McCook Community College

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College governors gave administrators and classified staff salary increases delayed during last year’s pandemic uncertainties. Noting that MPCC was one of the few colleges that reopened last fall with minor capacity restrictions while maintaining precautions, the board approved, retroactive to July 1, 2020 a 2 percent increase in administrative salaries including the president’s as well as a 35 cents-per hour increase for classified staff wages...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Two major building-related projects and an executive session regarding personnel are on the agenda for Wednesday night’s meeting of the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors. It is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the North Platte Community College north campus, 1101 Halligan Drive in North Platte...

McCOOK, Neb. -- McCook Community College’s Social Justice Club and Student Services invited students, faculty and staff in a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday at the MCC Student Union. Members of the club led informal and education discussions about Dr. King and his influences...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College governors voted against purchasing land adjacent to the Imperial campus, picked an engineer for roadway connecting the U.S. Highway 83 to the North Platte South Campus, and approved bonds for refinancing the Health Complex in North Platte and the Events Center in McCook...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College’s two art instructors are coming together for a showcase of their works at a new exhibit at the Wrightstone Fine Arts Gallery at McCook Community College. The works of MCC Instructor Rick Johnson along with North Platte Community College Instructor Dik Haneline will be on display now through Feb. 28 at the Wrightstone Gallery...

McCOOK, Neb. -- By popular demand “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens’ heartwarming, holiday classic returns to virtual life in an on-demand recorded collaboration between McCook Community College Theater and Southwest Nebraska Community Theater Association Dec. 15-28...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Mid-Plains Community College will consider the purchase of property adjacent to the Imperial Community Campus at the board of governors’ regular meeting Wednesday. Previously tabled, the purchase will be discussed in a closed session, followed by the possible authorization of the president to enter into a real estate purchase...

OGALLALA, Neb. -- Meeting in Ogallala Wednesday, the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors approved a 4% raise for faculty for 2021-22. The agreement with the Mid-Plains Faculty Association also includes a retirement contribution match of up to 9.25%...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College will close Nov. 25 for Thanksgiving break. That includes all campuses in McCook, North Platte, Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine. The college will reopen Nov. 30.

McCOOK, Neb. -- Mid Plains Community College governors selected an architect for McCook Community College’s East Campus and North Platte Community College’s Health and Science Center. Meeting in McCook Wednesday, the board awarded the contracts to ADP Wilkens of Kearney...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Applications officially open Nov. 1 for the next round of the Hormel Entrepreneurship Competition and a chance at a share of $25,000. This competition is open to residents in seven area counties who have business ideas or plans to expand an existing businesses...

McCOOK, Neb. — Mid-Plains Community College governors will make a recommendation for an architect Wednesday for the McCook Community College East Campus. Besides the MCC East Campus — the old Elks Club — governors will recommend an architect for the North Platte Community College Health & Science Center...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College campuses in McCook, North Platte and Imperial have new looks for the fall semester. MPCC’s temporary switch to remote learning in March due to COVID-19 put the college ahead of schedule construction-wise as the quiet campuses allowed crews to start early on a series of planned improvements...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- The Mid Plains Community College board of governors approved Specialized Engineering Services of Ogallala as engineers for the HVAC upgrade at Brooks Hall in McCook, approved a proposed budget for publication prior to a public hearing Sept. 16, and took steps to purchase property on State Farm Road for $181,500, about seven acres for a rodeo practice arena...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The most important thing any of McCook Community College students will learn this year began before they arrived on campus. “We wear masks so we can stay open,” said Kelly Rippen, MCC Vice President. It’s a message that has been repeated in the weeks leading up the start of fall classes Sunday and a message that was repeated frequently during staff preparation days, student move-in days and new student orientation. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- They’re the frontline workers – the first to respond when someone is injured or sick. They take control of emergency situations, provide immediate care, calm fears and often block the door between life and death. With the ongoing pandemic, emergency medical technicians are needed more than ever. Many communities rely on volunteer EMTs to work with fire and emergency service departments in their areas...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The following is the text of McCook Community College student speaker Trevor Oberg's speech today at MCC commencement ceremonies: “The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that looked like they couldn't be done” Arnold Palmer...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A McCook Community College instructor who is known for his passion about his program, his students, his college, and his community, has been named winner of the Dr. Gene Budig Outstanding Faculty Award for 2020. Art Instructor Rick Johnson, who began teaching in the fall semester of 2004, was nominated by several colleagues and fellow staff and ultimately selected by the Budig Award selection committee and submitted to the Mid-Plains Community College Cabinet. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College will host commencement ceremonies Friday at campuses in McCook and North Platte. The McCook Community College ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. in the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center. That will be followed by the North Platte Community College commencement ceremony at 3 p.m. in the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium on NPCC’s South Campus, 601 W. State Farm Rd...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Trevor Oberg admits he was an average student when he attended McCook High School. He golfed, but not really at the level you might expect for someone hoping to compete in college. McCook Community College Golf Coach Tyler Loop took a chance. In part because of his work ethic and determination and the subsequent results, Oberg has been named McCook Community College’s Student Commencement Speaker. Ceremonies are set for 10 a.m. Friday at the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center...

