Road to Retirement

Crusader Special Section May 2015

O T D A RO

RETIREMENT

Retirees

• Cynthia Rapp - Page 2 • Mark Merrihew - Page 3 • Nancy Bansemer - Page 4 • Veda King - Page 5 • Susan Copas - Page 6 • George McNitt - Page 7 • Richard Miller - Page 7 • Anita Reed - Page 8

Cover photo by Jakub Stepanovic

Road to Retirement

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May 2015

“I will always be a Seward County Saint.” – Cynthia Rapp Efren Rivero Crusader staff Cynthia Rapp is one of the eight faculty and staff retiring this school year. Rapp has been a Seward County Community College employee for 21 years, most of which she spent as the dean of academic affairs.

Rapp’s position will be filled by Dr. Todd Carter for the next school year. Carter is currently director of research and assessment at Seward.

Rapp grew up in Hooker, Okla., where she attended school all the way from kindergarten through high school. Rapp then continued her education, getting her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Emporia State. After that, she attended Wichita State University to achieve her master’s degree in educational administration.

Around 1990, Rapp moved back to this area. A couple of years later, she started working for SCCC. “My first job here was down at the Colvin Adult Learning Center,” Rapp said. “I was the director of adult basic education, director of outreach and business and industry at that time.”

It wasn’t until August of 2000 where she started her position as dean of academic affairs. After a late resignation when the current dean of instruction left in July, Rapp was offered to be the interim while they did a search for someone else. A few months later, Rapp was offered the job permanently if she wanted it.

Rapp’s responsibility as dean of academic affairs is no easy task, especially as the job responsibilities have changed throughout the years. Some of her duties are to supervise the division chairs and to make sure that Seward hires the entire faculty needed.

Rapp supervises to see that Seward is following all of the guidelines at the state and federal level as far was what they are teaching in the classrooms, but also to ensure that the instructors have the right credentials to be able to teach. Rapp also works with faculty and the division chairs to see that the necessary assessments are being made, such as the graduation assessments.

Rapp also makes sure that the college maintains its regional ac-

CYNTHIA RAPP

creditation through the Higher Learning Commission.

Without accredSeward itation, would not be able to operate because of all the rules and regulations and guidelines needed.

Dr. Duane Dunn, president at SCCC, has worked along with Rapp for 11 years and says that there is going to be quite a few things that the faculty will miss from Rapp.

“One is her knowledge of the college. Anytime someone leaves that has the historical knowledge of how we got to the point where we are at, there’s a gap,” Dunn said.

Now as she enters her last few weeks as a Seward employee, Rapp says it’s a good feeling because of the time she will have available to spend with her family.

“It’s a good feeling because now I know that I have worked here for a long time,” Rapp says. “It’s also a very time consuming job and very stressful, so it’s going to be nice for me. I am looking forward to be able to relax a little, spend more time with my family and my grandkids, especially because they are getting older.”

Yet Rapp also notes a certain sadness that comes along with her retirement from Seward.

“But it’s also sad because you don’t spend 21 years of your life somewhere without really being attached to especially the people,” Rapp said. “The people here are so wonderful and that’s just one of the things that has kept me here so long. It’s just we are like a family, all of this staff, really close together. And I enjoy getting to meet all of the students. Because we are small, I get to meet a lot of the students and know who they are, and they know who I am, and I like that environment. That part of it I am sad about and will really miss a lot, getting that interaction with faculty and staff and with the students.”

Dunn said Rapp has a compassion for students.

“She wants to make sure that they succeed... and that’s just her real passion,” Dunn said.

Rapp plans after this school year to move closer to her family. Rapp has two daughters, the older in Hutchinson, and the younger in Colorado Springs, Colo.

She also has two granddaughters

Crusader photo/Efren Rivero

Dean of Academic Affairs Cynthia Rapp advises student Megan Bryan. Some of Rapp’s responsibilities are to make sure students are getting the right education and training while attending SCCC/ATS. in Hutchinson and two granddaughters and a grandson in Colorado Springs.

“My oldest grandchild will be a senior in high school next year so I will be closer to her and be able to be involved in more of her activities because once they are out of high school, you don’t know how far away they are going to be,” Rapp said.

Rapp plans to stay in Hutchinson for five years until her youngest granddaughter there graduates from high school. Then after that, she plans to move to Colorado Springs to where her younger grandchildren live and spend time with them and be involved in the things they do.

But Rapp says she is not ready to just sit and do nothing. After getting settled in to her new town, Rapp wants to get involved in something.

