Many honors for CSC, faculty, students, grads in '04

The college community was surprised in late April when Dr. Tom Krepel, who had served as president six years, announced his resignation effective June 30, 2005. Numerous academic and physical improvements occurred at CSC during Krepel’s tenure despite nearly a 13 percent, or $1.8 million, reduction in state budget support over a three-year period.

The list of candidates to fill the presidency has been trimmed to six. They have been invited to meet with the search committee at the Omaha airport Jan. 8-9. The finalists for the position are scheduled to visit the campus later in the month.

During the summer, two CSC faculty members moved into administrative positions. Dr. Margaret Crouse was named interim dean of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies and Dr. Robert Stack became interim dean of students.

Another change was announced late in the year when Brad Smith, who compiled a 133-56-1 record as the Eagles’ head football coach the past 18 seasons, gave up that responsibility to devote full-time to being the college’s athletic director. Bill O’Boyle, who had been one of Smith’s assistants 14 years, was appointed interim head football coach.

In addition, 10 professional staff members retired during the past year. Dr. Joyce Hardy, senior vice president for academic and student affairs, said the college was fortunate to attract excellent replacements with diverse backgrounds, experiences and knowledge.

The strategic plan, called Vision 2011 and designed to take the college to its centennial year, was launched in 2004. Eighty-four activities proposed by college personnel were approved for implementation.

Krepel called the plan the college’s “road map to the future,” setting the course for Chadron State’s academic mission and service functions.

In early autumn, two major physical improvement projects were completed on campus. They were construction of a mile-long recreational trail through the scenic Thompson Natural History Preserve and renovation of Edna Work Residence Hall Wing

The latter provided 50 refurbished rooms for students. Renovation of the remaining portion of Edna Work Hall is converting those rooms into suites. The $4 million project is financed by revenue bonds that will be paid off by room rentals.

One of Chadron State’s highlights occurred in mid-October when it received the National Rural Education Association’s Exemplary Practices/Programs Award. It was presented for CSC’s collaboration with Mid-Plains Community College to begin a program in North Platte that allows students with associate degrees to earn bachelor of science in education degrees so they can teach.

Also at the convention, a Chadron State education professor, Dr. Clark Gardener, was presented the NREA’s Service Award for 2004 and an alumnus, Moni Hourt of Crawford, was recognized as national Teacher of the Year.

Gardener is on the association’s Executive Committee and teaches a “Rural School Education” course that is one of a few in the nation stressing rural education issues.

Hourt teaches at Sioux County District 2, the Glen School. In recent years, her students developed projects that won numerous state honors and two which placed second at the National History Contest in Washington, D.C.

The CSC Students in Free Enterprise team sponsored by Dr. Rick Koza continued to earn high honors in 2004. It received the Nebraska First Lady’s Community Service Award in March and won first place in the Entrepreneur competition at the SIFE national convention in Kansas City in late May. In addition, the CSC team ranked among the top 15 in four of the remaining five special competition categories that were open to all 900 SIFE teams in the nation.

Late in the year, the CSC chapter of Music Educators National Conference was honored as Nebraska’s best, largely for its many service projects.

Numerous CSC faculty members received special recognition or were elected to national and state offices in 2004. They included:

--Dr. Stack, who was named the outstanding teacher in the Nebraska State College System. He had taught math at the college six years before accepting appointment as interim dean of students.

--Dr. Bobby Duron was named the Phi Beta Lambda Business Fraternity’s Businessperson of the Year. PBL also gave its Advisor of the Year Award posthumously to business instructor Linda Nitsch, who died in February.

--Dr. Georgia Younglove was selected as the national advisor for the American Pre-Veterinary Medicine Association.

--Dr. Scott Ritzen became president-elect of the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association.

--Carola Winkle was named public relations chairman for the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association.

--Dr. Don King was elected president of the Nebraska Association of Colleges of Teacher Education.

--Dr. Barbara Limbach became the first Nebraskan appointed to the National Education Association’s review panel for its “Thought and Action Journal.”

Besides Hourt, several CSC alumni earned special honors. They included:

--Dr. Jeff King, who practices medicine in Grand Island, was chosen Nebraska’s Young Physician of the Year by the Nebraska Medical Association.

--Sherry Retzlaff of Rushville was the fourth recipient of the Nebraska State Education Association’s Award for Teaching Excellence. She also was one of seven Nebraska teachers to receive the Ike Friedman Teacher Leadership Award in 2004.

--Sharla Tollman Dowding was named Wyoming’s Outstanding Biology Teacher for 2004. She teaches at Newcastle.

--Opera singer Don Sherrill received the Summer Opera Guild’s Artist of the Year Award for his portrayal of the villain, Iago, in the Italian version of “Otello” in Washington, D.C.

--Dr. Kelvin Sharp became president of South Plains College at Levelland, Tex.

--Dustin Elliott won the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association’s bullriding championship, just three years after winning the collegiate title while attending CSC.

--Three former CSC athletes, the late Dub Miller of Chadron, Don Knauss of Omaha and John Deti of Laramie, Wyo., were inducted into state Halls of Fame.

Special recognition also went to several of CSC’s current scholar-athletes.

For instance, the wrestling team was cited at the national tournament for having the second highest cumulative grade point average in NCAA II (3.39) and four of the team members earned Academic All-American honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association. They are Seth Groff, Ben Holscher, Jordan Johnson and Travis Peak. In addition, Johnson and Peak along with Jeff Rusher placed at the national tournament to earn All-American honors.

The CSC volleyball team earned its second consecutive Team Academic Award from its coaches association for having a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5. Also, Barb Holm of Wallace was selected as an Academic All-American by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Holm also won the breakaway roping championship in the Central Rocky Mountain Region for 2003-04.

Last spring, the Eagles’ Jacqueline Wells became a track and field All-American in three throwing events and Derek Hamilton earned the honor in the indoor shot put. This fall, freshman football player Danny Woodhead grabbed the limelight by leading NCAA II in rushing, scoring and all-purpose yards and earning an array of All-American nods.