus, the the college staff he built homes for local contrac - first one in 1993-94 after the death of Dr. Peter tors in Colum bus and was em ployed by B.D. Con- Rush and the second one in 2000 after the resig na - struc tion and Sands Hog Confine m ent. He had also tion of Dr. Richard Shank. worked for Nitz Fur niture Store in Colum bus in ser vice and sales. u Richard Averett re tired from his posi tion as a Grand Island Campus speech instruc tor and di rec tor of the drama depart - u Eighteen individuals received scholarships through ment. He joined the faculty in 1970 and was re - the YWCA Next Step and Self-Help programs for sponsi ble for the de velop m ent of the the ater/drama use on the Grand Island Campus during the 2000 pro gram. He earned a bach elor's and a master's spring semester. Fourteen of those students from Idaho State Univer sity. Dur ing his time with received scholarships through the Next Step the college he produced more than 200 stage pro- Program, which provided assistance to single ductions through the college and the Platte Valley parents and displaced homemakers. The other four Play house. recipients were part of the Self-Help Program, u John Putnam retire d from his posi tion as a music which provided help to women who have been instruc tor at the Colum bus Cam pus. Putnam joined detained in the criminal justice system. the faculty in 1971 and was re sponsi ble for devel - u Marcy Echternacht, nursing instructor, received the oping the music program for the cam pus. He was Outstanding Achievement in Nursing Award from the founder of the popu lar vocal ensem bles, Cho- the Nebraska Nurses Association/District I. She rale and Cantari that trav eled and per formed ex ten - had a longtime association with the Hastings sively and brought wide expo sure to the college Regional Center where she provided an educational and the Colum bus Cam pus music program for experience for students in her psychiatric nursing many years. class.

151 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u About 100 students and 75 health care representatives attended the 10th annual Job Fair for Nurses March 10 at the Grand Island Campus. CCC nursing students were given the chance to meet and visit with representatives from hospitals, nursing homes, colleges and other institutions in Nebraska and get information about potential employment opportunities. u Tonja Broadwell of Doniphan was present ed the Outstanding Alumni Award during graduation ceremonies. She graduated in 1990 with an associate of applied science degree in data processing. She was information technology director at Kelly Supply Company/KDS Internet in Grand Island. She previously worked at Central Community College as a computer analyst and programmer and served as a business information system professor for Bellevue University. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Bellevue University and a master’s degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. u A celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Grand Island Campus was launched on Sept. 30, 2000, with a Founders Day Breakfas t and open house. In 2000, the Grand Island Campus celebrated 25 years This was the start of a year long celebration and of challenges and changes as depicted in this cover was attended by 70 guests, including many of the from a special 25th anniversary publication. individuals who were instrumental in the formation of the campus in Grand Island. u Dr. Bill Giddings, cam pus presi dent, recei ved the Hastings Campus Chief Ex ecu tive Of fi cer Award from the Ne braska u Dr. Georgianna Whipple-VanPatter, science in - Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion. Giddings was structor, reported that Kansas State University rec og nized for his ef forts to in crease pub lic aware - approved the CCC pre-veterinary program as ness of the Grand Is land Cam pus, strengthen ties fulfilling all the prerequisites for its veterinary with the com mu nity, and in crease ed u ca tional op - medicine program. At that time, CCC was the only por tu ni ties at off-campus sites. community college in Nebraska to meet all the In Memory Kansas State requirements. Pre-veterinary students took 76 se mester- hours of credit at CCC, 70 of u Lester Weber of Kear ney, age 80, died in Ogallala. which transferred to Kansas State. Fol low ing his grad u a tion from Plainview High u The Spirit Award was given to Ken Rezac, School, he taught in rural schools before moving to associate dean of students, during an annual awards Washing ton, D.C., to work for the federa l govern - convocation. He was recognized for his outsta nd - ment. After return ing to Ne braska he be gan a ca- ing support and commitment to the campus and to reer in broadcas ting. He joined the Grand Is land student activities. Cam pus staff in 1973 and served as ABE direc tor u Linda Dill of Doniphan was given the Outstanding and com mu nity ed u ca tion co or di na tor un til he re- Alumni Award during commencement exercises. tired in 1987. He is re mem bered for his positive She graduated from the Hastings Campus in 1975 attitude.

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with an associate of applied science degree in parts u Marilyn Harris of Hastings reached a very sales and management. She joined the staff of Big important personal goal in her job as a general G Stores in 1975 and has distinguished herself as a education development instructor. She helped a valued, profes sional employee. In 1997, she young man in the Adams County jail who had graduated from the Ace Retailing Management worked two years to get his high school Institute. She actively supported many community equivalency diploma. That young man became the clubs and organizations. 1,000th student Harris had helped to earn a GED. u About 75 people attended an open house in Harris began working in the Adult Basic Education February. The open house was sponsored by the program at the Hastings Campus in 1978. multicultural club ROOT 1, and was designed to u The house construc ted by Hastings Cam pus stu - provide students and their friends and families with dents enrolle d in the construc tion, elec trical , and a chance to get better acquainted with the services heat ing, air con di tion ing and re frig er a tion pro- offered by the campus. ROOT 1 was formed in grams was placed on the auc tion block. The 1999 for students with a variety of ethnic and 1,680-square-foot, one-story ranch-style house was language backgrounds. built accord ing to the Uniform Building Code. It u The Hastings Campus organized a local chapter of had three bedroom s, two baths and was auc tioned SkillsUSA-VICA to enhance the occupational by Ruhter Auction and Realty. The com pany do - skills of students in communications, leadership nated part of its sales com mission to the CCC foun- and teamwork. Members have the opportunity to dation to support the construc tion program . The make contact with potential employers and house sold for $83,400. participate in activities that focus on goal setting u A Ca reer Connec tions event attrac ted 40 high and career planning. Randy Manning, diesel school counsel ors to the Hastings Campus in June. instructor, and Vince Mendez, automotive The event was coordinated by the CCC Admissions instructor, served as faculty sponsors. and Recruiting Committee and was designed to u Dr. Sandra Block, associate dean of instruction, allow counselors to learn more about Central was selected to participate in the year long Leaders Community College. Counselors learned about the 2000 Training Program. The program was designed various services the college provides for students for individuals in higher education who wanted to and they were able to tour several program areas. enhance their skills to assume leadership roles at Evaluation surveys indicated the counselors felt the their institutions. Block worked with Dean of day was very beneficial and highly informative for Educational Services Alan Hartley, who served as them. her mentor during her training program. u Jane Stratman, dental hygiene instructor, was Retired appointed to a five-year term on the Nebraska u Alan Krueger re tired as a heat ing, air condi tion ing Board of Dentistry by the Nebraska Department of and re friger a tion instruc tor. He joined the Hastings Health. She was one of only two dental hygienists fac ulty in 1970. He earned an as so ci ate de gree in on the board who oversaw the rules and regulations ap plied sci ence from CCC and at tended Kear ney for the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene and State Col lege. He also completed spe cial train ing heard discipline cases and served as state program s sponsore d by ThermoKing and Genera l examiners. Mo tors. u Jim Krebsbach of Hastings received the 17th u Julie Persinger of Grand Island re tired as a com mu - annual Outstanding Service Award at a recognition nica tion instruc tor on the Hastings Cam pus. She ceremony on the campus. He joined the staff as the joined the CCC faculty in 1969 as an account ing student accounts director at the Hastings Campus in struc tor and trans ferred to the com mu ni ca tions in 1989. He was recognized for going the extra depart m ent in 1970. She gradu ate d from the Uni- mile to meet students and staff needs and for ver sity of Ne braska with a bach elor's de gree in setting a professional and personal example in his English and business and earned a master' s degree dealings with students and staff. from the Uni ver sity of Nebraska at Kearney.

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In Memory of Governors for 10 years. He also had been a member of the Lexington City Council and had u George Petr, age 83, for merly of Hastings, died in served as mayor of Lexington. The Extension Wichita on Decem ber 19, 1999. He was born in Service and the Walter Dunlap Company employed 1916 in Law rence and gradu ate d from Deweese him before he joined the Lexington State Bank in High School and earned a degree from Hastings 1952, where he worked until he retired in 1977. College . Petr worked on the Hastings Cam pus of CCC as an agri cul ture instruc tor from 1967 until he re tired in 1982. He is re mem bered as an ex cep - College Administration tionally kind person, whose hum ility often masked u Community College Business Officers named the fact that he was very intelligent. College Accounting Manager Linda Kruse as the 2000 Outstanding Business Officer for Region 5. Academy for Leadership Region 5 includes Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Nebraska. Kruse received her u Four members of the CCC administrative staff award at the or ga ni za tion’s In ter na tional Con fer- graduated from the Academy for Leadership ence in Nash ville, Tenn. Training and Development in Mesa, Ariz. The u Craig Shaw, information technology instructor at year long training program was designed to advance the Hastings Campus, was designated as the faculty academic and administrative leadership in representative to the College Cabinet for the community and technical colleges. Graduates were 2000-01 college year. CCC administrators Matt Gotschall, associate dean u Ron Kluck was promoted from associate dean of of trade and industry at Columbus; Alan Hartley, Extende d Learning Ser vices to dean of Extende d dean of educational services in Hastings; Ellen Learning Ser vices, thus giving him collegewide Lake, associate dean of arts and science at supervisory responsibilities. Columbus; and Linda Walline, associate dean of nursing at Grand Island. College Foundation Board of Governors u A space traveler with roots deep in Nebraska was the featured speaker at the 10th annual CCC u The budget for 2000-01, which was approved by Foundation appreciation dinner. U.S. astronaut the CCC Board of Governors, included $25.8 Clayton Anderson, a native of Ashland and a million for the operating fund, $2.2 million for Hastings College graduate, was the featured capital improvements and $313,800 for removal of speaker for the annual dinner. About 250 people hazardous materials and compliance with the attended the event where appreciation was American With Disabil i ties Act. The total amount expressed for support given to the college by approved was $28,432,733. private sector donors. A highlight of the evening u The Nebraska Community College Association was the induction of Carol Cope and her late presented the annual Governor’s Award to Homer husband, Ron, into the Foundation Hall of Fame. Pierce of Lexington, a member of the CCC Board u The Central Community College Foundation of Governors. Pierce was cited for his leadership in awarded more than $4,000 in staff development promoting distance learning and for playing a key grants for the 1999-2000 academic year. The role in acquiring the building for the recipients were: Peggy Pape from the Adm inis tra - CCC-Lexington Learning Center. tive Office , Karin Rieger from the Columbus Cam - In Memory pus, Di ana Watson from the Holdrege Center, u George Keller, age 83, of Lexington died Jan. 8, Sarah Cunningham and Vicki Harvey from the 2000. He was born in 1912 in Eustis and attended Grand Island Cam pus, and Dan Gompert and Liz Eustis High School and graduated from the Kohout from the Hastings Campus. University of Nebras ka at Lincoln. He played a u Thanks to funding provided by MFS/York/Stormor significant role in helping to start Central Inc. in cooperation with the Virgil Eihusen Foun- Community College and served on the CCC Board da tion, financial assistance was available to farm- ers and their spouses who wanted to further their

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education at CCC. The money was available to new logo have several graphic interpretations. individuals who were thinking of leaving farming They represent the three main campuses, are as well as those who planned to keep farming but viewed as ascending steps created by progress and needed outside sources of income. The funds were continued education, and represent a strong used to get training and take courses from CCC in foundation of a college education. There is a more than 30 career programs offered by the freedom of movement in the new logo that college. represents the academic and creative components of Central Community College. The new logo is Electronics Technology designed to give the college a fresh, modern image u Central Com munity College and the U.S. Navy as it enters the new millennium. teamed up to of fer a spe cial as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in elec tron ics tech nol ogy. The de - Ord Learning Center gree was awarded when a par tic i pant completed 30 u The CCC Learning Center at Ord became an or more college credits at CCC and 30 or more important hub for education services in the credits through the Navy elec tronics and other surrounding area. The enrollment in community techni cal training program s. High school students education classes jumped from 138 in 1998-99 to inter est ed in the program began by taking college 320 in 1999-2000. Student enrollments in credit courses through CCC’s Early Entry program. classes also increased at the Ord Center with more than 50 students taking credit classes in 1999-2000. Holdrege Center u The first two individuals to complete associate Phi Theta Kappa degrees entirely through off-campus classes at the u Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns presented awards to Holdrege Center graduated from the Hastings 22 Nebraska community college students in April. Campus. Kay Brown of Oxford and Nancy Those students were members of the Phi Theta Hammack of Holdrege were awarded associate of Kappa All-State Academic Team, and among those applied science degrees in business administration receiving the awards were four students from Cen- and ac count ing, re spec tively. tral Community College. Recipients from CCC were: Anahi Serrano of Heartwell from the Grand Kearney Center Island Cam pus, Andrew Sexton of Cambridge from the Hastings Cam pus, Skye Greenland of Arcadia In Memory from the Columbus Cam pus, and Joseph Harring - u Maxine Spongberg of Kearney died at the age of ton of Columbus from the Columbus Campus. 78 on June 23, 2000. She was born in 1921 in u Four CCC students were elected to offices at the Pleasanton and graduated from Pleasanton High Nebraska-Wyoming Regional Phi Theta Kappa School in 1937. She received her regis tere d nursing Conference at Western Wyoming Community diploma in 1941 from St. Francis School of College. Fred Wigington of Schuyler, a business Nursing in Grand Island. After living in California administration student at the Columbus Campus, for more than 20 years, she returned to Kearney was elected Nebraska regional vice president. Lois and received a degree in nursing from Kearney Hafer of Hastings, an office technology student at State College. She worked at Good Samaritan the Hastings Campus, was elected a regional Hospital and taught practical nursing classes for secretary. Katie Sedersten of Hastings, a media arts Central Community College until she retired in student at the Hastings Campus, was elected as 1985. regional newsletter co-editor. Ken Reilly of Spalding, a drafting student at the Columbus Logo Campus, was elected public relations officer. u Central Community College unveiled a new Naomi Hughes of Rising City, who received an college logo at the July 2000 meeting of the Board associate of arts degree from the Columbus of Governors. The three “C’s” that make up the Campus in 2000, was the outgoing regional president.

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R-16 Software Science Technology u A new version of Colleague software was loaded in u CCC students who wanted to com plete a bache lor February 2000. The new R-16 (short for Release of science degree in food service and technol ogy 16) made a major change in how the college were the bene fac tors of a new trans fer agree ment handled the transfer of information throughout the betwe en CCC and the Uni versity of Ne braska- college. Virtually all operations of CCC were Lincoln. The agreem ent allowe d students to trans- affected. The college had to purchase a new server fer up to 66 sem ester hours of college credit to the to handle the system. Extensive studies and univer sity. All CCC students took a com mon core preparations were made by an R-16 Team long of gen eral ed u cation and sci ence courses. CCC stu - before the major transition became a reality. dents gradu ate d from CCC with an asso ci ate of applied science de gree in science technology.

Dr. Bill Tuttle, English instructor, teaches a class in a distance learning classroom at Columbus Lakeview High School. For more on distance learning, see the story on the following page.

156 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 2001 CCC Leaps Into Distance Education by Dr. Eric Jones, Dean of Educational Services, Grand Island Campus (Edi tor’s note: In the fall of 2001, more than l00 students began courses which CCC offer ed via the Internet. Some students enrolle d for what college offi cials believ ed to be the first online as soci ate of applied science degree in indus trial technol ogy in the U.S. To ac knowl edge the im portance of the de vel opment of distance edu ca tion, Dr. Eric Jones was invited to write the follow ing ar ticle for this pub lica tion.) Characteristics Important to Distance Education Two ma jor char acter is tics of the col lege make dis tance ed u cation key to the col - lege’s role, mission, and char acter. First, the college was founded with a focus on com pe tency-based in di vid u al ized in struc tion and sec ond, the ru ral na ture of the ser - vice area. The con cept of com pe tency-based in di vid u al ized in struc tion at Cen tral Com mu - nity College has four unique features . Students can: u Enroll in specified courses any day of the week, any week of the semester the college is in session. u Progress independently of other students and acquire skills as quickly or slowly as needed to attain the competency. u Enroll in single units or credits. If a student can show competency in the material, it is not necessary to enroll in the unit to repeat known material. u Use a learning guide or packet and are assigned to labs or areas where equipment Dr. Eric Jones and faculty are available to assist the student. The second char acter is tic of the college is to reach out to its constit uents who may be place- or time-bound. Distance Education via Learning Centers The col lege reaches out to commu ni ties by a net work of learn ing cen ters. Learn ing cen ters have been es tab - lished in ap prox i mately 70 com muni ties within the col lege ser vice area, each staffed with a part-time manager. They act not as experts in the curric u lum , but as resourc e per sons who provide encour age m ent, proctor tests, provide ba sic advis ing, col lect as signm ents to send to the cam pus and faculty for grading and to redis trib ute graded mate rial to students . During the 2004-05 year, the learning centers gener ate d 13,308 credits. These centers provide support ser- vices for indi vid u al ize d and video courses recei ved in the local com munity. Unles s the student has ac cess to the equipm ent by some means, learning centers are lim ited to offer ing courses focuse d on knowledge- based material as opposed to courses requiring specialized equipment. Internet Increases Efficiency Before the advent of com puters , e-mail, the Web, and file sharing, manag ers and students sent com pleted course and test mate ri als via the standard post office . With the devel op m ent and expan sion of the Internet, electronic deliv - ery has made the dis tribu tion, subm ission, and manage m ent of course mate ri als more timely and efficient. When Internet ac cess broadened to Nebras ka schools, Central Com munity College collab o rate d with school dis - tricts with learning center sites to provide com puter network ing support and techni cal assis tance. Central Com mu - nity College also teamed with the schools to purchas e net work hubs and routers and paid for data circuits to the schools.

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Distance Education Via Video With other postsecondary in stitu tions of the state, Central Com munity Col lege partic i pates in the NEB*SAT (Ne braska Sat el lite) video sys tem. This sys tem, op er ated by the Ne braska Pub lic Broad cast ing Sys tem, of fers two modes of oper a tion. The first has 16 sites around the state (mostly at public postsecondary in stitu tions) . It offers full two-way video and audio inter ac tion. Central Com munity College has 12 classroom s – five at Grand Is land, two at Colum bus, two at Hastings and one each at Lexington, Holdrege, and Kearney. Two more, one at Kear ney and the other at Lexington, are scheduled to be added soon. The second system provides one-way video and, with phone connec tion, two-way au dio connec tions for any site that can receive digital satellite signal. During the mid-1990s, the state public schools used funding from the state lottery to insta ll a sys tem to deliver courses trans mitted over land lines with the goal of sharing curric u lum and staff for areas not available to all dis- tricts. Central Com munity Col lege was among the first com munity colleges to partic i pate in this program. Central Com munity College partic i pate s as a founding mem ber of four “pods” to provide courses to advance d high school juniors and seniors and to others in the com muni ties in the college ser vice area. Today, two-way inter ac - tion is available to approx i m ately 60 com muni ties in central Nebras ka. Addi tion ally, by way of a state wide video sys tem, the po ten tial for in struc tion ex panded to ap prox i mately 34 ad di tional lo ca tions, including colleges, hospitals, and clinics.

Kathy Ewers, English instructor, in ter acts with students in one of CCC’s Distance Learning classrooms.

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Web-Based Delivery In the mid-1990s, Central Com munity College began devel op ing instruc tion using the Web with a softwar e package called “Toolbook.” With course devel op m ent on the Internet moving at a rapid pace, the college could not de velop, set up, and insta ll a sys tem to match the next stage of softwar e or technol ogy be fore it was out of date. In 2000, the college chose course manage ment soft ware (WebCT). Selected faculty be gan of fer ing limited course work. In 2005, Central Com munity College offere d: u 361 total courses on the WebCT server. u 52 instructors teaching 106 Web-based courses in the fall of 2005, an increase from 80 Web-based courses in the fall of 2004. u 115 faculty members with courses on the WebCT server (counting those teaching both Web-based courses and those using WebCT for supplemental purposes). This includes 10 high school instructors using WebCT courses to teach Tech Prep courses. Among the courses being offere d on the Web was a new nine-month Web support spe cialist program . It was de - signed for indi vid u als who al ready have a working knowledge of com puters but who need com peten cie s in Hy per - Text Markup Language (HTML), scripting, and Web cre ation and mainte nance in order to qualify for jobs. Web-based instruction at CCC is managed by the teaching and learning centers on each campus, with Wendy Beal at the Columbus Campus, Tracy Watts at the Grand Island Campus, and Steve Buss at the Hastings Campus. Buss also manages the software which is required for the instruction.

Columbus Campus world’s largest industrial expo in Hannover, Germany. Festo used some CCC faculty as judges u Pat Karsk, a nurs ing instruc tor, re ported to the CCC for the Mechatronics Contest of the Board of Gover nors that the college devel oped re - SkillsUSA-VICA competition in Kansas City. This fresher courses for li censed prac ti cal nurse and reg is - partnership resulted in significant discounts on tered nurses who have not practice d for two years. Festo’s state-of-the-art interactive software and They must take a state-ap proved refresher course in manufacturing simulation equipment which the order to be licens ed again. CCC is one of three col - college purchased with grant money. leges in Nebras ka to offer such courses. u Mike Trader of Hastings was recip i ent of the 2001 u The Columbus Campus Chorale completed a Out stand ing Alumni Award dur ing grad u a tion ex- nearly 5,000-mile, 20-day tour after the end of the ercis es. Trader gradu ate d from the Colum bus Cam - spring semester. The 15 student singers and pus in 1972 with an asso ci ate of arts degree . He director David Smith made performing stops in Kansas City; Fayetteville, Ark.; Greenville, Miss.; New Or leans; Tal la has see and Or lando, Fla.; Freeport and Nassau in the Ba ha mas; Nash ville, Tenn.; and St. Louis. The tour included a trip on the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship, and several on-shore excursions. u A casual conversation between two participants at a con fer ence led to a partnership between Central Community College -Colum bus and Festo, an international company with headquarters in Germany. Festo is a hydraulic and pneumatic supply company that does business in more than 50 countries. Festo helped to sponsor Matt Gotschall, trade and industry associate dean, and Doug Pauley, business and industry development director, to attend the 2001 VIP Tour during the FFA members visit the Columbus Campus.

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earned a bache lor’s de gree in 1974 and a master’s degree in edu ca tion in 1992, both from Hastings Col lege. He has served as the men’s head bas ket - ball coach at Hastings College since 1986. He also served as head coach at Omaha North west, Omaha Bryan and Hastings Senior high schools. u The Platte Community Band and College Chorus performed a variety of musical selections before a full-house at the annual winter concert in the Fine Arts Theater. u Thirty-nine area high school teams participated in the first qualifying round of the KJSK News-Talk 900 Brainstorm contest. Columbus Campus faculty members created the questions that the teams attempted to answer on live radio broadcasts each Instructor Gary Senff explains use of an industrial weekday morning. Questions for the teams dealt welding robot in the Columbus Campus welding lab. with contemporary events, humanities, science and math, social sciences, and technology. Teams with u Sam Cowan of Stromsburg was named the 2001 the highest scores advanced to additional rounds of Faculty Person of the Year at the Columbus questioning until all but eight schools were Campus. Cowan, a quality control instructor, eliminated. The surviving eight schools then received his award during commencement competed in the finals that were broadcast live exercises. He was cited for his ability to apply from the campus. The East Butler High School subject matter to real-world situations and for his team won the final round and was awarded a commitment to making the quality control program trophy and $1,000 for its school. a success. He joined the staff in 1993 as an u Dr. Thomas Gouttierre, director of Afghanistan electrical technology and electronics instructor. He Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha has written two books related to his technical and a nationally recognized authority on expertise. Afghanistan, spoke to a full house in the Fine Arts u Doug Pauley of Columbus, director of business and Theater. He outlined some of the political and industry development, was named the 2001 historical conditions that led to the Sept. 11 Employee of the Year on the Columbus Campus. terrorist attacks and explained the role and origins The award is presented annually to an individual of the Taliban organization in Afghanistan. The who demonstrates dedication, innovation, and Columbus Campus diversity committee and the enthusiasm and is noted for a willingness to go the campus chapter of Phi Theta Kappa sponsored his extra mile in their position. Pauley was recognized appearance at the campus. for his efforts to provide customized training to u A $39,433 Nebraska Worker Training Grant businesses and industries throughout the CCC provided an opportunity for Columbus area retail service area. More than $1.5 million in training and service businesses to send em ploy ees who grants were acquired under his leadership. The work directly with the public to training sessions to alternative fuels program gained national enhance their customer service skills. The grant recognition with his guidance. Pauley joined the money established a pilot program called Retail staff in 1990 as an energy management circuit BEST (Business Employee Service Training), a rider. He became business and industry collaborative effort between the Columbus Area development director in 1999. Chamber of Commerce, area businesses, and u Columbus native Andrew Jackson Higgins was Central Community Col lege-Co lum bus. Thirteen once called “the man who won the war for us” by area businesses have sent 196 of their employees Dwight D. Eisenhower because of Higgins’ boat- for training. building know-how. Higgins designed the LCVP “Higgins Boat” that was a flat-bottom landing craft used to bring fighting men ashore on beaches

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during the Second World War. To commemorate operate local area networks, wide area network, the contributions of Higgins, Jerry Meyer, and dial access services. Columbus High School history teacher and project chairm an, along with his students, spent more than Retired a year promoting the idea of building a memorial in u Rich ard Abra ham retired as an art in struc tor. Abra - Columbus’ Pawnee Park. The memorial in the park ham joined the Colum bus Cam pus faculty in 1971 includes a carefully researched reproduction of the and was re spon si ble for ini ti at ing the or ga ni za tion famous boat, a wall of bricks with donors’ names, a of the art program for transfer students and of the circle of flags from every state, a historical marker commer cial art pro gram. He also earned a master’ s and a walk of 58 four-inch inlaid brass circles with degree in art from the Univer sity of Northern Colo - a five-point raised star that bears the name of each rado. His art has sold throughout the United States, of the 58 beaches where the Higgins boats were and he has work that is part of the perm anent col- used during World War II. The brass circles are lec tions at the Univer sity of Northern Colorado and actually lids for below-the-ground vaults filled Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. The annual cam pus with sand from the named beaches where the boats Fine Arts Festi val of 2001 was dedi cat ed to Abra- were used. Leon Finecy, machine tool instructor at ham for his 30 years of service to his art students. the Columbus Campus, and Columbus High School u Tom Hastings of Colum bus re tired from his vocational education teacher Tracy Dodson worked position as accounting clerk Hastings joined the together to design the brass lid covers. Drawings of campus staff in 1984, working in the security the designs were then translated into a machine maintenance department and was transferred to the code and the 58 brass covers were produced. campus accounts department in 1988. Prior to his Columbus High School and Columbus Campus employment by CCC, he worked as an accountant machine technology students utilized the at Hinky Machine, Alshouse Auction and Mr. technology available at CCC-Columbus and Wize Buys Carpet Shop. Hastings graduated from operated the machines during the production Osceola High School and C.E. School of process. Finecy and others on the Columbus Commerce in Omaha where he earned a degree in Campus felt it was a special honor to contribute accounting. help to Jerry Meyer and his high school students who devoted endless hours to erect a fitting Grand Island Campus memorial to Andrew Jackson Higgins for his role u in helping to achieve a victory in World War II. Industrial quality management techniques were u The campus was awarded three $500 scholarships succes sfully intro duced into a health care setting, to be used by students in the trades and industry thanks to a cooperative effort between St. Francis programs. Hamilton-Sunstrand of York proposed Medical Center in Grand Island and CCC-Grand that CCC-Columbus receive the scholarship funds Island. Dana Wert, an industrial technology because the campus had been responsive to its instructor, helped develop a quality im provem ent requests for training. United Technologies, the program for the hos pi tal, in cor po rat ing statistical parent company of Hamilton-Sunstrand, made the processes used by manufacturing industries. The $1,500 in funds available. program improved the quality of patient care, the u For the 31st year, the Colum bus Campus hosted time for returning blood test results and pain level the District II High School Music Contest. It is one for orthopedic patients. u of the largest district music contests in the state, Student housing became available on the Grand with about 450 entries involving mixed choirs, Island Campus in the fall of 2001. The Grand Is- small ensembles and solo ists . land College Apartments were constructed on three u Dan Rumsey, electronics instructor, successfully acres of leased land, on the north side of the passed the Cisco certified network administrator campus. Forty two- and three-bedroom apartments exam on his first attempt. Such certified were available for students to rent in the fall, with professionals are qualified to install, configure, and 40 more units scheduled for com pletion in the fall of 2002. A private development company in Cen- tral City built the apartment complex and manage