“I have toyed with the idea of maybe doing some substitute teaching. My oldest granddaughter

in Colorado Springs is autistic, and I would love to be a para or work with autistic kids at some point and time, maybe in Hutchinson or Colorado Springs in a classroom setting,” Rapp said.

She also plans to stay involved with the Higher Learning Commission as a reviewer of colleges as they go through the accreditation process.

Despite the joy and some sadness that comes with retiring, Rapp has found another reason to be happy with her decision.

“I am really happy that Todd Carter has been named as my replacement,” Rapp said. “Todd and I have worked together for a long time, and I think that the transition will be much easier for the faculty and staff. He will do a great job moving in here and just keeping things going right along, so I am real pleased with that. It’s always easier for people if they know the person who is coming in.”

Dunn said it’s difficult when

someone who has worked here a long time leaves.

“But, she has things in order for the next person to step in,” Dunn said. “ Todd will do a good job, so I think it will be a smooth transition. I certainly wish her well. She deserves this and she has earned it.”

Rapp will end her 21-year long career at Seward with this school year, and even though she’s moving to Hutchinson, Seward’s longtime rival, Rapp assures she will never become a Blue Dragon.

“I will stay in touch. I know that I am going to be living in Hutch and whenever HCCC and SCCC play basketball or any other sport, I will not be wearing a Blue Dragon shirt. I will be wearing my SCCC shirt. You can guarantee that I will never become a Blue Dragon. I may become a Hutchinson High School Salthawk, but I will never become HCC Blue Dragon,” she said. “I will always be a Seward County Saint.”

May 2015

Road to Retirement

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W E H I R R E M K R MA 12.” e ag at s ld ie yf ha e th in ng ki or w as w I d an 8, e “ I learned how to drive by ag – Mark Merrihew Jevyn Voss Crusader staff After 36 years at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School, IT Director Mark Merrihew is calling it quits and retiring. The man who is originally from Ashby, Neb., has been working for more than 42 years and decided it was time for a break.

Merrihew feels he’s never really had a break from working since he started working at age 12.

“I learned how to drive by age 8, and I was working in the hayfields at age 12,” he said.

He started as a raker in the hayfields and eventually became a sweeper. After his father started suffering from hay fever, they moved to town and he became a ‘city slicker’, as his cousins affectionately referred to him.

Merrihew worked for his father throughout high school at his lumber yard and feed store and worked the hayfields every summer until he was finished with college.

Merrihew graduated from Hyannis High School in Hyannis, Neb., where he was a four-year athlete and lettered in football three years, basketball two years, and track four years.

Although he has been working since his childhood, he finds positivity in the work. “I lifted a lot of feed bags and lumber, and it really helped me bulk up for football,” Merrihew said.

After graduation from Hyannis High, he went on to National College of Business in Rapid City, S.D., where he graduated with an associates in data processing.

Merrihew decided to go to NCB when he went to a college fair and he really enjoyed what the institute offered. Technology had been an interest of his since he was a kid. “I was interested in a career in tech-

Courtesy photo/ Rachel Coleman

Mark Merrihew has the distinction of being at the college for 36 years, longer than any other employee. nology because I saw that people who worked in it made a lot of money and drove nice cars,” Merrihew said.

Upon graduating, Merrihew started working for the National Cash Register Corporation in Minneapolis, Minn., where he worked for six years. He stayed in Minneapolis for a year until he decided he wanted to be closer to home and was transferred to the NCR branch in Omaha, Neb., where he worked for 2 years and eventually moved to the Lincoln branch for three years.

From there it’s all history. Merrihew started working at SCCC/ATS in 1979 as the management information system director.

“I was originally hired to devel-

op software for administrative applications,” said Merrihew about his first title. This job included writing code for the college using COBOL programming. The job description changed, however, when desktop computers came into the picture. Later, the college made the switch to using the Ellucian Banner software, and he became the manager for that database. Merrihew is now the Information Technology director.

Over the 36 years that Merrihew has been employed by Seward he has seen three huge changes that he felt were important to his job.

“The biggest change was going from one computer and several key punch machines to report grades to PCs being placed

throughout campus in 1982,” said Merrihew. The first placement of personal computers took place in A136 to create the college’s first computer lab. The change from writing code for administrative applications to becoming the Banner database manager was one of the bigger changes for Merrihew as well as the merge with the technical school. “We nearly doubled the amount of computers the college owned.”

Although Merrihew feels he’s never really had a break from working, he has found a way to treat himself to the occasional break or vacation. He’s traveled to Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, England, South Korea, Australia, Cozumel, and Canada, and

plans to do more traveling once he retires.

Mark and his wife, Bonnie, who is a math instructor at SCCC/ATS, have plans for the summer to travel to Great Britain and France.

