Mid-Plains Community College will welcome several new full-time faculty and staff members to its North Platte location this semester. They include Roger Fattig, Stephanie Seamann, Jimi Cole, Dr. Carla Long, Tara Naughtin, Hillary Sims, Michelle Sterling, Emily Geschwentner and Lyn Battreall.

Roger Fattig

Roger Fattig is the new first-year building construction instructor at MPCC. A Brady native, Fattig has been involved with construction his entire life.

He attended North Platte Junior College for two years – back when the college was located in the old post office at Fifth and Jeffers streets in downtown North Platte.

Fattig then transferred to the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1971 and a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in biology in 1975.

The next 30-plus years of his life were spent in a variety of professions: construction, remodeling, roofing, forestry, high school teacher and hunting dog trainer.

Fattig also worked as a lab technician for the Phillips Petroleum Co. and as a night superintendent for a zinc plant – both in Bartlesville, Okla.

He began working for MPCC in 2009, after he was recruited by Bruce Dowse, former area dean of outreach and training.

Fattig spent five years as a part-time building construction instructor for the college and one year as the interim first-year building construction instructor before receiving his current title.

“I’m excited about this upcoming semester,” said Fattig. “We have so much new equipment that everyone is going to have a lot of fun. Whether it’s building cabinetry, or a house, we have the equipment to help them do the job and do it better than ever.”

Stephanie Seamann

Stephanie Seamann, of North Platte, will be among the nursing instructors teaching classes at MPCC.

Seamann graduated from North Platte High School in 2000. She received an associate degree from MPCC in 2003 then obtained a Master of Science in Nursing degree with an emphasis in nursing education from Walden University, in Minneapolis, Minn. in 2014.

“I always wanted to be a nurse,” said Seamann. “I came from a family of nurses and started in the profession at a young age. Taking care of people is something that I love.”

She took courses for her master’s degree online, which enabled her to work at the same time. Seamann was hired by what is now Great Plains Health in 2003.

She continued to work there until taking the job at the college this summer. Ten of those years at the hospital were in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department.

“I think my time at GPH helped shape me into the type of nurse I would want taking care of me,” said Seamann. “It will also help me prepare students at the college to be great nurses upon graduation.”

She said those in her classes will learn about the most up-to-date information and evidence-based practices in the industry in a positive atmosphere.

“Students will have fun while learning,” said Seamann. “I’m looking forward to working with fresh, young students excited about entering the nursing field. I’m also looking forward to using the facilities, including the simulation lab that MPCC has to offer. They are state-of-the-art.”

Jimi Cole

Jimi Cole, of Arnold, has been hired as a business and office technology instructor for MPCC. She previously worked at Platte River Nephrology in North Platte.

Cole graduated from Rock Springs High School, in Rock Springs, Wyo. in 1996. She obtained an associate degree in business from MPCC then attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. where she earned a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and management in May.

In between her studies at MPCC and CSU, Cole served as a substitute teacher for K-12 students in the Arnold and Stapleton Public Schools. She also worked part-time for the Arnold and Callaway Medical Clinics.

Cole gave up teaching when her job at the medical clinics became full-time. She worked for the clinics for more than 10 years then spent three years working from home as a medical transcriptionist for a company based in Ohio. She took the job at Platte River Nephrology in 2013.

Cole believes her prior experiences will serve her well at the college.

“I will be teaching medical coding and medical terminology,” said Cole. “I will be bringing what I learned in clinic situations to the classrooms, so students are prepared when they go out into the workforce and have to deal with real-world situations. I’m excited to meet everyone. I think this job will be fun and challenging.”

Dr. Carla Long

North Platte native Dr. Carla Long will be the new biology instructor at MPCC. Long graduated from North Platte High School in 1984.

She obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, then went on to earn a doctorate in physiology from the Mayo Graduate School in Rochester, Minn.

Long was a stay-at-home mom for a number of years before returning to North Platte. Her career with MPCC began in 2010 when she took a part-time job teaching biology classes. This summer, she was hired as a full-time instructor.

“I’m looking forward to getting back into science and the lab,” said Long. “I really like working with the broad range of students at the college, from the high school graduates to the non-trads. Those who attend my classes will gain an appreciation for science, and the ones who plan to go on to the next level in the field will receive the background they need to get them there.”

Tara Naughtin

Tara Naughtin began working as the academic affairs assistant at the college last spring. Naughtin is originally from Sutherland.

She graduated from Sutherland High School in 1992, then took classes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology and climatology in 1996.

Her first job out of school was in North Platte, working at KNOP-TV as a broadcast meteorologist. Naughtin had not taken any broadcasting classes at the university, but was a quick learner who soon progressed to reporting and anchoring.

“What I liked about the job was that I got to work in the math and science fields, which I love,” said Naughtin. “There was also a bit of an entertainment value to what I did, so that was fun. I had a lot of autonomy with that job.”

