News

After a 31-year career at Southeast Community College, Bob Morgan has decided to retire from his position as Beatrice Campus Director/Vice President for Program Development. During that time, he started out as a business instructor at the Lincoln Campus and ended being in charge of the Beatrice Campus.

He’s seen the College change and evolve over the years and finishes his career with one of the most challenging times for any college administrator. He looks back over the years at his accomplishments and what he will miss when he finally closes the door for good.

How would you sum up your career at SCC? The one thing I will always take away is knowing that for 31 years I have been able to have a part in making students’ lives better. Our mission is critical and our task, no matter what we do for SCC, impacts so many students and employers across the state of Nebraska and beyond. I look back with pride with all we have done the past 31 years, and am so blessed to have been a part of the SCC family.

What are some of the highlights during your career? In 1998, a handful of entrepreneurial instructors made the move to put classes online. I taught the first online class (Intro to Business) with another instructor that fall. That program grew from eight students to the success it is today.

Under the encouragement and direction of President Dr. Paul Illich, I was instrumental in opening up six learning centers across our 15-county area and giving our rural constituents access to SCC.

I also helped lead the process to transform an old 1965 (Pershing) college in Beatrice to the beginnings of a state-of-the-art educational campus.

What have been some of the challenges? Distance learning was a moving target with the number of different learning management systems we used. Those changes were hard on the faculty and the students. However, now under the direction of Virtual Learning staff, Canvas is helping SCC lead the way.

COVID-19: It was a hard year as the world went through something that most of us hope to never see again. That said, the silver lining was to see the unsung heroes SCC has. We saw so many employees become true rock stars to help staff and students through an unprecedented year.

What will you miss most? I will miss all of the great people I have served with over the past 31 years. We all had the purpose to help students improve their lives.

What will be your legacy? I hope I will be remembered as a leader who was fair, and that I recognized and respected the extreme importance of every employee and every job position within the College.

What will you do in retirement? I am sure I will enjoy my hobbies of golf and boating. However, as someone who poured 100% into their job, there were times family did not come first. I will be spending time with my wonderful kids and awesome grandkids. 

Anything else you’d like to add? I am fortunate my mother and father were my mentors and supporters. My mom was the one who saw the (help wanted) ad in the newspaper and passed it on, encouraging me to apply (she was a K-12 teacher). My father taught me early in life that we are all important and we all put our pants on one leg at a time. If you remember that and treat people fairly, you will be successful in life.  

We wish Bob the best as he and his wife, Kelly Morgan, both retire from SCC!