“We have plans to go to the British Open golf tournament in St. Andrews, which is known as the birthplace of golf, to see Loch Ness, Stonehenge, and take the Eurotunnel from England to France.”

Mark is the second oldest of six siblings and has three sons, all spread throughout the United States and has not ruled out the option of traveling to see his family members in free time.

“I would like to see my kids and siblings but not without Bonnie,” Mark said.

Mark won’t be traveling all of the time after he retires. He plans to continue working out in the Wellness Center on a regular basis, wants to start reading more, and hopes to improve his golf game by joining what he likes to call the “Senior Tour” at the golf course.

Being the sports fan that he is, he also plans to follow his favorite teams: the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Reds and New York Knicks.

He will also be at home in Liberal, a town he was apprehensive about at first. “Stores closed at lunch time, which made it difficult to run errands initially.” He eventually got used to the small town routine and learned to like the area.

Mark said he loves working at the college and will miss the people.

“Working with the people has always been a family oriented feeling.” Since Mark’s wife, Bonnie, is still an employee at the college, he looks forward to coming back to campus often and seeing everybody.

Road to Retirement

4

NANCY BANSEMER

May 2015

“ This is a great place with great people.”

– Nancy Bansemer

Kim Nguyen Crusader staff Even after 18 years – or perhaps especially after 18 years—nursing instructor Nancy Bansemer gets emotional when she talks of the capping and pinning ceremony that signifies her students have made it through the nursing program.

“The capping and pinning ceremony is a very meaningful time to us. It signifies that my students have met lifetime goals. My students and I spend days and nights together with sweat and tears to reach our goal,” Bansemer said, teary eyed at the thought.

After watching them work so hard, the capping and pinning is touching. The next step is the National Council Licensure Exam.

“It’s such an overwhelming achievement when I receive calls, texts, or Facebook messages from students that said they passed their NCLEX exam,” Bansemer added.

Bansemer, who holds a master of science in nursing and is an RN, explained that nursing programs are different than other fields.

“You have to be dedicated and have the drive within you to be a nurse because it’s extremely hard work mentally, physically and emotionally. Sometimes, seeing some students couldn’t make their goal is draining and heartbreaking for an instructor. The test in nursing is very difficult, unlike other basic knowledge tests.”

When the time comes for her nursing students to go out in the world, Bansemer said she hopes that they have learned about compassion, critical thinking and work ethic.

Work ethic is obviously something Bansemer teaches by example. Even with a brain tumor, she never missed a day of work.

One Thursday night two years ago, Bansemer woke up with excruciating pain on one side of her head.

“On Friday, the head pain hit me again,” she said. “So I went to the clinic the next day. The doctor said that I had trigeminal neuralgia which is the inflammation of the fifth cranial nerve, and they put me on Tegretol,” Bansemer said.

Crusader photo/Maria Lara

Nancy Bansemer, nursing instructor, teaches at the Allied Health Center. She is retiring after 18 years at Seward.

“I was trying to teach a class on Monday, and I walked right into the wall,” she described. At first, Bansemer thought it was the Tegretol that caused the incident.

But something seemed off, and she made arrangements to have an MRI. The results showed there was a tumor on her pituitary gland.

“The neurosurgeon said that he had never seen such a large pituitary tumor before,” she said. “He also said that I should be dead or totally blind at the least,” she said.

Nevertheless, Bansemer worked until mid-June to finish nursing clinicals in Wichita. Then, she had surgery on her pituitary tumor. She was not allowed to do anything for six weeks. But Bansemer was released to return to work by the time fall classes started.

“The reason why I never missed a day at work, even though I had a brain tumor, is because I’m Nancy Bansemer, for one thing,” she said, jokingly.

Remember, this is an instructor who values work ethic. Students can look at her and recognize an exceptional passion for being on the job.

Beyond teaching and working with the students in clinicals, which requires extensive amounts of time, Bansemer is also dedicated to helping students find scholarships and assistance wherever she can.

“One thing I really try to do is to help students get scholarships,” Bansemer said.

She has worked with Stevens County Medical Foundation to help compile realistic expenses and scholarship parameters. She promotes scholarships to go to students who are already accepted into the nursing program.

She helps match students with scholarship opportunities she learns about and has even followed through by helping fill out applications and gathering necessary materials.

Once as Bansemer was looking through a list of available scholarships, she saw the Dr. E.J. McCreight Scholarship, and it surprised her. Dr. McCreight was her doctor when she was young and the one who inspired and encouraged her to become a nurse in the first place.