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the property. The college retained the right to buy tween ConAgra and the United Food and Com mer- the complex at the end of five years. cial Workers Union #22 – the bargain ing unit that u Pete Kortum of Grand Island was recip i ent of the rep re sents the ConAgra em ploy ees – provided 2001 Outsta nding Alumni Award at the com - $5,000 in scholar ships each year for four years to mence ment cer e mony. Kortum grad u ated from be applied to any edu ca tional program offere d at CCC in 1999 with an as soci ate of applied science Central Community College. de gree in crimi nal jus tice. He joined the Grand Is - u Campus President Dr. Bill Giddings was elected to land Police Depart m ent in 1974 and was prom oted the board of directors of the National Council for to the rank of captain in 1998. He gradu ate d from Continuing Education and Training. the FBI National Academy in 2000. u The 2001 Career Connections was held at the u Bob Lubbe was one of six com munity college campus. Forty-two counselors from 39 high grad u ates to re ceive the Dis tin guished Alumni schools attended the sessions. The annual event is Award from the Nebras ka Com munity College As- rotated among the three campuses and is designed so ci a tion. He earned three dif fer ent as so ci ate of ap - to give participants a chance to learn more about plied sci ence de grees at the campus. One as so ci ate CCC’s programs and services. degree was in data proces sing in 1984, another de - u CCC announced a new partnership with I/Tech gree was in electron ics in 1985, and his third asso - Ser vices Inc. to bring in for ma tion ser vices cer tif i- ci ate de gree was in busi ness ad min is tra tion in cation programs to Grand Island. I/Tech is a 1990. Lubbe’s com puter con sult ing busi ness called Microsoft Certified Technical Education Center Connec tions 2000 recei ved awards in 1998 and that offers a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 1999 as one of the 25 fastest growing companies in professional certification program. The first class, Omaha. which met on evenings and weekends, was limited u Using a booth full of students dressed as astronauts to 16 students. and a space shuttle model, the student activities and u A one-day seminar on “How to Write a Children’s advisory committee won the most original chili Picture Book” was offered on the campus. The award at the annual Red Cross chili cook off in featured presenter was Peter Davidson who has February. The chili was called “2001: A Space written nine books published by major publishers Odyssey.” and has co-authored eight children’s picture books. u The campus placement office and the Phi Theta Kappa chapter were sponsors of a career day. Ten Hastings Campus Grand Island employers participated. A panel of employers discussed what they look for in a u Dr. LaVern Franzen, campus president, received prospective employee, and a mock interview was the President’s Award from the Nebraska conducted for the benefit of CCC students in Community College Association. The honor was attendance. given to Franzen in recognition of his energetic u About 100 students and 75 health care leadership style, his positive attitude, his positive representatives attended the 11th annual Job Fair rapport with students and staff members, and his for Nurses at the campus. The job fair provided an active support of many professional organizations opportunity for students enrolled in the associate and community groups. degree in nursing and practical nursing programs at u Brad Lang, agriculture instructor, was named the the Columbus and Grand Island campuses and the Education and Research Person of the Year by the Kearney Center to meet representatives from Nebraska Fertilizer and Ag-Chemical Institute. The hospitals, nursing homes, four-year colleges with award was one of five given annually by the nursing degree programs, and other health care institute in recognition of individuals who have institutions in Nebraska. made outstanding contributions to agriculture in u The ConAgra Beef Com pany of Grand Island an- Nebraska. nounced a new scholar ship program for em ploy ees u Wayne Huntley, parts sales and management and fam ilies of the Grand Is land com pany. The instructor, completed requirements set by the schol arship program , funded by a partner ship be - Automotive Management Institute to become an

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accredited automotive manager. At the time, he locations in Clay County. Prizes were provided by was one of three people in Nebraska to earn the the Bike Shop for the most unique bike, the most accreditation. Huntley also contributed four articles unique outfit, and the most unique artifact found to a quarterly trade magazine, “Parts Professional.” along the route. The articles dealt with new trends in the field, how u Automotive instructor Vince Mendez of Grand to interest students in a career in the parts industry, Island received the Spirit Award during a presen - how to retain key employees, and how employees tation ceremony on the campus. The award is pre- can help their company increase income. sented annually to an individual who has shown u Students from the Hastings Campus participated in outstanding support and commitment to the cam - the SkillsUSA-VICA national competition held in pus and campus activities. Mendez serves as a fac - Kansas City. The CCC students earned the right to ulty sponsor for the drag racing club, ROOT 1 compete nationally by placing first in state multicul tural club, and the SkillsUSA-VICA club. competition. They competed against 7,000 other u Neal McInturf of Oxford was named the first-place winners from across the United States. Outstanding Alumni during graduation ceremonies. Shannon Brown of McCook finished 25th in McInturf graduated from the Hastings Campus in collision and repair, Joel Jensen of North Platte 1991 with an associate of applied science degree in placed seventh in air-cooled engines, Chris Laakso agriculture occupations. In 1994, he joined the Ag of Omaha finished 16th in diesel technology and Valley Co-op as an elevator manager in Oxford the quiz bowl team of Chad and Clint Bucknell, and then became feed mill and elevator manager at both of Chambers, and Elpidia Novoa and Dora Hendley in 1995. In 1996, he became elevator Sotelo, both of Lexington, finished in eighth place. superintendent and then was promoted to u The Nebraska Dental Hygienists’ Association operations manager for the Ag Valley Co-op in selected Hastings dentist Dr. Wayne Ganow as 2000. Dental Hygiene Advocate of the Year. Ganow was u Dr. LaVern Franzen, cam pus pres i dent, was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the awarded the Shirley B. Gordon Award of dental hygiene profession, including his work in Distinction at the 2001 Phi Theta Kappa the dental hygiene program at CCC. Two dental International Convention in Denver. The award is hygiene students at the Hastings Campus also given annually in recognition of college presidents received awards. Brandi Lang of Bennet was who have made outstanding efforts to support and named Outstanding Dental Hygiene Student and promote PTK and its goals. Corrine Tenski of Spalding received a student u Esther Winter, communications instructor, scholarship award. presented a paper at the American Society of u Dental hygiene students from the Hastings Cam pus Business and Behavioral Sciences annual meeting partic i pate d in two events at Creighton Univer sity. in Las Vegas. Along with Dr. J. Winter from As part of the Specia l Olym pics program , an event Central Missouri State University, she presented called Spe cial Smiles for Spe cial Ath letes was the paper, “Are We Training Managers to Operate held. Ath letes re ceived a gen eral screen ing from in a Vacuum?” They discussed the quality and dentist s and infor m ation about proper dental care. impact of distance learning courses and the student The sec ond event was the Hope Med i cal Out reach attitudes toward distance learning courses. Co alition: Colgate-Palmolive Bright Smiles, Bright u Following the tragic attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Fu tures Vol un teer Part ner ship Den tal Day. This Hastings Campus chapter of Phi Theta Kappa program provides ser vices to about 80 at-risk chil- began looking for some way to demonstrate a sense dren from Omaha area clin ics and shel ters. Eleven of unity in the Hastings area. PTK believed a students and staff mem bers from the Hastings constructive interaction among people in the Campus participated. Hastings area would send a positive message to u The Clay County Cruise, an annual bike riding relieve anxiety and tensions. Therefore, in event sponsored by the wellness program at the partnership with businesses and organizations in campus, had a record 77 bikers participate. Bikers the Hastings area, PTK initiated the first-ever from several Nebraska communities toured various Hastings Area Community Unity Day held in the

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Hastings City Auditorium. Four hundred people Columbus and George Clayton and Associates in were treated to six hours of diverse and continuous Grand Island. entertainment. It was a day where music, dance and u Dick Stelzer of Juniata retired from his position as food were used to demonstrate the unity among the an auto body technology instructor. Stelzer joined many ethnic groups represented in the Hastings the Hastings Campus faculty in 1967. He attended area. A candlelight vigil and a serious message Milford Trade School and Kearney State College. addressing the need for a violence-free society Prior to joining the CCC staff, Stelzer did finish concluded the Unity Day events. body work at Kerr Chevrolet and Hastings Motor u Two students from the campus were elected to Truck in Hastings. regional Phi Theta Kappa offices at the Nebraska-Wyoming Conference. Trent Allison of ACEAN Recognitions Newport was elected regional president and Matthew Russell of Trumbull was elected regional u The Adult and Continuing Education Association vice pres ident. Ten other students and sponsors recognized several individuals associated with attended the regional conference. Central Community College at its annual u A new medical laboratory technology program was conference. Duane Matson received the approved for the campus replacing the science Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding technology program. A survey of central Nebraska work providing GED and ABE programs to medical labs indicated a strong demand for trained employees of Behlen Manufacturing in Columbus. technicians. Graduates from the new program are Three students from CCC, Sherri Rhone of eligible to take the national certification exams Smithfield, and Tracy Westfall of Cozad, both of offered by the American Society of Clinical whom take classes through the Lexington Learning Pathologists and the National Certification Agency Center, and Rosa Steinmark of Columbus, who for Clinical Laboratory Scientists. attends the Columbus Campus, received $500 scholarships from ACEAN. Ron Kluck, Ann Retired Chambers, Margaret Williams, Diana Watson and u Walt Miller of Hastings retired from his position as Ron Smith were CCC employees elected to the architectural drafting instructor. Miller joined the ACEAN Board of Directors. Cassie Smith and Hastings Campus faculty in 1970. He earned a Julie Smithson were selected to serve on the bachelor’s degree in architecture from the nominating committee, and Caree Cielocha, Ann University of Nebras ka at Lincoln and a master’s Chambers, Sarah Cunningham, Dee Johnson and degree in education from Kearney State College. Liz Kohout all made presentations. Prior to joining the CCC staff, Miller was a working architect for Associate Architects in All-State Academic Team u Five Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege stu dents were named to the All-State Ac ademic Team at a cere - mony at the Nebras ka State Capitol Building in Lincoln. The event was sponsore d by Phi Theta Kappa and the Nebras ka Com munity College As- so ci a tion. Lt. Gov. Da vid Maurstad pre sented me- dallions and cer tifi cat es to the 19 com munity college students named to the team. The five CCC stu dents named to the ac ademic team were: Shellie Cruz of Grand Island, Grand Is land Cam pus; Holly John son of Daykin, Co lum bus Cam pus; Corey Sibert of Supe rior, Hastings Cam pus; Travis Smith Students share ideas gained in a leadership workshop of Co lum bus, Co lum bus Cam pus; and Crys tal conducted by Caree Cielocha on the Columbus Thomas of Kenesaw, Hastings Campus. Campus.

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u Tui tion rates were incre ased by $1 a credit hour for Board of Governors each of the next two aca demic years in ac tion ap - u The Central Com munity College Board of Gover - proved by the Board of Gover nors. The board ap- nors gave approval for a new program to provide proved rates of $46 per credit hour for 2002-03 and train ing to Ne braska law en force ment of fi cers. $47 per credit hour for 2003-04. Student fees re- CCC and the other com munity college s in Ne- mained at $4 per credit hour. braska of fer an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in Ne braska law enforce ment. Students in the de - College Administration gree pro gram will also complete a nine-week u intern ship with the Nebras ka Law Enforce ment Jim Strayer, public relations officer, received four Training Center. awards at the District 5 conference of the Na tional u While local taxes, state aid, and income from Council for Marketing and Public Relations. He tuition are the major sources of revenue for the received a silver award for a nine-part advertising college, a report given to the CCC Board of campaign and bronze awards for a series of three Governors showed that grants and financial aid brochures about the CCC campuses and for a funds had added about $10.4 million in a year. handout he designed used for recruiting. Strayer Nancy Bjorklund, grants and special projects also served as a project director for a series of director, told the board that the college had re - television commercials that received another ceived about $5 million annually in grants that bronze award. u made it possible to provide a variety of training Dr. Dennis Tyson, college vice president of programs. Jim Fisher, associate dean of students at educational services, reported to the CCC Board of the Columbus Campus and leader of the college Governors in September that the old saying, financial aid team, said that the college received “You’re never too old to learn,” was true for some $6.8 million in student financial aid funding during of the students enrolled in CCC courses during the the 2000-01 college year. A total of 5,590 awards 2000-01 college year. Tyson told the board that 37 was given to 2,822 students. Included was nearly students who were 80 years of age or older had $2.7 million in federal Pell Grants, $240,000 in com pleted 44 courses at the college. “I think this other state and federally funded grant programs, emphasizes that in Nebraska, people believe in $2.3 million in student loans, and more than lifelong learning,” Tyson said. u $154,000 for college work-study programs. Dorothy Condreay, physical sciences instructor at u The CCC Board of Governors approved the the Columbus Campus, was chosen as the faculty college budget for 2001-02. For the previ ous two representative to the College Cabinet for the years, the Unicameral had used revenue surpluses 2001-02 college year. to allocate an additional $30 million in state funding for the community colleges, which College Foundation reduced their property tax collections by the same u The CCC Foundation Board of Directors approved amount. The Board of Governors was obligated to funding for the 2001-02 Professional Development increase the tax levy to compensate for the Program. The $6,000 allotted for the program was reduction in state aid when the allocation was divided into $1,000 for each campus and the discontinued. The tax levy increased property tax administration office with the remaining $2,000 to collections from $3.93 million in 2000-01 to $9.93 be used for collegewide awards. The Foundation million for 2001-02. The $68,461,311 budget Board also approved discretionary funds in the included $27.4 million for operating expenses, amount of $1,000 for each campus and $500 for $1.625 million for the capital improvement fund, the administration office, and flower funds of $500 $405,905 for hazardous materials removal and for each campus and $250 for the administration compliance with the Americans with Disabilities office. Act, $10.6 million in cash reserves, and about $25 u The 11th annual Central Community College million in federal funds from grants and student aid Foundation Pro-Am Golf Tournament was held at programs. the Riverside Country Club in Grand Island. The

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2001 event attracted 96 amateur golfers and 24 students enrolled in more than one of the categories playing professionals. Since its inception, the listed in the breakdown.) Foundation’s Pro-Am Golf Tournament has generated more than $130,000 for scholarships for Extended Learning Services Central Community College students. u The Central Community College Foundation’s u More than 20,000 people took Central Community Annual Appreciation Dinner was held Oct. 22 in College classes in their own communities during Columbus. With the events of Sept. 11 on the 2000-01college year. A report to the CCC everyone’s minds, the 2001 event was given a Board of Governors indicated a total of 2,145 theme of “Amer ica: Land of Freedom and classes were offered in 87 communities by the Opportunity” with a large American flag used as a Extended Learning Services Department of CCC. backdrop. The featured speaker for the evening Those 2,145 generated 32,978 registrations, with was Tom Sullivan, nationally known blind actor, some students taking more than one class. Nearly singer, author and athlete. Sullivan both entertained 300 people served as volunteers in the Adult Basic and inspired the audience with his performance. Education program during the 2000-01 school year Another special moment during the evening was and donated almost 6,700 hours of their time the induction of Bud and Rita Fleischer of tutoring 2,546 people in the ABE program. Columbus into the CCC Foundation Hall of Fame u Central Community College implemented several in recognition of their many years of support for projects to reach out to a growing Hispanic the college and the activities of the foundation. population within the CCC service area. The 2000 census indicated 23,497 Hispanic people living in the CCC 25-county service area. Special summer Cyber Tutor Program programs were implemented to acquaint potential u CCC has created a new Cyber Tutor Program to Hispanic students with the services available at provide better services to the 12,000 students CCC and selected news releases were translated taking off-campus courses. Students enrolled in into Spanish for distribution to Spanish-language on-campus courses at Columbus, Grand Island and media. Hispanic recruiting and retention specialists Hastings could also use the new service. Rather are also being hired as part of the outreach effort than face-to-face communications with an by CCC. instructor or trained tutor, students submitted questions by filling out an online form on the Hastings College Bound Cyber Tutor Web page, by fax, or by voice-mail and receive an answer within 24 hours. The Web u Central Community College and Hastings College site also included links to other sources of were making good use of the partner ship termed academic assistance such as online writing labs and the Hastings College Bound Program. The program math tutorials. simplified admission to Hastings College for CCC graduates who earned an associate of arts degree with a GPA of at least 2.4. Hastings College Enrollment reduced tuition by 45 percent for CCC graduates u The 2001 enrollment report indicated that total taking advantage of the partnership program. enrollment for Central Community College during Members of Phi Theta Kappa are eligible for an the 2000-01 college year was 27,570. There were additional $1,000 scholarship. There were 10 CCC 2,167 full-time on-campus students, 18,099 graduates attending Hastings College during the part-time students, 13,458 off-campus students, 2001 spring semester. 2,879 avocational students, 2,546 students in Adult Basic Education courses, and more than 12,000 Holdrege Center people enrolled in business and industry training courses. (The sum total for the categories shown u Five employees of Becton-Dickinson in Holdrege above exceed the total enrollment because some completed the requirements for a certificate in quality control from Central Community College

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without ever leaving Holdrege. They completed 1,200 CDs that businesses and industries could use most of the 15 credits required for the certificate by to provide on-site training for their employees. taking classes via satellite and video conferencing About 1,200 employees and 64 businesses and taught by Sam Cowan, quality control instructor at industries received training during the first two the Columbus Campus. Carol Sole, math instructor years. at the Hastings Cam pus, guided the five students through the required technical math class. Quality Control Courses u The Holdrege Center of Central Community College received a $23,500 Com munity Technol - u As the demand for quality control courses ogy Fund Award from the Nebraska Information continued to grow, CCC quality control faculty Technology Commission. The grant funds were members Richard Flynn and Brian McDermott used for laptops and a projector that will allow the teamed up to provide more personal and practical center to offer computer training courses in more quality control courses to adult students throughout rural areas and enhance the economic development the CCC service area. They taught courses at opportunities in these areas. companies located in Columbus, York, Cozad and Lexington. More than 280 students took courses Multimedia Library Project during the fall semester in 2001. u CCC and the other community colleges in Ne- Tech Prep braska, along with the Nebraska Department of Labor and the Nebraska Department of Economic u Barb Larson, Tech Prep co or di na tor, was elected Devel op m ent, placed into operation an on-site, pres i dent-elect of the Na tional As so ci a tion for mul ti me dia-learn ing project beginning in 1999. Tech Prep Lead er ship. The as so ci a tion is de voted The successful collaboration resulted in a state - to repre sent ing the inter est s of Tech Prep profes - wide, interactive multimedia library with more than sion als.

167 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 2002 Dr. LaVern Franzen Named CCC President The Central Com munity College Board of Gover nors named Dr. LaVern Franzen as the new college pres ident at the May 20, 2002, meeting of the board. Franzen becam e the third person to serve in that posi tion since the col lege was founded. At the time of his appoint m ent, he was serving as pres ident of the Hastings Cam pus. Dr. Franzen started his ca reer with CCC in 1967 as an ac counting instruc tor at the Hastings Cam pus. In 1969, he becam e the chairm an of business -relate d program s on that cam pus. Established Lexington Center in 1977 In 1977, he estab lishe d the CCC-Lexington Center and served as asso ci ate dean there until 1987 when he was appointed dean of instruc tion at the Grand Is land Cam pus. He served as Hastings Cam pus presi dent be ginning in 1996 and also served as col lege vice pres ident for allied health and techni cal program s. Franzen replac ed Dr. Joe Preusser who had been the college president since 1984. With Franzen in the col lege ad min is tra tion of fices at the time he be came college pres i dent were Sandy Burris, ex ec u tive as sis tant; Dr. Den nis Tyson, ex ec u tive vice pres i dent for ed u ca tional ser vices; Larry Gla zier, col lege busi - ness of fi cer; Tom Pe ters, man age ment in for ma tion sys tems; and Jim Strayer, pub lic re la tions of fi cer. Doug Adler was the hu man resour ces manager.

The three people who have served as president of Central Community College were photographed together at the dedication of Greeley Hall on the Hastings Campus: (left to right) Dr. LaVern Franzen was appointed president in 2002 and continued to serve when this publication was printed in 2006, Dr. Chester Gausman was founding president for the college, serving from 1966-84, and Dr. Joe Preusser, serving from 1984-2002.

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Composition of College Cabinet On the College Cabi net in addi tion to Franzen, Gla zier, Strayer, and Tyson were Dr. Bill Giddings, cam pus pres i dent, Grand Is land; Jack Crowley, ex ec u tive di rec tor, CCC Foun da tion; Jim Fisher, in terim cam pus pres i dent, Colum bus; and Alan Hartley, interi m cam pus presi dent, Hastings. Jeanne Webb, fam ily and consum er science in- struc tor, Grand Is land, joined the group as fac ulty repre sen ta tive in Septem ber. There were approx i m ately 400 full-time and 1,000 part-time faculty and staff employed by the college. Graduate of Gothenburg High School, KSC, UNL Franzen gradu ate d from Gothenburg High School and earned a bache lor’s de gree in edu ca tion and a master’s degree in voca tional edu ca tion from Kearney State College . He earned a doctor of edu ca tion degree in com munity and hum an re sources from the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lincoln. Active in Many Organizations Among the many organizations to which Franzen has belonged are: the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce, the Hastings Economic Development Board, the Mary Lanning HealthCare Foundation, the Hastings Rotary Club, the Good Samaritan Village Advisory Board, the Nebraska Association for Retarded Citizens, and the Nebraska Vocational Association.

Columbus Campus campus. The student dancers developed their own choreography and routines under the supervision of u Members of the Columbus Campus volleyball team staff members Andrea Hays, housing and activities participated in the Raider Reading Program. In coordinator, and Andrea Leap, vocal music addition to their usual college course work and the instructor. Members of the team were Sara Behnke, time spent with their sport, the players rotated Norfolk; Jessy Hansen, Schuyler; Staci Jeffrey, going to the Lost Creek Elementary kindergarten Omaha; and Nicole Adkisson, Jackie Jones, Laura class, special education and third grade classes Taylor, and Shayla Zimmerman, Colum bus. every week for one hour to assist teachers in u The Columbus Campus held the 32nd annual Fine helping students with reading. Arts Festival. More than 300 pieces of art were on u A new Raiderette dance team was or ga nized to display, the 2001 edition of the “Hilltop Review” perform at volleyball and basketball games on was made available, and stu dent plays and performances by student musicians and musical groups were all part of the two-day festival. u “Little Shop of Horrors” was presented by the Theater and Music Departments in the Fine Arts Theate r. With a unique set constructed for the production and special costuming and lighting, a cast of more than 35 students and staff members treated audiences to four fine performances. The production was directed by theater instructor Gwen Jensen, and music instructor Andrea Leap served as musical director and choreographer. u Allen Stenzel of rural Monroe won first-place hon- ors in the mechatronics national contes t held in Kansas City. The compe ti tion in Kan sas City was part of the SkillsUSA-VICA Na tional Lead er ship and Students gather for a picture at a dance sponsored by Skills Confer ence . Stenzel quali fied for the national the Columbus Campus student services department. contes t by winning the state contes t. Stenzel’s

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first-place finish in the na tional con test quali fied fort to upgrade the com puter and custom er-service him to partic i pate in the World Skills compe ti tion skills of 39 owners , office staff, and retail clerks. in Swit zer land. He re ceived his as so ci ate of ap plied Other grants were awarded to consor tium groups sci ence de gree in in dus trial tech nol ogy from the to tal ing nearly $50,000. Colum bus Cam pus in 2001 and contin ued to take u Mary Speicher, sec re tary in the Ex tended Learn ing spe cial ized courses at the campus. Service s depart m ent and manager for the Colum - u The Colum bus Cam pus re ceived a $15,000 Entry - bus off-cam pus learning center, was named Em - way En hance ment Grant from the Ne braska Com- ployee of the Year. She was cited for her pos itive munity Enhance ment Program . The grant was used at ti tude, her re source ful ness, and her will ing ness to for a land scape en hance ment pro ject that in cluded go the extra mile. Speicher joined the Colum bus the planting of about 500 shrubs and native or na- Cam pus staff in 1979 and has been a sec retary in mental grasses and the addi tion of lighting on the the Extende d Learning Ser vices depart m ent for 23 drive that is the en trance to the campus. The Ne - years. She is a 1992 gradu ate of CCC and is active braska State wide Ar bo re tum, the Uni ver sity of Ne- on sev eral cam pus com mit tees. braska, the Nebrask a For est Ser vice and the u Nancy Travnicek, ac a demic suc cess cen ter co or di - Nebras ka De partm ent of Roads sponsore d the en - nator, was honored as the Fac ulty Mem ber of the hance ment grant program . Year dur ing com mence ment cer e mo nies. She was u At the conven tion of Phi Theta Kappa Inter na tional cited for the great rapport she has with students and in Nash ville, the lo cal campus chap ter of PTK was for the dedi ca tion she has for their suc cess. awarded the 2002 Scholar ship Hallm ark Award for Travnicek be gan teach ing part-time at the campus the Nebras ka-Wyo m ing Re gion and also re ceived in 1992 and then becam e a full-time faculty mem - the Four Star Chapter Devel op m ent Award by ber in 1995. She earned a bache lor of science de- meet ing PTK or ga ni za tional re quire ments to qual- gree from Wayne State College and is working to ify for each star level. complete a mas ter’s de gree with an em pha sis in u Vince Lempke, math instruc tor, pre sented a pa per adult edu ca tion. Prior to joining the college staff and lectured at the 12th annual Math Expo held in she worked as an instruc tor at Northeas t Com mu - Kansas City in Oc tober 2002. His pre senta tion was nity College and was a counsel or at United Catho - “Calcu la tors Cannot Solve All Problem s or Solve lic So cial Services in Colum bus. All Problem s Cor rectly.” The paper focuse d on the u Dan Rumsey, an elec tron ics in struc tor, earned sev - math prob lems the TI-89 al ge bra sys tem cal cu la tor eral new certif i ca tions in his field: Microsoft Cer ti - cannot solve or solves incor rec tly. Lempke was fied Sys tems En gi neer, Microsoft Cer ti fied also one of 16 college instruc tors selec ted by Sys tems Ad min is tra tor, and Microsoft Cer ti fied NASA to take part in a four-day training session, Trainer. The cer tif i ca tions re quired the suc cess ful “A Better Under sta nding of the U.S. Space Pro- com pletion of seven na tional tests after eight gram,” at the Ken nedy Space Cen ter in Florida. months of twice-a-week classes at the Grand Is land u The cam pus train ing and de vel op ment group Cam pus through I/Tech, a Microsoft Cer tified helped write sev eral grants that were awarded to Tech ni cal Ed u ca tion Cen ter. area busi nesses through the Nebras ka Worker u Ka ren Mroczek, Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices co or - Training Program . Campus staff mem bers provided dina tor, re ceived the 17th Annual Athena Award the training speci fied by the grant. Receiving the from the Colum bus Area Cham ber of Com merce. grants were Camaco of Colum bus, $14,900 for The Athena Award is given to an outsta nding pro- blue print read ing and geo met ric de sign; Mid west fes sional/busi ness woman in the com mu nity who Machine and Tool, $3,700 for mill and lathe in spires, teaches, chal lenges and pro vides lead er - training; Minne sota Corn Proces sors, $5,920 for ship to others . Morczek serves on the Colum bus lead er ship de vel op ment train ing; and Sapp Broth- Civil Service Com mission and is a mem ber of the ers, $3,000 for leader ship skills training. Seven tee n gov er nor’s Ju di cial Nom i nat ing Com mis sion. She Co lum bus Down town Busi ness As so ci a tion mem - is ac tive in the Women’s Re treat, the Work ing bers recei ved a $5,793 grant for a collab o ra tive ef- Women’s Con fer ence, the Math and Sci ence Con -

