December 2024-January 2025 Central Connection
December 3, 2024
Individuals receive NCCA recognition
Three individuals associated with Central Community College received awards at the Nebraska Community College Association (NCCA) annual conference Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 in Norfolk.
Quinn Webb
Distinguished Alumni Award
Quinn Webb’s educational journey began at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was majoring in chemistry and minoring in criminal justice but soon discovered that criminal justice was more fun than chemistry.
His discovery led him to enroll at CCC-Grand Island where he earned an associate of applied science degree in criminal justice in 2003.
He graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., in 2010, and completed a bachelor of science degree at Wayne State College in 2021.
His real-world experience began as a law enforcement officer at the Hall County Sheriff’s office. He spent the next 20 years there, going on to serve as a sergeant, captain and chief deputy.
Since 2020, Webb has been assistant director of the Hall County Department of Corrections and is responsible for overseeing its 80,000-square-foot facility, which houses 321 inmates and has 88 full-time employees. Under his leadership, Hall County Corrections has worked with CCC to implement programs that promote criminal justice careers and has certified several CCC students in corrections through its internship program.
Mary Young
Administrator/Staff Award
Mary Young serves as both the CCC athletics director and head coach of the Raiders volleyball team.
She also is extensively involved in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
She is the current NJCAA senior women’s administrator and serves on its championship events, sports governance and eligibility committees. She is a past president of the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association, Region 9 director and assistant director, and was an inaugural NJCAA Board of Regents member. She was instrumental in the addition of beach volleyball as an NJCAA sport and played a key role in negotiating the dual membership between the NJCAA and AVCA for volleyball coaches.
The NJCAA presented Young with the 2024 George E. Killian Award of Excellence. The annual award honors individuals who have demonstrated the ideals of volunteerism, achievement, service, leadership and excellence.
In 2019, she relinquished her 24-year role as CCC head volleyball coach and assumed the position of athletic director. She returned to the coaching bench in 2021 while retaining her athletic director title.
Young is a 14-time Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC) Coach of the Year, 13-time Region 9 Coach of the Year and three-time AVCA West Region Coach of the Year.
She has led the Raiders to 13 Region 9 championships, 17 NCCAC championships and 10 NJCAA national tournaments. She has coached 97 All-Conference players, 90 All-Region performers, 25 NJCAA All-Americans and three AVCA All-Americans. Since 1997, 95 of the student-athletes she has coached have earned NJCAA academic awards.
Young earned an associate of arts degree from CCC-Columbus, a bachelor’s degree in recreation from the University of South Dakota and a master’s degree in counseling-student affairs from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Jackie Zeckser
Faculty Member Award
Jackie Zeckser’s association with CCC’s early childhood education program began as an adjunct instructor in 2008. She became a full-time instructor at the Hastings Campus three years later.
Her work experience also includes 25 years at the Hastings Head Start program, where she continues to serve as a board member.
Zeckser earned an associate of science degree in family and consumer science from CCC, followed by a bachelor’s degree in human service administration from Bellevue University. She then earned a master’s degree in early childhood education from Concordia University.
As a faculty member, she has worked with her collegewide peers in creating distance-delivered early childhood courses and student support for learners across CCC’s 25-county service area. This includes early college/high school age, education transfer and nontraditional students.
She also assists with multiple college-related activities such as Leap Frog Village, a free early childhood engagement program. Leap Frog Village events are held at various times throughout the year and feature a meal and activities to help parents spend quality time with their children.
Zeckser also is a member of CCC’s CARE team and campus cleanup. In 2023, she was honored by her peers at with the CCC-Hastings Outstanding Service Award.
As an active community member, she volunteers her time providing in-service training for home child care providers as well as training required for Department of Health and Human Services licensing.
She also serves on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln/Adams County Extension board; coordinates the SkillsUSA Nebraska competition for early childhood education; and volunteers her time with United Harvest, Prairie Loft and Lakeside Community Church.