Bansemer started a Preceptorship program through Client Care Leadership with Southwest Medical Center about five years ago to introduce a program for one-onone with one nurse training. “They love it,” she said. Getting 36 hours with one nurse helps students and often helps Southwest Medical Center recruit the nurses it wants to hire.

She also promotes volunteerism and is proud that her students helped raise $10,386 for SCCC/ ATS scholarship funds in the 2015

Phonathon.

Bansemer received a National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Teaching Excellence award in 2002. She also has been involved with the Student Nurse Association at Seward for 18 years.

Bansemer graduated from nursing school in 1974.

She started working the night shift in the ICU in Garden City, earning a whopping $4.58 an hour.

After she got married, she started working in Liberal in January 1975. In 1997, Bansemer took the job at SCCC. “I was working for Southwest Medical Center Home Health Care and Hospice, and Steve Hecox recruited me to come teach.” For about three years, she did both jobs.

Other longtime co-workers she mentioned working with were Sandy Brisendine, who retired from Seward last year, and current division chair, Veda King.

She and King have worked together since back in the ’80s, she said, when King was manager of the medical floor and Bansemer was manager of the surgery floor at Southwest Medical Center.

“They coerced me into coming,” Bansemer said of her friends as to why she came to the college as an instructor.

She still offers the highest praise to her former boss and recruiter.

“Steve is one of the finest Christian men you could ever meet. He walks the walk and talks the talk,” Bansemer described Hecox. “He was very organized.” She said Hecox was always the first one at work in the mornings, and he walked around the Epworth Allied Health building and greeted every person there.

“This is a great place, with great people to work with,” Bansemer said. She and King will both take early retirement this year.

“I just want to slow down a little bit. I have worked so many nights,” Bansemer said. In addition to her job as an instructor, she also works many days, nights and weekends for extra clinical time for students. Bansemer doesn’t plan to stop working completely; she is looking forward to working some, just not the same load she’s had.

Bansemer and her husband, Ted, live in Hugoton. Ted has worked at Southwest Medical Center for more than 30 years as a plant operator. They have three grown children, Jared Bansemer, who lives in Garden City; Charisse Fast, who runs a home canning business with Kansas Flavor products and is a stay-at-home mom in Wichita with Bansemer’s two granddaughters; and Alicia Powers, an alumna who worked for Dr. James Grote in the president’s office when she attended school at SCCC. Powers is now a PA at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

Bansemer looks back over her career with pride and appreciation.

She appreciates getting to know a lot of great people during her time at work. She is thankful for the local facilities where students do clinicals.

“We couldn’t do it without the support of Southwest Medical Center,” she said. Because other schools don’t always have the type of support SWMC offers, Bansemer recognizes how fortunate her students have been.

And she can take pride in their accomplishments as she looks forward to one more capping and pinning and waits for one more set of phone calls from students with NCLEX results.

Road to Retirement

May 2015

5

G N I K A VED s “ I had nothing but good experience through my years.” – Veda King

Nacole Miller Crusader staff Veda King has decided it is time to retire after 27 years of service to Seward County Community College, 21 consecutive years of work, hundreds of students, a lot of supportive faculty, six college presidents, and many amazing memories.

“Veda has always been a model of professionalism with exceptional nursing management and leadership abilities,” said Mary Ruiz, a nursing instructor and a former student of King’s. “Excellence in nursing practice, compassion, and patient advocacy were demonstrated by her, and became the unspoken practice expectation and goal for all students and colleagues who were fortunate enough to set under her mantel of influence.”

Ruiz said King balances “intensity and professional focus with spiritual warmth, positive enthusiasm and an infectious smile.”

“I, among many, love and respect her, and her encouragement and guidance will forever inspire us. Veda leaves with our warmest congratulations and blessings.”

Looking back on her time with Seward’s Allied Health program, King said, “Being here this long, you build many relationships with faculty and see many great students go through this program.”

King’s positive attitude is reflected in her memories. “I had nothing but good experiences through my years.”

King attended college at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., where she received her degree in nursing and was a part of the first graduating class in the nursing program at the ORU. On top of her busy class schedule and keeping

up with grades and school work, she also played basketball all four years of college.

Right out of college, King worked at St. Johns Hospital in Tulsa in the general surgery department and the critical care unit.

She worked there until moving back to work in Kansas.

Once back, King worked at Southwest Medical Center before starting her teaching career in Seward’s Allied Health program in 1979. King grew up in Turpin, Okla., so Liberal was close to where she is from and she was familiar with the town. In 1981, when the RN program started, King went to teach in that program.

King worked until 1982 when she decided to go back to Southwest Medical Center. King returned to the Allied Health program with more experience to teach from 1987 to 1990.