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ference for Young Women and the Women in His- Wright Brothers Museum in North Carolina and tory Luncheon. Creighton Univer sity in Omaha. Her paintings u The Central Com munity College Board of Gover - have been featured in many books and maga zine s. nors appointed Jim Fisher as cam pus presi dent for She also finishe d a 15-foot-tall mural of the Ascen - CCC-Columbus. Fisher also served as a college sion of Christ for St. Anthony’s Catho lic Church in vice pres i dent in charge of ac a demic ed u ca tion and Co lum bus. busi ness and in dus try training. He had been Retired u em ployed by CCC since Ella Wenman of Central City retire d from her posi - 1971, serving as student tion as a co op er a tive ed u ca tion job de vel oper and ser vices co or di na tor and family and con sumer sci ence in struc tor. She was then as dean of students . also a fac ulty ad viser for the Phi Theta Kappa He was in terim campus chapter. Wenman joined the faculty staff in 1991. pres i dent from April Prior to joining CCC, Wenman taught at Wade’s Fash ion Mer chan dis ing Col lege in Dal las and 1984 to June 1985. In worked as an inte rior de signer in Texas and 1997, he be came an asso - Oklahoma. She is a grad u ate of Blackwell High ci ate dean of stu dents as School in Oklahoma and earned both a bache lor’s part of an ad min is tra tive Jim Fisher de gree and a master’ s de gree from Oklahoma State re struc tur ing plan. He Uni ver sity. holds a bache lor’s de gree from Peru State College and a mas ter’s de gree from the Uni ver sity of Ne - braska at Lincoln. Grand Island Campus u Due to fed eral reg u la tions that re quired in di vid u als u Terry Schifferns, com mu ni ca tions in struc tor, had working in nurs ing homes to be certi fied nursing as - two poem s ac cepted for publi ca tion by The Back- sistants, the Valley County Hos pi tal and Nursing wat ers Press and the Cen ter for Great Plains Stud - Home in Ord was faced with a di lemma. Emplo y ees ies at the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Lin coln. were having a hard time making the trip to Grand Is- “Silent Protes t” appear ed in the book, “Times of land to recei ve training in their certi fied nursing as sis - Sorrow, Times of Grace: Writing by Women of the tants program becaus e of the distanc e and problem s Great Plains/High Plains,” and the other poem, with extra day care expense s. The Colum bus Cam pus “Rocks and Slots at Fort Randall, South Dakota,” was able to offer the 75-hour class in Ord so em ploy - appear ed in the book, “Bi son Poem s: Of Bison and ees could set their own schedule, watch videos, com - the Great Plains.” plete pretes ts and work inde pend ently on other u Twenty-five stu dents com pleted their par tic i pa tion re quire ments. Students had to drive to Colum bus in the pre-student teaching and obser vation pro- only for the state exam. gram. Un der the di rec tion of su per vis ing teach ers, u Ardith Starostka of Colum bus was honored with the students got a firsthand look at the teaching the 2002 Outsta nding Alumni Award during the pro fes sion work ing in el e men tary and sec ond ary Co lum bus Cam pus com mence ment cer e mo nies on classroom s in about 20 differ ent schools in the May 10. Starostka gradu ate d from the Colum bus Grand Island area. Students had expe ri ence s which Cam pus in 1993 with an asso ci ate of arts degree in allowed them to better assess their inter est and po - commer cial art and earned a bach elor’ s de gree in ten tial for a ca reer in ed u cation . busi ness ad min is tra tion from the Uni ver sity of Ne- u Dixie Zoucha of Kenesaw re ceived the Out stand - braska at Kear ney. She is the owner of Star Stu dio ing Alumni Award during com mence ment cere m o - Arts in Colum bus and prim arily paints portrai ts by nies. Zoucha earned a di ploma in 2001 after com mission but also works in other media. She re- com plet ing the prac ti cal nurs ing pro gram at the ceived the Honors Award in 2000 at the Portrai t Kear ney Cen ter. She also earned a bach elor’ s de - So ci ety of Amer ica’s In ter na tional com pe ti tion in gree from the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Kear ney in Washing ton, D.C. She has painted pieces for the phys i cal ed u ca tion. Prior to at tend ing CCC as a

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stu dent, she worked as a cer ti fied ath letic trainer Com mis sion of the Amer i can As so ci a tion of Com - for men and women’s bas ketball teams at the munity College s. Giddings was one of more than Hastings Cam pus and at Hastings High School as 200 com munity college leaders who at tended the well as with a UNK out reach pro gram. She was a fall com mis sion meet ing in Wash ing ton, D.C. vol un teer Emer gency Med i cal Technician and u Mar ga ret Wil liams, Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices firefighter with the Kenesaw Fire De part ment and sec re tary, re ceived the Tour ism Vol un teer Award worked as a li censed prac ti cal nurse at Good Sa - from the Grand Is land/Hall County Con vention and mari tan Health Sys tems in Kear ney. Vis i tors Bu reau. She was rec og nized for at ten dance u The Multi cul tural Club spon sored a pre sen ta tion by at monthly meetings, vol untee ring her time for bu- Bar na bas Kiir, who had been a Suda nese refu gee reau events, and helping to develop the Bigger for 13 years. He was being helped by the Bang for Your Buck se ries and tourism luncheon. Omaha-based nonprofit Southern Sudan Com mu - u In spite of the cultural and language challenge s in- nity Asso cia tion to re settle in this coun try. Other volved, James Gach, origi nally from southern Su- activ ities of the Multi cultural Club in cluded a His- dan, be came the first for mer refu gee to complete panic heri tage day and a trip to an inter triba l pow- the co or di nated nurs ing as sis tant course through wow. Teresa Contreras was the club pres ident. Extende d Learning Ser vices and to pass the quali - fy ing exam. Even though he was em ployed in Grand Island in a well-paying job unre late d to health care, he wanted to be come a nurs ing as sis - tant at least in part because a care taker value is em - bedded in his culture. Mary Jane Drake, his nurs ing assis tant instruc tor, had praise for his ac com plish- ments. u Offi cer s for the Grand Is land Cam pus chapter of Phi Theta Kappa who were elected for the 2002-03 col lege year were Kathryn Hillje of Ravenna, pres - i dent, a busi ness ad min is tra tion ma jor; Sheena Minne of Bro ken Bow, sec re tary-trea surer, an ac - counting major; and Eliz abeth Renter of Grand Is - land, vice pres i dent, a crim i nal jus tice major. Twenty-five students were also inducte d into the honor so ci ety. Bob Sanner, ac count ing in struc tor, Grand Island Campus Multicultural Club members was the faculty sponsor. attended an intertribal powwow at Metro Community u Students , fac ulty, and staff gathere d to com mem o - College's Fort Omaha Campus. rate the one-year an ni ver sary of the ter ror ist at tacks on the World Trade Center and the Penta gon. Sev- u Fred Roeser, elec tron ics tech nol ogy in struc tor, was eral spoke freely of their ap pre ci ation for Amer i can named the Volun tee r of the Year by the Center for val ues. In de pend ent Liv ing of Cen tral Ne braska. He was u The Gale Ency clope dia of Nursing and Allied rec ognize d for the many hours he volun tee red to Health and the Ency clope dia of Crime and Justice help raise funds for the center, found and modi fied were purchas ed by the li brary using about $1,400 toys for the Toy Bank that provides toys for chil- gathere d in overdue fines over the pre vious two dren with dis abili ties , and served as a mentor for years. the cen ter’s com puter op er a tions. The Cen ter for u Eleven poten tial em ploy ers visited with 37 students In de pend ent Liv ing op er ates toy lend ing li brar ies during the second annual part-time job fair held on at the Goodwill office s in Grand Is land, Hastings, the cam pus. The fair was orga nize d by Virginia and Kear ney. Ahlschwede, place ment ser vices di rec tor. u Dr. Bill Giddings, cam pus presi dent, was appointed to the Econom ic and Workforce De velop m ent

172 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u During an inter view conducte d with Dr. Bill also made about which children had economic Giddings at the time of his 10th anni ver sar y as needs. cam pus presi dent, he pointed to evi dence that CCC u Students in the consum er be havior class of instruc - was much more likely to be cho sen as a col lege by tor Laura Bulas devel oped an im age-im provem ent area high school gradu ate s than when he came in prom otional cam paign. The market ing plan was for 1992. the Ne braska Health and Hu man Ser vices Sys tem’s Emer gency Med i cal Ser vices Pro gram. Stu dents were chal lenged to re search and an aly ze data, to Hastings Campus develop a full-color brochure and create prom o - u Karen Baird of Clay Center received the 18th tional ac tiv i ties. The stu dents then made a pre sen - Annual Outstanding Service Award at a staff tation to EMS person nel that repre sent ed western recognition ceremony. Baird began working at the Ne braska, the Omaha/Lincoln area, and the Hastings Campus in 1973 as a human services Tri-Cities area. instructor, and in 1996 she became a psychology u Ryan Fahey of Las Vegas received the Outstanding instructor. She was cited for her work ethic and her Alumni Award during graduation ceremonies. dedication to her students, along with her efforts to Fahey graduated in 1995 with an associate of improve educational delivery methods. applied science degree in hospitality management u The Central Community College Board of and culinary arts. While enrolled at CCC, he also Governors appointed Bill Hitesman of Boone, earned a bachelor’s degree in business Iowa, as the president of the Hastings Campus and administration from Hastings College. After as a college vice pres i dent, responsible for allied moving to Vail, Colo., he earned a second associate health, human services, degree in culinary arts from Johnson and Wales and technical programs. University. In 1996, he worked as an assistant chef Hitesman holds a bache - at Caesar’s Palace and then became sous chef for lor’s degree in health and the French Café and assistant banquet chef at the physical education from Desert Inn in Las Vegas. In 1998, he went to work Winona State University, for the Rio and became chef de cuisine for the a diploma in welding Carnival World Banquet that served an average of from Northeast Iowa 8,000 meals during the week and 12,000 meals on Com mu nity College, and the weekend. In 2001, he went to work for the a master’s degree in Hilton Hotels to be the specialty room chef at the community college Paris Las Vegas Casino and then became manager administration and higher of three food outlets for the Hilton Hotel in Las education from Iowa Bill Hitesman Ve gas. State University. He has extensive experience as an u The dental assisting and dental hygiene programs administrator in several Iowa community colleges. had their accreditation extended through the year u CCC-Hastings and the North American Weed 2008 by the Commission on Dental Accreditation Management Association developed a partnership that represents the American Dental Association. for a new Certified Manager of Invasive Plants Renewed accreditation required that the campus Program. It is a program designed for vegetation complete a self-study and host a visitation by managers, weed superintendents, agriculture commission rep re sen ta tives who reviewed the inspectors, and others involved in weed control. curriculum, facilities, faculty credentials and Certification is granted after participants complete student-faculty ratios. 20 hours of course work and pass an examination. u Wanda Cloet, super vi sor of the dental hygiene pro- u Twenty-nine dental hygiene and dental assisting gram was appointed by the Ameri can Dental Asso - students participated in a free dental sealant clinic. cia tion to serve as a consul tant for the Com mission The clinic was open to children who were screened on Dental Accre di ta tion. Cloet was also appointed at their schools by the CCC students to identify to the schol ar ship commit tee of the Amer i can Den tal those who needed sealants. A determination was Hy gien ists’ As so ci a tion In sti tute for Oral Health.

173 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u Ron Smith, associate dean of Extende d Learning u Three people with Hastings Cam pus ties went to Ser vices, was elected president of the Nebraska the Win ter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Lacey Development Network Board of Directors at its Makinen of Rawlins, Wyo., a student in the hospi - annual March meeting. The network’s purpose is to tal ity man age ment and cu li nary arts pro gram, and bring together people active in rural development Julie McClary of Kearney, a 2001 gradu ate of the to share ideas for helping communities succeed in a same program , were among 164 food service in- global economy. terns making the trip to Utah. The two women u Financial Aid Director Vicki Kucera was sworn in were el igi ble to apply for an intern ship be cause as the president of the Nebraska Association of Chartwells, the CCC food service provider, was Student Financial Aid Administrators during its part of the group which provided food service for spring conference. The association works to the Olympics . Both women worked in the Olym pic provide its members with professional Village main dining area for athlete s and digni tar - development opportunities, serve the needs of ies. Although they pre pared, cooked, and served students, and help educational institutions and food for long hours six days a week without pay, agencies to promote effective financial aid they said the ex pe ri ence was worth it. The third programs. Kucera also received a Lifetime person with Hastings Cam pus connec tions was Achievement Award in recognition of her more Scott Eveland, a 1993 gradu ate in broadcas ting than 20 years in the association. technol ogy. A mem ber of the Hastings Police De- u The diesel technology program received several part ment, he was se lected as one of the Olympics donations for the program. Nebraska Machinery Vol un teer Law En force ment Pro gram’s 650 staff donated $25,000 to fund sponsorships for six diesel mem bers, who worked 12-hour shifts at a variety technology students. Travel Centers of America at of search and security services. Alda funded a sponsorship that will cover 75 u Chemistry instructor Dr. Kishore Bagga offered percent of tuition and books and provide $500 two unique cooking classes that brought a taste of toward the purchase of tools. The Caterpillar India to central Nebraska. One class was a Foundation donated $20,000 toward the purchase vegetarian feast that incorporated music, pictures, of a new Dynamometer to test engine operation. and information about how chemistry is used in cooking. The other cooking class involved six sessions during which participants were taught how to prepare authentic Indian dishes. Bagga also received a $362.50 grant from the Royal Society of Chemistry in London, England, to give a theatrical presentation, “The Life and Times of Dr. Gilbert N. Lewis.” The presentation was open to the public and was designed to promote awareness of the importance of chemistry. u The automotive technology program at the Hastings Campus began offering Ford-specific courses to students completing an associate of applied science degree or diploma in automotive technology. In a new partnership with the Ford Motor Company, students that complete required courses can earn a nationally recognized Ford Participants receive awards at the SkillsUSA-VICA Maintenance and Light Re pair cer tif i cate. The new State Leadership and Skills Conference competition course offerings were designed to make it easier first held on the Hastings Campus in 2002, beginning a for graduates to find employment with Ford three-year stint as the host campus. The several-day dealerships and other automotive service centers. event was designed to promote excellence in trade, u The Hastings chapter of Phi Theta Kappa received technical and skilled service occupations in high school several awards at the International Convention in and college students.

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Nashville , Tenn. The chapter was named one of the In Memory top 100 chapters and was one of 10 to receive a u Rita Vacek of Hastings died Aug. 13, 2002. 2002 Scholarship Hallmark Award. Amber Walker Funeral services were held at St. Cecilia’s Church of Hayes Center was one of 25 students to receive with burial in the Parkview Cemetery in Hastings. a Distinguished Chapter Officer Award in She was born in Hastings in 1933. She worked as a international competition. In PTK’s secretary in the transportation department at the Nebraska-Wyoming Region, the Hastings Chapter Hastings Campus for 26 years before retiring in received the Most Distinguished Chapter Award 1999. and Walker was named Outstanding Officer and Leif Tobler of Harvard was named Most Outstanding Member. Adult Basic Education u Lee Preston received the Distinguished Alumni u CCC offere d Adult Basic Edu ca tion classes in 25 Award from the Nebraska Community College Nebras ka com muni ties during the 2002 spring se - Association. Preston received an associate of mester. ABE in cludes classes to help with read ing, applied science degree in business administration writ ing, math, spelling, English as a Second Lan- from the Hastings Campus in 1973. He was then a guage, cit i zen ship classes and prep a ra tion for the member of the Hastings Campus faculty, teaching high school equiva lenc y exam, the GED. Classes accounting and business administration, from are free but a fee is charged for each of the five 1973-78. He had enrolled in classes following his GED tests. tour in Vietnam as a military police sentry dog u CCC received two Adult Basic Edu ca tion grants. handler. Following his graduation from CCC, he One grant was for $20,129 and came from completed both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s Heartland United Way in Grand Island. The second degree in business administration from Kearney grant came from the United Way of the Kearney State College. He worked for the Internal Revenue Area and that grant was for $7,570. Both grants Service in Grand Island from 1978-82 and then were to be used to help fund the college’s ABE became controller for the Oxford Cheese programs in the Grand Island and Kearney area. Corporation until 1986 when he opened his own u The ABE program was also the recipient of grant accounting and tax practice. Preston continues to money from other sources. The English as a be active in the accounting profession. Second Language program at the Grand Island Retired Campus received $1,000 from a local group known as Community Union that focuses on promoting u Evart Barton of Blue Hill retired from his position education, culture diversity, volunteerism, as a machine tool technology instructor. Barton parenting and families, and youth. The money was became a member of the Hastings Campus fac ulty used to buy books and software for student use in in 1972. Prior to his employment with the college , the ESL classes. The U.S. Department of Housing he worked as a toolmaker for several companies, and Urban De velop m ent funded a partnership with including Reynolds Machine Tool Company, individuals in the ESL program to eliminate Reese Manufacturing and Hastings Irrigation. housing discrimination practices in Grand Island. Barton is a graduate of Southeast Com munity Individuals from the ESL program attempted to College in Milford. He also attended Kearney State make housing arrangements in Grand Island to see College. if they would experience discrimination. u Nella Kincaid of Hastings retired from her position as a communications instruc tor. Kincaid joined the Hastings faculty in 1980. Prior to joining the fac- ACEAN Recognitions ulty, she taught at elementary schools in u Sev eral CCC staff members at tend ing the Adult Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Hastings. She and Con tin u ing Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion of Ne braska earned a bachelor’s degree in English, speech, and Con fer ence re ceived awards or were elected to ed u cation and a master’s degree from Northeastern board posi tions. College Pres ident Dr. Joe Preusser Oklahoma State University. re ceived the Dis tin guished Ser vice Award in rec -

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ogni tion of his support for adult and contin u ing ed- u The 12th annual Central Com munity College u ca tion. Beth Przymus, Co lum bus Cam pus Founda tion Pro-Am Golf Tourna m ent was held at Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices co or di na tor, and Am - the Lochland Country Club in Hastings. The event ber Schroeder, Grand Is land Cam pus Extende d attracted the largest field of play ers in its history. Learn ing Ser vices co or di na tor, re ceived the Rookie There were 116 am ateur golfers and 29 profes - of the Year Award. Ron Kluck, dean of Extende d sional golfers who par tici pate d to raise money for Learn ing Ser vices, re ceived the Mis souri Val ley schol arships for CCC students. Adult Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion Achieve ment Award. Dr. Bill Giddings, cam pus presi dent, and Marga ret College Administration Wil liams, Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices sec re tary, u Dr. Mike Chipps, assis tant to the vice presi dent of both from the Grand Is land Cam pus re ceived the ed u ca tional ser vices, re signed to be come the pres i - ACEAN Pres i dent’s Award. Elected to the dent of the North Platte cam puses of Mid-Plains ACEAN Board were Joni Ransom , college news Com munity College . In a very short time, he was burea u direc tor; Ron Smith, asso ci ate dean for Ex- prom oted to college president. tended Learning Ser vices, Hastings Cam pus; and u Dr. Joe Preusser, re tir ing col lege pres i dent, re - Di ana Wat son, Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices ceived two awards at the Nebrask a Commu nity regional coordinator, Holdrege Center. Col lege As so ci a tion an nual con ven tion in Feb ru- ary. The Ne braska Hos pi tal As so ci a tion pre sented Board of Governors him with a plaque rec ogniz ing his key role in gain- u Paul Krieger of Hastings was elected chair man of ing legal recog ni tion for the state’s com munity col- the Central Community College Board of leges to offer asso ci ate degree s in nurs ing. More Governors. A plaque was presented to outgoing than 400 students have gradu ate d from the CCC as- board chairm an, Paul Liess of Cambridge. Other soci ate degree in nursing program . Preusser also officers elected for the year were Keith Pollard of re ceived the NCAA Chief Ex ecu tive Officer Columbus, vice chair man; Diane Keller of Award for his 30-year career with CCC. Harvard, secretary; and Tom Pirnie of Grand u Con struc tion on a new cen tral ad min is tra tion build- Island, treasurer. Liess and Homer Pierce of ing began just after Thanksgiving. The contrac t Lexington were selected to represent the college on called for com pletion in 420 days. The origi nal the Nebraska Community College Association space for the adm inis tra tive of fices would then be governing board. ren o vated as a dis tance learn ing cen ter for the u Don Anderson, a CCC Board of Governors Grand Island Campus. member from Grand Island, was honored at the u Re flect ing on the weak ag ri cul tural econ omy in 35th annual Nebraska Diplomats banquet in 1984 and the funding bind CCC was in when he Lincoln. Anderson, president and CEO of be came the col lege pres i dent, Dr. Joe Preusser MFS/York/Stormor in Grand Island, was honored said, “We lost 40 good people at that time as the with the highest Diplomat honor, the Ambassador re sult of a nec es sary staff re duc tion.” He empha - Plenipotentiary Award. The Nebraska Diplo m ats sized his belief in the need for the col lege to have Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that is the largest reser ve funds to avoid sudden budget reductions. economic development organization in the state u Jeanne Webb, family and con sumer sci ence in - with 475 members. struc tor at the Grand Is land Cam pus, was des ig- nated as the fac ulty rep re sen ta tive to the Col lege CCC Foundation Cabi net for the 2002-03 college year. u The CCC Foundation Board of Directors again approved $6,000 to fund the Professional Five-Year Grant Development Grant Program for the college year. u Central Community College received a $1,933,509 They also approved $3,500 in discretionary funds Every Child Prepared for Tomorrow Grant from and $1,750 for flower funds, for a total of $11,250. the U.S. Department of Education. The five-year The funds were distributed among the campuses grant is part of President Bush’s federal education and administrative office according to a form ula. reform program called the No Child Left Behind

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Act that requires para-pro fes sion als to be certified. and expertise they gave in supporting the Hispanic The grant covers tuition, books, and technology people in the area. Those recognized were Dr. Bill support as well as child care and transportation Giddings, campus president, and Vera Montes, Ex- expenses. The ultimate goal is to ensure the greater tended Learning Ser vices secretary, both from the academic success for students with a limited Grand Island Campus, and Vince Mendez, English proficiency. Para-profes sional workers can automotive technology instructor from the continue to work at their full pay while they are Hastings Campus. completing the requirements for their certification. Holdrege Center Phi Theta Kappa u Eleven associates at Becton-Dickinson in Holdrege u Five Phi Theta Kappa mem bers from CCC were earned the 23-26 credits necessary to receive their rec og nized at the Ne braska-Wy o ming Re gional industrial maintenance certificate from Central Confer ence held at McCook Com munity College . Community College. They are the first associates Mike Coe from the Hastings Cam pus re ceived a to meet the certificate requirements since BD and $250 schol arship for making the National Dean’s CCC joined together to offer an edu ca tional pro- List of PTK. Ken Gallagher from the Hastings gram in 1999. Since that time, at least two classes Cam pus was elected re gional presi dent, Andrew have been offered each semester either at the Mueller from the Hastings Campus was elected Holdrege Center or at the BD facility. sec retary, and from the Colum bus Cam pus, Scott Prothman was elected the Ne braska vice pres i dent Leadership Academy and Jane Hill was elected as the news let ter ed i tor. u Sev eral emplo y ees grad u ated from rom the Acad - Eightee n PTK students and advi ser s at tended the emy for Lead er ship Train ing and De vel op ment, a three-day con fer ence. pro gram cre ated by the Chair Acad emy in Mesa, u Five Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege stu dents were Ariz. They were Kelly Christensen, as so ci ate dean honored as mem bers of the 2002 Phi Theta Kappa for trade and indus try program s, Hastings Cam pus; Ne braska All-State Ac ademic Team dur ing cer e - Ron Kluck, Extende d Learning Ser vices dean; monies at the State Capitol. Each member of the Leon Sanders, as soci ate dean for business and of- 20-per son team received a medal lion and a cer tif i - fice tech nol ogy, Co lum bus Cam pus; and Guy cate in recog ni tion of their honor. The five CCC Suganuma, busi ness oc cu pa tions as so ci ate dean, mem bers of the team were: Lori Gon zales of Grand Island Cam pus. Hastings, Jennifer Keown of Doniphan, Amelia Nel son of Marquette, Amber Wallace of Hayes Mexican-American Commission Center and Brook Wilke of Colum bus. u The Mexican-American Commission recognized three CCC staff members for the dedication, time,