McCOOK, Neb. -- For the better part of four decades, Roger Wilson immersed himself into almost every aspect of McCook Community College. He came to McCook in 1970 as a biology instructor and retired in 1999. He then coached women’s basketball for a year. In 2002, he was elected to the Mid-Plains Area Governing Board and served for eight years and retired again – believing in term limits...

McCOOK, Neb. -- As Mid-Plains Community College campuses prepare for the return of students this fall, the board of governors is making sure facilities will be there to serve them over the long term. A number of current and future building projects were among the items on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting at the McCook Community College student union...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- All MPCC campuses – those in McCook, North Platte, Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine – are now reopened after being closed to the public March 30 to limit exposure to COVID-19. While they have reopened, there are new safeguards in place...

McCOOK, Neb. -- In March, when lack of COVID-19 testing became a key issue in the battle to flatten the coronavirus curve, a McCook Community College graduate shifted her biomedical research pursuits in Texas to help administer a backlog of COVID-19 tests...

MCC’s ‘Bridge’ program has sophomore excited for college McCOOK, Neb. -- One year ago, McCook High School graduate Bria Simmons spent most of her summer dreading the thought of college. She just wanted to get out of McCook, and planned to start her academic life fresh in Omaha. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- The Mid-Plains Community board of governors approved several major expenditures during a meeting Wednesday. They included $116,270 to Halls Electric and Services for server room electrical upgrades on the North Platte Community College north campus; $66,823.64 to ConvergeOne for four 10-gig switches for the server room, and $102,870 for athletic and catastrophic insurance for Gallagher...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Three members of the local theater community have signed on to take part in a virtual presentation of ‘Thinking of Her…’ a romantic one-act play by Chicago playwright Jack Helbig produced by McCook Community College Theater and Cutlass Artists...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- A number of electronic upgrades are on the agenda for the Mid Plains Community College board of governors meeting. It will be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday the NPCC North Campus, 1101 Halligan Drive in North Platte, as well as through distance learning locations in McCook, Ogallala and Broken Bow...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College is moving ahead with plans to begin the fall semester Aug. 23 as originally scheduled. MPCC will continue to follow directed health measures outlined by the state pertaining to COVID-19 to provide safety for students, staff and visitors...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College is moving ahead with plans to begin the fall semester Aug. 23 as originally scheduled. The college made the announcement Friday stating that MPCC is working ensure proper safeguards are in place to provide a safe learning environment for students, staff and visitors. MPCC will continue to follow directed health measures outlined by the state pertaining to COVID-19...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid Plains Community College governors got a virtual, preliminary look at an upcoming budget that will take a $250,000 reduction in state aid into effect. The board extended President Ryan Purdy’s contract for three years at the same compensation level as 2019-20, as he declined an increase in this year’s package. Health care expenditures were increased for administrative and non-negotiated staff, but compensation was not increased...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors will discuss a real estate purchase in executive session and then vote on whether to purchase property connecting the North Platte Community College South Campus to Highway 83...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College will resume its Registration Days as planned in June and July. The events, which give prospective students opportunities to sign up for classes, tour campuses and ask questions about becoming a MPCC student, were cancelled in April and May as a precaution against coronavirus...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College students not eligible for federal financial aid may still be able to pay for college through the GAP program. “GAP funding is designed to assist students who are non-degree seeking in providing the education they need to enter the job market,” said Sharon Kircher, MPCC Business and Community Education coordinator. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College governors will consider a change order, furniture bids and, following an executive session, real estate purchase at Wednesday's meeting. The meeting will be conducted at the North Platte Community College north campus, with remote locations in McCook, Broken Bow and Ogallala...