In 1990, she and her family moved back to Tulsa, where King taught at Oral Roberts in the nursing department where she had once been a student. King returned to Seward in 1994 for her 21-year run.

From 1989 to 1990 and from 2010 until now, King was not only an instructor, but also a division chair and the director of nursing.

Also retiring this year is Nancy Bansemer who is King’s good friend and a co-worker.

“Nancy and I, even before working at Allied, we knew each other from working at Southwest Medical Center where we were both head nurses. When I got the job at Allied, we still were friends and after a couple of years, we lost an instructor, and she was the one I called,” King said.

“Nancy is one of those people

who is always positive to the students, saying that they can do it, and giving extra help to those who need it.

She is an amazing instructor and I like to think of her as the cheerleader of the nursing department.”

King received a NISOD award.

She has also written test questions for the National Crusader photo/Nacole Miller Council Licensure Examination Veda King works at her desk in the Epworth Allied Health Building. After 27 years of service to in Princeton, N.J. Seward County Community College, King is retiring and has plans to travel with her husband, While in Tulsa Frank. Their first trip will be on July 3, to Branson, Mo., then to Wisconsin. she won the Outtry for passing rates, it should not ing attractions together in their RV standing Nursing Faculty award.

One of King’s former students go unnoticed without the acknowl- and hopefully staying at their cabin for longer than four days at a time. and co-worker, Serena Collins, edgment of the instructors.”

The Kings have three children of “Veda has truly been an asset to only had great things to say about not only SCCC, but to the entire their own. The oldest is Franka King.

“Veda has an engaging personal- community with her service to Jiminez, 35, who is getting married on June 6 and has 10-year-old ity that inspires students with her healthcare,” Collins added.

In her retirement, King is plan- twins. Their middle child, Monpassion of nursing. A teacher can have a long-lasting impact on a ning on doing “lots of traveling” tana Johnson, 32, is married, and student and her knowledge, years and spending time with her hus- has three children. Their son Wyatt King, 27, is married and expecting of past experiences, and dedication band, Frank.

Frank retired in 1994 from the their first child any minute. That have been passed down to many students. You get to learn from Oklahoma Highway Patrol and will give King her sixth grandsome amazing nurses and that now is now a full-time Beaver child.

Even while looking forward to drives you as a student to work County Commissioner. He also harder so that someday maybe you helps with their grandchildren at retirement, King looks back on her time in Allied Health at Seward. will know as much as they do,” home.

“I had so many good people Now, King says that it is time for Collins said.

“Nursing school is not an easy her to join him in retirement and come through my life while here, whether they were students or task because even if you pass nurs- spend time together.

She and Frank have purchased a teachers. One thing I will sure miss ing school, you have the national licensure exam you must pass in cabin in Colorado and have an RV. is teaching in general, and, being order to become an RN,” Collins They are planning on leaving for around for so long, these people I said. “But if you consider how their first post-retirement trip on worked with feel like family.” well our small town program is July 3 to Branson, Mo., then Wisranked among the state and coun- consin and continue their trip, see-

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Road to Retirement

May 2015

SUSAN COPAS “The hard thing about retiring is, after you ha ve effort and time invested, it is going to be hard so much to step back.”

– Susan Copas

City, where she was hired to train elementary teachers how to teach art, and also to share her works with the community and schools.

“It’s kind of a fun job for an artist,” said Copas about her early teaching days as an artist in residence.

She was excited to move to southwest Kansas and be in a culturally diverse community and be able to meet people from all over the world.

Copas has been a contributor to Crusader photo/ Daisy Torres Seward County Community ColSusan Copas holds her medal awarded by the National Institute for Staff lege/Area and Technical School and Organizational Development, commonly known as the NISOD Award. activities and clubs.

Before Copas got them started, Daisy Torres After her visit to France, she SCCC did not have Kylix, the art Crusader staff plans on adventuring to Amster- club, or SPEC, the education dam. Copas jokes that hopefully club.

In the fall of 1994, Susan Copas the Dutch will speak English, Because of Copas’s leadership, started her first year at Seward. since she will leave her group and the art department now organizes Now, after working with hun- travel to Amsterdam alone. student art exhibits every semesdreds of students during 20 years While in Amsterdam, she plans ter, along with hosting Children’s as an art instructor, Copas is on seeing some more artwork Art Day. ready to retire. from Van Gogh and Rembrandt.