177 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Assessment of Student Learning By Brian McDermott, Research Director In 1992, the college expanded its asses sm ent ef- Since the founding of Central Com munity College , forts by form ing two instruc tional ser vices subcom mit- the fac ulty, ad min is tra tion and other col lege lead ers tees (ma jors sub com mit tee and gen eral ed u ca tion have strived to make asses sm ent of student learning subcom mittee ) to develop a form alize d plan for asses s- and teach ing a fo cal as - ing stu dent learn ing. The ma jors sub com mit tee con- pect of col lege op er a - sisted of four fac ulty, a dean of students , an asso ci ate tions. In fact, the two dean of instruc tion, the direc tor of college com puter dis tinct ed u ca tional in - ser vices, a col lege coun selor, and the vice pres i dent of sti tu tions that formed ed u ca tional ser vices. CCC (Cen tral Tech ni cal The gen eral ed u ca tion sub com mit tee con sisted of Com mu nity Col lege in four fac ulty, a cer ti fied stu dent as ses sor, the di rec tor of Hasting and Platte Ju - col lege comput er ser vices, and the vice pres i dent of ed - nior Col lege in Colum - u ca tional ser vices. bus) both had inte grate d pro cesses of as sess ing Resource Team Formed stu dent learn ing and teaching prior to merg- To support these two subcom mittee s, the college ing in 1973. Some of formed an as sess ment re source team with rep re sen ta - the more com mon tives from each cam pus. This team focuse d on devel op - methods of assessing Brian McDermott ing a body of knowledge on asses sm ent and devel op ing student learning and a planning model that supported the contin u ous qual ity teaching included: im provem ent of student learning and teaching. u Collecting employer feedback on the skill In Oc to ber 1993, the col lege pro gram co or di na tion attainment of past students and planning com mittee , consis ting of all full-time and u Student surveys to determine perceived learning some part-time faculty , de veloped the ini tial out lines u Feedback from community leaders for the learning objec tives in each area of study or dis- u Capstone experiences in many of the courses of ci pline. study The col lege im ple mented an other im prove ment ef- u Tracking of successful improvement of skills as fort in 1994 when the Col lege Board of Gover nors ap - compared to initial entry testing proved the follow ing mission statement: u Formal program reviews “As a pub lic higher ed u ca tion in sti tu tion, Cen tral u Program advisory committees Com mu nity Col lege is ded i cated to pro vid ing qual ity u Assessment and advising tech ni cal, oc cu pa tional, trans fer, eco nomic de velop- ment, and pub lic ser vice ed u ca tion to di verse in di vid u- als and orga ni za tions in central Nebraska.” ASSET was Earliest Process The ex pan sion of the mis sion state ment in ten si fied Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege used As sess ment of the focus on edu ca tional quality for all ac adem ic offer - Skills for Suc cess ful En try and Trans fer as its ear li est ings in the col lege. Addi tion ally, in the five-year plan for mal pro cess to stan dard ize ba sic skills as sess ment. CCC in te grated sev eral con tin u ous qual ity im prove- The col lege pilot-tested the ASSET in strume nt early in ment practice s into the col lege goals to further im prove 1986 and adopted it collegewide in 1987. At that time teaching and learning, including: the college required all new full-time stu dents to take u Formalizing the collection of consumer input the ACT/SAT college entry exam s or the ASSET prior u Integrating standardized performance measures to begin ning their studies . The 1987 self-study report u Developing standardized performance standards to the North Central Asso ci a tion of College s and (by award level) Schools outlines the for mal inte gra tion of this as sess- u Developing consistent measurement techniques ment, and the pos itive com ments from NCA repre sen - u Providing appropriate feedback, analysis, and tatives during the site visit. service adjustments

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u Evaluating existing assessment procedures and Documenting Achievement student place ment. By in te grat ing these prac tices, the col lege moved u Post-testing of developmental students . closer to its goal of an ef fec tive and for mal assess ment u Developing a plan for assessing student learning program that could im prove teaching and learning. around the college mission and goals. These prac tices pro vided sev eral key ad van tages by in - u Incorporating assessment of student achievement clud ing the doc u men ta tion of stu dent at tain ment of into formal program review s. learn ing ob jec tives, iden ti fy ing pro gram strengths and In 1998, the college assigne d Dr. Wayne Vian as op por tu ni ties for im prove ment, aid ing in prioritizing the col lege as sess ment co or di na tor to fa cil i tate the as - for plan ning and re source al lo ca tion, and val i dat ing the sess ment pro cess for all col lege pro grams and accomplishment of the college mission. disciplines. Addi tion ally, as part of the 1994 self-study, the The fol low ing chro nol ogy lists sig nif i cant as sess - college reported a schedule that identi fied the objec - ment activ i ties from 2000 to 2005: tives, actions and time line for the start and comple tion 2000 of ac tions in the as sess ment im ple men ta tion plan. 4 Started annual consultant visits with all programs with Dr. Jane Hunter and Dr. Carroll Bennett as Key Objectives Identified consultants. The self-study identi fied six key objec tives for suc - 4 Implemented the matrix format for annual cess fully im ple ment ing the as sess ment program: assessment updates. u Designate a person to provide leadership for the 4 Integrated the Wisconsin Instructional Design development of the assessment of student learning System (WIDS) – measuring outcomes assessment program. 4 Explored initial aspects of continued accreditation u Conduct an exhaustive review of literature on the through the AQIP process. assessment of student learning and quality 4 Added four working days to full-time faculty’s improvement. contracts for the purpose of assessment and u Involve faculty and staff in professional development and in-service activities that focus on articulation. assessment of student learning. 2001 u Develop a plan for assessing student learning 4 Integrated standardized reporting with the matrix around the college mission and goal statements. format – all programs defined primary direct u Develop an assessment of student learning outcomes. procedure for federal ability to benefit requirements. 2002 u Develop an assessment of student learning 4 Applied to participate in the AQIP quality procedure for credit courses. improvement process (June 25, 2002). In late fall 1994, the col lege piloted a commit tee to 4 Accepted into AQIP by the Higher Learning eval uate teaching. The mem bership consis ted of an as- Commission (NCA) (August 2002). so ci ate dean of in struc tion and two fac ulty rep re sen ta- 4 Expanded assessment coordinator position to the tives from each cam pus. This com mittee devel oped and college effectiveness and research director position de fined in di ca tors of good in struc tion (teach ing). These (director: Brian McDermott). indicators included: u In struc tional de liv ery 2003 u In struc tional de sign 4 Revised Program Core Performance Indicators. u Con tent ex per tise 4 Conducted baseline review of program performance u Course man age ment and disciplines. In 1995, Central Com munity College formed the 4 Conducted review of learning objectives and asses sm ent com mittee to help guide the college in suc - development of standard rubric (English and cess fully com plet ing the six iden ti fied as sess ment ob - communications courses). jec tives and fol low rec om men da tions pro vided by 4 Developed initial goals and initiated first steps in NCA feedback. Some of the major projec ts worked on implementation (math action team). by team members in cluded:

179 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

2004 2005 4 Implemented collegewide ASL Progress Rubric. 4 Completed first AQIP Systems Portfolio. 4 Produced initial drafts of the Systems Portfolio 4 Moved 14 programs or disciplines up one or more (helping students learn – category 1). levels on ASL rubric. 4 Standardized annual assessment meetings. 4 Conducted monthly review of ASL progress at Educational Services Committee meetings.

Grand Island Campus students take assessment tests as part of the college assessment of student learning effort.

180 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College 2003 CCC Adopts AQIP Model for Reaccreditation By Brian McDermott, Director of Research The Ac a demic Qual ity Im prove ment Pro gram as sists higher ed u ca tion in sti tu tions in de vel op ing tools and pro- cesses that pro mote con tin u ous im prove ment. The Higher Learning Com mission of the North Central Asso ci a tion de signed AQIP to pro vide an al ter na tive re gional ac cred i ta tion pro cess for col leges and uni ver si ties. The com mis- sion launched AQIP in 1999 with a grant from the Pew Chari ta ble Trusts. As part of this program , CCC shares both its im provem ents and per form ance results with or gani za tions partic i pat ing in AQIP. Some of the key actions re- quired by col leges involved in AQIP include im plem enta tion and follow-t hrough on ac tion projec ts, attend ing strat- egy fo rums, gen er at ing and main tain ing a sys tems port fo lio for reg u larly sched uled ap prais als, and sup port ing checkup vis its. AQIP re af firms in sti tu tional ac cred i ta tion in the sev enth year of the in sti tu tion’s par tic i pa tion based on the re views of the system s portfo lio, annual update s on the action projec ts of the col lege, and feedback from the checkup visit conducte d in the fourth or fifth year. The AQIP proces s provided CCC the oppor tu nity to form alize its long history of using the concept s of contin u ous qual ity im provem ent, to im prove its per for mance as an in sti tu tion, and to better serve its stakeholders . Severa l exam ples of key milestone s in Central Com munity College ’s quality journey are outlined: Collegewide Quality Training To prepare for AQIP, the college , over a four-month period, conducte d one-and-a-half-day con tinu ous qual ity im prove ment in tro duc tory work shops for 398 full-time employees. College Forms the CQI Council To expand the partic i pa tion of em ploy ees in leading the quality im provem ent proces s, the college formed the Con tin u ous Qual ity Im prove ment Coun cil in Oc to ber 2002. The coun cil ad vises the Col lege Cab i net, the Ed u ca - tional Service s Com mittee , and the Business Service s De partm ent on AQIP and the improvement of college processes. College Selects the Action Projects and Starts Improvements Another key step in the AQIP/CQI proces s include d the selec tion of three action projec ts to provide focus to the quality efforts of the college . CCC utilize d data anal y sis and stakeholder input to identify three ac tion projec ts that met the AQIP crite ria: u Improving college com mu ni ca tions. u Improving mathematics course reten tion. u Im proving and expand ing the use of data-based de cision-m aking. The Col lege Cabi net approved the form ation of teams to oversee the action projec ts. Systems Portfolio Development An AQIP system s portfo lio is a 75- to 100-page public doc um ent de scribing a college ’s funda m ental insti tu - tional system s. It covers the nine AQIP cate go ries , descr ibing context, proces ses, results , and im provem ent in each system , and shows evi dence that the insti tu tion contin ues to meet the Higher Learning Com mission’s five Crite ria for Ac credi ta tion. Origi nally create d throughout the first four years of AQIP involve m ent, it is contin u ally update d to reflec t changes in the insti tu tion’s system s and proces ses. It is a valuable resourc e, both inter nally and for the in - sti tu tion’s ex ter nal au di ences, in clud ing ac cred it ing or ga ni za tions, state higher ed u ca tion agen cies, pro spec tive em - ploy ees, and other stakeholders . The Central Com munity College Sys tems Port folio provides the college the oppor tu nity to define how its cur- rent sys tems and proces ses perform and what oppor tu ni ties exist for im provem ent. An orga ni za tion such as CCC has

181 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 many system s made up of inter nal proces ses. As an exam ple, account ing is a system made up of multi ple proces ses such as the collec tion of data, the orga ni za tion of data, and the creation of reports. The learning system include s stu - dents eager to learn, fac ulty excite d about im parting knowledge and skills to students , and the proces ses involved in ex chang ing in for ma tion through var i ous in ter ac tions among fac ulty and stu dents, re sult ing in grad u ates qual i fied for em ploy ment or trans fer. To ac com plish the devel op m ent of the System s Port folio, the college leader ship formed a team of fac ulty and staff for each of the nine AQIP cate go ries and asked them to respond to the questions in their assigne d areas . The teams com pleted the first out lines in the fall of 2003 and contin ued to re fine the drafts into the spring of 2005. Working drafts were shared with college em ploy ees throughout the proces s. Through a se ries of SPARKS (System s Planning for Actions, Resourc es, Knowledge, and Skills) meet ings, the col lege em ploy ees conducte d the fi nal insti - tutional review of the draft doc um ent prior to its being publishe d. The SPARKS proces s served the college in two pri mary ways: 1. Provided input into portions of the System s Port folio that could be im proved. 2. Pro vided in put for set ting col lege ob jec tives and pri or i ties. After inte grat ing the input collec ted, CCC com pleted and turned in its Sys tems Port folio to the Higher Learning Com mis sion in No vem ber 2005.

Columbus Campus enthusiasm and innovation as well as maintaining good rapport with students and the college staff. u Twenty-six high schools successfully advanced to Gdowski is the financial aid director on the the third round of competition in the 2002-03 Columbus Campus and also teaches craft and KJSK NewsTalk 900 Brainstorm contest. computer classes for the Extended Learning Thirty-three high schools began the contest in the Services. She joined the CCC staff in 1999. fall of 2002, as high school teams competed to Nominators made numerous comments about how answer questions prepared by members of the hard Gdowski worked to serve the interests of Columbus Campus faculty. The elimination rounds students. of questioning continued until the final eight u The an nual Fac ulty Member of the Year Award for schools competed via a live radio broadcast from 2003 was given to David Fulton dur ing the com - the Columbus Campus later in the spring of 2003. mencement cer emo nies. Fulton joined the fac ulty in u Lisa Gdowski was named Employee of the Year at 1970 as a history instruc tor. The annual award is the Columbus Campus during a staff reception in given to a Colum bus Cam pus faculty mem ber who May. The Employee of the Year Award is dis plays ex cel lence and in no va tion in teach ing, has presented annually to a Columbus Campus good rapport with students and is involved in profes - employee who demonstrates dedication, sional and in sti tu tional im prove ment. u Jack Gutierrez, athletic director, basketball coach, and physical education instructor, received the 2003 Eagle Award from the Nebraska Mexican-American Veterans Association during the group winter banquet in Omaha. The award is given to a Mexican-American from Nebraska who has put in years of service working and volunteering with youth in the state. u R&B Industries of Colmar, Pa., donate d more than $140,000 worth of automotive and welding supplies and other items to the Columbus Campus. The donation was given because CCC is a member Students were welcomed to fall registration at the of the National Alternative Fuels Consortium and Columbus Campus with a barbecue. has an alternative fuels program. R&B Industries

182 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

supplies af ter-market parts to automotive parts stores and retail outlets. u Mary Young, vol leyball coach, was named Re gion IX East Coach of the Year. She was also se lected by the re gion as an Amer i can Vol ley ball Coaches As so ci a tion/Tachikara Two-Year West Re gion Coach of the Year. Up to that time, Young had com piled a 241-145 re cord that include d six NCCAC league cham pion ships and six NCCAC tour na ment cham pi on ships. Her 2002-03 squad fin- ished with a record of 36-14 and was ranked 16th in the national polls. u The CCC Raider basket ball team ended its 2002-03 sea son with a re cord of 18-16 and captured the Re - gion IX title, winning a place in the 12-team Na- tional Ju nior Col lege Di vi sion II Tour na ment in Danville, Ill. for the second time in four years. The Raid ers de feated Bis marck State Col lege from North Dakota 88-79 to win the Dis trict 4 playoff and qual ify for the national tourna m ent in March. u Ed Eaton of Euless, Texas, and form erly of Colum - bus, re ceived the 10th annual Outsta nding Alum - nus Award from the Colum bus Cam pus during grad u a tion cer e mo nies. He earned an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in me chan i cal draft ing in Angie Raemakers, Brenda Buettner and Michelle Bentz 1992 and an asso ci ate of science degree in 1994. are shown in the CCC office located in the Columbus He then worked as an under grad u ate assis tant and Family Resource Center. an intern for the Depart m ent of Energy at the Los Alamos Na tional Labo ra tory in New Mexico. He earned a bach e lor’s de gree in me chan i cal en gi neer - dation to provide scholar ships for students at the ing from the Univer sity of New Mexico and Colum bus Cam pus. At that time, Newport was worked as re search en gi neer at Lockheed Martin pres i dent of Alpena Com munity College in his Missiles and Fire Control in Dallas. home state of Michi gan, and was planning to re tire u The Ne braska State Coun cil of the Amer i can Col - within the year. Newport gave $10,000 to each of lege Testing Corpo ra tion honored Jim Fisher, cam - the five com munity college s that played a role in pus presi dent, for his 20 years of service to ACT. his long ad min is tra tive ca reer with com mu nity col- He served as Ne braska ACT rep re sen ta tive and on leges. When he was hired as col lege pres i dent in the Western Region ACT Board. Colum bus in 1967, Newport was the youn gest col- u The Colum bus Cam pus hosted the 2003 Central lege pres ident in the United States at the age of 27. Hon ors In stitute in July. The in stitute was a He served as presi dent of the campus in Columbus one-week res i den tial ac a demic camp for se lected until 1971. students who com pleted the sixth or seventh grade u Dr. Bill Tuttle, Eng lish in structor, received an an- dur ing the spring se mes ter. Thirty-five par tic i pants nual Men Who Make a Dif fer ence Award at the were se lected to at tend the camp based on their ac - Cen ter for Sex ual As sault and Do mes tic Vi o lence a demic achieve ments and rec om men da tions from Survi vors in Colum bus. The award was made dur - teach ers or coun sel ors. ing a vol un teer ap pre ci a tion ban quet to rec og nize u The first presi dent of Platte Col lege, Don Newport, his active support of the center’s focus on rais ing estab lishe d an endowed fund with the CCC Foun- com munity awareness of violence against women.

183 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 u Chuck Hassebrook of Ly ons, the exec u tive di rec tor of the Cen ter for Rural Affairs in Walthill and a mem ber of the Uni versity of Ne braska Board of Regents since 1994, re ceived a Distin guishe d Alumni Award from the Nebras ka Com munity Col lege As so ci a tion. Hassebrook grad u ated from the Colum bus Cam pus in 1975 with an asso ci ate of arts degree and from the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lin coln with a bach elor degree that was a self-de - signed course of study which focuse d on econom ic, so cial and in sti tu tional change in ru ral com mu ni- ties. The Center for Rural Affairs in Walthill is a na tion ally rec og nized research, advocacy, and rural development organization. u Nick Wag oner, an au to mo tive tech nol ogy and al- ter na tive fu els in struc tor, went to In dia in Jan u ary History Instructor Dave Fulton receives an award to pro vide much-needed al ter na tive fu els train ing. from College President Dr. LaVern Franzen. The govern m ent in India re quested the training from the United States af ter pass ing a law that ve - hicle s in India run on something other than gaso - u Ella Wenman was named the Out stand ing Ca reer line. Wagoner and two other trainers spent severa l and Tech ni cal Ed u cation Teacher of the Year in days in India and taught a five-day class about con- Region V by the Asso ci a tion of Caree r and Techni - vert ing ve hi cles to use al ter na tive fu els. They were cal Ed u cation at the nation al con fer ence in Alaska. selec ted by the Soci ety of India Auto Manu fac tur- Wenman had been a family and con sumer sci ence ers As so ci a tion to pres ent a two-week cyl in der in- in struc tor and co op er a tive ed u ca tion job de vel oper spec tion program in India. Wagoner re ported that at the Colum bus Campus prior to her retirement. India im ported 70 percent of its oil but had large sup plies of nat u ral gas. The classes were much Retired larger than expect ed, which made it diffi cult to do u David Fulton retired from his position as a history much hands-on training with the students . Wag- instructor at the Columbus Campus. Fulton joined oner and the other trainers did have some time to the faculty in 1970. He graduated from Wood see and experience some of the unique culture of River High School in Illinois and earned a India. bachelor’s degree in history and social science from Peru State College and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri. Prior to joining the CCC staff, he taught at Clarinda Public Schools, Iowa Western Community College-Clarinda Campus and Robert Morris Junior College in Carthage, Ill. Grand Island Campus u The Multicultural Club sponsore d a touring theatrical group which presented a performance of “Races of Amer ica” at College Park. The hour-long show dealt with the many issues of multiculturalism in modern America. The performance, which was free and open to the public, was made possible by a $3,431 grant from Theater students present "Picasso" in the Columbus the Nebraska Arts Council. Campus Fine Arts Theater.

184 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Cindy Johnson of Grand Is land re ceived the 10th annual Outsta nding Alumni Award from the Grand Is land Cam pus dur ing grad u a tion cer e mo nies. Johnson gradu ate d from the Grand Is land Cam pus in 1996 with an as soci ate of arts degree and earned a bach elor’ s de gree in hu man and so cial ser vice ad - min is tra tion from Belle vue Uni ver sity. She also earned a master’ s de gree from the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Lin coln in mass com mu ni ca tion and journal ism . She served as di rec tor of the Com mu - nity Re de vel op ment Au thor ity for the City of Grand Island be fore be com ing the presi dent of the Grand Island Cham ber of Com merce. u Enrollment in the nursing program hit an all-time high at CCC. The admissions office at the Grand A student ambassador (left) and Admissions Director Island Campus reported more than 800 individuals Mary Young (center) help new students during indicated interest in the program s, and student registration for the 2003 fall semester. admissions for both the associate degree in nursing and the practical nursing programs were at full deployed in the military for almost a year as part of capacity through the fall of 2004. The satellite Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cox was stationed in nursing programs at Kearney and Columbus were Bosnia-Herzegovina, along with his twin brother, running at near capacity and the Extende d James, and older brother, Christo pher, to support Learning Services depart m ent contin ued to offer peacekeeping operations. While he was stationed LPN/RN refresher courses for nurses seeking overseas, his father, Gaylen Cox, was a substitute relicensure in Nebraska. instructor in the electrical technology program at u Craig Ratzlaff of Aurora received the Faculty the Grand Island Campus. Member Award from the Nebraska Community College Association and the American Association In Memory of Community College Trustees also named him u Marion “Bill” Kincade of Ce dar Rapids died the 2003 Western Region Faculty Member of the Nov. 27, 2002, at the age of 70. Kincade was born Year. His regional honor qualified him to be in Mayberry in 1932. He was a gradu ate of Paw nee considered for the ACCT national award. Ratzlaff, City High School and spent 20 years in the U.S. a personal development and education instructor Army and Air Force. He held an as so ci ate de gree since joining the faculty in 1993, has worked to from Texas State Tech ni cal In sti tute. He re tired smooth the process for students transferring to from the Grand Is land Cam pus in 1990 after serv- four-year institutions, and he was one of the first ing as a heat ing, air con di tion ing and re frig er a tion faculty members to offer courses on the Web. instruc tor for 13 years. u Jeanne Webb, early childhood education instructor, received a 2003 Distinguished Alumni Award from Hastings Campus Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, Mo., where she earned a bachelor’s de gree in el emen tary u Bob Glenn of Hastings received the 19th annual education in 1971. She taught school in Rushville, Outstanding Service Award at a staff recognition Mo., before earning a master’s degree in human ceremony at the Hastings Campus. Glenn was development from the Univer sity of Ne braska at honored for his active participation in many Lincoln. She joined the CCC staff in 1981 and campus and community organizations, for putting helped to develop the early childhood education students first, and for the help he gave to the program and the child care center. campus chapter of PTK as one of their advisers. u Jeff Cox, electrical technology instructor, was Glenn was a sociology instructor and a counselor welcomed home in late September 2003 after being in the health occupations department before

185 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

accepting his position as director of admissions and by Ed Leahy, coor di na tor of the Im migrant Rights recruiting at the Hastings Campus. Net work of Iowa-Nebras ka. The com munity forum u Two dental hygiene gradu ate s from the Hastings focuse d on the theme, “United States Im migra tion Cam pus re ceived awards in rec ogni tion for the in a Se curity-Con sci ous World.” Leahy explaine d work they have done in their profes sion. Belinda how the Im mi gra tion and Nat u ral iza tion Ser vice Bridges of Elkhorn and Maxine Wehling of Broken has been folded into the new Homeland Se curity Bow were both nontra di tional students and class - De part ment and what that bu reau cratic change has mates who earned as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de - meant in the lives of some im migrants seeking a grees in dental hygiene in 1996. Bridges recei ved new life in Amer ica. the Hy gienists of the Year Award in Febru ary from u The Coun cil on Ac cred i ta tion of the Amer i can the Omaha Den tal Hy gien ists As so ci a tion and then Health In for ma tion Man age ment As so ci a tion won the Nebras ka Hygien ists of the Year Award in reaccredited the health in for ma tion man age ment April. Wehling was one of only two recip i ents of ser vices pro gram for an other three years. the Crest/Amer i can Den tal Hy gien ists As so ci a tion Reaccreditation required the com pletion of a de- Award for clini cal dental hy gien ists which in- tailed self-study report that focuse d on all aspect s cluded a $2,000 cash prize. of the HIMS program . u A house built by Hastings Cam pus students sold at u Hastings Cam pus die sel tech nol ogy stu dents were public auction for a record-s etting price of awarded first place in a state diesel troubles hooting $90,000. The 1,680-square-foot house was built ac- contes t sponsore d and judged by the Nebras ka cording to uniform building code standards by stu- Truck ing As so ci a tion. The con test was for dents in the con struc tion tech nol ogy, elec tri cal postsecondary schools in Ne braska. Mem bers of tech nol ogy, and heat ing, air con di tion ing and re- the winning team were Herbie Christensen of Fort frig er a tion tech nol ogy pro grams. Mr. and Mrs. Calhoun, Brandon Crawford of Axtell, and Robert James Schoch of Bene dict were the proud owners Klein of Omaha. of the new home. u Ag ri cul ture in struc tor Brad Lang re ceived the 2003 u The Root 1 Multicul tural Club and the cam pus Dr. Ray Staristka Award for Ex cel lence from the chapter of Phi Theta Kappa sponsore d a forum led Ne braska Cer ti fied Crop Ad vi sor Board. The award is pre sented each year to recog nize a cer ti - fied crop advise r for out standing service . Lang is a mem ber of sev eral Ne braska ag ri cul ture as so ci a - tions and volun tee rs as a 4-H leader. u Jackie Zeckser of Hastings re ceived the 22nd an - nual Outsta nding Alumni Award during com - mence ment cer e mo nies. Zeckser grad u ated from the Hastings Cam pus in 1998 with an asso ci ate of ap plied sci ence de gree in family and con sumer sci - ence. She worked in the Head Start Child and De- velop m ent Program in Hastings for nearly 20 years but was forced to give up her teaching duties due to health problem s. Af ter a year of hos pital iza tion and recov ery, she was unable to return to the classroom becaus e of high-risk expo sure to germs, but she contin ued to be a child care coor di na tor for six counties in Ne braska and assis ted at the Region 9 SkillsUSA-VICA advis er Leon Finecy with the winners Pre school In ter agency Coun cil. of the problem- solving skills contest in the 2003 state com pe ti tion.

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Retired of the trade and indus try divi sion, resourc e techni - cian, and as so ci ate dean of educational centers. u Kent Murray of Hastings retired from his position as regional Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices co or di na - tor. Murray joined the Hastings Campus staff in Arcadia Learning Center 1988. Prior to joining the CCC staff, he worked as In Memory teacher and administrator at several colleges and u Linda “Lyn” Sim on VanSlyke of Ar cadia died universities in the United States, and also was Jan. 16, 2003. Funera l service s were held at the Ar - employed by the state and federal government. cadia High School gymna sium . She was born in While serving as an officer in the Air Force, 1957 in Joplin, Mo., and had re sided in Arca dia Murray worked for NASA during the 1960 space since 1980 where she taught art. Van Slyke worked race and moon shot. He is a graduate of Arcadia about five years for Central Com munity College as High School and earned a bache lor’s de gree in the man ager of the Ar cadia Learn ing Cen ter. English and languages, a master’s degree in political science, and a doctorate in adult education and program ming – all from the Univer sity of Ne - Board of Governors braska at Lincoln. After his retirement, he taught u The Central Community College Board of political science for CCC on a part-time basis. Governors added two new members. Wayne Sasges of Grand Island was sworn to fill the seat In Memory held by Don Anderson, who retired from the board u Darwin Kempf of Glenvil died March 22, 2003, at after serving three terms. Sasges is president of Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital after a MFS/York/Stormor, a manufacturer of grain bins courageous battle with cancer. Services were at and grain handling equipment. The Board of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Glenvil with burial Governors also appointed Linda Aerni of in the Glenvil cemetery. Kempf was born in 1942 Columbus to replace Keith Pollard who had at Clay Center. He joined the faculty in 1982 and resigned from the board. Aerni is the co-founder was an auto body instructor at the campus for 20 and CEO of Community Internet System s Inc. in years. Kempf made an immeasurable impact on Columbus. students and their careers during his tenure at the Hastings Campus. Business Technology u Dianne Gilbert of Lexington died Oct. 3, 2003. She u Changing technology in the business world led to a was born in Hastings in 1951 and was a graduate of change in the name of the office technology pro- Blue Hill High School. She graduated from the gram. It be came the business technology program Hastings Campus in 1970 with a dental assisting in order to more accurately reflect the new and degree and later worked as a secretary for the varied skills needed by people entering the dental hygiene program from 1989 to 1999. She workforce in the business world. also worked at the Henderson Health Care Services and served as executive director of the Grand Generation Center in Cozad. Central Connection Online u Ber nard “Bernie” Kinley of Hastings died July 27, u The “Central Connec tio n” newslet ter was placed 2003. Kinley was born in 1925 in Bladen. He was a on the CCC Web site. The Central Connection grad u ate of Bladen High School and earned a bach - Online also includes photos and stories from the elor’ s de gree from Doane Col lege and a master’ s Columbus Cam pus “Raider Re view,” the Grand degree from Colo rado State Univer sity. He taught Island Cam pus “Com mu ni ca tor,” the Hastings and coached for the Kenesaw and Fairmont public Cam pus “Com mu ni ca tor,” “C-Notes,” and “Coun- school system s and was a building and trades in- selor Connec tion” newslet ters . The addition of the struc tor for South east Com mu nity Col lege-Milford newsletter to the college Web site was part of an prior to joining the CCC staff in 1967. Be fore retir - overhaul of the public relations pages and ing from Central Com munity College -Hastings in publications. 1987, Kinley had served as an instruc tor, chairm an

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Grand Island. Retir ing board mem bers Doyle College Administration Hulme of Grand Is land and Don Egenberger of u Twenty-three students and alumni were inter - Minden were honored for their many years of ser - viewed by Jim Strayer, CCC public relations vice to the CCC Founda tion and the col lege. officer, and Mike Wallace, NTV pro ducer, about their experiences at CCC. Parts of those interviews Co-op Education Interns were edited into 60-second commercials that were u aired during the 2003 fall semester. The cooperative education program for CCC compiled some impressive numbers as it provided students with the opportunity to earn college credit College Foundation while continuing to work at their jobs. During the u The CCC Founda tion Board of Di rec tors approved 2003 spring semester and the summer session, the fund ing for the 2003-04 Pro fes sional De vel op ment Columbus Campus had 28 interns who earned 71 Grant Program . The founda tion provided $6,000 credits. During the 2002-03 academic year, the for grants to be divided into $1,000 allot m ents for Grand Island Campus had 103 interns who earned each cam pus and the adm inis tra tion office , with the 237 cred its. During that same academic year, the rem aining $2,000 to be used for collegewide Hastings Campus had 86 interns who earned 299 awards. credits. Al to gether, the three campuses placed 217 u Three new mem bers of the CCC Founda tion Board interns with 120 businesses throughout the CCC of Di rec tors were elected in June. The new mem- service area. bers were Don Dunn of Grand Island, Kermit Bosshamer of Kear ney and Don Ander son of Criminal Justice Program u Eighteen students enrolled in a forensic science course which was offered for the first time during the fall semester in the criminal justice program. It then became possible for students to concentrate in any of five areas in the program: forensic science, corrections, law enforcement, courts, and private security. The program started at CCC in 1996. Datazinc u The CCC training and development department started working with experts from Datazinc to provide Six Sigma Black Belt training to Nebraska companies. Six Sigma uses data to measure and improve a company’s operational performance. For the first time, Datazinc allowed CCC to offer training as a public session, rather than having to send people out of state for the Six Sigma Black Belt training at a much greater cost to participants.

