January 2026 Board of Regents Recognitions

Published on February 4, 2026

Congratulations to Ryan Klatt and the Commercial Turf and Grounds Management (CTG) program, as well as Luke Wilbers and the Agriculture Operations (AGR) program, on their students’ participation and success at the 2025 State Professional Agricultural Student Organization (PAS) competition. State Tech students achieved state rankings in the categories of Ag. Sales; Ag. Education; Ag. Equipment & Machinery; Agribusiness Systems; Agronomic Services; Animal Health/Vet Tech; Crops; Equine; Floriculture; Floriculture, Landscaping & Nursery; Food Products & Processing Systems; Landscape; Livestock; Plant Systems; Soils; and Turfgrass, with one ranking student also serving as a state officer. State Tech students earned a total of 36 medals: 10 – First Place, 9 – Second Place, 7 – Third Place, 5 – Fourth Place, and 5 – Fifth Place.

Congratulations to Travis Brookshire and the Heavy Equipment Operations and Management program for receiving full accreditation by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) after successfully completing an accreditation audit.

Congratulations to Courtney Brandt and the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program for being awarded the Nursing Education and Incentive Program (NEIP) grant for the amount of $100,000. Congratulations to Courtney Brandt and the ADN program on being granted full program approval by the Missouri State Board of Nursing after the September routine survey and site visit.

Congratulations to Ken Niekamp, Drafting and Design Engineering Technology Chair, for being selected to receive the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2025.