McCOOK, Neb. -- With McCook Community College restricting public access to college facilities most activities and events at have been cancelled. However, one annual event is continuing this spring – albeit in a new “virtual” format. The MCC annual paint-in exhibition is up and running on Facebook, with more than 300 pieces of art from area high school students...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College is restricting public access to college facilities effective immediately. The decision was made Monday afternoon in an attempt to limit the exposure of MPCC students and employees to potential cases of COVID-19...

McCOOK, Neb. -- More than 250 of the brightest and best students from 15 area high schools will be in McCook Wednesday for the annual Inter-high Day Scholastic Competition. Nearly $30,000 in scholarships and free tuition credits are up for grabs at this annual competition...

IMPERIAL, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College will break ground on its Imperial Campus expansion March 13. The public is invited to attend the ceremony from noon to 1 p.m. (MT) at 1324 Broadway St., in Imperial. Refreshments will be provided. The MPCC Imperial Campus provides the Chase County region with both traditional and non-traditional classes, business and targeted industry trainings and a variety of avocational and recreational courses...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors approved a three-year contract for audits, a bid for Imperial Community Campus expansion and a new contract with instructors Wednesday night. The board also learned that the college ranks at the top for student success as compared to peer institutions...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Falls, knife fights, battles for control – they don’t just happen.  At least they shouldn’t.  That’s according to Mark Hardiman, theater and speech instructor at McCook Community College. For a little over a month, he has been helping the cast of North Platte High School’s upcoming production of “West Side Story” learn the ins and outs of stage combat...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Several McCook Community College groups and members of the community celebrated students with disabilities Saturday at the annual Blue Out basketball games to raise money and awareness locally. This year enough money was raised to create a special education scholarship for a sophomore majoring in Special Education at MCC. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Spring classes begin this week at McCook Community College and college officials have announced some of the key dates for key events this semester. The Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center will host four home MCC basketball games this week (Friday 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Saturday 2 and 4 p.m.) and one more home game later this month (a women’s game Jan 29 at 6 p.m.) In addition to the MCC games, the Events Center will host several other events in the coming weeks including:...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Paulsen Inc. won the bid for paving repair, and a software contract was approved by the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors Wednesday night. Paulsen Inc. submitted the winning $406,000 bid to remove and replace asphalt and concrete on the North Campus west parking lot, and replace it with new concrete...

McCOOK, Neb. -- It’s show week at McCook Community College, and the Theater Department is adding a post-show discussion at Sehnert’s/Beiroc Café after the final performance Sunday. “A Welsh Christmas Remembered” opens Friday with at 7 p.m. performance at the Weeth Theater in Tipton Hall on the MCC campus. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- It’s show week at McCook Community College, and the Theater Department is adding a post-show discussion at Sehnert’s/Beiroc Café after the final performance Sunday. “A Welsh Christmas Remembered” opens Friday with at 7 p.m. performance at the Weeth Theater in Tipton Hall on the MCC campus. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — More recent high school graduates from area schools are choosing to attend Mid Plains Community College campuses, according to a college official. Kelly Rippen, area vice president of student affairs, told the board of governors Wednesday night that 17% more students from the 36 area high schools are choosing MPCC...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook Community College Music Department will present a voice master class Friday from 3:30-5 p.m. in Tipton Hall, room 103. James Meny, “Voice Trainer to the Stars,” will conduct free master classes in the latest and most advanced techniques used by the most famous stars! Artists who use this technique include: Carrie Underwood, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Idina Menzel, Aerosmith, Beyoncé, Paramore, and more than 200 Grammy award winners...