“Martha With an Attitude” was one of the myriad of EducationQuest Foundation classes offered by the CCC Extended Learning u CCC recei ved a $20,000 grant from the Edu ca tion- Services division during 2003. It featured decorating Quest Founda tion for the col lege Bridge Program . ideas for the holidays. Pictured from left: front row, The Bridge Program helps students in the English Ginny Lehm-Kuhl and Mary Nyffeler; back row, ELS as a Sec ond Language, Adult Basic Edu ca tion and Coordinator Karen Mroczek and Pat Mueller. Gen eral Ed u ca tion De vel op ment classes to build

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better ac adem ic skills. More than 550 students re- compe ti tion in Kansas City were Margie Andoy ceived bene fits from the Bridge Program that and Renee DeWyke from the Columbus Cam pus, serves many first-gen er a tion Amer i cans and and Steven Jensen, Robert Klein, Lacy Makinen, first-gen er a tion col lege stu dents. The Jason Manning, Jeff Ryther, Jeff Hollister, Dusty EducationQuest Founda tion is a private , nonprofit Kleier, Luis Novoa and David Willis from the or ga ni za tion with a mis sion to im prove ac cess to Hastings Campus. u higher ed u ca tion in Ne braska. Allen Stenzel, an as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence Co - lum bus Cam pus in dus trial tech nol ogy grad u ate, was one of eight contes - Head Start Grant Received tants on TeamUSA at the u CCC recei ved a five-year grant valued at $750,000 3l7th World Skills Com - from the U.S. De partm ent of Health and Hum an peti tion held in St. Service s. The grant was used for a profes sional de- Gallen, Swit zer land. vel op ment pro ject, “Very Young His panic/La tino Stenzel placed 16th in Child for Tom orrow Partner ship,” which trained mechatronics during the Head Start Pro fes sion als to work more ef fec tively world wide com pe ti tion. with Hispanic children and their fami lies. The The Festo Cor po ra tion grant was used to re cruit, train, and support profes - was the U.S. sponsor of sionals as they worked towar d cer tifi cat es, diplo - the mechatronics mas, and degree s in early childhood edu ca tion as competition. Overall, required by the 1998 Head Start Act. TeamUSA placed eighth among a field of 37 na- Allen Stenzel tions. Rich William s, in - Holdrege Center dus trial tech nol ogy in struc tor at the Hastings u Di ana Wat son, re gional co or di na tor for the Cam pus, ac com pa nied the U.S. con tes tants dur ing Holdrege Learning Center, recei ved the 2003 the 10-day trip and was a guest obser ver at the Achievem ent Award for Ne braska from the Mis- com pe ti tions. souri Val ley Adult Ed u ca tion As so ci a tion. The Missouri Valley group is a re gional profes sional Phi Theta Kappa as so ci a tion for in di vid u als in adult and con tin u ing u Five Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege stu dents were ed u cation across a seven-state area. honored as mem bers of the 2003 Phi Theta Kappa Ne braska All-State Ac ademic Team dur ing cer e - Kearney Center monies at the State Capitol Build ing. A medal lion and a cer tif i cate were presented to each of the 20 u Julie Roach, a CCC ad junct fac ulty mem ber, re - members of the team who rep re sented each of the ceived the Out stand ing Re tired Teacher Award six com munity college s in Nebras ka. The five CCC from the Kear ney Public Schools Founda tion. mem bers of the team were: Scott Prothman of Co - Roach taught in the Kear ney school sys tem for 30 lum bus and Kimberly Powell of Leigh from the years, was an ad junct fac ulty mem ber in the speech Colum bus Cam pus, Rebecca Pfeiffer of Doniphan de part ment for the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Kear - from the Grand Is land Cam pus and Kenneth ney and contin ued to substi tute for the Kear ney Gallagher of Hastings and Jill Harders of Grand Is- Pub lic Schools. land from the Hastings Cam pus. u Twelve in di vid u als from Cen tral Com mu nity Col- Nebraska SkillsUSA-VICA lege attende d the Phi Theta Kappa Inter na tional u Several CCC students from the Hastings and Conven tion in Ana heim , Calif. Ken Gallagher from Columbus cam puses placed in the Nebraska the Hastings Cam pus re ceived a Distin guishe d SkillsUSA-VICA State Leadership and Skills Con- ference , which was held on the Hastings Campus. Chapter Pres ident Award at the conven tion and First-place winners who participated in the national was also rec ognize d as one of 16 com munity col- lege students to be listed in a PTK lit erary honors

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anthol ogy for his award-winning short story, fall se mester at CCC had earned col lege cred its “Cuppa Black.” Both the Hastings Cam pus and through the Tech Prep program that applied towar d Co lum bus Cam pus chap ters re ceived a re gional de grees, di plo mas or cer tif i cates from CCC. Tech Five Star Chapter Devel op m ent Award, along with Prep is a na tional program that allows high school other regional awards during the Nebras ka-Wyo - students to earn college credits through a partner - ship be tween high schools, college s, busi nesses ming Re gional meet ing at the inter na tional conven - and govern m ent. Of the 70 high schools in CCC’s tion. 25-county ser vice area, 52 were Tech Prep part ners with CCC at that time. Dur ing the 2002-03 college Tech Prep year, 4,617 high school students signed up for u Tech Prep Co or di na tor Steph a nie Ja cob son re- Tech Prep credit, which was about 84 percent of ported that 935 students who started the 2003-04 the high school student popu la tion in the CCC ser - vice area.

190 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College TRiO: Support for At-Risk Students by Stephanie Jacobson, Cam pus. Lora Urkoski-Hastreiter was the Colum bus TRiO Director Cam pus coor di na tor, and Kevin Miller joined the col- lege as the TRiO coor di na tor on the Hastings Cam pus. The TRiO Support Service s Projec t began at Cen- This Kevin Miller held the posi tion until 2004 and is tral Com munity College in August 2001 when a not the person by the same name who earlier served the four-year grant called Ac quir ing Ca reer Mileston es for college as Tech Prep coor di na tor and then as an Ev ery one (ACME) was awarded by the U.S. De part - associate dean. ment of Education. A na tional pro gram, TRiO as sists first-gen er a tion Campus Coordinators Added college students , low-incom e students , and dis abled stu dents to ini tially cre ate a plan for ac ademic suc cess By July 2003, it was deter m ined that each cam pus and to achieve that goal. TRiO was initi ated by the needed a full-time co or di na tor. Steph a nie Ja cob son be- Higher Edu ca tion Act of 1965 when three exist ing De- came the part-time di rec tor, and Dawn Deuel-Rutt be- part ment of Ed u ca tion program s were gathere d under the came the full-time coor di na tor for the Grand Is land acro nym. Two other program s were added and the five Cam pus. In 2004, Deuel-Rutt transferred to the pro grams serve ap prox i mately 700,000 students in more Hastings Cam pus as co or di na tor, and Sonya Keopanya than 800 colleges and universities nationwide. took the posi tion on the Grand Island Cam pus. In Sep - tem ber 2005, Jacob son becam e the full-time TRiO Project Directors director. Monica McClure was the first pro ject di rec tor for Wide Range of Help Provided CCC. She served in that capac ity from 2001-03. She also was the projec t coor di na tor for the Grand Is land CCC is re quired by the grant to serve 160 students collegewide each year in the student support service s program . There are typi cal ly 150 students on the wait- ing list, and many more CCC students could meet the ba sic guide lines. As sis tance pro vided in cludes ac a - demic advice and help in course se lec tion, tuto rial ser - vices and counsel ing, expo sure to cultural events and to ac a demic pro grams not usu ally cho sen by dis ad van- taged stu dents, ca reer aware ness, and help with ad mis- sion and finan cia l aid when transfer ring to bac ca lau re ate de gree pro grams. Both an ec dotal and sta - tis ti cal ev i dence shows that the stu dent par tic i pants have achieved a high rate of suc cess. Second Grant Awarded In March 2005, Central Com munity College was awarded the sec ond TRiO grant. At the discre tion of U.S. Sec re tary of Ed u ca tion Mar ga ret Spell ings, the Grand Island Campus TRiO Coordinator Sonya grant was awarded for five years rather than the usual Keopanya meets with a student. four becaus e of the quality of the grant application.

191 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 2004 New Administration Building is Dedicated In June of 2004, the public was invited to the dedi ca tion of the new Central Com munity College adm inis tra tion building. The cer em onies began with a posting of the colors by mem bers of the Knights of Colum bus. Speaking were Di ane Keller, chairwom an of the CCC Board of Gover nors, who wel comed those in atten dance , and Dr. LaVern Franzen, college pres ident, who intro duced specia l guests. Dr. Wayne Vian, a past worship ful master, preside d over the laying of a corner stone by Nebras ka Grand Lodge, A.F. and A.M. Vian is a bio log i cal sciences instructor at Grand Island Campus. A ribbon-cut ting by the Grand Is land Area Cham ber of Com merce Am bassa dors was also conducte d, with Keller, Franzen, and Dr. Joe Preusser, re tired college pres ident, cutting the ribbon. A re ception, open house, and tours of the building led by staff mem bers then fol lowed. About 200 people were in attendance. The $2.1 million, 21,000-square-foot building had been occu pied in March by 45 staff mem bers, includ ing the col lege pres i dent and vice pres i dent for ed u ca tional ser vices and the ad min is tra tive de part ments of ac count ing ser - vices, ac counts pay able, busi ness of fice, en roll ment man age ment, grant writ ing, hu man re sources, in sti tu tional re- search, manage m ent infor m ation service s, pay roll, public relations, purchasing, Tech Prep and TRiO. Plans for the expan sion had begun eight years earlier , but ground was not broken until Decem ber 2002. Wilkins Hinrichs Stober L.L.C, were the ar chi tects. The gen eral con trac tor was Lacy Con struc tion. With the com pletion of the projec t, the vacat ed 8,400-square-foot adm inis tra tive area was converte d into dis - tance edu ca tion class rooms for the Grand Is land Cam pus in an $531,000 projec t, giving the citi zens of Ne braska greater ac cess to ed u ca tion. The above article includes information from the Grand Island Independent.

Columbus Campus Henry of Richland and Stephen Ingemansen and Amanda Terrell of Columbus received outstanding u The first four days of April in the Colum bus Cam - soloist certificates for their efforts in the group’s pus Fine Arts Theate r took audi ence s on a trip down mem ory lane. For the first time in severa l years, the art, mu sic and the ater de part ments com- bined their talents , present ing four perfor m ances of the musi cal produc tion, “A Day in Holly wood, a Night in the Ukraine,” a two-act mu sical that takes place in Grauman Chi nese Theater. In Act 1, a group of ushers takes the audi ence on a musi cal tour of the 1930s that fea tures well-known songs like “Over the Rainbow” and “Ain’t We Got Fun?” Act 2 is a movie be ing shown at the Grauman that is an adap ta tion of Anton Chekhov’s “The Bear” as if the Marx Brothers had starred in it. u The National Alternative Fuels Day Odyssey was held on the campus giving participants a chance to learn about high performance technology and its benefit to the environment and the economy. Music Instructor Nancy Curry (left) directs Spectrum, u Spectrum, the vocal jazz ensemble participated in the Columbus Campus vocal jazz ensemble, which the 27th annual University of Kansas Jazz Festival. performed at the 27th annual University of Kansas Jazz Spectrum members Aimee Hauf of Orchard, Cari Festival.

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u The Raiders Dance Team received a second-place trophy at All-Star Tryouts in Grand Island. Chelsey Batenhorst of Stuart was selected by the camp staff for the Firecracker Award. The team performed at home basketball and volleyball games and at selected community events. u Kathryn Ballobin, as soci ate dean of students , and Vince Lemke, math e mat ics and phys ics in struc tor, and their spouses served as hosts to three inter na tional Fulbright Scholars from the Philip pines , Turkey, and Esto nia. Their Colum bus visit was part of a weeklong Fulbright Gate way Ori en ta tion at the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at Lin coln. u The 2003-04 Raiders volleyball team was named a fall academic team of the year by the National Columbus Campus student Christa Dendinger (left) Junior College Athletic Association. To earn the and CCC employee Robin Coan talk with student honor, teams must have a minimum grade point Hunter Flodman during a Phi Theta Kappa blood drive average of 3.0 and be nominated by their athletic on the campus in 2004. director. Team members were Jessica Allberry of McCook, Nikki Christensen of Elba, Katie Hoblyn performance. The ensemble also included vocalists of Ansley, Andrea James of Springfield, Bristol Scott Becker and Gina Starzec and percussionist Kelsay of Auburn, Erika Moog of Maxwell, Adam Schaer, all of Columbus. Ashley Pinneo of York, Jennifer Remmereid of u Linda Aerni of Colum bus re ceived the 11th annual Albion, Kandi Ryan of Broken Bow, Rebecca Outsta nding Alumni Award. Af ter recei ving an as- Samek of David City, Katie Van Westen of so ci ate’s de gree, she en rolled at the Uni ver sity of Daykin, and Tonya Wysocki of Elba. Kelsay and Ne braska at Kearney where she earned a bach elor’ s Moog were also named Distinguished Academic degree in business . She is founder and CEO of All-Americans, which required a minimum 3.8 Digi tal Gam ing Solu tions Inc. and co-founder and GPA. The Raiders were coached by Mary Young. CEO of Com munity Internet System s. In addi tion u The vol ley ball team won the league ti tle in the Ne- to con sid er able com mu nity in volve ment, she be- braska Com mu nity Col lege Ath letic Con fer ence came a mem ber of the CCC Board of Gover nors in 2003, repre sent ing the fifth elec tion dis trict. u Michelle Bentz was named recipient of the Employee of the Year Award. She joined the campus in 1998 as a multimedia coordinator in the business and industry training department. She was later promoted to career and transitions coordinator. She was cited for her warm and friendly personality, her service and dedication to students, her contributions as interim associate dean of students, and for assisting with volleyball. u Thirty-nine seventh- and eighth-grade students from 19 communities participated in the Central Honors Institute which was held on the campus. Students were selected on the basis of their academic accomplishments, a recommendation Columbus Campus zoology students enjoy a field trip from a teacher or counselor, and demonstrated to Lake Babcock near the campus to identify water leadership and maturity. fowl.

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six out of the pre vious nine years. Team mem bers sity of Ne braska at Lincoln. The award cited John- also had won the league tourna m ent crown six of son for leader ship in a vari ety of community the pre vious nine years. development projects. u Steve Heinisch, biological science instructor, u Bob Sanner was acknowledged as a contributor to received the Faculty Member of the Year Award. two different accounting textbooks – the ninth He was cited for his enthusiasm in the classroom, edition of “Accounting Concepts and his passion for his subject matter, for his Applications” by Albricht and others, and the determination to get to know his students, and his eighth edition of “College Accounting” by desire to help his students learn. He was also McQuaig and Bille. commended for his involvement in the college and u Char lie Greg ory, as so ci ate dean of Ex tended within the community. Learn ing Ser vices, re ceived the Rookie of the Year u A grant exceeding $1.6 million was awarded to Award from the Adult and Contin u ing Edu ca tion Central Community College by the U.S. De part- As so ci a tion of Ne braska. ment of Labor to help Nebraska industries remain competitive in the global market. The grant was used to establish a mechatronics education center at the campus under the direction of Doug Pauley, director of business and industry training. The project grew out of the contacts between the college and Festo Corporation, a German corporation with subsidiaries in the U.S. The company had earlier donated $100,000 to the college to purchase equipment to support the project. In addition to providing mechatronics education for those in industry and for more traditional students, the center was designed to provide professional development for industrial Grand Island Campus students are inducted into the technology instructors from community colleges local chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international throughout the state. honorary society for students attending two-year Retired colleges. u Mary Hull retired as a communications instructor, u a position she held from 1987 when she joined the The Grand Is land Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa rec- college. A person of many interests, she is a og nized Bob Sanner, ac count ing in struc tor, who member of the New York Author’s Guild, has served as a faculty advise r for the group for 12 published a textbook and a children’s book, and years. Chap ter Pres i dent Kathy Hillje repor ted that designs and sells jewelry. She served as a member more than 730 Grand Island Cam pus students were of the Board of Trustees for Sioux Falls College in inducte d into PTK during that time. u South Dakota. Dr. Bill Giddings resigne d as cam pus presi dent in order to accept a posi tion as vice pres ident with North east Com munity College in Norfolk. Dr. Lynn Grand Island Campus Black, as soci ate dean of students , as sumed the du - u Grand Is land Area Cham ber of Com merce Pres i - ties of interi m cam pus presi dent. dent Cindy Johnson was chosen by the Nebras ka u Kimberly Adair of Grand Island received the 11th Com mu nity Col lege As so ci a tion to re ceive a Dis - annual Outstanding Alumni Award. She earned an tinguishe d Alumni Award. She had been nom i- associate of applied science degree in accounting. nated by the Grand Island Cam pus where she After graduation, she was employed as an account - re ceived an as so ci ate of arts de gree in 1996. She ing clerk by Equitable Federal Savings Bank. By then earned a bach elor’ s de gree from Bellevue 2002, she had become an officer of the bank, an as- Univer sity and a master’s degree from the Univer - sistant vice president, and assistant controller.

194 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Ann Cham bers, Adult Ba sic Ed u ca tion co or di na - tor; Angie Pacheco, ad mis sions di rec tor; and Craig Ratzlaff, per sonal de vel op ment in struc tor, each re - ceived an Ex cel lence Award from the Na tional In - sti tute for Staff and Or ga ni za tional Development. u Martha Berquist of Oxford, a nursing major, and Kathy Hillje of Ravenna, a business major, each received a $1,000 scholarship from the Coca-Cola Foundation. u Charlie Gregory, associate dean of Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices, graduated from the Academy for Leadership and Development, a program de- ACTIONS Day, an academic competition for students signed to advance organizational leadership in from area high schools, is held on the Hastings community and technical colleges. Campus for the 15th consecutive year. On average, u Craig Ratzlaff, personal development instructor, more than 900 students from nearly 30 schools take was named to a two-year term on the Career part in the one-day event. Development Facilitator Advisory Council of the National Career Development Association. The u Bob Baker, who retired as associate dean of Ex - association provides a program leading to tended Learning Ser vices in 1999, was awarded a professional certification. life membership in the Adult and Continuing Education Association of Nebraska. u Laura Bulas, business administration instructor, Hastings Campus received the Spirit Award at the 35th annual u Lloyd Brown of Hastings, business administration student recognition and awards convocation. She instructor, received the 20th annual Outstanding was cited for her enthu si asm ; her dedication to her Service Award given by the campus. He was cited students through teaching, advis ing; and as an excellent instructor, a caring ad viser, and a mentoring; and her commitment to student knowledgeable mentor to fellow employees. He organizations, including the Business Club, Phi was also lauded for his involvement and leadership Theta Kappa, and Cam pus Crusade for Christ. in numerous college and community groups u CCC graduate Brock Bulas was one of four people including the CCC Education Association, Faculty accepted for the Rural Pharmacy Practice Ed u ca - Senate, Rams Athletic Booster Club, Scholarship tional Initiative Program at the University of Club, and the Hastings Campus Business Club. He Nebraska Medical Center. joined the faculty in 1975. u Wanda Cloet, supervisor of the dental hygiene u Dr. San dra Block, as so ci ate dean of gen eral ed u ca - program, received a Public Service Award from the tion, was named a Phi Theta Kappa faculty scholar. State Oral Health Forum. She was recognized for PTK is an inter na tional honor soci ety for two-year teaching her students the importance of both dental college s. Block, a sponsor for the Hastings Beta health and community service and for providing a Al pha Delta chap ter, also served on the fac ulty of positive example of a dental health professional. the PTK In ter na tional Hon ors In sti tute which was Later in the year, she was a presenter at the annual held at the University of Cal ifor nia at Los Angeles. conference of the Public Health As soci a tion, which The faculty scholar des igna tion is designe d to was held in Grand Island. She spoke regarding the reward com munity college fac ulty for their dental health of children. scholarly accomplishments. u Students from the construction technology program u The Hastings Phi Theta Kappa chapter participated built a 16-by-l6-foot octagonal gazebo in the mall in the Yoplait Yogurt/Breast Cancer Research near the campus center as a project for their Project. Sun Mart Foods of Hastings donated 15 construction applications course, which is a cases of Yoplait Yogurt to the project. requirement for the associate of applied science degree in construction management. The eight

195 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

students, who completed all phases of the was a 1974 graduate in construction technology construction, were Jeremy Anderson, Holdrege; and Bryan was a 1998 graduate in broadcasting Andrew Haney, Grand Island; Kevin Hayford, technology. Ogallala; Shane Johnson, Holdrege; Marshall u The 2004 edition of the annual Ram Run and Walk Maseberg, Thedford; Nolan Shinn, Gibbon; Kenny was held Sept. 11. The event was open to the Theis, Randolph; and Adam Warner, Gothenburg. general public, with a special invitation to CCC u Maxine Wehling of Broken Bow received the 23rd staff members to tour either the five-mile or annual Outstanding Alumni Award. She graduated two-mile courses, either as runners or walkers. The in 1996 with an associate of applied science degree sponsors of the event this year were Hogan in dental hygiene. She distinguished herself by Sporting Goods, Pepsi-Cola, Physical Therapy and organizing the first oral health booth at the Custer Sports Rehab of Hastings, Valentino Pizza and the County health fair in 2000, which focused on CCC Wellness Program. Gift certificates and individuals who had no regular access to dental medals were awarded to top finishers in all the age care. For her innovative ef forts, she received the divisions. Chuck Breunig of the Hastings Campus ADHA/Crest Award which included a monetary was the race director for the 2004 event. award and a trip. She also served as president of u Chuck Breunig of Hastings received the 21st the CCC Dental Hygiene Alumni Association and annual Outstanding Service Award. While he first held positions with the state and national ADHA. began working for the college in 1974, he returned u Roxanne Denny, dental hygiene instructor, to accept the position of counselor and wellness received an Award of Distinction from the Dental coordinator in 1989. He was cited for his sense of Hygienist Magazine for her work at the college and humor, his genuine concern and caring attitude, for her clinical work and patient education at a and the success of the wellness program under his Hastings pediatric office. leadership. The campus is one of only four u The campus received a $15,000 Entryway businesses in Hastings to receive the Bronze Well Enhancement Project Grant through the Nebraska Workplace Award given by the Wellness Council Department of Roads, Nebraska Forest Service and of America. Statewide Arboretum. The money was used for landscape beautification at the front entrance to the Retired campus. u Gary Maul of Hastings retired as a machine tool u Clark Haberman, biology instructor, reported that technology instructor, a position he held from 1977 during the previous five years his botany students when he joined the faculty. As a student on the had the opportunity to visit many prairies and Hastings Campus, he had been one of the first to woodlands to learn basic botanical concepts. The receive an associate of applied science in machine different classes have visited the prairies and shop technology, after which he gained experience riparian woodlands of south central Nebraska, as a toolmaker working for three area shops. He ventured into the Sandhills west of Burwell, was a member of the Society of Manufacturing studied the hardwoods at Indian Cave State Park, Engineers. and examined vineyards at two locations. u Pam Russell retired from her position as secretary u The dental hygiene students on the campus joined for the trades and industry divi sion. A CCC the American Dental Hygiene Association in its graduate, she was a clerk in the student accounts campaign against oral cancer and tobacco use. Oral office from 1979 to 1985. She then accepted the cancer screenings were provided at the dental position from which she retired. As a student, and hygiene clinic. for a time after that, she had worked part-time for u A father-son alumni team combined their talents to the physical plant department. publish a how-to book about a vintage skill titled, u Donna Kershner of David City, formerly of “How to Make a Coopered Wooden Bucket,” Hastings, retired as a custodial supervisor, a which was released by Winepress Publishing. position she held with the college beginning in James Gaster of Indianola and his son, Bryan, of 1986. She was a member of the American Legion Denver are both Hastings Campus alumni. James Auxiliary and was a Sunday school teacher.

