WNCC 2010 Self-Study Report - Western Nebraska Community ...

Cabela’s Corporate University Partnership
The partnership with Cabela’s Inc. was instituted in 2003 after officers in the corporation explored
the possibility of providing continuing and advanced education for their employees. Since then,
73,589 Cabela’s employees (based on duplicated student count) have trained with WNCC. There
have been 1,942 credit hours earned and 201,284 contact hours of training provided (RR 131).
Powerline Partnerships
After utility industry representatives approached WNCC in 2003 about a training partnership, the
City of Alliance joined as a public sector member. To promote economic development, Alliance
provided considerable financial incentives to attract the Powerline Construction and Maintenance
(PC&M) program. The utility industry partners continue to support the offerings at WNCC through
earmarked funding donated to the WNCC Foundation, along with equipment gifts. The original
Advisory Committee remains highly involved in keeping the curriculum current and providing
employment opportunities and job leads for graduates. The City of Alliance has also recently made
an old switching station available as a training site, further supporting the program.
P-16 Initiative
WNCC is actively engaged in the P-16 Initiative organized through the Partnership for Innovation
(PFI) in Nebraska, a state-wide consortium funded by secondary and post-secondary schools each
devoting 10% of allocated Perkins funds to the organization. Curricular alignment, career
academies, career pathways training, a careers website, problem-based, case-based learning
workshops, and grants to form regional partnerships are examples of the types of activities tied to
PFI. This year, WNCC received a $10,000 grant to establish Panhandle coalitions to continue the
work on transitions from high school to college.
Faculty and Staff Member Participation in Cultural Events
The College provides assistance through volunteer activities for many cultural events, since it is
obvious that a community college should be fundamentally integrated into the community, and
because local residents take advantage of the offerings. For the past eleven years, a two-day
multi-cultural youth conference for approximately 400 youth and adults has been an annual fall
event. Event participants are given the opportunity to hear a keynote speaker and attend specific
breakout sessions. Conference topics include cultural competency, education, leadership, health
screenings, and career exploration.
WNCC strongly supports Theatre West, the local repertory group, including housing for non-area
production members and use of the Little Theatre in the main building at Scottsbluff during the
summer. This cooperative nineteen-year venture has provided up to eight performances for each
of three different plays each summer at the College. The plays have been attended by over 6,000
people, a measure of the appreciation the community members have for the efforts. Without
WNCC, the Theatre West Group could not operate, since WNCC both has the performance space
and the willingness to allow relatively unrestricted use of its facilities.
College students and WNCC employees sometimes act in the plays, build sets, provide costuming,
and faculty members have even directed several plays. Even when not directly involved in a
summer production, WNCC music and theatre instructors often give advice or assistance to the
Executive Director or other production members. Many students either join the production staff for
Western Nebraska Community College Page 169