The changes and advances of Copas would like to experi“I’m glad she will see the art the art department throughout the ence other sides of life she has not she loves in person,” said Madi- years have been some of Copas’s been able to because of her re- son Martinez, one of Copas’s art best memories. sponsibilities to the school and history students, about her upAside from art, her passion for the students, experiences like coming visit to Europe. teaching shows when she speaks traveling and fully focusing on Copas is originally from about the students. her art.

Kansas City and she has both her Remembering the best mo“I’ve put all my creativity in bachelor’s and master’s degrees ments of her time at SCCC, my classes, and I haven’t been from the University of Kansas.

Copas said “working with stupainting,” said Copas about one She said her parents were al- dents, that’s gotta be the best reason for retiring. ways very supportive of her artis- part.”

“There are just some things I’d tic and creative side.

“I really like her, she’s really like to do and I’d like to do them Copas’s love for art is one of nice and calm,” said Yos Robefore I get too old,” Copas said. her students favorite things about driguez, one of Copas’s students, Copas has plans of traveling to her. “She’s very passionate about also a member of Kylix.

Europe in the fall. She will be art,” Martinez said. “It makes her “She’s one of my favorite going on a group tour to France class more interesting because it teachers. She’s going to be and will see the artwork that shows how much she cares.” missed,” Rodriguez continued. awaits there for her.

“I think that’s the biggest supHer outstanding teaching and Copas is excited about her fu- port or inspiration that I could good relationship with students ture visit to The Louvre, Giverny ever need.” shows through the different and other French art galleries she She started her teaching career awards she has received. will be seeing. as an artist in residence in Garden According to both Martinez

and Rodriguez, Copas is always ready to help with students from giving ideas for art pieces, explaining the smallest subject in which students may be confused.

Copas was recognized as Outstanding Higher Education Art Educator. She also received a National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development award.

“Mrs. Copas has a lot of enthusiasm about art history, making it an enjoyable subject,” said Martinez.

Although Copas is leaving SCCC, she will not leave her passion for art and teaching.

She will continue teaching online courses via eduKan, while focusing more on her painting and personal art. “I would like to spend some more time in the studio.”

Copas also volunteers for

Crossroads Inc, a non-profit organization of therapeutic horseback riding, for people of all ages with disabilities.

Copas does not plan on leaving Liberal anytime in the near future, so she will be continue to come back to the college and keep showing her support to the students.

“I’ll continue to come and see the art exhibits and go to the plays.”

Copas’s view on the worst thing about retirement is having to stay away from what the future holds for the art department.

“The hard thing about retiring is, after you have so much effort and time invested, it is going to be hard to step back, but I’m really excited for growth opportunities for the art department.”

Crusader photo/ Daisy Torres

Copas helps student Hector Saenz enhance his graphic during one of her classes in the art computer lab. Copas is completing 20 years as an art instructor at SCCC.

Road to Retirement

May 2015

7

GEORGE MCNITT

Crusader photo/ Maria Lara

George McNitt, automotive technology instructor, shows Tucker Thorp, a student, which tools to use from the tool cabinet.

After 700,000 miles, 16 states, and many memories later, Richard Miller, bus driver for Seward County Community College, retired from SCCC/ATS on Feb. 28, after 18 years. Miller was looking for a change when he was hired in 1995.

At that time, he had worked for an area co-op for several years.

Miller, from the get-go, had a special attachment to the students he drove for and the college itself. He claims that it was a great experience to be involved with all of the various groups from campus, because it was interesting to him, the way every single group was different and how that allowed him to interact differently with each of them.

Being a bus driver for SCCC/ATS was an opportunity to Miller because he was able to travel to places that he wouldn’t have normally. At those places, Miller saw sports performances of all the teams on various fields and courts.

He also saw musicals, business, nursing, journalism and other groups in action.

“I’ve always felt that I was a people person and those interactions made the job very enjoyable,” he said.

At the events Miller would drive for, people would ask him if he was

In the auto department at Seward County Area/Technical School, it is clear that hard work is an essential element to its flow. Students are constantly moving around to find tools, and then concentrating on what it’ll take to fix the car they are currently consumed with.

To find the cornerstone of this hard working mentality, one would just have to have a conversation with the students’ instructor, George McNitt.

McNitt is in the last year of his 31-year career as an auto instructor.

To understand the auto instructor, we must first understand his path.

McNitt was born and raised in Liberal. He is a third generation lifetime resident. This small town family lineage has given McNitt the blue collar mentality to build and sustain the auto department.

McNitt has a passion for cars in part because “cars are a great business for me because they always break down and people always need them fixed.” His family lineage once again is to thank for this spark in passion.

His dad had his own shop, and that shop is where McNitt was able to get his start in the automotive industry. Growing up, he helped his dad at their shop. Then at 18, he went into the workforce.

