By Chandra Feldman
After an entire scholastic year of in-person classes at North Central Kansas Technical College students, faculty, and staff were elated to be celebrating an in-person graduation. The day was scheduled to split up academic programs in order to encourage lower capacity events and ensure students could have multiple family members attend. Beloit campus held four different graduations on Friday, May 14th. The morning started with a Practical Nursing pinning and was followed by the Nursing graduation ceremony. The second graduation included Agricultural Technology, Automotive Collision & Repair, Automotive Technology, and Diesel Technology. The third graduation for the day included Automated Controls, Carpentry/ Cabinetmaking, Electrical Technology, Heavy Equipment, Plumbing, Heating, & A.C., and Welding Technology. The final graduation program for the day included Business Office Management and Information Technology.
The following day Saturday, May 15th NCK Tech Hays campus split their graduations into 3 programs. The first program, which included a nursing pinning ceremony, was the Practical Nursing program and Associate Degree Nursing program. The second ceremony of the day included Automotive Technology, Carpentry/Cabinetmaking, Electrical Technology, Plumbing, Heating, and AC, Welding Technology, and Welding Engineering. The final graduation program for the Hays campus included Business Office Management, Business Technology, Culinary Arts, and Pharmacy Technician.
Finishing a full year of in-person classes despite the Covid-19 pandemic was no easy task. With the dedications and understanding of students, faculty, and staff we were able to accomplish something not many other schools were able to. We have always been dedicated to hands-on learning and although it was a particularly difficult task this year, we prevailed. NCK Tech President Eric Burks, stated, “NCK Tech has a strong reputation as a leader in technical education. That reputation was built and continues, thanks to the quality of our instructional team and our dedicated staff members. These individuals invest their time and energy into making a difference in the lives of our students and they are committed to helping ALL students succeed. I am very proud of the work they do and honored to work alongside them.”
With an option of one or two year programs, NCK Technical College graduated approximately 141 certifications and 128 degrees on Beloit and Hays campuses combined. Congratulations to all graduates of 2021!