IMPERIAL, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College will expand its campus in Imperial to better meet the needs of students, businesses and industries in the southwest corner of its service area. Enough funds have been raised to begin the project - possibly as early as this spring...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Mid-Plains Community College governors will take steps Wednesday that will affect the cost of education at its campuses. Meeting in North Platte, the board will consider proposals for room, board and tuition rates for the 2020-21 academic year...

McCOOK, Neb. — Members of McCook Community College's international club experienced a truly "American experience" Sunday afternoon when they visited Darrell Meister's herd of American bison pasturing north of McCook. No one in the club had ever seen an American bison "up-close and personal" until Sunday when Meister and his herd of 31 animals hosted "show-n-tell" in tall grass pastures near Red Willow Lake...

LINCOLN, Neb. -- A McCook businessman has been honored with the 2019 Mid-Plains Community College Distinguished Alumni Award. Tom Bredvick was recognized Sunday during the Nebraska Community College Association’s annual meeting in Lincoln. He was nominated for the award by MPCC President Ryan Purdy and members of MPCC’s cabinet...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The public is encouraged to come see the renovations at McCook Community College’s von Riesen Library at ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday at 4 p.m. before the October meeting of the Mid-Plains Area Governing Board meeting in McCook...

McCOOK, Neb. — A new agreement between Mid-Plains Community College and the University of Nebraska at Omaha will make it easier than ever for students to continue their study of graphic design. Graphic design students from Mid-Plains will now have the option of transferring directly into UNO’s School of the Arts to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art and Art History’s graphic design program...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The 2019 Burr Oak Canyon Tree Symposium is set for Oct. 17-18 and McCook Community College is accepting registrations for the event. This has been a highly popular event in the past and space is limited to the first 100 applicants. This event includes several options to tour the relict stand of trees in nearby Burr Oak Canyon...

McCOOK, Neb. — Open auditions are tonight and Tuesday for McCook Community College Theater Department’s Dylan Thomas-inspired performance piece based on “A Welsh Christmas.” Auditions are at 7 p.m. each night at the Weeth Theatre in Tipton Hall. The production will run Dec. 6 and 7...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook Community College Theater Department, under new director Mark Hardiman, has announced that auditions for a Dylan Thomas-inspired performance piece based on “A Welch Christmas” will be Sept. 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. at the Weeth Theatre in Tipton Hall. The production will run Dec. 6 and 7...

IMPERIAL, Neb. — Mid-Plains Community College is now part of a statewide network to help graduates find jobs in the state. Meeting in Imperial Wednesday, the board of governors agreed to enter into the Nebraska Statewide Workforce Educational Reporting System interlocal agreement...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — The Mid-Plains Community College board approved bids for furniture, parking construction and extended the college president’s contract through the 2021-22 year. President Ryan Purdy now has a contract that calls for a salary of $239,200 for the 2019-20 school year, with a 4% increase each year, plus an addition 1% contribution to the president’s retirement fund...

McCOOK, Neb. — This year’s winner of the Dr. Gene A. Budig award for outstanding faculty was awarded posthumously to Clay Grizzle, speech and theater instructor. The award was announced this morning at McCook Community College graduation ceremonies in the Graff Events Center...

McCOOK, Neb. — Portfolio works from McCook Community College graphic design and visual communication students is on display this week at the Wrightstone Fine Arts Gallery on campus. This exhibition includes works of sophomore students in a portfolio class as well as first-year students. In addition, students who have interned at local businesses and organization will have some of their design work on display...

McCOOK, Neb. — Several years removed from graduating from high school in St. Francis, Kan., Alyson Marin found herself a long ways away from where she thought she’d be – just working for paychecks. She’d gone to college for two years, even studied abroad, but still, her life was lacking… something...