196 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

In Memory Board of Governors u Herbert Kahookele, 73, of Hastings died at his u home as the result of a lengthy illness. A native of Diane Keller of Harvard was elected as Hawaii, he joined CCC in 1970 as coordinator of chairwoman for the CCC Board of Governors for student life. He was also a volleyball and golf 2004. Other officers for the year were Tom Pirnie coach, athletic director, and associate dean of of Grand Island, vice chairman; David Stubbs of student services before retiring in 1992. He is Kearney, secretary; and Bill Schneider of Dwight, remembered for his friendly, cheerful attitude and treasurer. Schneider and Paul Liess of Cambridge his sincere concern for students. were appointed as voting members on the Nebraska u Mike Swanson, 30, of rural Harvard died as the Community College Association board. Linda result of a train-vehicle accident. He joined the Heiden of Bertrand was appointed to complete the faculty as a welding instructor in 1997. He is term of Homer Pierce of Lexington. u remembered for his concern for his students, his Tuition was increased to $54 a credit hour for energy and enthusiasm, and his ever-present broad Nebraska residents and to $81 a credit hour for smile. nonresidents. Fees remained at $4 per credit-hour u Ron Swanson, 56, died at his home in Waverly, Pa. for all students. Room and board charges increased He had been a broadcasting instructor at the to $60 a week for the 14-meal plan and $70 per campus from 1970-73, having been the founding week for the 19-meal plan. u instructor for the program. He is also remembered Merikay Gengenbach of Lexington was appointed in Hastings as a founder of the Pied Piper summer to fill a vacancy on the Board of Governors in program for children’s theater and for helping to District 2. A 1978 graduate of the practical nursing establish the Scottish Rite Clinic for Childhood program at CCC-Kearney and a 1988 graduate in Language Disorders. business administration at Kearney State College, u Robert Heminger, 39, of Wood River died at St. she earned a bache lor of science in nursing degree Francis Medical Center due to injuries incurred in from Kearney in 1995. She filled the board the line of duty as a member of the Wood River vacancy created when Paul Liess of Cambridge Fire Department. Heminger served CCC on a moved outside the district. u part-time basis as a CPR instructor. A budget of $32,574,892 was approved by the Board of Governors for the 2004-05 year, an increase of 4.17 percent over the previous year. All-State Academic Team State aid accounted for $9,534,363, or 31.13 u Six CCC students were among the 21 community percent of the budget, a $447,811 decrease over the college students who were honored as members of previous year. Tuition provided just over 20 the Phi Theta Kappa Nebraska All-State Academic percent of the budget. Team during ceremonies at the State Capitol at an u Homer Pierce of Lexington was appointed to the event sponsored by PTK and the Nebraska CCC Board of Governors to fill the at-large Community College Association. The CCC vacancy created by the death of Ken Wortman. students from the Columbus Campus were Hunter Pierce represented District 2 on the governing Flodman of Platte Center, a pre-chemi cal en gi neer - board from 1990 until his resignation in 2003. ing major, and Bristol Kelsay of Auburn, an In Memory elementary education major. From the Grand u Island Campus were Melissa Korensky of Grand Ken Wortman of Aurora died on Aug. 27, 2004. Island, a biology major, and Mary Pat Kuehler of He had served contin u ously on the Board of Gov - Columbus, an associate degree in nursing major. ernors since the college was founded in 1966. Honorees from the Hastings Campus were Brock Please see page 200 for complete in for mation Bulas of Juniata, a pre-pharmacy student, and about his dedi ca tion and service to the college . Jessica Heeren of Hastings, an elementary education major.

197 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

stu dents were the real win ners, since pro ceeds from College Administration the event help provide scholarships. u CCC and Doane College announced an agreement which provided for a course-by-course guide for Digital Networking Courses students who wanted to complete an associate degree at CCC and then transfer to the Doane u CCC fac ulty in the elec tron ics de part ments on all Campus at Grand Island. three cam puses used their ex per tise to of fer courses u Representatives of the Nebraska Law Enforcement to students in digi tal network ing. Hastings Cam pus Training Center and Nebraska’s six community instruc tors Dan Gompert and Doug McCartney are colleges signed a cooperative agreement that cre - certi fied by Cisco System s to teach Cisco Certi fied ated a statewide partnership for law enforcement Net work Ad min is tra tor and Cisco Cer ti fied Net- education and training. The agree ment allows peo- work Profes sional program s. Dan Rumsey, a Co - ple to earn certification in law enforcement from lum bus Cam pus instruc tor, is cer tified to teach the the training center and an associate of applied Microsoft Cer ti fied Sys tems En gi neer and science degree from a community college. The Microsoft Cer ti fied Sys tems Ad min is tra tor train ing partner ship, which was made possible by the program s. Fred Roeser, instruc tor at the Grand Is - passage of LB 994, was also approved by the land Cam pus, is the faculty special ist on telecom - Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Higher mu ni ca tions and tele phone switch ing sys tems. The Education. in structors taught their spe cialty electronic courses u Dan Rumsey, an electronics technology instructor using a Picture Tel conferencing network that pro- at the Columbus Campus, was designated as the vided two-way dig ital video and audio com muni ca - faculty representative to the College Cabinet for tions be tween the three cam puses. the 2004-05 college year. EducationQuest Grant College Foundation u EducationQuest Founda tion, a private , nonprofit u About 600 CCC students received nearly $481,000 orga ni za tion that works to im prove acces s to higher in scholarships through the CCC Foundation edu ca tion in Nebras ka, awarded a $20,000 grant to during the 2003-04 college year – the most ever up CCC for its Bridge Program – a program that to that time for a single year. bridges the college ’s English as a Second Lan- u Darrell Scott, director of Columbine Redemption, a guage, Adult Ba sic Ed u ca tion, and Gen eral Ed u ca - nonprofit organization, and the author of three tion De velop m ent program s to help students build books about the Columbine tragedy and about his academic skills. daughter, Rachel , who was killed there, was a keynote speaker at the annual CCC Foundation dinner which was attended by employees and Extended Learning Services friends of the college. u During the 2003-04 academic year, 20,596 people u Dr. Jack Yost of Hastings and his wife, the late took CCC off-campus classes in 83 communities. June Yost, were named to the Central Community There were a total of 29,996 registrations for 1,239 College Hall of Fame. The Yosts were longtime classes offered by the Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices supporters of the CCC nursing program s, and after department. Clearly, some individuals signed up June’s death, her husband established a scholarship for more than one class. The registrations included fund for nursing students in her name. 13,924 in credit classes, 9,268 in noncredit classes, u There were 104 am ateurs and 27 profes sionals who 4,286 in avocational-recreational classes, and 2,488 com prised the field in the 14th annual CCC Foun- in Adult Basic Education classes. GED high school dation Pro-Am Golf Tourna m ent, which was held equivalency diplomas were earned by 180 people. at the River side Golf Club in Grand Is land. CCC

198 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

technology; Justin Weichel of Jansen, placing 16 Holdrege Center out of 31 in collision repair; and Sarah Tolle of u Diana Watson, coordinator of the Holdrege Center, Litchfield, placing ninth out of 17 in advertising was elected president of the Adult and Continuing design. Education Association of Nebraska. She was also given the president’s award by the outgoing Tarantella president. u A pilot project adopted by CCC made it easier for students in rural areas to learn com puter skills. Online Nebraska Library Janis DeHaven, a business technology instructor at the Columbus Campus, explained that technology u The libraries on the Columbus, Grand Island and constraints had made it difficult for off-campus Hastings campuses joined a consortium called students to complete some classes, especially those Online Nebraska (ONE) Library. The consortium that teach computer skills. The problem was solved also includes Columbus Public Library, Norfolk with a product called Tarantella, which allows Public Library, and Northeast Community College. students to remotely access the Microsoft software For more than 10 years, CCC was in a consortium of the college, using the existing licensing with Metro Community College. Metro decided to agreements of the college. Tarantella also allows join another consortium, creating an opportunity the instructor to monitor and assist students and to for CCC to explore other options. Among its three grade and return assignments online. campuses, CCC has a collection of about 30,000 volumes. TRiO u TRiO, a student support service s program autho - SkillsUSA rized by the Higher Edu ca tion Act of 1965, was de - u Four CCC students competed in the 40th annual signed to provide service s to dis advan tage d SkillsUSA-VICA national competition held in students . In its third year at CCC, the grant covere d Kansas City in conjunction with a VICA 160 students , while 150 were on the waiting list. conference. Jerrad Swanson of Genoa, a Columbus TRiO coor di na tors on each cam pus were Lora Campus student, placed sixth out of 12 in the Urkoski at Colum bus, Dawn Deuel at Grand Is- mechatronic category. Hastings Campus students land, and Kevin Miller at Hastings. Stepha nie who competed were: Ryan Engel of Hemingford, Jacob son served as the TRiO direc tor for the col- placing eighth out of 22 in diesel equipment lege.

199 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Ken Wortman’s Dedication to the College (Ed i tor’s note: The fol low ing ar ti cle ap peared in Ken loved Central Com munity College and the “Central Connec tion” of Septem ber 2004. It is in- postsecondary ed u ca tion, es pe cially vo ca tional ed u ca - cluded here as a tribute to a leader and a friend.) tion. He has left a wonder ful legacy within CCC and the en tire Ne braska Com mu nity Col lege Sys tem. With - By Dr. LaVern Franzen, College President out a doubt, since 1966, hundreds of thousands of indi - On Aug. 27, 2004, Ken Wortman passed away af- vidu als across Nebras ka have had any num ber of ter suf fer ing a massive heart at tack a few days ear lier. ed u ca tional ex pe ri ences with one of the six com mu nity Ken had served on the Central Com munity College college s. And, these people are now em ployed in com - Board of Gover nors since the be ginning of this insti tu - muni ties throughout the state, one of many rea sons for tion in 1966, and for all Ken wanting to be a part of establishing our institution. 38 years of our exis - Alm ost 10 years ago, a per son fa miliar with tence, he had an al most Wortman’s past stated, “If you are around Ken per fect at ten dance re cord Wortman, you can’t help but just feel the enthu si asm at the monthly board and the dedi ca tion, and the genu ine be lief that he has in meet ings, plus reg u lar the value of education.” at ten dance at al most all We at Central Com munity College now have the grad u a tion cer e mo nies, respon si bil ity to continue the legacy of Ken Wortman. nu mer ous cam pus ac tiv- We must con tinue to pro vide ed u ca tional op por tu ni ties i ties, and par tic i pa tion in to our students , encour ag ing them to rem ain in their hun dreds of other events home com muni ties , and help the smaller com muni ties that had a connection to in whatever way we can. Central Community

College. Ken Wortman Report Shows Benefits of Community Colleges

(Ed i tor’s note: The fol low ing ar ti cle ap peared in op ment or ga ni za tions and mem bers of the com mu nity the Central Connec tion of Septem ber 2004. It is in- college govern ing boards presented the results. cluded here with little abbre vi a tion because of the sig- CCbenefits Inc. was es tab lished in co op er a tion nif i cance of the year long state wide com mu nity col lege with the As so ci a tion of Com mu nity Col lege Trust ees impact study which it summa riz es. It is followe d by ad- to make avail able a generic, low-cost and compre hen - ditional obser vations regard ing the study made at the sive tool for esti m ating the econom ic bene fits accrue d time in the Central Connec tion by Dr. LaVern Franzen, by students and taxpay ers as a result of the higher edu - college president.) cation achieved at commu nity and tech ni cal col leges. Ne braska tax pay ers re ceive a “pay check with sig - The tool provides data for stakeholders such as stu - nifi cant inter est ” on every tax dol lar spent for com mu - dents, leg is la tors and tax pay ers, cham bers of com - nity college s, Gover nor Mike Johanns said at a recent merce, and lo cal busi nesses and com munity lead ers. news confer ence in Lincoln. The com pany’s econom ic im pact model has been The confer ence announced the re sults of an eco- tested at some 350 com munity colleges throughout the nomic im pact study of Ne braska’s com munity college s. United States and Canada. CCbenefits Inc., the Moscow, Idaho, com pany that Kjell Christophersen, com pany co-princi pal, said conducte d the study, along with Ne braska Com munity the study in dicat es that every $1 of state or local tax Col lege As so ci a tion board mem bers and staff, rep re - money invest ed in Nebras ka’s com munity college s to- sen ta tives of Ne braska’s busi nesses, eco nomic de vel - day will return $17.73 of incre ased earnings and socia l savings over the next 35 years.

200 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

In addi tion, he said, higher edu ca tion provided u Annually, students leave the six Nebraska through the com munity college system produces socia l community colleges with an estimated 16.6 million ben e fits in clud ing im proved health and re duced wel - credits, accounting for some $1.9 billion in annual fare rates, un emplo y ment and crime, sav ing the state earnings in the state’s economy or about 67,500 $19.1 million a year. jobs. He also noted the im pact on com munity college u Ninety-two percent of graduates remain in the state stu dents and grad u ates. “Stu dents en joy an at trac tive and 78 percent of those begin employment in the 21 percent annual re turn on their invest ment of time geographic area surrounding their community and money in Ne braska com mu nity col lege ed u ca tion. college, contributing significantly to Nebraska’s Students recover all costs in six to seven years.” This “Brain Gain.” u include s wages foregone while attend ing a community “This study means nothing but good news for the State of Ne braska and the tax pay ers,” Christo- college. phersen said. “Ne braska cit i zens and commu nity Other study highlights include : col lege stu dents reap tre men dous ben e fits from the u The six Nebraska community colleges account for state and local partner ship that supports your $2.2 billion of all annual earnings in the state’s state’s very suc cess ful commu nity college system.” economy. Those earnings are equal to roughly 76,600 jobs. High lights of the study di rectly re lating to Cen tral u Nebraska community college graduates with a Com munity College detail ed by Franzen were: one-year certificate will average 82 percent more in u The college paid $23.5 million in wages, sala ries , earnings than someone without a high school and ben e fits in 2002, gen er at ing an ad di tional diploma or GED and 16 percent more than $147.3 million in earnings off campus. someone with a high school diploma or GED. u Em ploy ment skills acquired by cur rent and form er u Wages, salaries and benefits and operating and stu dents in crease earn ings in the CCC ser vice area capital expenditures contribute $229.6 million by $73 million direc tly, and by another $61 million annually to Nebraska’s economy, or around 9,100 indirectly. jobs. u For every tax dol lar appro pri ate d to CCC by state u More than 159,000 students attend Nebraska and local govern m ent in 2002, $1.53 of earnings community colleges each year, equal to about 10 was gen er ated in the col lege ser vice area. percent of the state’s population. u Af ter leav ing col lege, the av er age Cen tral Com mu- u On average, for every full-time year completed at a nity College student will spend 34 years in the community college, students will earn an additional workforce. During this period, the student who $4,008 a year, and with each credit-hour com - leaves with a two-year col lege degree will earn pleted, they will earn $136 more per year. The $313,481 more than someone with a high school statewide impact of these higher earnings amounts diplom a or GED. to about $128.8 million per year.

201 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 2005 CCC Receives Two Major Job Training Grants Pres ident George W. Bush laid out the main objec tives of a job-training initia tive dur ing a La bor Day speech to a group of oper at ing engi neer s in Ohio in Septem ber 2003. The job-training initia tive was a stra tegic effort to give training to workers so they will have the skills needed in new high-growth sectors of indus try. The presi dent fol - lowed up on the job training idea when he intro duced the concept of Com munity-Bas ed Training Grants during his 2004 State of the Union addres s. There were proba bly few people in central Nebras ka who imagined Central Com - munity College would be come the recip i ent of two of these major job-training grants by the end of 2005. Industrial Training Grants The first of the two grants was awarded to Central Com munity College in De cem ber 2004 when U.S. Sec retary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced that the college would re ceive a $1,639,404 grant to train workers in Ne braska. The CCC award was part of a $24.2 million advance d manu fac turing workers training effort to help workers prepare for and find jobs in America ’s fastest growing indus trie s. Chao said new tech nol o gies are trans form ing in dus tries and incre asing dem and for workers skilled in advanced manufacturing. In Septem ber 2005, dur ing an open house and dedi ca tion on the Colum bus Cam pus, Ne braska Com missione r of Labor Fernando Lecuona and College Pres ident Dr. LaVern Franzen stated that the Mechatronics Education Center

Grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Festo Corporation provided funding for the Central Community College Mechatronics Education Center, which prepares workers across Nebraska for employment in high technology industries.

202 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College at CCC will help fill the shortage of an es tim ated 40,000 highly skilled manu fac turing jobs in Nebras ka by 2020. Cen tral Commu nity Col lege uses the grant to fund the ac tiv i ties at the Ne braska Mechatronics Cen ter (MEC) lo cated on the Colum bus Cam pus where students /trainees are provided with indus try-drive n mechatronics training leading to high-skill, high-wage manu fac turing jobs. Mechatronics Integrates Manufacturing Processes Mechatronics is a word that has not yet appear ed in most com puter spell-check functions, but mechatronics is the syn er gis tic in te gra tion of mul ti ple en gi neer ing dis ci plines, such as me chan i cal de sign, elec tron ics and com puter control, to produce new and im proved de vices and sys tems. Mechatronics com bines electron ics , pneum atics , hy - drau lics and au to ma tion into a sin gle man u fac tur ing pro cess. The com bi na tion of elec tron ics, me chan i cal en gi neer- ing and com puters are used to cre ate system s for auto m ated manufacturing and the repair of those automated systems. The MEC makes exten sive use of com puter sim ula tion softwar e, online learning and profes sional workshops to provide training to high school and college students and faculty, business and indus try em ploy ees and dis placed workers . The MEC will be acces sible throughout Ne braska. People in other com muni ties can acces s softwar e to de - velop sim ulate d robotic or assem bly line con trol proces ses. Festo Corporation Provides $800,000 In addi tion to the $1.6 million grant from the Depart m ent of Labor, the mechatronics center recei ved another major boost at the Septem ber open house in 2005 when Festo Corpo ra tion Presi dent Hans Zobel pre sented the col- lege a check for $800,000 from his com pany. The mechatronics training center projec t first grew out of CCC con- tacts with Festo Cor pora tion, a Ger man com pany with U.S. headquar ters in Hauppauge, N.Y. Festo is a world leader in de vel op ing and man u fac tur ing au to mated in dus trial equip ment. Festo of fi cials worked with CCC to de velop the MEC concept and had earlier donate d $100,000 to the college to purchas e equipm ent needed to support the mechatronics training center projec t. The MEC training ac tivi ties at CCC are part of the indus tria l technol ogy pro - gram that of fers as so ci ate of ap plied sci ence de grees, di plo mas, and cer tif i cates at all three of the CCC campuses. Key part ners in the mechatronics training include the six Ne braska com munity college s, a num ber of Nebras ka high schools, Behlen Man u fac tur ing Com pany, BD Med i cal Sur gi cal Sys tems, Cargill Meat Solu tion (Excel ), sev - eral four-year col leges and uni ver si ties, Ne braska Workforce In vest ment Boards, and other state agen cies. Transportation Department Awards Grant to CCC, Mid-Plains The U.S. De partm ent of Labor’s Em ploy ment and Training Adm inis tra tion awarded a second major grant to Central Com munity College . In Oc tober 2005, U.S. Secre tary of La bor Elaine L. Chao announced that Central Com - munity College was the re cipi ent of a $1,910,185 grant to train needed workers in the trans porta tion indus try in Ne- braska. At the time, U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne said, “Today’s grant announce m ent dem onstra tes that Central Com munity College has em braced its role head-on as an active mem ber in growing and strengthen ing Ne braska’s workforce. I com mend Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege for de vel op ing in no va tive train ing pro grams for the bet ter ment of Nebraska’s economy and livelihood.” Provi sions for this and other grants from the Depart m ent of Labor were the result of forum meet ings that the De- partm ent of Labor hosted with trans porta tion indus try leaders , edu ca tors, and the public workforce system to iden- tify the indus try hiring, training, and reten tion challenge s. Projec tions for Ne braska indi cat ed the need for an addi tional 12,000 transpor ta tion workers in the state in the trucking, railroad, and distri bu tion sectors by 2012. The Nebras ka De partm ent of Labor projec ts a need for addi tional workers in Ne braska in severa l spe cific transpor ta tion re lated fields through 2012 in clud ing: 308 trans por ta tion, stor age and dis tri bu tion man ag ers, 913 su per vi sors, 7,888 mate rial moving workers , 10,940 truck drivers , 1,272 light or deliv ery truck drivers , 864 bus and truck mechan ics and die sel engine specia lists , and 3,050 rail transportation workers.

203 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Central Com munity College and Mid-Plains Com munity College are working togethe r to pre pare people for em - ploy ment oppor tu ni ties in the trans porta tion indus try in Nebras ka. The federa l grant is to expand and enhance exist - ing trans por ta tion pro grams, de velop a new trans por ta tion pro gram, and build aware ness of ca reer op por tu ni ties in the field. Goals of the program include enhanc ing diesel technol ogy pro grams, adding a light truck mainte nance and repair option as a one-year program , modi fy ing the six-week truck driving training program , devel op ing a mobile training lab in a semi-tractor trailer that can deliver pro grams to high schools and adults that will sim u late a vari ety of weather and road condi tions and provide practice shifting gears in an 18-wheeler. Businesses are Partners in Project In addi tion to Central Com munity College and Mid-Plains Com munity College , the grant projec t include s 15 other partners who com prise the projec t steering com mittee . Include d are some giants in the trans porta tion, dis tribu - tion, ware hous ing and lo gis tics in dus try: Wal-Mart op er ates a 600-em ployee dis tri bu tion cen ter in North Platte; Werner Enter prise s is one of the top five trucking com panies in the na tion; the Union Pacifi c Railroad is the na tion’s largest rail road; and Nebras ka Ma chinery is the state dis tribu tor for Cat erpil lar. Other part ners that make up the steer ing commit tee are: Workforce In vest ment Sys tem One-Stop Cen ters, Ne braska De part ment of La bor, Ne braska De part ment of Ed u ca tion/Ne braska Ca reer Ed u ca tion, FutureForce Ne braska, Ne braska Ma chin ery, Ne braska Trucking As soci a tion, Bellevue Uni versity, and six K-12 schools in central Nebras ka. The grant abstra ct indi cat es 5,325 com mu nity col lege stu dents, in cum bent work ers and un em ployed and un der em ployed or dis lo cated work ers will partic i pate in training, as well as 1,380 second ary and postsecondary students and faculty. These two siz able grants from the U.S. De partm ent of Labor and the gener ous gift from the Festo Cor pora tion are designe d to produce a pool of highly trained and quali fied workers to meet the de mands of rapidly changing technol ogy, and an incre asing global econom y, while meet ing the de mands of evolving indus trie s in Nebras ka. Dan Davidchick was appointed projec t coor di na tor of the mechatronics grant at the Colum bus Cam pus. Kelly Christensen, as so ci ate dean of in struc tion at the Hastings Cam pus, as sumed re spon si bil ity for the trans por ta tion grant. This article contains some information from the Omaha World-Herald and from the U.S. Department of Labor Web Site.

Columbus Campus 2000, Gotschall was employed at Barton County Community College in Kansas , where he served as u The Central Community College Board of an agriculture instructor and held several Governors appointed Dr. Matt Gotschall of administrative positions. After joining the Humphrey as campus presi dent. Gotschall also was Columbus Campus staff in 2000, he served as an named the college vice agricultural instructor and an associate dean of pres i dent for academic instruction. He was dean of educational services education, Extende d before assuming the campus presidency. He is a Learn ing Ser vices, and graduate of West Holt High School in Atkinson business and industry and received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral training throughout the degrees from the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lin- 25-county service area of coln. the college, which u Four Columbus Campus art students received includes the campuses at awards at the annual Heartland Print Gallery Grand Island and Awards banquet held at the Omaha Hilton Hotel. Hastings and the learning Receiving Gold Awards in a student division of the centers at Holdrege, exhibit were Katy Laudenklos of Columbus and Kearney and Lexington. Dr. Matt Gotschall Rene Perez of Schuyler. Silver Award winners in Gotschall replaced Jim Fisher who retired as campus president. Before joining the CCC staff in

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the competition were Mel Primus of Cedar Rapids departments made presentations about the services and Kimberly Thomas of Columbus. their programs provide for students at CCC. u Dr. Dianna Parmley was named dean of u Forty-nine stu dents from 17 com mu ni ties par tic i- educational services at the Columbus Campus, pated in the Central Honors Insti tute at the cam pus. replacing Dr. Matt Gotschall. Parmley graduated The insti tute was open to sixth and seventh graders from Winfield High School in Winfield, Kan., and on the ba sis of their ac ademic accom plish ments attended Cowley County Community College in and recom menda tions from a teacher or coun selor. Arkansas City, Kan. She earned a bachelor’s The in sti tute of fered stu dents a unique com bi na tion degree from Southwestern College in Winfield and of higher-level ac ademic ex pe ri ences and the op - completed her master’s and doc toral de grees at por tu nity to in ter act with other stu dents. Par tic i- Kansas State University. Prior to joining the CCC pants were placed on ei ther a math or staff, she worked in administrative positions at me dia/com mu ni ca tions track, de pend ing on their Emporia State University, Kansas State University, in ter est and ap ti tude. Cloud County Community College, and Iowa u The theater department presented a production of Western Community College. Neil Simon’s heartwarming and funny play, u The 2005 Career Connections event was held on “Brighton Beach Memoirs.” Matt Webster, theater the Columbus Campus in June. About 30 high instructor, directed the play. school counselors, Tech Prep coordinators, and Ed- u Music students from the campus gave a good uca tional Service Unit person nel attended the event accounting of their talents at the 28th annual that is rotated annually among the three campuses. University of Kansas Jazz Festival. A student The annual event is designed to give participants instrumental group, UltraBlue, and a student vocal an opportunity to learn more about CCC’s ensem ble, Spectrum , both received high ratings programs and services and to tour the hosting from the judges. Student guitarist Derrick Masters campus. Representatives from various college of Kearney was given an outstanding soloist certificate. Students were able to visit with visiting artists and enjoyed a concert by the KU Big Band. u Caree Cielocha of Columbus was named the 2005 Employee of the Year. Cielocha joined the Columbus Campus staff in 1999 as a grants and communication director and in 2001 became leadership development coordinator and trainer. She is a graduate of Albion High School and earned an associate’s degree in agriculture from the Columbus Campus and a bachelor’s degree in human relations from Doane College. The Employee of the Year award is presented to a Columbus Campus employee who demonstrates dedication, enthusiasm and innovation in their work, and is willing to go the extra mile. u Bill Erwin of Monroe was named the 2005 Faculty Member of the Year during commencement exercises on the Columbus Campus in May. Erwin joined the campus faculty as a biology instructor in 1977. Prior to that, he taught science at the Columbus Campus Phi Theta Kappa members who secondary level and spent 10 years teaching in the attended the 2005 Regional Conference at Nebraska’s biology department at the University of Nebras ka Fort Robinson State Park were Dennise Pfeifer, Nick at Omaha. Erwin is a graduate of Columbus High Horne and Norma Cooper and adviser Lisa Gdowski. School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State College and a master’s degree from the UNO.

