I would like to brag about a recent award that our wrestlers received that means more to me than any accomplishment they made on the mat this yea= r

Presidential Editorial

March 2011

Student and Staff Accomplishments

Those of you that know me, often hear me brag about our student and staff accomplishments. We truly have an amazing group of students this year. The guidance and leadership they receive daily from instructors, coaches and sponsors is invaluable.

LCC’s instructors, organization leaders, and staff are asked nearly every semeste= r to present at state and national conferences in their concentration area.

A recent award that our wrestlers received means more to me than any accomplishment they made on the mat this year. Five of our Labette Community College Wrestlers were named the top “Academic All-American Team̶= 1; in the country by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).=

This means that our wrestling Cardinals had the highest combined Grade Point Ave= rage (GPA) of all teams that competed at the NJCAA national tournament. By the w= ay, our wrestling team also earned 5^th place at the NJCAA national tournament, which is a true accomplishment Coach Joe Renfro and his team.

We consider our sports players to be student/athletes. The word student always comes first in more ways than one. We have a rich tradition of success insi= de the classrooms as well as on the mat, court or field. Winning is not the on= ly focus for LCC coaches. They regularly hold study sessions for their players= and perform grade and attendance checks throughout the year. They also send the= ir student/athletes to the Student Success Center for additional help and tuto= ring if it is needed. I am confide= nt in saying that we are providing a high quality education for student/athletes = that will help them to become successful upon transferring to a four-year univer= sity or entering the workforce.

LCC’s student service organizations continue to blow other colleges out of the wa= ter at state and national conferences! Phi Beta Lambda earned numerous place finishers in the top three at the State Leadership Conference. These place holdings will allow those students to advance to the National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida. These local students are being trained and competing in areas of business issues, cyber security, and networking to na= me a few. Imagine these well-qualified students working in local businesses upon graduation!

The LCC Phi Theta Kappa honor society recently honored two students during the = 16^th Annual All-Kansas Academic Team Luncheon. Tau Theta members Carly Hill and Brody Willard were honored with a medal, certificate and a $300 stipend. Be= ing named to the All-Kansas Academic Team guarantees them a minimum of a $= 1000 scholarship at one of the six Regents University, Washburn University, and several private colleges in Kansas. Students from Kansas two-year colleges = were named to this year’s team in recognition of academic achievement, leadership, and community service. Brody and Carly were nominated by their peers and are now eligible for the All-USA Academic Team.=

Now we are looking forward to a great softball and baseball season and more academic achievements from our student/athletes! Currently the Women’s softball team, under the leadership of Ryan Phillips, is nationally ranked.= For game schedules, visit www.labette.edu and click on Athletics. We invite you to come to a ball game, campus visit or f= or lunch in the Cardinal Café.