McCOOK, Neb. — A lifelong resident of Southwest Nebraska will be honored with the 2019 President’s Award from McCook Community College this week. Dr. Mike Owens will be recognized Friday during MCC’s commencement ceremony for his service to the college and the community as a whole. A Benkelman native, Owens graduated from Benkelman High School in 1968. He then spent a year at Chadron State College before transferring to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln where he obtained bachelor’s degrees in botany and chemistry. “After that, I decided I wanted to get a master’s degree in biochemistry,” Owens said. “But, I needed to eat, so I got a part time job at the university’s dental school compiling statistics for the professors’ research.” A year into the job, a couple of professors in the pediatric dentistry department, began encouraging Owens to apply to dental school. He initially pushed aside the thought because he was just about to finish his master’s degree. Ultimately, it was his wife, Candy, who convinced him to take the Dental Admission Test. “I passed, and the rest is history,” Mike said. Mike earned his dental degree in 1979 and moved back to Southwest Nebraska at the urging of Dr. Harlo “Mac” McKinty, a former McCook dentist, who had been teaching at the dental college. “I also had an offer for a job in Arizona at that time, but my wife and I chose McCook because it was close to home and a good place to raise kids,” Mike said. He went to work at Dr. Ray Langfeldt’s dental clinic, then opened his own practice a few years later at 521 Norris Ave. Mike remained there for 39 years – until his retirement last summer. “I always told my patients that McCook Community College is a good place to go to school,” Mike said. “Success starts here. I paid the banks for a long time, and it wasn’t easy. MCC is more affordable than a four-year college or university, and the education is just as good if not better because of the one-on-one instruction. You can’t beat MCC. You can’t beat Mid-Plains.” That passion for the college was what led him to join the MCC College Foundation in 1987. “At that time, the school was going through some growing pains,” Mike said. “The college’s accrediting body had told the college to centralize its administration, which was a big move because a lot of people thought the authority for McCook would be diluted and that McCook’s role in the Mid-Plains system would be more like that of a satellite location.” MCC was the first two-year college in Nebraska, and Mike and other foundation members wanted to make sure it stayed prominent in the system. They also wanted to see it grow and prosper, and they launched a beautification program to help make that happen. “When I moved to town, the campus was bare,” Mike said. “There weren’t many trees, so we got trees donated and had them planted all over. Then I was given the go-ahead to put a sitting area on the north side of McMillen Hall. After that, we bought lights from the city and put them down the center of the campus, lining the sidewalks. We must have moved those lights three or four times before we were done.” As a business owner, himself, Mike was keenly aware of the importance of creating a welcoming environment. “First impressions are important,” Mike said. “If you have a nice welcome mat out for people, it will attract them to your business, and the college is a business. It needs to attract people. That’s how I always looked at it.” Mike left the foundation 2010, but didn’t completely leave his work with the college behind. He joined the Mid-Plains Community College Board of Governors in 2011 at the urging of former board member Elizabeth Benjamin. One of his favorite projects while on the board was the creation of the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center in 2012. “An event center was in the back of everyone’s minds from the time I moved to McCook,” Mike said. “Looking back, that’s probably why I got on the board in the first place. McCook has always been a hub for Southwest Nebraska, and an event center was a definite need. It has really improved the college and the community.” Another proud moment Mike had as a board member was the hiring of current president Ryan Purdy. “Hiring Ryan was one of the best decisions we ever made,” Mike said. “McCook Community College is very important to the growth of this area, and I’m happy to see the emphasis that Ryan and his colleagues have put on it. He has been a good influence, and I think the school is definitely moving in the right direction.” Mike served eight years on the board of governors - until December of 2018. “I always told people I would have to quit if I ran out of jokes, and I guess I ran out of jokes,” Mike said. “The governors are a good group. There are a lot of dedicated people on the board who are all there because they want the best for the college. They want the college to grow, and we need the college to keep growing because it’s vital to our local economy. I miss the camaraderie already.” It couldn’t be more fitting then that Mike will receive the President’s Award in the same building he helped to establish, the Graff Events Center, surrounded by the board members he served with. The commencement ceremony is open to the public. It will begin at 10 a.m.

McCOOK, Neb. — Scott Martin Construction of McCook was awarded a $435,160 contract for interior demolition of the McCook Community College East Campus. The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors took the action Wednesday night during its meeting in McCook...