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The faculty honor is presented each year to an Raiders players were named NJCAA Division II instructor who displays excellence in teaching and All-Americans. Sophomore hitter Amanda dedication to student learning. Cielocha of Columbus was named a first team u Dr. Michael Rogers of South Sioux City received Division II All-American, and sophomore setter the 12th annual Outstanding Alumni Award during Jessica Glatter of Kearney was named a second graduation exercises. Rog ers received an associate team All-American in Division II. The Lady of arts degree from the Columbus Campus in 1987 Raiders finished their season with an outstanding and earned his bachelor’s degree from Dakota 31-10 record. Wesleyan University and a master’s degree from u The Columbus Campus music department the University of Nebras ka at Omaha. His doctor - announced a series of concerts scheduled for ate came from the University of South Dakota in 2005-06 called “Sundays at Three.” The first con- Vermillion. After several years of teaching and cert, “The Wild, Wild West,” was a tribute to administrative work for the Sioux City, Iowa, cowboys, pioneers, homesteaders and Native school system, Rogers accepted a position as Americans who were part of America western principal of McKinley Elementary School in Sioux heritage. Other concerts in the series were “Co lo - City. nial Christma s,” “Midwin ter Madness: The u The Columbus Campus served as a host for six Sublimely Ridic u lous” and “An Afternoon in Vi - international Fulbright Scholars during an enna.” All the concerts featured vocal and orientation coordinated through the Uni versity of instrumental performances by music students. Nebras ka at Lincoln. The scholars from Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Germany, Spain and Jamaica were Retired able to tour the Columbus Campus and the local u Bill Erwin of Monroe retired from his position as a area. A total of 44 international scholars were biology instructor at the Columbus Campus. placed in seven Nebraska communities to prepare Before joining the CCC staff in 1972, he taught them for life in America and their studies at various science at Page High School and biology and host universities in the United States. chemistry at Omaha South High School. He then u The Raider volleyball team won the fifth Region worked in the biology department at the University IX title in school history in October, the first such of Ne braska at Omaha for 10 years. Erwin title since 1992, and the first Region IX title for graduated from Columbus High School and went Coach Mary Young in her 11 years as the Raider on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State coach. After their victory, the Lady Raiders who College and a master’s degree from UNO. were Nebraska Community College Athletic u Jim Fisher of Columbus retired from his position as Conference champions and ranked eighth president of the Columbus Campus and college nationally, advanced to a district playoff in vice pres ident for academic education and business Williston, N.D. Following an 800-mile drive from and industry training. Fisher joined the Columbus Columbus to Williston, the Raiders won a Campus staff in 1971 as student services coor di na - best-of-three district playoff match against tor, and in 1977, becam e associate dean of Williston State College, beating them on their students. In 1981, he was named dean of students. home court in front of a large crowd. That victory In 1984-85, he served as interim campus presi dent, in snowy North Dakota gave them a berth in the after which he returned to his duties as dean of National Junior College Athletic Association students. Following the resignation of Dr. Glenda Division II National Tournament in Scottsdale, Gallisath in 2002, Fisher again be came interi m Ariz. The CCC team made it to the quarterfinals at campus pres i dent. He was then named campus Scottsdale, and lost to the eventual national pres ident and he served in that position until his champion in four sets. Coach Mary Young retirement. He graduated from Falls City High received three Coach of the Year awards in 2005, School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Peru one for the Nebraska Community College Athletic State College and a master’s degree from the Conference, and two other coaching awards for her University of Nebraska at Lincoln. team’s regional and district performances. In u Lynne Kotrous of Columbus retired from her addition to the coaching awards, two of the Lady position as a math instructor. Kotrous was hired as

206 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

a part-time math instructor in 1977 and became a In Memory full-time faculty member in 1980. Prior to joining u Vincent Lempke of Columbus died unexpectedly at the faculty, she taught math at several high schools, the family farm near Wallace on May 15, 2005, at including Leigh and Columbus. She earned her the age of 54. He earned bach elor’ s and mas ter’s bachelor’s degree in math from the University of de grees from Kearney State Col lege. After Iowa. teaching math and science at Paxton and Monroe u Ellen Lake of Colum bus re tired from her posi tion High Schools, he joined the Columbus Campus as as so ci ate dean of arts and sci ences. Lake joined faculty as a math and physics instructor in 1980. the staff on a part-time basis in 1980 to work with Funeral and burial services were held in Wallace the Women’s Center. In 1981, she becam e a and a large gathering attended a memorial service full-time co or di na tor of pro fes sional de vel op ment. in Columbus. She later served as as so ci ate dean of busi ness and pro fes sional ser vices. She grad u ated from Bro ken Bow High School and earned a bache lor’s de gree Grand Island Campus in English and French from the Univer sity of Ne - u The CCC Board of Gover nors approved the ap- braska at Kear ney and a mas ter’s de gree in ed u ca - pointm ent of Dr. Lynn tion from the Univer sity of Northern Colo rado. Black as pres ident of the Prior to joining the Colum bus Cam pus staff she Grand Island Cam pus. taught English at Randolph and Columbus high Black became the in terim schools. cam pus pres i dent fol low - ing the de parture of Dr. Bill Giddings who accepted a posi tion with North east Com mu nity Col lege. Black was also ap pointed col lege vice pres ident for the business ed u ca tion pro grams and Dr. Lynn Black learn ing sup port ser vices for the en tire col lege. Black gradu ate d from Grand Island Central Catho - lic High School and received an as so ci ate of ap - plied sci ence de gree from the Hastings Campus. He earned a bach elor’ s de gree, a mas ter’s de gree and an ed u ca tional spe cial ist de gree from Kear ney Ellen Lake chairs a meeting of the Columbus Campus State Col lege. He earned a doc tor ate in adult and arts and sciences department. Lake retired as associate con tin u ing ed u ca tion from the Uni ver sity of Ne- dean for the department in 2005 after 25 years as a braska at Lincoln. Black joined the CCC staff in CCC employee. 1981 as chairm an of the business divi sion at the Hastings Campus and had served as as so ci ate dean u Gary Schafer of Columbus retired from his position and dean of student service s at the Grand Is land as a drafting instructor. Prior to joining the faculty Cam pus since 1983. in 1978, he taught drafting at McCook High u Charlie Gregory, associate dean of Ex tended School, McCook Junior College and Columbus Learn ing Ser vices, graduated from the Academy High School. Schafer graduated from Albion High for Leadership and Development, a program School and earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial created by the Chair Academy to advance education from the University of Nebraska at organizational leadership in community colleges. Kearney, and completed graduate courses at UNK The Chair Academy is a division of the Maricopa and Colorado State University. Community College District in Mesa, Ariz.

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Gregory’s graduation marked the end of a year long received a diploma in office technology and a program that included some on-site training in certificate in bookkeeping from CCC. Mesa. u Scott Ruehling, welding technology coordinator In Memory and trainer, earned his welding inspector and u A former nursing instructor, Janice Herbers, died at welding educator certificate from the American her home in Titusville, Fla., at the age of 69. Welding Society. With the new certification, Herbers was born in Rockville and was a graduate Ruehling can conduct inspections or verify that the of Ravenna High School. She received an RN de - work meets acceptable standards and conduct gree from the Mary Lanning School of Nursing and training classes and evaluate student performances later completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing from in the field of welding. the University of Nebraska. She taught for CCC u Kay McClure, an administrative assistant in the from 1988 to 1990. Herbers retired from nursing in Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices office at the Grand 1996. Island Campus, received the President’s Award from the Nebraska Emergency Medical Services Hastings Campus Association. McClure was honored for the support u she provided in planning and organizing NEMSA’s Chuck Breunig of Hastings recei ved the 21st An - annual conference. nual Outsta nding Ser vice Award at a staff recog ni - u Emily Webb Gildersleeve of Grand Is land re ceived tion cere m ony. Breunig first joined the CCC the 12th annual Outsta nding Alumni Award during counsel ing staff in 1974. After leaving to ac cept com mence ment cer e mo nies. She earned an as so ci - another job, he re turned in 1989 as a cam pus coun- ate of applied science in office technol ogy in 1999. selor. He was rec og nized for his many ef forts to Prior to attend ing the Grand Is land Cam pus, develop the wellness program into an ongo ing and Gildersleeve worked as a teller at Five Points Bank com plete pre ven tive health pro gram with in Grand Island and was a loan adm inis tra tor at the year-round program s and activities. bank. She then was an ad min is tra tive sec re tary in the ex ec u tive of fice at St. Fran cis Med i cal Cen ter for five years. She be came the Web devel op ment coordinator for the medical center in 2004. u Shelly Mendez, a registration technician, made a hurried trip to Washington, D.C., where she and her son, Marine Cpl. Chadd Riordan, had a rare opportunity to meet President George Bush and have their picture taken with him. Retired u Dick Arnold of Grand Island retired from his position as custodial supervisor. Arnold started work at CCC in 1982 as custodial supervisor on the Hastings Campus and transferred to the Grand Island Campus in 1993. Prior to joining the CCC staff, he worked as production manager for Campbell Soup Company and Delicious Food Company, and had operated his own janitorial Students from the Hastings Campus construction service since 1976. Arnold graduated from program work on the framing stage of an an nual Wymore High School and attended the Lincoln house-building project that provides students with School of Commerce. con struction and team-building skills. The finished u Faene Evans of Grand Island retired from her house is auctioned, with net proceeds from the sale position as receptionist and library assistant. She going to support the program. 2005 marked the 10th graduated from Bloomfield High School and year for the popular house project.

208 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College u Wanda Cloet, supervisor of the dental hygiene cian and as a registered health infor m ation adm in- program at the Hastings Campus, received the is tra tor. Employee of the Year Award from the Nebraska u Laura Bulas, a business administration instructor, Dental Hygienist’ Association. The award is received a Coleman Foundation Entrepreneurship usually given to a dentist who employs dental Grant from the Consortium for Entrepreneurship hygienists. Cloet qualified for the award, however, Education. The grant will be used to help fund a since she is a supervisor of registered dental KidzBiz Entrepreneurship Camp for high school hygienists. students during the summer of 2006. u Kathy Mar ble, hu man ser vices in struc tor, com - u Michel McKinney, medical assisting instructor, pleted the re quire ments for cer tif i cation as a global was named Medical Assistant of the Year by the ca reer de vel op ment fa cil i ta tor from the Cen ter for Nebraska Society of Medical Assistants. She was Credentialing and Ed u ca tion Inc. Com ple tion of recognized for the outstanding contributions she the cer tif i ca tion re quire ments pre pares in di vid u als made to the organization. to help students with caree r choices, job strate gies , u Betty Kooy, an administrative assistant in the Ex - place ment tech niques, and other ser vices re lated to tended Learn ing Ser vices office, earned a master’s ca reer de vel op ment. degree in education through the online program of u Shaun Schleif of Grand Island received a the University of Phoenix. Distinguished Alumni Award March 1, 2005, from the Nebraska Community College Association. Retired Schleif graduated in 1978 from the Hastings u Darlene Synek of Edgar re tired from her posi tion Campus with an associate degree from the as an English instruc tor at the Hastings Cam pus. broadcasting technology program. Schleif’s career Synek first joined the Hastings Cam pus staff as a in broadcasting covered 23 years as an announcer, part-time English instruc tor in 1988 and becam e a news and sports director and in managerial full-time instruc tor in 1991. Prior to joining the positions with radio stations in Hastings, Grand fac ulty, she taught English and socia l science with Island and in Florida. In 1999, he accepted a the Ong, Har vard and Hastings public schools. She position with David and Associates Advertising as earned her bache lor’s de gree from the Univer sity director of media relations and account executive of Ne braska at Lin coln and a mas ter’s de gree from in Grand Island. Hastings College. u Karissa Marble of Prosser was named Nebraska’s u May Wierenga of Hastings retire d from her posi - New Century Scholar. Marble and other New tion as a math in structor. Wierenga joined the fac- Century Scholars were recognized during the ulty as a business law and consum er econom ics American Association of Community College’s instruc tor and taught at the Hastings Cam pus from annual convention in Boston. Each scholar 1970 to 1978. She then left her posi tion to de vote received a $2,000 scholarship provided by the time to her fam ily, al though she served at times in Coca-Cola Foundation. Marble received the honor an ad junct ca pac ity. She re turned to the campus as because she was Nebraska’s highest-scoring a math instruc tor in 1989. Prior to joining the nominee for the All-USA Academic Team. Hastings Cam pus faculty, she taught for Cozad and u Lori Richter of Lincoln received the 24th annual Grand Island high schools and Kansas State Col - Outstanding Alumni Award during commencement lege in Pittsburg. She earned bach elor’ s and mas - ceremonies. She graduated with an associate of ter’s de grees from the Uni ver sity of Ne braska at applied science degree in health information Lincoln. management services in 1999. She earned bache - In Memory lor’s and mas ter’s de grees from Bellevue u University in leadership and health care manage - Richard Crane died in Hastings at the age of 67. He ment. She is the health insurance portability and was born in Clifton, Kan., and grew up in Ord. accountability coordinator for Saint Elizabeth Crane joined the Hastings Cam pus staff in 1994 as Health Systems in Lincoln. She has re ceived cer tif - a printer. He at tended Creighton Univer sity and i cation as a registered health in for mation tech ni - then worked as a printer for Quiz Graphic Arts in Ord for 25 years. He also managed the Sears Cat a -

209 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

log Store in Ord for more than 10 years before cler i cal worker in the busi ness of fice. For a time moving to Hastings and joining the CCC staff. she was secre tary to the dean of students , begin - u James Svoboda died in Hastings. He was born in ning in 1969. Later she was the recep tion ist for Weston in 1926 and was a gradu ate of Weston Hastings Fam ily Prac tice and an aide at Mor ton El - High School. Svoboda served in the United States e men tary School. (Some in for ma tion from this Navy during World War II, and after the war, item was taken from the Hastings Tribune.) earned a bach e lor’s de gree in busi ness ad min is tra- u Steve Gizinski, 37, of Kenesaw died at the Univer - tion from the Univer sity of Ne braska at Lincoln. sity of Col o rado Hos pi tal, hav ing bat tled cys tic fi- Prior to joining the staff as di rec tor of the small brosis . He had been a truck driving instruc tor from business insti tute and serving for a time as a busi - 1998 to 2000. In spite of his lim ita tions, he was ness instruc tor, Svoboda worked as an assis tant dedi cat ed to trucking, and he had an excel lent rap- manager for the J.C. Penney Company, and was a port with the students . (Some infor m ation from this manager for J.M. McDon ald and Herbergers. He is item was taken from the Hastings Tribune.) re mem bered as friendly, po lite, and especially helpful. Leadership Development u Maurice Lungren died at his home in Norm an, u Kathryn Ballobin, Vicki Harvey and Bill Hitesman Okla., at the age of 88. Lungren joined the Navy graduated from the Academy for Leadership and during World War II and becam e a na val avia tor. Development program created by the Chair Af ter the war, he earned bach elor’ s and mas ter’s Academy to advance organizational leadership in degrees from the Univer sity of Kansas and entere d two-year colleges. All three CCC administrators the field of journal ism and won na tional awards successfully completed the year long program that and recog ni tion for his writing. He taught journal - included on-site training in Mesa, Ariz., and an ism classes for Hastings Col lege and eventu ally individualized professional development plan. joined the CCC staff. He was the as so ci ate dean of ed u cation al cen ters when he re tired from CCC in ACEAN Awards 1981. Lundgren had an inter est ing and varied back- u ground and was dedi cat ed to the educational Five peo ple as so ci ated with CCC were rec og nized process. by the Adult and Con tin u ing Ed u ca tion As so ci a - u Vincent Krueger of Hastings died in a Lincoln hos - tion of Ne braska. Ann Cham bers, co or di na tor of pital at the age of 76. He gradu ate d from Hastings Adult Basic Edu ca tion for CCC, was given the High School and from Boyles College in Omaha. Outsta nding Adult Edu ca tor Award. She was cited He was a vet eran of World War II where he helped for her leader ship in ensur ing the high quality of clear de bris from the atomic bombs dropped on Ja- the ABE program . Lori Neid, Extende d Learning pan. Prior to joining the CCC staff in 1966, he Ser vices co or di na tor at the Co lum bus Cam pus, was worked construc tion in the Hastings area. Krueger the re cipi ent of the Rookie of the Year Award. Ron was super vi sor of buildings and grounds, and Kluck, dean of Extende d Learning Ser vices, who served as phys i cal plant di rec tor at the Hastings has his office at the Colum bus Cam pus; Betty Cam pus from 1966 until he retire d in 1992. He is Kooy, Ex tended Learn ing Ser vices ad min is tra tive re mem bered as quiet, well-liked, and efficient. assis tant at the Hastings Cam pus; and Bob Baker, a u Bill Leighty died in Kenesaw at the age of 70. He re tiree from the Hastings Campus, re ceived Pres i - gradu ate d from Logan High School in Kansas and dent’s awards in recog ni tion of the support they at tended Hastings Col lege and Kear ney State Col - gave to ACEAN Presi dent Diana Watson. Watson lege. Leighty was an elec tri cal tech nol ogy in struc - serves as re gional coor di na tor of the Holdrege Cen - tor at the Hastings Cam pus for five years and then ter for CCC. taught at the Grand Is land Cam pus for 14 years be - fore his re tire ment. He is re mem bered as a friendly, Agriculture Curriculum helpful, and knowledgeable person. u The college cat alog for 2006-07 include d two new u Joyce A. Elliott, 61, died at Mary Lanning Hos pital list ings due to changes that were made by the CCC in Hastings. She joined the college in 1967 as a ag ri cul ture de part ment. One change is an as so ci ate

210 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

of applied science degree in agri busi ness that is a in the United States Coast Guard during World more accu rate descr iption of the course work stu- War II and after the war completed his studies at dents com plete. This AAS degree prepare s gradu - the University of Nebraska and taught accounting ates to begin a va ri ety of sales, ser vice, and classes for the university. Moseman was a founder man age ment ca reers in ag ri cul ture af ter two years of Central Nebraska Technical College. Moseman of college . The second new listing resulte d from a served on the Board of Governors from 1966 to trans fer agree ment with the College of Agricultural 1982 and was involved in a host of community and Sci ences and Nat u ral Re sources at the Uni ver sity charitable organizations in the Grand Island area. of Ne braska that allows CCC gradu ate s to work to- ward a bach elor of sci ence de gree in ag ri cul ture College Administration sci ence or nat u ral re sources. Ag ri busi ness grad u- ates can take ad van tage of trans fer agree ments with u Dr. Deb Brennan was promoted from an associate Hastings College, Wayne State College and dean of instruction on the Hastings Campus to Chadron State College. collegewide dean of health occupations. In that position, she supervises all health-related Board of Governors instructional programs. Jennifer Hoagland, who had been grants technician, was promoted to the u Bill Schneider of Columbus received the Trustees associate dean position. Award from the Nebraska Community College u Ken Rezac was promoted from associate dean of Association at its annual convention in Lincoln in students on the Hastings Campus to dean of stu- March 2005. Schneider became a member of the dents, su per vis ing all student services op er a tions Central Community College Board of Governors in for CCC. Filling this po sition completes the 1993 and had held various offices on the board. He administrative model that provides for six deans, was recognized for his many years of service in who are each as signed collegewide responsibilities promoting the growth and development of and for three campus presi dents , who also serve as community colleges in the state, and especially college vice presi dents and direc tly supervise two Central Community College. deans. u The board unanimously approved a measure that u Joyce Meinecke, a human services instructor on the waived out-of-state tuition for college students and Grand Island Campus, was designated as the other people who were displaced because of faculty representative to the College Cabinet for Hurricane Katrina. The storm victims thus could the 2005-06 college year. enroll at all CCC sites and pay in-state tuition. In other action, the CCC Board of Governors approved a $77,794,675 budget for 2005-06. College Foundation u Sworn in as officers were Diane Keller of Harvard, u The Central Community College Foundation chairwoman; Tom Pirnie of Grand Island, vice reported about $540,000 in scholarships was chairman; David Stubbs of Kearney, secretary; and provided to CCC students during the 2004-05 Bill Schneider of Columbus, treasurer. Schneider fiscal year. This was the largest number of and Harold McClure of Kearney were appointed to scholarships ever awarded and marked the first represent CCC on the Nebraska Community time scholarships passed the $500,000 mark. It was College Association governing board. Members additionally reported that the CCC Foundation who began new terms of office were McClure, received the largest single gift in its history. An Pirnie, Schneider, Merikay Gengenbach of anonymous donor contributed $500,000 to support Lexington, Homer Pierce of Lexington, and Paul the allied health programs at CCC with half of the Krieger of Hastings. gift to be used for equipment and facilities and the In Memory other half as an endowed scholarship fund. u u Former member of the CCC Board of Governors, Ten Central Community College students from Verne Moseman of Grand Island, died at the St. eight com muni ties each received $300 scholarships Francis Medical Center at the age of 81. He served from the CCC Foundation. The CCC Foundation provided the Students-at-a-Distance Scholarships

211 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

to the students who were working toward a degree or diploma while taking at least six credit hours via Kearney Center individualized, satellite, video/IT or Web-based u Brenda Shinn of Gibbon, a practical nursing courses during the 2004-05 academic year, with at student at CCC-Kearney, received the Student least three of the credits in courses delivered at a Excellence Award from Good Samaritan Hospital distance. in Kearney. Shinn was honored for providing compassionate and excellent patient care and for CyberCamp4Girls serving as a good role model for other nursing u Approx i m ately 60 ju nior and senior high school students. Two other CCC nursing students, Carrie girls attende d the first-ever CyberCamp4Girls, Dornoff of Heartwell and Karen Mast of Kearney, which was held simul ta neously at all three CCC were nominated for the award for their excellent cam puses. The girls learned how to insta ll and net- attention to patient care. work home com puters , how to use softwar e to do a personal makeover or a room makeover, how to Phi Theta Kappa cre ate their own com puter game, how to print a u Five CCC students were named to the Phi Theta T-shirt transfer, and how to make their own ani m a- Kappa Nebraska All-State Academic Team during tion. Campers repre sent ed 21 differ ent towns. The ceremonies held at the State Capitol Building. A camps were funded by an equity grant from the Ne- medallion and certificate were presented to each of braska Department of Education. the 20 members of the academic team. CCC stu - dents honored were: Colum bus Cam pus, Jennifer Enrollment Remmereid of Pe ters burg; Grand Island Cam pus, u A report presented to the CCC Board of Governors Tod Glasglow of Gibbon and Michelle Herrick of confirmed that during the 2003-04 academic year, North Platte; and Hastings Cam pus, Thu Sandrine 20,596 people took classes from CCC in 83 Ha of Hastings and Karissa Marble of Prosser. u communities in central Nebraska. The CCC Ex - Each of the CCC Phi Theta Kappa chapters were tended Learn ing Ser vices department, in honored at the Nebraska-Wyoming Regional association with local schools, libraries, fire Conference in Gillette, Wyo. The Columbus departments, hospitals, businesses and other chapter received the first-place Enhancement groups, offered a total of 1,239 classes. Award for time spent on service projects. The Registrations totaled 29,966, indicating some Grand Island chapter was awarded first place for students took more than one class. The the best Regional Yearbook. The Hastings chapter registrations included 13,924 credit classes, 9,268 received the first-place Travel and Participation noncredit classes, 4,286 avocational/recreational Award. Tod Glasgow of Gibbon, president of the classes and 2,488 Adult Basic Education classes Grand Island chapter, was elected Nebraska where 180 people earned their GED high school regional vice pres ident. diplomas. Professional Growth Information Technology u Seventy-eight CCC employees started participation u The information technology department, in order to in a Professional Growth Program pilot study for better meet industry needs for em ploy ees trained in AQIP. The pilot study is part of a program cyber security, has created new courses. The new developed by the Continuous Quality Improvement cyber security courses cover subjects such as Council and Tier 1 Subcommittee. The goal is to securing information, ensuring data, and pre vent- address a common set of skills for all full-time ing, detecting and reconciling data system intru - employees. Participants represent the three sions. Cyber security certification tests are campuses, the administration office and the CCC avail able to CCC graduates. centers at Holdrege, Kearney and Lexington. The pilot study is to be completed by May 31, 2006.

212 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

Radiography Degree Sa rah Tolle, Connie Wright, Andy Bucknell, Amanda Sparr and James Swezey. u In di vid u als in ter ested in a ca reer in ra di og ra phy can com plete all their bach elor degree re quire ments in central Nebras ka due to a partner ship program Transfer Agreements among Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege, the Uni ver sity u Trans fer agree ments were announced for four pro - of Ne braska Med i cal Cen ter School of Al lied grams of fered by CCC. These agree ments were Health Pro fes sions, and St. Fran cis Med i cal Cen ter. part of a grow ing trend that allows CCC students to Stu dents can com plete pre req ui site courses at CCC ap ply their cred its to ward bach e lor’s de grees of- and can com plete their UNMC courses online and fered by four-year college s and uni versi ties . The through video teleconferencing at St. Francis . Stu- follow ing CCC program s were include d in the dents then do their clini cal course work in the St. most re cent trans fer agree ments: con struc tion man- Fran cis Ra di ol ogy De part ment. Grad u ates of the age ment, in dus trial tech nol ogy, early child hood ed- 21-month program are eli gi ble to apply for their uca tion and information technology. certification exam in radiology. SkillsUSA Web Site u Severa l CCC students from the Colum bus and u A new Central Community College Web site was Hastings Campuses were awarded first-place fin - launched in July 2005 which is orientated toward ishes in the State Leader ship and Skills Confer ence the various constituencies served by the college. com pe ti tion held on the Co lum bus Cam pus. The new site includes pages for high school SkillsUSA is a na tional orga ni za tion for students students, parents, high school counselors, and en rolled in trade, in dus trial, tech ni cal, tech nol ogy returning students. Printer-friendly pages allow and health program s or courses. More than 700 users to print documents they need, such as the sec ondary and postsecondary students com peted in application for admission. The college also adopted 50 events at the confer ence . Colum bus Cam pus a single toll free number that can be used to contact first-place fin ish ers were Rob ert Case, Ben any of the campuses or the three centers in Jenkinson, Jarrad Swanson, Royce Case and James Holdrege, Kearney and Lexington. The new single Smith. First-place win ners from the Hastings Cam - toll free number replaces the six different toll free pus were Sa rah Bucknell, Josh Dye, Ryan Engle, numbers used in the past.

CCC’s second college president, Dr. Joe Preusser (center), is shown in this 2006 photo with people who have served as assistant to CCC’s three presidents: (left to right) Sandy Burris, Rebecca Skalka, Oriel Kinley and Kathy Campbell.

213 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Appendix A History: The First Eight Years, By Stephen O. Gaines ------215

College Governance ------221

Central Community College Foundation Board Members------226

Platte College Foundation Board Members ------227

Major Sources ------228

214 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College Central Technical Community College Area A History: The First Eight Years Response to the survey indi cat ed a great need for such an insti tu tion, that it should be locat ed in central By Stephen O. Gaines Nebras ka, and that many em ploy ers would em ploy Al though the Cen tral Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col- graduates. lege Area is the oldest of the estab lishe d com munity col lege ar eas in Ne braska, its his tory is a very brief Tri-City Committee Formed one. The area was form ally es tablishe d in 1966; how- As a result of the efforts of Mr. Bailey and others ever, many things hap - who had be come in ter ested, the Cen tral Ne braska Vo - pened be fore that time ca tional Ed u ca tion Com mit tee was formed. Per son nel which had a bearing on making up this com mittee were appointed from the the creation and devel - mem bership of the Tri-City Cham bers of Com merce. It opm ent of the Ne braska soon be came ob vi ous that in ter est in an in sti tu tion of sys tem of tech ni cal voca tional edu ca tion was not confined to the tri-city com mu nity col leges. area and mem bers rep re sent ing other com mu ni ties rep - This brief history is not resent ed were Aurora, St. Paul, Hildreth, Minden, and an attem pt to in clude Su pe rior. Mr. Dick McFeeley of the Grand Is land every thing that has been Chamber of Com merce was a leader dur ing these ef - ac com plished, but tries forts, and did a great deal to further the ef fort, as did inste ad to highlight the manag ers of the tri-cities cham bers Dick Good of some of the signif i cant Grand Island, Pat Morris of Hastings, and Dick Hartley events that have taken Stephen O. Gaines of Kearney. place pre ceding and fol - Inter est grew rapidly and a proposal was made to low ing pas sage of the orig i nal leg is la tion. the legis la ture that a sec ond state voca tional school be es tab lished in cen tral Ne braska. Fol low ing this re quest, John Bailey Identifies Need an interi m study com mittee was appointed to review In the early 1960’s Mr. John Bailey, a counsel or at the need. The report of this group substa nti ate d the Grand Island High School, becam e aware of the lack of need as deter mined by Mr. Bailey’s sur vey, but rec om- oppor tu nity for post-high school voca tional and techni - mended that the sec ond school be es tablishe d west of cal ed u cation in cen tral Ne braska. As his aware ness of Grand Island, probably at North Platte. this void grew, he be gan a one-man crusade to build in- The Cen tral Vo ca tional Ed u ca tion com mit tee was terest in and support for a new voca tional school for dissat isfied with this result and decide d to approac h the central Nebraska. prob lem from a new di rec tion. Af ter con sid er able re- Severa l presen ta tions were made to civic groups by search, study and discus sion, the concept of local ly Mr. Bailey and it was soon evi dent that many persons supported area voca tional schools was evolved. felt as he did regard ing this need. Groups such as the Kiwanis Club and the edu ca tion com mittee of the Legislation Drafted Grand Island Cham ber of Com merce encour aged A pre lim inary draft of a bill was pre pared by a sub- Mr. Bailey to con tinue his ef forts, and as a result of this com mit tee. Dur ing the 1965 Uni cam eral Ses sion LB coop er a tion, he conducte d a sur vey of business and in- 581, which was a re fined edition of the com mittee ’s dus trial estab lish ments in cen tral Nebraska. In this sur - proposal , was passed and signed into law. This legis la - vey he asked such questions as: tion per mit ted po lit i cal sub di vi sions to join into ar eas u Is an additional vocational school needed in Ne- to es tablish voca tional schools and to levy property braska? taxes to support such insti tu tions. It also provided some u Where should such an institution be located? state money on a one-time basis to assist in the estab - u Would the establishments responding be interested lishm ent of a limited number of schools. in employing personnel?