McNitt used what he learned from his early days with his dad to become a successful auto mechanic in dealerships for 17 years. During this time, he served as an adviser for Liberal’s Technical School, which at the time was separate from the college.

When a job opened in the automotive department, McNitt was persuaded by many to apply. He did, and, as he says, “the rest is history.”

From that day forward, McNitt has had one goal: To have employable students who are successful at what they do.

There is something inward as well. Just like any successful person, McNitt is inwardly motivated regardless of outward outcomes with students.

McNitt talks like a man who works to serve. “Just like anybody

that is an artist, when you take something that doesn’t work, and you get it to work exactly how it is suppose to. That satisfaction makes it easy to have pride in my job.”

Now it is time for him to move on; his wife retired last year. They have five grandchildren with the oldest being 12. That is the new focus of his future time. He wants to leave this stage — though he admits isn’t easy — to be with his beloved grandkids. He and his wife also plan on traveling, and doing the things they were unable to do during their working years.

McNitt’s story is a simple hardworking American story of a small town man who believes nothing replaces hard work and dedication.

He used the experiences of his youth to impact his future success.

McNitt’s last statement is the most fitting ending to the story. Like a protagonist riding off into the sunset after a job well done, McNitt said, “I came, I set out a goal, and I feel like I’ve accomplished it in the time I’ve been here.”

– By Grant Glaze

RICHARD MILLER

Miller there to see his kids and Miller always responded, “They are all mine.” At events Miller might drive to, the students would feel the pressure of sports game or an academic competition.

Miller liked to bring the lightheartedness to that pressure so that they could relax for a bit.

“I have so many good memories of life on the road with my kids,” he said.

Physically and mentally, Miller

thought that it was time for him to climb out of the driver’s seat.

So, from November 2014 through February 2015, he worked mainly in maintenance in the Green House, although he still drove most of the 2014-2015 basketball season.

Finally, he and his wife, Vicki, a teacher in Plains, decided early retirement was a good decision for Richard so they could move closer to family in the Wichita area.

Miller looks forward to some type of work and continuing woodworkCrusader file photo ing and also trying some other forms Richard Miller picks up the Crusader staff in Chicago, Ill., during a of art. Woodworking is a hobby for journalism conference three years ago.

Miller, and some people own his work such as carvings, turnings, signs and tables.

Richard Miller, The amount of mileage that Miller as a bus driver has accumulated and the number of for Seward, has cities and states that he has driven driven up to through can’t compare to the count700,000 miles less memories that he shares with and has driven SCCC/ATS and the students that to about 16 have come and gone through sports, states from and other academic clubs.

Liberal.

– By Maria Lara Crusader Illustration/ Maria Lara

Road to Retirement

8

May 2015

d e e R a t i An Diana Chavira Sports editor Journalism and communications instructor and Crusader adviser Anita Reed has worked for Seward County Community College for 22 years.

After 22 years filled with not only contributing a large amount of her personal time to the success of her students, but also helping nurture the Crusader into what it is today, Reed is retiring.

When she first arrived at Seward in 1993, Reed worked part-time as adjunct faculty.

It wasn’t until 1998 that she took on the role of adviser for the school’s student newspaper, a job she held for 17 years.

Over the run of her career, Reed has accumulated an impressive resume of experience and achievements.

During the time in which Reed has advised, the Crusader has received more than 50 national awards, 18 Associated Collegiate Press Best of Show awards, and back-to-back All-Kansas awards in 2013 and 2014. She has mentored college journalists who, altogether, have won more individual awards than any other two-year college in Kansas since 2008.

“It is important to belong to something that’s bigger than yourself,” Reed explained about why she feels upholding the program becomes so important to students.

Reed’s youngest son, Kendal, said that his mom’s achievements are “pretty impressive,” especially what she’s accomplished while at Seward. “It’s kind of weird to imagine her doing anything else,” Kendal said.

Kendal thinks a lot of the progress of the Crusader is thanks to his mom.

Anita’s career was filled with countless opportunities to influence and encourage the students that she worked with, because, overall, that has been her favorite part about her job.

“I hope her students know how much the things they do mean to her,” said her older son, Darren, who himself won national awards in his time as CrusaderNews.com online creator and Crusader editor.

He mentioned that Anita brags

about her students any chance that she gets and shares their accomplishments proudly.

In addition, Anita believes that working around college students for so long has kept her young, although not age-wise.

“I’ve been blessed with good health, physically I feel pretty young, so I do things like jump in a foam pit,” Anita said, in reference to the state conference trip in April when she and the staff visited a trampoline park.