McCOOK, Neb. — Mid-Plains Community College governors will consider a proposal for interior demolition of the former Elks Club at a meeting Wednesday in McCook. The building, 905 E. Seventh in McCook, is now called McCook Community College East Campus...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Seven finalists have been selected to present their business plan and a chance at $25,000 to help infuse area business startups and expansion in the 2019 Ben Hormel Business Plan Competition through McCook Community College’s Business and Community Education...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Paulsen Inc. of Cozad submitted the winning bid of $899,000 to renovate the interior of McCook Community College’s von Riesen Learning Commons. In Wednesday’s meeting in North Platte, Paulsen also submitted the low bid of $94,698 for pavement replacement and concrete services for the NPCC North Campus...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College’s theater department will stage “Agatha Crispie” as its spring 2019 production. Sponsored by Kim Johnson following the unexpected death of instructor Clay Grizzle in February, the play will presented 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 25, 26 and 27, and a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee, April 28, in the Weeth Mini Theater on the MCC campus...

McCOOK, Neb. — In the wake of the unexpected death of McCook Community College Speech and Theater Instructor Clay Grizzle, the college has announced several opportunities to help his family, his college family, and the community, celebrate his life and the impact he made...

Former McCook Community College basketball player Brehanna Daniels, who became the first African American woman to pit a car in a national NASCAR race in July, will add another athletic endeavor to her resume and she’ll be doing it on prime-time network television...

McCOOK, Neb. — The fourth annual McCook Community College science symposium is set for 1 p.m. Friday at the Weeth Theater in Tipton Hall. MCC freshman Ethan Wilcox will present his findings from an experiment he did this semester on roly polies. In addition, his instructor Rob Bogardus, will present his own research on tree swallows. The event is free and open to the public...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Once the center of social activities for McCook, the former Elks Club will be cleared of asbestos in preparation for its new life as a college campus. Meeting in North Platte on Wednesday, the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors approved a bid from Kearney-based Great Plains Asbestos Control for $74,300 to do complete abatement and disposal of asbestos-containing materials for the building, now called the McCook Community College East Campus...

McCOOK, Neb. — It’s has taken many years to revise this local on-stage “partnership” but On Nov. 10th McCook Community College and McCook High School’s theater and music departments are collaborating – about 65 strong -- to present “High School Musical.”...

McCOOK, Neb. — Twenty-five thousand dollars is up for grabs for local business startup or expansion in this year’s Hormel Entrepreneurship Competition, but the application deadline is Nov. 30. Through a partnership with McCook Community College and Southwest Nebraska area business sponsors, the Hormel Entrepreneurship Competition helps local business startups or expansion using business plan writing and a business grant...

McCOOK, Neb. — A public “meet and greet” for McCook Community College’s next top leader is set for Monday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Kelly Rippen, who has served as Mid-Plains Community College’s Area Dean of Enrollment Management since 2011, was recently named Vice President of McCook Community College and Area Vice President of Student Affairs...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors is proposing a budget $1 million higher than last year. Meeting Wednesday in North Platte, the board agreed to publish a proposed total 2018-19 budget of $42,315,104, including general fund expenditures of $26,852,913 and capital fund expenditures of $5,154,509...

McCOOK, Neb. — With the start of fall classes Sunday at McCook Community College, enrollment numbers are again looking strong, but what has college officials really excited this year is the record number of returning students and the increasing number of top-tier academic students now choosing MCC...

McCOOK, Neb. — Chuck Salestrom, area vice president of public information and marketing, was honored upon his retirement at a meeting of the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors Wednesday night. He will retire Aug. 3. In other business, the board approved a bid from Arthur J. Gallagher and Co., the college’s current insurance provider, for athletic insurance for the 2018-19 academic year. The company submitted the low bid of $71,900...

BROKEN BOW, Neb. — Without going into a scheduled executive session, the Mid Plains Board of Governors approved a new three-year contract for MPCC President Ryan Purdy. The contract pays $230,000 per year, a 1.5 percent increase, and adjusts the retirement match to the same 9 percent match received by other Mid-Plains employees...

Tickets go on sale Monday for the 2018 Mid-Plains Community College raffle car. This year’s car is a 1932 Ford Roadster. It was built by students in MPCC’s Classic Car Restoration, Automotive Technology and Auto Body Technology programs and is the result of a partnership with Lincoln-based Speedway Motors. ...

