Each first and third Tuesday of the month at 12:10 p.m., Student Senate members of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture gather at the oldest building on campus.
They network and keep student groups informed, offer input to administrators and faculty, discuss policy or campus concerns, or coordinate service projects with Curtis and Frontier County residents.
The 2022 rendition of NCTA fall semester began Aug. 26. Opening day at Agriculture Hall, then the only classroom at the Aggie campus, was Sept. 9, 1913.
Current-day student population of 250 students may not realize the history of their campus. Nor that the initial 82 Aggies enrolled at the Nebraska School of Agriculture were not college students.
Instead, NSA was a residential high school for students from 9th through 12th grades. They hailed from southwestern Nebraska and the Sandhills, mostly from counties without education beyond 8th grade.
Through 109 years, Ag Hall has presided over campus through four name changes, transition from the high school to a two-year college while simultaneously serving both populations in a two-year overlap.
Today, the three-story brick building still has several of the same classrooms on three floors, in addition to the administrative and business offices on second level. The main public traffic, however, is to the Nebraska Extension -- Frontier County Office or to the Aggie Store on ground level.
Student leaders are elected or nominated by 15 student clubs or competition teams. They are Ag Business Club, Ag Mechanics Club, Collegiate Cattlemen, Collegiate 4-H/FFA, Farm Bureau Club, Horticulture Club, Livestock Judging Team, Ranch Horse Team, Rodeo Team, Shotgun Sports Team, Stock Dog Team, Phi Theta Kappa, Safari Club, Student Technicians of Veterinary Medicine Association, and Women in Ag.
Each organization can appoint a 1st-year representative and a 2nd-year representative.
The Student Senate was formed to be the governing body charged with the regulation and coordination of student self-government. The Student Senate also serves as a liaison between the NCTA administration, faculty, staff, students, and the public.
Student Senate leaders for 2022-23 are:
President: Tanner Ostrander, Ogallala, Ag Business Club
Vice President: Kia Brown, Utica, Aggie Rodeo Team
Secretary/Treasurer: Maryssa Archibeque, Burwell, Student Technicians of Veterinary Medicine
Dean's Council Representative (2nd year): Taylor Lautenschlager, Doniphan, Farm Bureau Club
Dean's Council Representative (1st year): Haley Robb, Doniphan, Livestock Judging Team
Faculty Advisor: Eric Reed, PhD, General Studies
NCTA has two Student Senate representatives who serve on the Dean's Council, along with three administrators, Senate leadership from faculty and staff, and academic unit lead faculty. The two voices for all Aggie students are Taylor Lautenschlager and Haley Robb.
The Dean's Council, chaired by Dean Larry Gossen, Ph.D., meets monthly, also in Agriculture Hall.
Projects for Student Senate include providing input to the Council on proposals for campus facilities, campus health and safety measures, and policy.
Categories: Nebraska, Education