By Heather Johnson
Longtime business instructor Kathleen McCune will retire from North Platte Community College on May 13.
McCune began teaching at NPCC more than 40 years ago – in fact, it was her first job out of college.
“I never intended to go into education, but I’m glad I did.” said McCune. “Teaching has given me a great deal of satisfaction over the years. That feeling of helping students reach their goals and knowing I’m making an impact on their lives is very rewarding – almost indescribable.”
The early days
Her arrival at NPCC, and rural Nebraska for that matter, was a bit of a culture shock.
McCune is originally from Merriam, Kan., which is on the outskirts of Kansas City. She graduated in 1972 from Shawnee Mission North High School with about 700 classmates then attended Kansas State University, in Manhattan.
“I was a business major originally,” McCune said. “I went into that field because, in some way, everything is about business. Then, I began studying foreign language as well. My idea was to put the two together into a multinational something.”
Her plans changed after she got married. McCune earned bachelor’s degrees in both business and foreign language in 1977 then obtained a Master of Business Administration degree in 1979.
Immediately after graduation, she moved with her husband, Myron, to North Platte then to Sutherland, where he is originally from. Myron began work as a veterinarian while Kathleen searched for jobs in local communities.
“I was basically going door-to-door submitting my résumé,” Kathleen said. “I put in an application at the college not knowing if there was even a job open. Luckily, there was a business instructor position open.”
Still, it wasn’t quite what she had imagined.
“My first thought was that I needed a job,” Kathleen said. “My second thought was that I would have to figure a lot of things out. I was meek, and quiet and introverted, but we had a fabulous faculty at the college. I paid attention to what they did and tried to emulate it. I soon found that I could make a difference through teaching, and I loved that.”
Although time-consuming, learning a new field proved to be a nice outlet for her. It took her mind off the fact that she was a state away from everything familiar and living in a community where she didn’t know anyone.
“Teaching kept me busy and helped me meet friends,” Kathleen said. “The first person I met was Marilyn McGahan. She was very kind and welcoming, and she helped me cultivate those connections and relationships that I needed.”
Finding her niche
As she became more comfortable in her role, and at the urging of her colleagues, Kathleen began joining professional organizations.
“Once I was involved, I found so many advantages – from the support that came with having a network of peers to the opportunities to learn new things and grow as an individual,” Kathleen. “I’ve been able to develop leadership skills and hold leadership roles as a result of those skills. I’ve also had opportunities to write and publish, which I never would have done before.”
The National Business Education Association, Nebraska State Business Education Association, Association for Career and Technical Education, Association for Research in Business Education-Delta Pi Epsilon, Mid-Plains Education Association and Phi Beta Lambda are just a handful of organizations Kathleen has been involved with over the years.
She has written for “NSBEA Today,” “ACTEN — The Communique” and “The Forum” and co-authored two chapters for the National Business Education Association Yearbook. Kathleen also served as a reviewer for “The Journal of Research in Business Education.”
In honor of her commitment to students and the advancement of career and technical education, she has been named Region V Postsecondary Teacher of the Year by ACTE, the NSBEA and the Mountain-Plains Business Education Association. She doesn’t take full credit for any of the recognitions, however.
“My colleagues have always served as my mentors,” Kathleen said. “The business department at the college is a very strong department. We always say, ‘Give us a job, and we’ll get it done’.”
A time for reflection
She admits those jobs have been much easier in recent years, thanks to the evolution of technology.
“When I started at the college, we had a chalkboard, overhead projector, Ditto machine and typewriter,” Kathleen said. “If I wanted to make a handout, it was a very laborious process. Now, our classrooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology.”
Regardless of how she taught or what she taught with, the one thing that has remained constant is the students.
“The way we teach is different, but students’ needs are not,” Kathleen said. “Students expect faculty to care about them and respect them and that has remained true through the decades. They want to know their instructors believe in them, aren’t going to give up on them and will help them succeed.”
Being that person is what she’s going to miss the most as she enters retirement. Kathleen has always tried to serve as a role model of positivity, professionalism and passion for her classes.
“I’ve had some great experiences and great students over the years,” Kathleen said. “I love that I’ve been able to teach first-generation college students. Commencement is such an exciting time because I look at the crowd – at the parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who are so excited to get that picture of a family member in a cap and gown, and I feel proud for them.”
Starting a new chapter
The pleasure she still gets out of teaching is part of why Kathleen made the decision to retire now.
“I didn’t want to work to the point where I didn’t want to work,” Kathleen said. “I wanted to be young enough to maybe have another career and not retire so old that I wouldn’t have anything else to do. Sometimes, you don’t know what your opportunities are until you stop doing what you’re doing.”
While she’s looking forward to spending more time with her husband, children and eight grandchildren, the pandemic and subsequent new norm of teaching from home has made Kathleen realize that she will miss the structure, routine and busyness of walking into a classroom.
“I feel the void already,” Kathleen said. “I’ve truly enjoyed the students, my co-workers and the creative aspect of education. There hasn’t been one August that I haven’t looked forward to going back to school, and a lot of that is because the college has been a great place to work. I always tell people, ‘It’s the best gig in town’.”