McCOOK, Neb. — Jessica Bortner, RN, BSN, MBA, was hired as the Community Hospital Health Foundation Executive Director, according to Troy Bruntz, Community Hospital President and CEO. Her duties begin May 29. Bortner is replacing Terri Shipshock, who retires in June...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Mid-Plains Community College administrators will receive a 2.33 percent salary package increase following action by the board of governors Wednesday night. The increase was the same as that negotiated for faculty salaries. President Ryan Purdy’s contract is separate and was tabled until the June 27 meeting...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Contracts for non-negotiated staff and the college president are on the agenda for the Mid-Plains Board of Governors meeting this week. It is set for Wednesday at the North Campus of North Platte Community College, Room 200 of the W.W. Wood Building. A work session is set for 4:30 p.m. and the regular meeting follows at 6:30 p.m...

McCOOK, Neb. — Nigerian native Chinedu Okonkwo, selected as student speaker for McCook Community College’s commencement ceremonies today, appropriately enough, quoted his mother two days before Mother’s Day. “My mother always says to me, that son, “Ije uwa adiro ezi” (I bet your mother says that once in a while to you). ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step.’...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College math instructor Susi Curl was named winner of the 2017-18 Dr. Gene A. Budig Outstanding Faculty Award at MCC. Budig, an MCC graduate, provides a $1,000 award each year to recognize and honor outstanding educators...

McCOOK, Neb. — Barely one month after thinking he’d realized the dream of a lifetime in McCook, Chinedu Myles Okonkwo -- from the Enugu state of Nigeria, Africa -- crawled into his bed in Brooks Hall, screamed into his pillow, and wept in shame. As a McCook Community College freshman, he’d missed a few classes, he’d disappointed his basketball coaches, his body was betraying him, and he dreaded going to practice, where his deficiencies would be on blatant display...

McCOOK, Neb. — Lynn Salyer was teaching high school math and science in Medicine Valley in the early 1980s and was making plans to abandon teaching to become a part of the new wave of technological opportunities being created in the home computer industry...

McCOOK, Neb. — Program reviews, equipment and a new student organization for veterans are on the agenda for a Mid-Plains Community College board of governors meeting here this week. The board meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Room 213 of Mcillen Hall on the McCook Community College campus...

McCOOK, Neb. — The directorial debuts of two McCook Community College sophomore theater majors are set for this weekend when a pair of one-act plays will be staged at the Weeth Theater in Tipton Hall on campus. Luis Guardado will direct “The Actor’s Nightmare” and Brandon Molcyk directs “Trifles,” in three performances Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook High School, Dundy County/Stratton and Eustis-Farnam claimed the top academic team honors Wednesday among the 19 schools that competed in McCook Community College’s Inter-High Day. McCook High School was tops in the large school division. Southern Valley was second and Southwest High School was third...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — The Mid Plains Board of Governors approves raises for academic and vocational instructors Wednesday night. Meeting in North Platte, the board approved negotiated salary increases of 2.5 percent for the Mid-Plains Education Association, and 2.25 percent for the Mid-Plains Vocational Education Association...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb — The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors is expected to take action on teacher salary packages during a regular meeting Wednesday. The board plans a work session at 4:30 p.m. in Room 200 of the W.W. Wood Building on the North Campus of North Platte College, with topics including the budget, a McCook housing study, facilities master plan, three-year capital improvement plan and 2018-19 instructional equipment plan...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Mid-Plains Community College students will pay $3 more per credit hour beginning the fall 2018 term. The MPCC Board of Governors voted to raise resident tuition from $89 per credit hour to $92, an increase of 2.88 percent, at their meeting Wednesday night. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — The Mid Plains Board of Governors will decided whether to purchase a property in McCook for $150,000, at its regular meeting Wednesday night. The property, at 212 East B Street, is currently used by McCook Community College as the Center for Applied Technology...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College’s production of the Jason Milligan play “And the Rain Came to Mayfield” opens tonight at the Weeth Theater in Tipton Hall on campus. A finalist for the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Award for New American Plays, this is a “poetic family drama” which takes place in Mississippi in the early 1960s...

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook Community College Theater Department will present the play “And The Rain Came To Mayfield” Feb. 22-25 on campus in celebration of Black History Month. A finalist for the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Award for New American Plays, this story is a poetic family drama that takes place in a small gas station/luncheonette on a Mississippi highway in 1962...