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It’s all about the dirt Regenerative consultant Rodney Saunders (far left) was the keynote speaker and panel moderator for the Central Nebraska Regenerative Ag Conference, which was held on Nov. 19 at the Phelps County Ag Center in Holdrege. Seated next to him are Sara Stevens-Stehl, a Central Community College-Holdrege administrative assistant taking text questions from the audience, and panelists Brian Magarin of Holstein, Clay Govier of Broken Bow and Vance McCoy of Elsie. |
News briefs
Winter commencement set for Dec. 13
The Fourth Annual Winter Commencement will be held at 2 p.m. on Dec. 13 in the Dawson Gym at Central Community College-Hastings.
The keynote speaker will be Denise Kracl, county court judge in the 11-county Fifth Judicial District. She handles juvenile court, probate cases, protection orders, initial bond setting for fresh arrests, adoptions, search warrants, and traffic offenses.
Kracl earned an associate degree in education from CCC-Columbus in 1993 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Wayne State College and a juris doctorate degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law.
Her experience as an attorney has spanned both the private and public sectors. She first worked at the all-female law firm of Knoepfle and Kracl but later transitioned to deputy county attorney in Colfax and Butler counties and then to Colfax County attorney.
2024 campaign comes to successful end
The Central Community College Foundation’s Heart of CCC Staff Campaign raised $64,341.90 in support of students and programs.
In an email, Alumni Director Cheri Beda said the campaign had an overall 54-percent giving rate. Broken out by location, the giving percentages were as follows: Administration Office and CCC Foundation, 56 percent; Columbus Campus and Ord Center, 51 percent; Grand Island Campus, 57 percent; Hastings Campus, 53 percent; and Holdrege, Kearney and Lexington centers, 51 percent.
She also applauded the Campus Champions. They were Paige Cline and Tracy Watts, Administrative Office; Michelle Evert, Kim Garretson, Willie Piitz, Karin Rieger, Ronda Ryan and Jennifer Wurdeman, Columbus Campus; Michael David, Susan Hooker, Jeff Schulz and Kathy Woitaszewski, Grand Island Campus; Jason Davis, Brad Dobesh, Sandy Samuelson, Brandon Stalvey and Linda Wiltrout, Hastings Campus; and Sarah Loudy and Ingrid Orsted, Kearney Center.
CCC ranks at top in Best for Vets study
Central Community College is the top two-year college for veterans in Nebraska and second nationwide, according to the Military Times Best for Vets: College Rankings for 2024. The study also finds that CCC is third in Nebraska public colleges and eighth among 34 public colleges in the central region. Overall, 304 four-year universities and two-year colleges nationwide took part in the survey which focuses on each institution’s efforts to support the military community. CCC placed 55th nationally among all institutions, both four-year and two-year.
In tribute
Jack Crowley, 86, died Nov. 15 in Hastings. Services were Nov. 25 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Hastings.
He was born on Oct. 21, 1938, in Kearney to Edward and Marie Crowley. He was a Kearney High School graduate who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business from, respectively, Kearney State College and Ohio State University.
He married Judith Hellman on June 6, 1960. He taught school and coached before taking a management position with Sears in 1963. He then owned and operated Crowley’s Women’s Ready to Wear clothing stores across Nebraska.
From 1989 until his retirement in 2008, he was executive director of the Central Community College Foundation.
He served on the CCC Board of Governors from 1981 through 1984 and was a volunteer or board member for many other organizations, charities, boards and commissions across the state.
Survivors include his wife, three daughters, one son, 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and six siblings.
Memorials may be given to the Hastings Catholic Schools Foundation or Catholic Social Services. Condolences may be left on the Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home website at www.lbvfh.com.
Employee news
Columbus Campus
Laurin Schleif has joined the staff as a counselor and prevention education coordinator.
Mary Young, volleyball coach and athletic director, has been named to the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Grand Island Campus
New employees include Karena Bacon, registration and admissions technician, and Christopher Dierks, community education coordinator.
Ashley Weets has resigned as associate dean of students.
Hastings Campus
New employees include Ryan Dooley, groundskeeper and maintenance technician; Gerald Huismann, construction technology instructor; Todd Jones and Andrew Sevigny, custodians; Raven King, automotive technology instructor; and Jenny Soucek, Service Center coordinator.
Julie (Mullen) Davis has shifted positions from Success Coach Program area director to psychology instructor at the Kearney Center.
Kearney Center
Aly Elhefny has joined the staff as a mechatronics instructor.
Lauren (Ramirez-Wenburg) Sanford has resigned as a student services technician.