She was hired as a library assistant at North Platte Community College in October of 2014. Naughtin began her current job in April.

Her duties include assisting Dr. Jody Tomanek, area vice-president of academic affairs and NPCC, working on contracts and working with faculty and division chairs.

Hillary Sims

Hillary Sims will often be the first point of contact for new students at MPCC. The area admissions specialist has lived in North Platte for almost a year.

She and her husband, Marc, moved to the community in September of 2014 from Tri-Cities, Wash. after he got a job as a youth pastor at the Berean Church in North Platte.

Hillary has a bachelor’s degree in communication from Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Wash. Prior to relocating to Nebraska, she had been employed by ConAgra Foods.

“I decided to apply for my current job because I had heard the college was a great place to work – that it had good people and the atmosphere was really positive,” Hillary said. “Everything I heard was true. I love it here. People come to work happy and are constantly looking for ways to improve what’s being done and how it’s being done.”

Hillary’s role is to answer any questions related to admissions. She outlines the steps students need to complete in order to be admitted, helps them register for classes and handles transcripts and test scores among many other responsibilities.

Michelle Sterling

Michelle Sterling’s new job moved her from the South Campus of NPCC to the North Campus this week. Sterling has worked in the college’s information systems department since 2012. On Tuesday, she became the North Campus receptionist.

Sterling is originally from Scottsbluff. She graduated from Scottsbluff High School in 1990 then earned an associate degree from Western Nebraska Community College.

She moved to North Platte in 1997 and was a stay-at-home mom for several years. From 2008-10 Sterling worked as a special education paraeducator for Adams Middle School.

In 2010, she began certified nursing assistant classes at MPCC and also started a job as a CNA at Linden Court.

In October of 2012, Sterling was hired as a part-time area Blackboard assistant for MPCC. She earned a certificate in nonprofit management from the college in 2013.

Her new receptionist position is full-time.

“I needed something full-time and really wanted to stay at the college,” said Sterling. “I like the people here. They make a difference.”

When not at work, Sterling will be a full-time student, studying for a bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management through Bellevue University.

Emily Geschwentner

Emily Geschwentner will soon be a familiar face among the student population at MPCC. She has accepted the job of area enrollment counselor, a role that will have her traveling to places such as high schools and college fairs.

“I will be visiting with students in those locations and helping out a little bit with on-campus advising, too,” said Geschwentner. “It’s kind of a combined role of recruiting and advising.”

Geschwentner, who currently lives in Cozad, graduated from McCook High School in 2007. She earned a bachelor’s degree in K-12 art education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2011.

She spent a semester as a substitute teacher for Southwest Public Schools, at Bartley, and Hitchcock County Schools, at Trenton, then took a full-time position teaching K-12 art in the Hitchcock County system for a year.

“The last two years I taught middle school art at Cozad,” said Geschwentner. “Part of what I loved about teaching was being able to help students identify their passions and strengths. I enjoyed seeing them grow in that way.”

She’s no stranger to MPCC. Geschwentner has taken both Spanish and graphic design classes through the college, the latter of which boosted her commissioned art business.

“My experience at MPCC is a big reason why I’m looking forward to my new job so much,” said Geschwentner. “I didn’t realize when I graduated from high school what a great opportunity it is to start college at a place like Mid-Plains. I want to share the success I’ve had with students preparing to make life-changing decisions.”

Lyn Battreall

Lyn Battreall is MPCC’s new area counselor. She will have two offices: one in McCook and the other in North Platte.

Two days a week Battreall will be in Room 118, in the lower level of the von Riesen Library at McCook Community College, and three days a week, she will be in Room 109 in the Welcome Center of the McDonald-Belton Building on NPCC’s South Campus.

Battreall moved to North Platte in January. She is originally from Omaha. She graduated from Omaha Burke High School, and immediately thereafter took a job as a psychiatric technician in a mental hospital.

Over the years, Battreall also worked as a family support worker, residential assistant and a community treatment aide.

She obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2000 and a master’s degree in community counseling in 2003, both of which were through the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Following completion of her master’s degree, Battreall got her mental health practitioner’s license and for several years, managed an acute behavioral health unit at Immanuel Hospital in Omaha.

Battreall spent a total of six years working at Vatterott College in Omaha. She started out teaching courses in the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor associate degree program, then became the director of the program a year later. Simultaneously, she acted as the college’s director of counseling services.

When Vatterott began making plans to close down its Omaha campus, Battreall started looking for something else and found the area counselor job at MPCC. Her services will be available to both employees and students at the college.

“I like the human services field because I like the connection to people,” said Battreall. “I’m hoping to develop a counseling program at MPCC that will really serve the student need. I can diagnose and work with the major mental health disorders such as Major Depression, Bipolar, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but sometimes people, especially college students, are simply stressed and just need to learn coping skills and stress management techniques.”

Appointments can be made by calling Battreall at 535-3722 in North Platte, 345-8189 in McCook or emailing [email protected].