McCook Community College

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...

McCOOK, Neb. — An Indianola business venture was the $1,000 winner in McCook Community College’s first-ever Biz Launch weekend. Jon and Kristen Harris of Indianola received the money to help make their plan for a trucking business a reality. “We plan to use the money on the organizational side of our business, getting a computer dedicated to the business and business software,” they said...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors conducted a public hearing regarding the purchase of a piece of property in McCook. The hearing starts a 30-day clock ticking for public comment regarding the purchase of the building at 212 East B. A former hardware store, it has been converted to McCook Community College’s Center for Applied Science and Technology...

McCOOK, Neb. — The spring semester has begun at McCook Community College and enrollment up almost 7 percent over the spring term of last year – which was one of the best in recent memory. “Being up 6.98 percent at MCC is a great way to start a new semester,” said Kelly Rippen, Area Dean of Enrollment Management for McCook and North Platte Community College...

McCOOK, Neb. — Andy Heck is Mid-Plains Community College’s Alumni of the Year. Heck, now retired and living in South Carolina, is a former junior college All-American running back, professional football player and president of a major lighting manufacturer who also earned two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College is looking for people with ideas they’d like to turn into business ventures. The event is free and includes Friday dinner and three Saturday meals but registration is required before Jan. 12. “Biz Launch Weekend” is set for Jan. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Following a work session on overall budget parameters and a facilities master plan, the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors is expected to approve the purchase of a home near the McCook Community College campus...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College’s presentation of “The Boys Next Door” opens Thursday and continues through Sunday at the Weeth Theater in Tipton Hall on campus. Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. There is no admission charge...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Mid-Plains Community College governors will conduct a hearing tonight concerning the purchase of a property near McCook Community College. The hearing, concerning 1110 East 4th in McCook, opens a required 30-day public comment period concerning the sale...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Public hearings on the proposed Mid-Plains Community College budget is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in North Platte. Following the hearings, set for 1101 Halligan Drive in North Platte, the board will set figures for the tax request, fund transfers and unused budget authority to meet the final budget...

McCOOK, Neb. — The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors approved the purchase of a McCook property for student housing, released a proposed budget calling for more than a $236,000 increase in the general fund budget, and approved a long-range Facilities Master Plan...

McCOOK, Neb. — Enrollment is up 17 percent at McCook Community College this semester and demand for residence hall living in may be at an all-time high. At an all-campus meeting of staff and faculty, McCook Community College Vice President Andy Long announced that as of this past Monday enrollment was up 24 full-time students from the same date last year and 59 more part-time students. This year 347 full time and 230 part time students are taking 748 more credit hours than one year ago...

McCOOK, Neb. — A new mentoring program at McCook Community College can be a win-win for businesses and students alike. Called the “Success Mentor Program” (SMP), it will pair college students once a month with a mentor in a field similar to their career field. First-year college students will be especially encouraged to participate...

VALENTINE, Neb. — The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors will conduct a hearing on the purchase of a McCook property for student housing and then consider the actual purchase. The hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. CDT Wednesday at the new campus in Valentine...

McCOOK, Neb. — After a seven-year run of placing in the top 5 in a national technology and business skills competition, McCook Community College is bringing home a couple of first place awards this year. Competing in the Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference in Anaheim last week Emily Karr, a 2017 MCC graduate, brought home top national honors in the categories of computer animation and also took first place in desktop publishing...

OGALLALA, Neb. — The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors approved a low bid of $71,900 from Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services Inc. for 2017-18 athletic accident and catastrophic insurance coverage. The insurance provides coverage for injuries not covered by the athletes’ own health insurance, for a price of about $500 per year per athlete...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Large-ticket items were on the agenda Wednesday in North Platte as the Mid-Plains Board of Governors approved salary packages and the purchase of four vehicles. Following closed session on negotiations, the board approved a 3 percent package increase for part- and full-time administration, excluding the college president, and full-time classified staff...

McCOOK, Neb. — When Walt and Jean Sehnert looked for a town in which to start their own bakery 60 years ago, the town had to be in Nebraska, it had to be “a hub town,” and it had to have a college. This morning, Walt accepted McCook Community College’s “President’s Award,” saying that largely because of the college, “McCook has been an ideal fit for my family for the past 60 years.”...

McCOOK, Neb. — A long-time McCook resident will be honored at McCook Community College’s Commencement Friday which will feature a faculty award, a student speaker, and degrees presented to the 2017 graduates. Ceremonies are set for 10 a.m. Friday at the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center...

IMPERIAL, Neb. — The final public input session for the Mid-Plains Community College facilities master plan is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MDT Tuesday, April 25 at the MPCC Imperial Campus in Imperial. The purpose of the event is to collect ideas from the public regarding what MPCC’s campuses should look like over the next decade...

