The fall semester has begun! It is just an exciting time of year for me to see the new freshmen on campus as well as our returning students happy to be back! The fall semester is a HUGE contrast to the summer. You know from past articles that we never stop offering classes at NCCC. There are online classes in session on Christmas Day, if students choose to work on their assignments then. While we have a significant number of classes happening over the summer, many of those are online classes, meaning that there are not many students here on campus.
We also only have a handful of events for the public in the summer, nothing like when the fall and spring semesters are going on. Summer is a great time to work on budgets, get new employees hired, complete the mountain of paperwork required by state and federal officials, and maybe take a few days off.
But fall—that’s exciting! The hallways are busy again, there are day and night events to attend, sporting events start back up, labs are full, and the learning centers are bustling. And fall 2025 is going to be amazing! One to remember.
Enrollment for the fall is up! As I write this, up about 2.8%. That’s not a lot, but it is the third fall in a row that we have seen an enrollment increase. We are trending in the right direction! And while we are dealing with a lot of uncertainty from the federal government right now and its support for higher education, it doesn’t change the fact that things are going well at NCCC and our students are going to get the best education we can deliver, just like every year. And we have some great new things in store for this fall and beyond!
Currently, we are putting the finishing touches on the newly renovated Strahm Family Strength Center, also known as “The Spot.” Matt Strahm, former Panther baseball player and current pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, nicknamed it The Spot because he credited the wellness center and the work he put in there as the reason he was able to become a professional athlete. That was The Spot on campus where he made it happen.
The renovation of the former Wellness Center is almost entirely paid for by a gift from Matt. It will be used by all our 265 student athletes, as well as our Senior Fitness classes and open times for college employees and non-athlete students. The old Wellness Center was taken down to the metal beams that held it up, given a new roof and then rebuilt with new and refurbished equipment. It should open in September with a ribbon cutting later in the fall. Exciting! I can’t show you the “before and after” pictures in this article, but the difference is amazing! Thank you so much Strahm family!
And speaking of before and after, another project is about to kick off this fall, one that you’ll be able to see happen as you drive down 14th or Allen Street in Chanute – The Mih Family Fine Arts Center! Those of you who have attended one of the many concerts, plays and other events at the NCCC auditorium know that, while the auditorium served us well for many years, it is past time to give it a facelift. But this will be so much more than a facelift!
This project will be amazing! We are renovating our 2,000 sq ft auditorium which has not been renovated since it was built in 1968. The project will also add 2,500 sq ft of new construction that will include a scene shop, greenroom, a beautiful glass reception area, outdoor stage area, amazing courtyard, memorial garden, and a new drop-off lane! Wow! The total project cost after design, i.e. construction, equipment and finishes will be about $5.7 million, of which we have already raised about $4.5 million. Much of this was only made possible through a substantial lead gift from the Mih Family! Thank you so much! You made this happen!
We have scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony on September 11, at 11:30am. Come be a part of this amazing celebration! The building will take about a year to complete. My hope is to have our first event in the Mih Family Fine Arts Center in mid fall 2026. I am also hopeful that we can have our first outdoor event at the new stage area sometime in the 2026-2027 academic year too. Imagine sitting on lawn chairs or on picnic blankets enjoying music or a show (when it is not 95 degrees). It will be lovely. If you go to our website – www.neosho.edu – you can see a link to the Mih Family Fine Arts Center webpage where you can view lots of pictures of the proposed building and renovation.
Besides these wonderful new additions to the Chanute campus, we will be adding the second level of training for our automotive program to offer a two-year certificate along with the one-year program. And that program received a $92,000 grant from Carl Perkins fund for an electric car kit! It comes with curriculum, training for the instructor, desktop training materials, and you get to pick your car color (orange and black of course). It looks like a dune buggy and is designed to be taken apart and put back together year after year. Eventually you’ll be seeing it in parades I’m sure, but probably not until next year. It’s a great way for our students to learn about electric vehicle repair!
Soon Thursday Senior Lunch at the college will start again, (mark your calendars September 4th!). That’s when we invite seniors 62 and over to come to campus for lunch on Thursdays (for seniors it’s $5.48 before tax, for all you can eat?!? What a deal!). Here’s a suggestion. If you are coming to Senior Lunch on Thursday, September 11th, come at 11:30am and watch the Mih Center groundbreaking outside Sanders Hall, then go over for lunch in the dining hall. That would be fun! I would love to see you there!
Our athletic games start again soon too. Head to www.goneosho.com for a full schedule of home games – free admission again this year thanks to our wonderful Panther Club donors and game sponsors! If your business wants to sponsor a game please let us know!
We are off on another fantastic year at NCCC, my 23rd. This one will be one to remember, that’s for sure, thanks to the wonderful support of our donors, our taxpayers, our students, the board of trustees, our employees, our legislators, and you!
If you have any questions about any of these projects, the 2025-2026 academic year, or anything else, please feel free to contact me at binbody@neosho. edu.