Anita’s husband, Steve, said his wife gave the Crusader “all she could give and had to give.”

“It’s always meant a lot to her, a lot of pride and a lot of satisfaction,” Steve said.

But a lot of the effort and time put into the Crusader and her school work would not have been possible without the support that Anita has received from her husband.

“Because some husbands would not have been as understanding when the phone rings at 10 o’clock at night and I have to get up and go back to the college,” Anita said.

“He has always supported me 100 percent.”

When talking about her husband, Anita could not help but get emotional and express how grateful she was for him.

“I think I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I had not known that I was being supported.”

People who Anita has worked around along the course of her career agree that she has had a tremendous impact on students.

Seward County Community College president Dr. Duane Dunn had similar comments.

“It’s exciting to see the influence that she has had on her students,” Dunn said. “I think we’re very fortunate, and, as she retires, it’s a huge loss.”

Anita gained journalism experience from working in different fields of media throughout her career.

She graduated from OPSU with a bachelor of arts degree in speech with fields of study in journalism, English, and broadcast, which, in due time, she used to her advantage, moving between media including radio, TV and print.

Anita’s first job out of college was for KULY Radio in Ulysses where she worked as an announcer, sold advertising, and even did basketball play-by-play. “ I really liked radio; I think it’s really fun,” Anita said. “I did try a lot of things, and you can kind of see the pattern: always going back to radio. That was my favorite.”

After KULY Radio, Anita made a switch to television with KUPKTV in Copeland.

It was a medium that she found “constricting” and later came back to Liberal and worked at KLIB Radio, where she first worked as a sales representative, and then after about two years, became the general manager of the radio station.

KLIB later sold and Anita worked at the Southwest Daily Times as a reporter and photographer, but then received an opportunity to work for KBUF Radio in Garden City as a sales account executive.

Anita’s time at KBUF Radio only lasted about a year and a half because, in 1982, she left to get married.

Anita didn’t work for a while, but when she did, she once again returned to radio.

In 1983 and 1984, Anita worked for Q107 Radio in Hugoton, a time during which her first son, Darren, was born.

According to Steve, as a mother and wife, Anita was devoted to helping their two sons with school projects, along with always being supportive and encouraging to whatever ambitions the people around her seeked.

Anita said she was a stay-athome mom for several years, “which I consider some of the most important work of my life.”

Being able to raise her children and be there with them was just as important as any job she ever had.

Anita described it as one of her biggest accomplishments in life.

“I’m very proud of my sons, I would say that my most rewarding job was to be a mom,” Anita said, “I really enjoyed that.”

Anita would not be introduced to Seward and the Crusader staff until 1993, several years later, after working at KSCB AM/FM and KLDG FM Radio.

Crusader photo/Diana Chavira

Anita Reed shares a laugh with a student after class in front of the door her students decorated with a countdown of her remaining days at Seward.

“They were looking for, at that time, an adjunct, which is a parttime or night instructor,” Anita explained, “an adjunct position to teach mass communications and to be a co-adviser for the Crusader.”

When Anita became the fulltime adviser to the Crusader, she, along with her co-adviser Earl Watt, started a direction and attitude of excellence for the Crusader to gain the recognition it has now.

Crusader staffs changed and shaped the newspaper and media forums and slowly helped the Crusader build its domain, all from a small newsroom next to the library that eventually became too small for a full staff.

Friend and co-worker to Anita, Janice Northerns, said, “Anita built the Crusader and the journalism program from the ground up,” Northerns said. “She put her heart and soul into turning the Crusader into a real newspaper with high journalistic standards.”

Former editor for the Crusader, Alfredo Anaya, shared, “Anita was the first teacher I had, not just in this area but in general, that seemed so passionate about teaching and motivating her students to do well,” Anaya said.

There were times when Anaya

needed advice and would still turn to his former adviser for support.

“Even though she wasn’t my adviser anymore, she reminded me to feel more confident in myself.”

Anaya explained that without the words and encouragement from Anita, he would not have had the success that he did.

“I know that if Anita touched my life so much, she has truly helped out so many of her other students here at Seward, and she will be greatly missed.”

Anita tries to stay in touch with her former students, who become friends through the years.

Looking to the future, Anita hopes that the next adviser to come in will continue the level of excellence that is expected from the Crusader, and be able to stay excited about the newspaper and “keep it always moving forward.”

Every year, “faces change, but expectations don’t,” Anita said.

Anita has loved the interaction with her students and really enjoyed teaching, so she’s not sure what’s next, other than a move to the Salina area with her husband to care for his family farm.

“I hope God has a plan ahead for me, but I need to finish here before I start thinking about that.”