McCOOK, Neb. — Joseph Anderjaska of Hayes Center brought home McCook Community College’s top academic award Monday bringing home the Presidential award during Honors Convocation Ceremonies at the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center. Katrina Arthen of Eagle River, Alaska won the Vice President of Instruction Award and Lewis Diankulu of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada won Vice President of Student Services...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College presents Peter Shaffer’s Tony-award winning “Black Comedy” opens Thursday at the Weeth Theater in Tipton Hall on campus. Performances – under the direction of MCC Theater Instructor Clay Grizzle -- are set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee April 23...

McCOOK, Neb. — Citta Deli and six other area businesses were named cash award winners Thursday in the Ben Hormel Business Plan Competition through McCook Community College’s Business and Community Education. Citta Deli received $15,000 and Farkleberry’s of Hayes Center was named runner-up and received $7,500...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College is seeking public input for long-range building plans for the campus. A public meeting 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the MCC Student Union will be a chance to help the college develop its facilities master plan. “We have a great opportunity to shape the next decade of what this campus looks like,” said Andy Long, McCook Community College Vice President. ...

TORRINGTON, Wyo. — Eastern Wyoming College announced it narrowed the field to six finalist vying for the college’s president position Tuesday. Among the group is McCook Community College Vice-President Andy Long. The college received 70 applications and a selection committee narrowed the field recently, according to a report on the KGWN.tv website...

McCOOK, Neb. — Seven finalists have been selected to present their business plan and a chance at the $25,000 up for grabs in the Ben Hormel Business Plan Competition through McCook Community College’s Business and Community Education. This year’s bi-annual competition received 23 entries representing nine different communities in the area. ...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Following a closed session to discuss negotiations, the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors approved a negotiated agreement with the Mid-Plains Education Association for a total compensation increase of 3.25 percent...

McCOOK, Neb. — Students from three area high schools took home the top academic prizes Wednesday at McCook Community College’s annual inter-high scholastic day competition which included 520 academic tests taken by students representing 19 area high schools...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Midwest Door & Hardware of North Platte won the bid to install 111 new doors and electronic locks in Brooks Hall on the McCook Community College campus. The bid is not to exceed $169,400, with half the cost paid from this year's budget and half from next...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- It's going to cost students an extra $5 per credit hour to take "for credit" classes through Mid-Plains Community College next year. On Wednesday, the MPCC Board of Governors approved a 5.05 percent increase in resident tuition - raising the per credit hour rate from $84 to $89...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- A recent report from the Department of Education indicates that when it comes to one key financial metric -- the ability to repay college debt -- community colleges are a better option for students. While 800 college programs are failing in these standards, Mid-Plains Community College gets passing grades...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A new class for aviation enthusiasts is being offered at McCook Community College this spring. This course was added after the spring schedule of classes was published. This fundamentals of aviation class ("Basic Ground Training" AVIA 1210) is offered Tuesday nights starting Jan. 17. The instructor is Barry Turner an FAA (Federal Aviation) Certified Advanced and Instrument Ground Instructor...

McCOOK, Neb. -- It's Chili Time! The MCC Indians Boosters 17th Annual Dick Driml Chili Cook-off will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25 in the Peter & Dolores Graff Events Center on the McCook Community College campus. We are looking for Chili Chefs to compete for the bragging rights of the best chili...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Lloyd Benjamin, a founding member of the McCook College Foundation, was recently honored by Foundation members for his 42-years of service, leadership, and dedication to the college where he first played football and took engineering classes...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- The Mid-Plains Community College board of governors adopted a new values station while taking steps to ensure continued progress of the institution. Meeting in North Platte Wednesday, the board approved a statement that: "We value excellence in education through:...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A new program is helping McCook Community College students get a leg up on their college career. The "Bridge to Success" program, launched in August at MCC, allows incoming freshmen to arrive on campus two weeks early, move into the residence halls and set up their rooms while taking a foundational English course to help bridge high school skills to college. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A new fishing club may be in the works at Mid-Plains Community College. MPCC Board of Governors will consider adding the club at its regular meeting today in McCook, 6:30 p.m. in McMillen Hall at McCook Community College campus. The board will also take up changing the college's mission statement. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- More than 40 high school juniors from McCook and Southwest public schools will take part in George W. Norris Government Day activities scheduled Oct. 19 at McCook Community College. Jointly sponsored by the American Legion, McCook Community College and the George W. Norris Foundation, the event is designed to inspire youth to take an active role in government throughout their lives...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Thanks to newspaper readers, McCook Community College has been reunited with its long lost "Blue Goose" and preparations are being made to bring it back for the college's 90th anniversary celebration Sept. 3. Since leaving campus in 1988, the Blue Goose has been owned by Joe Bellamy of Elwood and the vehicle is still being used for special occasions including weddings, proms, birthdays and now -- for an anniversary celebrating Nebraska's oldest community college...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The Mid-Plains board of governors approved the purchase of four homes for student housing in McCook and approved for publication a budget proposal of $42.8 million. The four homes, on the 900 block of East D, are already being rented for EMT students. Each house will cost approximately $95,000...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A new and improved student union, a new wave of teachers, positive trends in student retention, and a 90th anniversary celebration highlight the start of the fall semester at McCook Community College. The major renovations this year to the student union -- and in the past couple years at Brooks Hall -- are all part of Mid-Plains Community College's Master Facilities Plan...

