CSC celebrates via first virtual commencement
CHADRON – Chadron State College honored 315 graduates, 89 earning master’s degrees and 226 earning bachelor’s degrees, with the institution’s first virtual commencement Saturday. Digital Graphic Designer Daniel Binkard edited the video that included recognition of each person earning a bachelor's or master's degree, and congratulatory messages from employees of the college.
The college plans to conduct an in-person ceremony for the graduates at an appropriate time in the future and after Directive Health Measures have been lifted.
Masters graduates Taylor Osmotherly of Crawford, and Kelsey Brummels of Ewing, Nebraska, presented the opening and closing moments of reflection.
Dr. Beth Wentworth was recognized as the recipient of the Nebraska State College System Teaching Excellence Award by Gary Bieganski representing the NSCS Board of Trustees. Wentworth returned the CS Foundation cash awards she received and asked that they be earmarked for the Math Science renovation project. She received $3,000 for the system award and $1,000 for the CSC award.
The following ROTC cadets were recognized for commissioning as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army
Chasidy Horton of Colorado Springs, Colo., Ordnance Branch (Active Duty); Samuel Klammer of Juniata, Neb., Military Intelligence Branch (Active Duty); Mason Marsh of Scottsbluff, Neb., Transportation Branch (Colorado National Guard); Gregory McCallum of Chadron, Transportation Branch (Active Duty); Demetrius McFadden of Pahokee, Fla., Quartermaster Branch (Army Reserves); Mitchell Parish of North Platte, Neb., Infantry Branch (Active Duty); Shae Weber of Rapid City, S.D., Quartermaster Branch (South Dakota National Guard).
Dr. Kurt Kinbacher, Professor of History, addressed the graduates. He reminded the graduates to read the portion of their diplomas stating they are entitled to the rights, privileges, and honors that accompany their degree.
“It’s a pretty big deal. It might not feel like it today, but you’ve been becoming this graduate for the entire time you’ve been here. Let that sink in,” Kinbacher said.
Kinbacher advised the graduates to be generous. He said the admonishment came from Dr. Carol Levin, a senior professor at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, when he was completing his doctorate.
“Sometimes people just need a leg up. Being generous costs very little and the rewards can be really great. It has served me well,” Kinbacher said.
Next, Kinbacher referred to President John F. Kennedy’s famous challenge: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.”
“It might seem kind of grandiose, but you can scale this for wherever you are in your life right now. It can be, ‘ask what you can do for family, for your ranch, for your business, for your community, for your planet.’ This COVID-19 is fundamentally unfair. But there will be a silver lining to this,” Kinbacher said. “Here is my hope. Langston Hughes, the American Poet, who wrote in 1935 at a time of great racial intolerance and economic depression, ‘Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be.’”
Kinbacher concluded with his assertion that the U.S. will rebound from current trials.
“Once this blows through, we have work to do. America and Americans lead. We lead the world. Americans believe in truth. We believe in science. We believe in stable institutions. We’re coming through a hard time. We’ll get to the end of it. We can recover from this,” Kinbacher said.
Category: Campus News