System chancellor, business professor to speak at commencements

The speaker for the undergraduate commencement will be NSCS Chancellor Stan Carpenter, who has led Chadron State and the other two NSCS institutions for 12 years. Dr. James Wright, CSC professor of business, will speak during the graduate ceremony. Wright, who has served periods as both a faculty member and an administrator since coming to CSC 1983, teaches courses in business and economic statistics, quantitative methods, production and operation management and professional ethics.

The ceremony for graduates receiving master’s degrees will be at 8 a.m. in Memorial Hall followed by the event for bachelor’s degree recipients at 10 a.m. in the Armstrong Physical Education Building.

Each ceremony will be broadcast live at this link.

James Wright, Ph.D.
Professor of Business, Chadron State College

Dr. James Wright has played an important role in both the faculty and the administration during his 29 years at Chadron State College.

As a full-tenured professor, he teaches courses in business and economics statistics, quantitative methods, professional ethics, and production and operation management.

Wright, an Ohio native, has been employed at Chadron State since the fall of 1983, when he joined the faculty as assistant professor of computer science in the Department of Business. His past titles at CSC include chairman of the Computer Science Department and dean of graduate studies and research.

During Wright’s four years as dean, which began in 1989, he supervised all graduate programs, helped standardize the data gathering process between institutions of the Nebraska State College System, and approved all grant proposals written by the college. He also served as a reader for the U.S. Department of Education and evaluated scores of TRIO grant applications.

Wright has served as president of the Chadron State College Educational Association, which is the collective bargaining unit for the institution’s faculty, as well as representing educators in contract negotiations. He served as president of the Faculty Senate and continues to lead the Scholastic Contest committee.

Wright had several administrative positions in western Nebraska before joining CSC. He was regional fiscal supervisor for Nebraska Rehabilitation Services, director of Panhandle Daycare Center and principal of Gering Valley School.

Wright earned a doctorate from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, a specialist’s degree from CSC, a master’s degree from Ball State University and a bachelor’s degree from Anderson College in Anderson, Ind.

Wright remains active in the Chadron community through civic and church related activities and leadership roles.

He and his wife, Carol, a licensed mental health practitioner, live in rural Chadron. They have three adult children -- Greg, a project manager for Delorme Map Company in Maine, Stacia, a registered nurse in a hospital oncology wing in California, and Alicia, a certified yoga instructor in Wisconsin. Each has three children.  

Stan Carpenter, J.D.
Chancellor, Nebraska State College System

Stan Carpenter is chancellor of the Nebraska State College System, which includes Chadron State College, Peru State College and Wayne State College.

During Carpenter’s 12 years at the helm of the system, his vision has led to the implementation of the Master’s Degree in Organizational Management, a strategic planning effort that included representatives from all segments of the college communities, new and expanded marketing and recruiting efforts, support for collaborative efforts both internally and with the other sectors of public and private higher education in Nebraska. His message has consistently reflected the important role that the three colleges play in rural Nebraska and how the future vitality of rural Nebraska depends, in large part, on the success of the Nebraska State College System.

Carpenter also has established stronger support for the NSCS within the Nebraska Legislature. A voice for higher education and the NSCS, he has consistently advocated for stronger partnerships with the Nebraska Community Colleges and has strongly supported the burgeoning growth of off-campus and online programs. The NSCS mission of access and opportunity has been promoted and encouraged by Carpenter since his arrival. It is one in which he and all within the NSCS take pride.

Carpenter was general counsel and director of employee relations for the Vermont State Colleges for 18 years prior to taking the lead position of the NSCS. He practiced law in Cincinnati, Ohio, after a successful career as a high school teacher. He also has taught as an adjunct instructor at several colleges in Ohio and Vermont.

He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati and a juris doctorate degree from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University.

Carpenter and his wife, Noreen, live in Lincoln. The Carpenters have four adult children. Emily earned a degree in engineering and is working toward a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Michael and Kelly live in Vermont with their respective families. Eric resides in Cincinnati with his wife and is attending law school at Northern Kentucky University.