215 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Presentation Shown 300 Times Platte 4343 1,555 90.0 Web ster 1433 216 90.0 Upon the signing of the bill, the Com mittee for Vo- cational Edu ca tion for Central Nebras ka once more be - During the time that the area concept was being de- came ac tive in the prom otion of the form ation of a veloped, much consid er ation was given to the possi ble cen tral vo ca tional school area. Ma te ri als were pre pared loca tion of the proposed school. By co inci dence , a por- for a prom otional cam paign includ ing a slide and tape tion of the land and a num ber of buildings oc cupied by show titled “The Winds of Change.” This presen ta tion the Naval Am muni tion De pot near Hastings becam e was shown some 300 times, usually by mem bers of the available for public use at this most appro pri ate time. com mittee , which had now grown to include mem bers The Gen eral Ser vices Ad min is tra tion was promptly from Lexington, Loup City, Guide Rock, Central City, contac ted and nego ti a tions for usage of this property as and sev eral other com mu ni ties. a cam pus site were insti gate d. During this phase of the Many other persons gave as sis tance in this prom o - devel op m ent, Mr. Don Bradford, an assis tant in the de - tional ef fort in clud ing ad min is tra tive per son nel from fense depart ment, was very active on the be half of the both public and paro chia l schools and some elected area, and his efforts had a great deal to do with the mu nic i pal and county officials. eventual acqui si tion of the property. Mr. Bradford is As a result of the efforts of all of these volun tee rs, now retired and a cit i zen of the Central Technical 17 counties supported the form ation of the new area by Community College Area, living in Aurora. offi cia l ac tion of their county boards. The origi nal board of trustees was named in the pe- tition form ing the area and approved by the State Board Petition Presented to State Board of Ed u ca tion. Upon of fi cial rec og ni tion of the area, the A pe ti tion re quest ing of fi cial rec og ni tion of the board met and created the “Area Vo cation al Tech ni cal area was pre pared and sub mitted to the State Board of School Num ber One.” Mem bers of the first board Edu ca tion, as re quired by LB 581. The pe tition was ap- were: proved and the neces sar y work com pleted prior to plac - ing the issue on the bal lot for consid er ation by the Minor Baird ------Superior voters of all seven tee n counties gave approval to the Dick Brown ------Holdrege offi cia l form ation of the area. Fa vorable votes ranging Dick Ely ------Red Cloud from 53 percent to 92 percent by county av eraged out Paul Hohnstein ------Hastings to an area-wide favor able vote of 82.6 percent . The Jim Holmberg ------Columbus voting record by county was as follows: George Keller ------Lexington Verne Moseman------Grand Island County For Against Fa vor able Lou Ninegar ------Kearney Per cent age Ed Paulson------St. Paul Ad ams 6724 593 90.0 Irv Schwartz ------Hildreth Buf falo 4187 1238 77.0 Ken Wortman ------Aurora Clay 1634 230 87.6 Actions taken by the board at this first meet ing in- Dawson 2515 443 85.0 cluded: Frank lin 1137 316 78.2 u Oath of office by board Furnas 1264 515 71.0 u Election of officers: Gosper 605 111 84.5 l President – Ken Wortman Hall 6035 913 86.8 l Vice President – Verne Moseman Ham il ton 1818 229 88.8 l Secretary – Paul Hohnstein Howard 1153 261 81.5 u Ap point ment of Dewayne Wolfe as le gal con sul - Kear ney 1413 174 89.0 tant Merrick 1296 263 83.1 u Election of administrative personnel: Nance 838 744 52.9 l Dr. Chester Gausman – superintendent Nuckolls 2133 413 83.8 l Stephen O. Gaines – director of community Phelps 1615 234 87.3 services

216 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

l Edwin Minnick – director of student services recognized nationally as unique and a leader in this l Robert Harrington – director of non-industrial field. occupations l Claude Wengrove – director of industrial First Budget is $1 Million occupations The first budget as finally approved for 1966-67 l Henry Wendt – director of buildings and was for $1,052,240. Funds were obtaine d from a grounds $100,000 state grant, tui tion, and from a property tax l Alexis Johnson – comptroller levy of 1.25 mills on property val ued at $638,000,000. u One instructor employed – Larry Keller, in From July 1, 1966, to Sept. 12, 1966, instruc tional machine shop practice ma te ri als were pre pared, per son nel em ployed, some u Tuition established at $84.00 per quarter nec es sary build ing ren o va tion ac com plished, equip- u Vacation leave des ig nated ment and supplies purchas ed, and all of the other thou- u A budget of $975,000 presented for consid er ation sands of nec essar y de tails per tinent to such as September Starting Date Set un der tak ing at least par tially com pleted. On Sat ur day, Sept. 10 and Sunday Sept. 11, the fi nal fran tic prep ara - The board direc ted Dr. Gausman and his staff to tions were finishe d. These include d the assem bly of pro ceed with prep ara tions to start classes in Sep tember dorm itory furni ture by Dr. Gausman and the mem bers of 1966. Tem porary occu pancy was granted by the of the administrative and instructional staff. Navy for use of some of the buildings be fore of ficia l trans fer of the property, and on July 1, the adm inis tra - College Opens With 196 Students tive staff moved into the build ing which is still be ing On Sept.12, the in sti tu tion of fi cially opened with used as the adm inis tra tion building. Prior to this time, 196 students regis tere d. Eleven program s were offere d the building had been the medi cal dispen sar y. Office s un der the su per vi sion of five de part men tal heads. were set up in a va riety of loca tions in the building in- These in cluded Rob ert An der son, ma chine trades; cluding the oper at ing room, x-ray lab, enlist ed and of fi- Dean Blaha, transpor ta tion trades; Larry Carlson, busi- cer’s wards, etc. Some reno va tions were made ness and office occu pa tions; Ber nard Kinley, construc - im medi ate ly, but for some time the building resem bled tion trades; and Elmer Miller, ag ricul tural occu pa tions. a hospital more than a college administration building. The origi nal student body was made up of 189 men and Grant Fund Survey and Study seven women. Enroll m ent grew steadily through the term, with sec ond se mes ter reg is tra tions to tal ing 343. Be fore classes started, a grant was made avail able Total full-time enroll m ent reached 572 by the end of by the defens e depart m ent to survey and study sim ilar the first year of operation. The original faculty num- in sti tu tions. Mr. Fred Bauermeister and Ste phen Gaines bered 22. spent three weeks visit ing in stitu tions in Mis souri, Mis - sis sippi, Ten nes see, Vir ginia, Geor gia, West Vir ginia, Data Processing is First Adult Class Mary land, and Mich i gan. Much ma te rial was ac cu mu - Soon af ter the start of the first term, the first adult lated, but lit tle of it was of partic u lar value due to the eve ning class was or ga nized. It was a course in data con ven tional ap proach to ed u ca tion uti lized by all of pro cess ing fun da men tals taught by Mrs. Eliz a beth these insti tu tions. Perhaps the most valuable knowl- Howell and was made up of 17 students . Courses were edge gained was that none of these insti tu tions was op- added steadily, and by the end of the first year, 18 er at ing on an in di vid u al ized sys tem of in struc tion with courses had been com pleted with a total enroll m ent of credit based on student accom plishm ent. Dr. Gausman 451. Added to the full-time enroll m ent, this brought the had pre vi ously in di cated that Cen tral Ne braska Tech total student num ber to 1,023 for the first year. was to be a com pletely new kind of insti tu tion, with a Many other activ i ties took place during the first truly open door and with students progres sing at their year. On Oct. 24, the first annual open house was held, own rate through the use of mate ri als adapted to a com - with some 2,000 persons visit ing the cam pus. Auto m o - pletely in di vid u al ized in struc tional sys tem. This phi los - biles from all 17 support ing counties were obser ved, ophy has been maintaine d, and today the institution is along with many from other loca tions.

217 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

CNT Foundation Established quisi tion of a consid er able amount of equipm ent along In Novem ber of 1966, Mr. Paul Hohnstein, a long- with improved staff salaries. time supporter of voca tional edu ca tion and a board Greeley County Added mem ber of Cen tral Ne braska Tech, pre sented a gift of On March 25, 1968, Greeley County applied for $2,000 to es tablish the Central Nebras ka Tech Founda - area mem bership. The appli ca tion was approved and in tion. The founda tion was offi cia lly cre ated as a non - May the voters of the county approved the issue by a profit or gani za tion, chartere d by the state. A board of vote of 1,002 to 338, a 75 percent favor able vote. By trust ees and a board of di rec tors were se lected with the end of the school year, enroll m ent had incre ased to Mr. Leonard Melkus of Grand Is land serving as the 1,293, made up of 742 full-time and 551 part-time stu - first chair man of the board. Ad min is tra tive of fi cers dents. This rep re sented a 26 percent in crease over the elected were Ste phen Gaines, pres i dent; Edwin first year. Minnick, secre tary; and Alexis Johnson, treasure r. The founda tion has served as a clear ing house for First Commencement in 1969 all scholar ship funds and was the recip i ent of a large The first com mencement cer emony was held in grant made through the efforts of the Grand Is land In- May of 1968. Sen. Carl Curtis was the speaker and 111 dustria l Founda tion, to assis t in land purchas e nec es- grad u ates were awarded cer tif i cates, di plo mas and as - sary for the Adult Edu ca tion Center in Grand Island. so ci ate de grees. An over flow au di ence at tended the Sherman County Joins College Area event in the school gymnasium. Ber nard Friedricksen of Colum bus becam e a mem - In Janu ary 1967, Mr. Robert Martin of Loup City ber of the board on June 24, 1968, replac ing Jim was appointed to the board as a re sult of Sherman Holmberg. In Septem ber, Bruce Hendrickson was ap - County voting into mem bership to the Central Ne- pointed to com plete the term of Dick Brown follow ing braska Tech area. The cit i zens of Sherman County ap - Mr. Brown’s death. On Decem ber 16, 1968, Mr. Robert proved the issue 1,379 to 415 for a 77percent fa vorable Reiker was appointed to the board to re place Vernon per cent age. At this time, Vernon Krueger was ap - Krueger. pointed to replac e Richard Ely, who had re signed to run for public office. Campus Radio Station Goes On Air Although it had been in oper a tion only one year, During 1968-69, severa l im portant things took Cen tral Ne braska Tech rec og nized its first grad u ate in place. During this time the prelim i nary steps were the spring of 1967. Dean Ringlein of Grand Island, taken towar d accre di ta tion by the North Central Asso - who had trans ferred from Milford, com pleted gradu a - ci a tion, KCNT-FM radio sta tion went on the air, 252 tion re quirem ents in drafting and was im medi ate ly em - gradu ate s heard an addres s by Gov. Norbert Tiemann, ployed as a draftsm an at the Cornhusker Ordi nance Paul Hohnstein was granted Cen tral Ne braska Tech’s plant. During 1966-67, the Student Senate was formed first honor ary degree , and the name of the insti tu tion with Lee Ander son of Minden elected its first was mod i fied to Cen tral Ne braska Tech ni cal Col lege, president. via LB 943. Enroll m ent figures for the year include d In June of 1967, Paul Hohnstein resigne d from the 906 full-time, and 723 part-time eve ning students for a board for business rea sons. He was re placed by Mr. Harold total of 1,629, which reflec ted a 26 percent incre ase Hatten, also of Hastings. over the enroll m ent in 1967-68. The budget for the Enrollment Continues Growth year was $1,959,771, five percent above the previous year. En roll ment con tin ued to in crease dur ing the The fall quar ter of 1969-70 showed a healthy 1967-68 school year with the addi tion of severa l new growth with 804 full-time regis trants. Rob ert Martin pro grams, the im prove ment of in struc tional fa cil i ties resigne d from the board, and was replac ed by Robert and the expan sion of the adult edu ca tion program . The Heindryckx of Spalding. In May of 1970, new offi cer s budget for 1967-68 was $1,870,599. The large incre ase were elected by the board with Verne Moseman be- was made neces sar y by building reno va tion and the ac -

218 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College com ing pres i dent, George Keller, vice pres i dent; and Irv first time, a local coor di na tor was em ployed. During Schwartz, sec re tary. the year’s oper a tion, 14 courses were conducte d in Ox- ford with 152 persons regis tere d. Later during the same Enrollment Reaches 1,800 year, a smaller cen ter was es tab lished at El wood, serv - Total enroll m ent for 1969-70 include d 1,075 ing 71 students. full-time day students and 725 com munity service par- The total enroll m ent for the 1971-72 school year tici pants for a total of 1,800. The budget for the year included 1,727 full-time students and 1,300 com munity was $1,842,954, a de crease of 6 percent over the ser vice students , for a grand total of 3,027. 1968-69 budget. At the fall election held on Nov. 7, 1972, the fol- Fall enroll ment of full-time students jumped to low ing coun ties sup ported the ap pli ca tions for area 1,032 in 1970, with the yearly total reaching 1,234. mem ber ship as follows: Adult course enroll m ent reached 1,045 during this Harlan County – 1,403 for, 500 against (74 year, making the total enroll m ent 2,279. This repre - percent fa vor able vote) sented a 26.6 percent in crease, which was con sis tent But ler County – 1,776 for, 1,178 against (60 with other yearly in creases in enrollment. percent fa vor able vote) On Nov. 22, 1970, the largest -ever open house was Colfax County – 2390 for, 1,022 against (70 held with more than 4,000 persons in atten dance . percent fa vor able vote) The budget incre ased some 28 percent in 1970 to a Boone County – 1,618 for, 512 against (76 percent total of $2,361,016. Construc tion costs, addi tional fa vor able vote) equip ment pur chases, in creased in struc tional costs and A portion of Dodge County also approved incor po - in sti tu tional growth all con trib uted to this nec es sary ration into the area but was later removed by leg isla tive increase. ac tion. How ever, the same leg is la tive ac tion as signed Valley County is Latest Addition Polk County to the central area. On Nov. 3, 1970, Val ley County becam e a part of Board Membership Changes the area when its voters approved the issue 1,297 to On Jan. 8, 1972, Mr. Jerry Norris of Colum bus was 782, a 62 percent favor able vote. appointed to the board and on Jan. 24, Don Roberts re- In Febru ary 1971, Ralph Kissinger was elected to signed due to a trans fer to a differ ent local ity. Dr. Louis the board to re place Minor Baird of Supe rior. During Ninegar, a for mer board mem ber, agreed to fill out the that same month, Dr. Louis Ninegar resigne d from the rem ainder of Mr. Robert’s term. On Feb. 28, Mr. Alexis board. He was re placed by Don Roberts of Kearney. Johnson, the control ler for the Central Nebras ka Tech, The budget for 1971-72 was es tablishe d at announced his inten tion to re tire in June. His deci sion $2,955,496. This budget re quired a mill levy of 1.92. was ac cepted by the board with regret. Under LB 759, the Techni cal Com munity College bill On May 22, Dr. Mi chael Par adise was elected vice passed by the 1971 Uni cam eral, the board be came the pres i dent of Cen tral Tech ni cal Com mu nity Col lege. On govern ing board for all two-year insti tu tions within the Aug. 20, 1972, two dorm ito ries were dedi cat ed on the area, which include d Platte College of Colum bus, for CTCC cam pus. These buildings were finance d by reve - the first time. nue bonds. A third identi cal dorm was construc ted the On Aug. 30, 1971, Mr. Bernard Friedrickson re- follow ing year, but was paid for from tax funds accu - signed from the board. He was replac ed on Sept. 27 by mulate d in a building fund. Kenneth Torczon who had been serving as the chair- The budget approved for 1972-73 was $3,312,930. man for the Platte board. Dur ing that year sev eral changes were to oc cur in the Oxford Has First Off-Campus Center make-up of the board. On Jan. 8, 1973, Mr. Robert Ray On Sept. 18, 1971, the first off-cam pus center was of Hastings became a member, along with Ches ter es tab lished in co op er a tion with the Ox ford Com mu nity Mar shall and Mar ga ret McMullen of Kearney, and on School. Pre vi ous off-cam pus ac tiv i ties had been ad- June 25, Jerry Jacupke was appointed to fill out the minis tere d from the Hastings Cam pus, but now for the term of Mr. Robert Roy fol lowing his death.

219 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

During 1972-73, 1,810 students were enrolle d in Community Services Grows Rapidly full-time program s, and 1,418 in Com munity Service During the 1973-74 aca dem ic year a great deal of courses for a grand total of 3,228. Platte enrolle d 771 ad min is tra tive re or ga ni za tion was ac com plished. Com - full- and part-time students during the year. Total area munity ser vices grew at a rapid rate due to an in creased en roll ment was 3,999. em phasis on the off-cam pus ac tivi ties , and by the end The 1973-74 budget was $4,989,401, which in- of the year 3,983 per sons had attende d 292 courses cluded oper at ing costs of both cam puses, plus the conducte d at 14 loca tions, with many other non-in- newly estab lishe d area office in Grand Island. Adm in- struc tional ac tiv i ties rep re sent ing sev eral thou sand istra tive functions were moved to Grand Is land, includ - more par tici pants. Full-time en roll ment on the Central ing the area pres i dent’s of fice, ad min is tra tive ser vices Campus was 1,998 and 788 at Platte. of fices, the com mu nity ser vice of fice, and per son nel and public information.

220 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College College Governance Platte College Board of Governors Name Term of Office Offices Held William N. Floyd 1967-73 Vice Chair 1967-68 Dale Luedtke 1967-73 Vice Chair 1968-73 Floyd (Sid) Mason 1970-73 Laura Miller 1967-73 Warren Rood 1967-73 Chair 1967-68 William R. Simpson 1967-70 Kenneth Torczon 1967-73 Chair 1968-73 Central Community College Board of Governors Name Term of Offices Offices Held Linda Aerni 2003- Donald Anderson 1991-2003 Treasurer 1993 Secretary 1994 Vice Chair 1995 Chair 1996 Merle Anderson 1979-95 Treasurer 1981 Secretary 1982 Chair 1983-84 Dr. Glen Auble 1977-79 Minor Baird 1966-70 Dick Brown 1966-68 Robert Buckley 1977-81 William Callihan 1975-77 Jack Crowley 1981-84 Treasurer 1982 Vice Chair 1983 Chair 1984

221 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Name Term of Offices Offices Held Jan Dannelly 1987-92 Treasurer 1988 Vice Chair 1990 Chair 1991 William Doran 1982-94 Treasurer 1983 Chair 1985-86 Vice Chair 1984 James Doyle 1985-88 Vice Chair 1988 Treasurer 1986 Secretary 1987 Dick Ely 1966-67 Bernard Friedrichsen 1968-71 Merikay Gengenbach 2004- George Hasley 1995-99 Treasurer 1998 Harold Hatten 1967-72 Secretary 1967-70 Don Heimes 1995-99 Robert Heindryckx 1969-72 Samuel Heltman 1978-83 Treasurer 1979-80 Secretary 1981 Vice Chair 1982 Linda Heiden 2004-05 Bruce Hendrickson 1968-72 Paul Hohnstein 1966-67 Secretary 1966 Jim Holmberg 1966-68 Carolyn Holmquist 1977 Jerry Jacupke 1973-79 Diane Keller 2000- Treasurer 2000-02 Secretary 2002 Vice Chair 2003 Chair 2004-05

222 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

Name Term of Offices Offices Held George Keller 1966-77 Vice Chair 1970-73 Chair 1974-75 Jeremie Kerkman 2006- Ralph Kissinger 1971-77 Treasurer 1974 Secretary 1975 Vice Chair 1976 Ron Krejci 1977-85 Secretary 1979-80 Vice Chair 1981 Chair 1982 Paul Krieger 1997- Secretary/Treasurer 1999-2000 Vice Chair 2001 Chair 2002-03 Vernon Krueger 1967-68 Paul Leiss 1989-2003 Secretary 1991-92 Secretary 1993 Vice Chair 1994 Secretary 1995-98 Vice Chair 1999 Chair 2000-2002 Edwin Loutzenheiser 1985-93 Chair 1988-89 Treasurer 1987 Harold McClure 1989- Vice Chair 1992 Chair 1993 Treasurer 1987 Margaret McMullen 1973-74 Chester Marshall 1973-87 Treasurer 1975 Secretary 1976 Chair 1977-78 Treasurer 1984 Secretary 1985-86 Vice Chair 1987

223 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005

Name Term of Offices Offices Held Bob Martin 1967-69 Virgil Meyer 1983-84 Verne Moseman 1966-82 Vice Chair 1966-69 Chair 1970-73 Donald R. Mroczek 1985-92 Treasurer 1987 Secretary 1988-90 Vice Chair 1991 Chair 1992 Dr. Lou Ninegar 1966-71 Jerry Norris 1972-79 Secretary 1977-79 Edward G. Paulsen 1966-74 Homer E. Pierce 1990-2003, 2005- Secretary 1992 Vice Chair 1993 Chair 1994-95 Treasurer 2003 Tom Pirnie 1994- Treasurer 1996-97 Vice Chair 1998 Chair 1999 Treasurer 2002 Secretary 2003 Chair 2006 Dale Pohlman 1977-78 Treasurer 1990 1980-81 1987-90 Keith Pollard 1999-2003 Secretary 2000-01 Vice Chair 2002 Robert Ray 1973 Robert Reiher 1968-72 Henry Rice 1983-86 Don Roberts 1971-72

224 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

Name Term of Offices Offices Held Wayne Sasges 2003- Secretary 2006 Bill Schneider 1993- Treasurer 1995 Vice Chair 1996-97 Chair 1998 Treasurer 2006 Robert Schnuelle 1975-90 Treasurer 1975-76 Vice Chair 1977-80 Chair 1981 Kent Schroeder 1975-77 Irv Schwartz 1966-89 Secretary 1970-73 Vice Chair 1974 Chair 1975-76 David Stubbs 1981-88, 1991 - Vice Chair 1985-86 Chair 1987 Secretary 2005 Vice Chair 2006 Ken Torczon 1971-74 Treasurer 1973 Secretary 1974 Robert Walgren 1979-82 Ken Wortman 1966-2004 Chair 1966-70 Treasurer 1977-78 Chair 1979-80 Treasurer 1985 Vice Chair 1989 Chair 1990 Treasurer 1994

225 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Foundation Board Members Central Community College Foundation Fol low ing is a list of Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege Foun da tion board members and the years they served. If a second year is not shown, it in di cates that the board member was still serv ing at the time of pub li ca tion. Name Start End Name Start End Roger Allmand 1998 2001 Keith Huffman 1990 2000 Don An der son 2004 Mary Hull 2004 Merle An der son 1990 Doyle Hulme 1990 2004 Gaylord Apfel 1990 2000 H. Don Hulme 1990 Gale Beirow 1999 Kim Johansen 2001 Kristi Bish 2003 Rod Karsten 2000 2004 Dr. Lynn Black 2004 Dr. Larry Keller 1990 1992 Mark Boettcher 1990 2000 Linda Kruse 1992 2003 Chuck Bosselman 1990 Sharon Liske 1998 2004 Kermit Bosshamer 2003 Ed Loutzenheiser Jr. 1990 2000 Kevin Brostrom 1991 Wes Lubberstedt 1998 John Brownell 1990 1993 Harold McClure 1990 Larry But ler 1990 Kathleen McPherson 1990 2000 John Codling 1999 David McSherry 1999 2000 Jan Dannelly 1990 1995 Vir gil Meyer 1990 2005 Marvin Dawes 1995 2000 Donald Nelson 1990 1993 Dr. Judy Dresser 1990 1996 Phil Nelson 1991 1993 Don Dunn 2003 Tom Pattno 1990 Don Egenberger 1990 2004 Homer Pierce 2003 Bob Emerson 1993 Dale Pohlman 2003 John Farrell 1990 Bonnie Pres ton 2001 Jim Fisher 2002 2005 Dr. Jo seph W. Preusser 1990 Mathew (Bud) Fleischer 1990 Densel Ras mus sen 2004 Dr. LaVern Franzen 1995 Rod Rudebusch 1992 Rich ard (Dick) Friend 1990 Dr. Pe ter Rush 1990 1994 Dr. Glenda Gallisath 2000 2002 Jack Schultz 1990 Dr. Chester H. Gausman 1990 Don Schupbach 1990 Dr. Bill Giddings 1992 2004 Jim Scow 1990 Dr. Matt Gotschall 2005 Dr. Rich ard Shaink 1994 2000 Fran Grimes 1990 2001 Da vid Stubbs 1990 Jim Hellbusch 2000 S.N. (Bud) Wolbach 1990 Rich ard Hinrichs 1999 Ken Wortman 1990 2004 Bill Hitesman 2002 Larry Zach 1990

226 College History: 1984-2005 Central Community College

Platte College Foundation Board Members The peo ple listed below served on the Platte Col lege Foun da tion, which later merged with the Cen tral Com mu nity Col lege Foun da tion. In for ma tion re gard ing years of ser vice for these board members is not avail able.

Lois Behlen El len Qualsett Mark A. Boettcher Carl L. Raffer ty Alfreda Hoffman Dr. Pe ter D. Rush Keith Huffman Don ald Schneberger Garnett Johansen Paul Schumacher Jerome Mark Don ald M. Schupbach Irene Martischang James Scow Mi chael L. Moser Bob Stachura Jolaine Niel sen Larry Zach Rob ert E. Olson Mary Ziegenbein

227 Central Community College College History: 1984-2005 Major Sources

The follow ing is a list of the major college publi ca tions which were used in the devel op - ment of this history.

Newsletters 25-Year Publications Central Connection (college employee Columbus Campus newsletter) Grand Island Campus C-Notes Alumni Newsletter Hastings Campus Counselor Connection College Catalogs Annual Reports North Central Self-Studies College President Columbus Campus Grant Reports Grand Island Campus Personnel Files Hastings Campus College Foundation Registrar Files Extended Learning Services (Community Education) Staff Directories

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