The Mid-Plains Community College Board of Governors will conduct a public hearing today at 6:30 p.m., in McMillen Hall Room 213 on the McCook Community College campus to discuss the purchase of four houses in McCook, in the 900 block of East D and sandwiched between the Knights of Columbus Hall and Felling Field. ...

McCOOK, Neb -- In August, McCook Community College will launch its brand new "Bridge To Success" program to help incoming freshmen get a head start on the academic year and put them on track to graduate in two years. Through this program students can arrive on campus two weeks early, move into the residence halls and set up their rooms while taking a foundational English course (ENG 0990) to help bridge high school skills to college. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Juggling school work, athletics and a new environment can be tough on a college student, especially one attending school miles away from home. That's where the Adopt An Athlete program can help. Families who participate in the Adopt An Athlete program are paired with an athlete, or more than one if they choose, from those participating in the six sports at McCook Community College: volleyball, baseball, women's and men's basketball, softball and golf...

McCOOK, Neb. -- McCook Community College is inviting anybody interested in theater to join them on the May 2017 theater trip to London to be led by a Stratton native. While dates and times are not finalized, MCC's "Not Your Average Theater Group" is tentatively planning to arrive in London around May 14, 2017...

IMPERIAL, Neb. -- Meeting in Imperial Wednesday, the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors approved second reading of an identity theft prevention policy and a number of bids related to the Valentine Extended Campus. The identity theft prevention requires procedures to be put in place to prevent such theft...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Community Hospital representatives traveled to Denver recently to receive the Peak award, the highest honor for performance excellence awarded by the Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence (RMPEx) to organizations in Colorado and some surrounding states. The hospital learned in December it had been selected by a panel of judges as a 2015 recipient. Community Hospital was among three recipients, and the only hospital, to receive the Peak award...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- New salaries and bids for the Valentine extended campus were approved by the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors Wednesday night. President Ryan Purdy's contract was extended for a third year, and his base salary set at $220,000, increasing to $226,600 in fiscal 2017-18. There was no guarantee in base salary for the third year...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Bids for items related to the Valentine extended campus and contracts with non-negotiated employees, adjunct faculty and the college president are on the agenda for a meeting of the Mid Plains Community College Board of Governors in North Platte on Wednesday...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Donald Jackson, a 1967 graduate of McCook Junior College and now president of Hastings College, told members of the McCook Community College Class of 2016 their education at MCC can lead them to whatever dreams and goals they've set for themselves...

Glass shards and plastic pieces dance in mid-air as McCook Community College music student Kacie Payne of Dunning takes a sledge hammer to the back window of a junk car Tuesday morning. The "take-a-swing, smash-a-car" fund-raiser at MCC raised money to replenish the music department's travel funds after the class traveled to Omaha to see "The Phantom of the Opera" recently. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Jim Hall -- the longest-tenured McCook Community College employee -- arrived on campus in 1976. The toughest thing he ever had to do was write his letter of resignation. "It took me almost three weeks," he said. Hall is one of three long-time instructors retiring this year. ...

McCOOK, Neb. -- A work session will be followed by selection of an auditor, the possible purchase of a new bus and 17 computer network switches at Wednesday's meeting of the Mid Plains Community College board of governors. The meeting will be in McMillen Hall Room 213 on the McCook Community College campus...

McCOOK, Neb. -- Jim Garretson quit teaching a couple of years after he started. He had what many in the profession call "a negative experience" and never wanted to teach again. But he did. On Thursday McCook Community College will honor his 40-year career at a retirement open house...

McCOOK, Neb. -- After spending four years in college with no degree, Mike Hendricks returned to his home for the summer but had no job. So his mom decided to help him look. Afterall, she knew a friend who knew a friend who knew a friend of the police chief. Her connections paid off. His first job in the real world was as a police officer with the Tulsa Police Department...

McCOOK, Neb. -- On his way to class in 2008 Lucas Kotschwar -- an undeclared student -- used to walk by the artwork hanging in the gallery. On Monday, the Wrightstone Gallery on the McCook Community College campus will showcase selected works from that same student -- now, artist Lucas Kotschwar...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The Mid-Plains Community College Board of Governors approved tuition and room and board increases earlier this week for the upcoming year. The board approved a $3 per credit hour increase in 2016-17 resident tuition, bringing the total from $81 to $84 for the academic year. ...