CHADRON – Chadron State College’s specialty license plate design featuring the iconic C-Hill location is in development.

Supporters can now express their interest in purchasing one by completing a brief online form.  

"We are thrilled that Nebraska residents now have an opportunity to showcase their Eagle pride by having Chadron State College specialty plates,” said Interim President Jodi Kupper.

To make this project a reality, at least 250 Nebraska residents must commit before the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles will produce CSC’s specialty plate. CSC is currently gathering names and email addresses of individuals interested in purchasing a plate and will contact those who signed up with details about the ordering and payment process once it is available.

CSC supporters will be able to purchase the plates for use on a wide variety of vehicles. To join the interest list or learn more, visit www.chadroneagles.com/licenseplate.

Bautista named Student of the Month for September

CHADRON – Chadron State College sophomore Gabriela Bautista of Carr, Colorado, is the Project Strive/TRiO Student of the Month for September 2025.

Bautista, who was named the Outstanding Student in Mathematics grades 6-12 during the college’s Rising Sophomore Ceremony in April, is working toward a double major in secondary education mathematics and special education. She discovered her interest in the field as a high school senior helping students with severe special needs as a volunteer para-professional for Special Olympics.

After graduating, she plans to return to her hometown and join the school system. She said later in her life it would be a fun challenge to work toward teaching at the college level.

After discovering CSC in her junior year of high school, Bautista knew it was a great fit for her.

“I was just drawn to it,” she said. “My mom was a huge fan [of CSC] and she was really nervous for me to go to college. So, her being a fan of this college, I was like, this is probably [the right one].”

Though Bautista is about halfway through her academic journey, she has already experienced memorable courses including a First Year Inquiry course, titled Mathletics: Not for Spectators. The class, taught by Dr. Robert Stack and Chase McLendon, included two of her main interests: math and sports.

“It just focused on different sports, learning how they work, and then incorporating math into them,” she said.

When she is not in class, Bautista stays busy with work, intramural sports, and other club activities. She is a Resident Advisor (RA) for Andrews Hall and works at The Pit, assisting in hosting weekly events.

“Knowing that you can find almost anything here keeps you wanting to go to school. I get to be involved in The Pit and I get to be an RA and that's kind of what I needed,” she said.

Chadron State College’s Project Strive/TRiO program, located in the lower level of the King Library, is an academic enrichment program committed to help students succeed. Project Strive also focuses on career exploration, cultural and social enrichment, and self-awareness. To be eligible for the program, a student must be one of the following: A first-generation student where neither parent has a four-year degree, meet low-income status based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services criteria, or have a documented disability. For more information, visit https://www.csc.edu/projectstrive/.

Crouse receives posthumous Distinguished Service Award

CHADRON – The late Dr. Margaret Crouse will be recognized posthumously with a Distinguished Service Award from Chadron State College, in honor of her career dedicated to education, service, and mentorship.

Her brother Frosty and his wife, Kerma, and their daughter, Rachel Crouse of Jewell, Kansas; her sister, Celia Krug, and husband, Steve, of Spearman, Texas; her cousin, Irene Storer, and her husband, Bill, of Wichita, Kansas, and her niece Michelle Riddle of Blue Springs, Missouri, will ride in the parade in her honor, receive Crouse's award at the football game, and attend a luncheon at the CSC President’s house.

Crouse arrived at CSC in 1979 as a home economics instructor, expecting to stay only one year before moving on to a research university. Instead, she discovered a deep love for teaching and supervising student teachers, a passion that kept her at CSC for more than three decades.

“My first love is teaching,” she said. “The outcomes are immediate. It is very rewarding when you see the lights go on for students.”

She completed her doctorate in home economics education at Oklahoma State University in 1984 and soon began shaping the college’s future. In the late 1980s, she helped secure a Higher Education Act Grant that established CSC offices in Scottsbluff and North Platte, expanded computer services, launched the Interactive Television System, and created the college’s first services for adult students. Between 1984 and 1990, she and her colleagues also wrote numerous grants to support vocational education and school-to-work programs across the Panhandle.

She was recognized with multiple honors, including the Special Service to Nebraska Home Economics Teachers Award in 1993, the Outstanding Vocational Educator Award in 1994, and the Family and Consumer Science Leadership Award in 2001.

After years in the classroom, Crouse began a term as the Interim Dean of Education, Health, Physical Education, Recreation/Sports Management, Psychology, Counseling & Social Work in 2004.

She was instrumental in creating the college’s Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree and supporting accreditation efforts in several disciplines. She worked with colleagues to raise funds for the Rangeland Complex, which has become a signature part of CSC.

Even after her 2015 retirement, she returned to serve as an interim dean in 2020 and contributed to accreditation efforts.

Crouse also shared her wisdom as a mentor and speaker. In her May 2015 commencement address, she urged graduates to consider the legacies they would leave behind.

“Behave as though a young person idolizes you, become a listening mentor and perform as a role model, always on stage,” she said. She believed that the legacies built outside the workplace often outweighed career accomplishments.

Crouse participated in a 2007 mission to Ukraine, helping form an educational partnership with the National Agricultural University of Kiev. In 2018, she traveled to Israel with a local church group and later shared her reflections in a Graves Lecture.

Through every role, Crouse invested in people and programs with vision and heart. In award nominations, colleagues commented on her steady leadership and ability to bring people together for a common goal. Students said she inspired them to think deeply, act with integrity, and mentor others.

Her legacy endures not only in the programs she built and the students she guided, but also in her example of purposeful and lifelong service. The Distinguished Service Award affirms that Crouse left CSC better than she found it, and her influence will continue.