Chadron State College’s 11th President, Randy Rhine, smiles as he delivers his inaugural address Friday in the auditorium of Memorial Hall. –Photo by T.J. Thomson

Chadron State College’s 11th President Randy Rhine has a history of cultivating consistent growth

She is an affable woman with mahogany hair and bright eyes to match. She and her husband met in college, and they will celebrate their 30th anniversary this year. Friendliness personified, she is Ann Rhine, wife of Chadron State College’s 11th president.
On Wednesday, I was privy to Ann’s renowned hospitality, as she agreed to chat about herself, her husband, and their new life at CSC.

A black and white photo hangs in the Rhine’s living room. It is of Ann, her two children, and her husband, toting enormous backpacks and smiling at the camera. It was taken during a 26.2 mile hike through the Beartooth Mountains, which the family took while they still lived in Montana.

While summiting the granite peaks, a huge snowstorm caught the Rhines off-guard.

“It was white-out conditions,” Ann said, as she gestured to the picture, hanging above the couch. Fortunately, they met a couple of friendly hikers, who knew the area better than they. The hikers forged ahead and told the Rhines to “follow in our footsteps.”

On Friday, Randy Rhine took his first step into collegiate presidency, and started on the trail ten previous presidents traveled. It remains to be seen whether he will follow in their footsteps, or forge a new path of his own. Either way, Ann affirmed, President Rhine will have the unwavering support of his wife and children; they will be hiking right alongside him.

If an adventurous spirit is any sign of tenacity, then Rhine could not have picked a better support team. The Rhines have two children serving in the armed forces: their elder daughter, Lieutenant Rachael, and her husband Brandon were able to attend the inauguration, despite being stationed at Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas. In addition to being fluent in French, Japanese, and Latin, Rachael is pursuing her master’s in international diplomacy. The Rhine’s younger son, John, is currently serving as a U.S. Ranger. He and his wife, Randi, live in Savannah, Ga.

“He was always an adrenaline junkie,” Ann said of her John. She then showed me the single-star banner hanging in their window. The blue star, bordered by white and red, symbolizes a child is deployed. The sun-faded banner, for John who has been serving in Afghanistan, has been displayed for four years, but may be taken down soon, as there is a possibility of John’s return.

Ann is not afraid to get hands dirty either, quite literally. A look around her beautifully-kept home would show that within the past year Ann has had paint, dirt, and plenty of food on her hands. The Rhine home, also called the Chicoine house, after its craftsman and donor, is situated on the corner of 10th and Cedar. Vern Chicoine built the house, and then donated it to be used as CSC’s presidential home, housing the college’s leader and his or her family. Since their arrival in June, Ann has vivified the residency. Although architecturally beautiful, the walls were a sterile white, and that is certainly not Ann Rhine’s style. Now tactful accent walls break up the blank space, alternating between blues and brown, making Ann’s home almost as inviting as her warm smile. Outside, wooden stakes protrude from her green backyard, outlining the two-year landscaping plan of her budding garden. In the garage, a metal rack supports a miniature greenhouse, where tender zucchini shoots and newly-sprouted thyme grow beneath sunlamps.

I detail the specifications of the Rhines’ residence because it draws an apt comparison. Rhine inherited a well-built college, Chadron State. But it is a college that could use some more life. While touring the Rhines’ backyard, as I listened to Ann discuss her landscaping and flora, I could not help but be excited as well. Just like how Rhine’s enthusiasm for the students’ education is evident, his wife’s excitement over the familial student body is infectious.

“I want it to be welcoming,” she said of her home, but the comment might as well apply to the whole school. Ann is partnered with her husband in the mission to make Chadron State a college people want to attend. She acts as a hospitality ambassador; constantly hosting guests, from state board members to incoming freshman. Ann foments the college’s interests with her infallible hospitality.

“It’s your home as much as it is mine,” she said.

CSC’s former president Janie Park, in her keynote speech during Friday’s inauguration, gave the Rhines a series of Irish blessings.

“May the frost never afflict your spuds,” Park said, to which the audience laughed. I personally laughed because try as that metaphorical frost might, it would never hurt Ann Rhine’s garden, not really. Her tuberous roots would be safe, because the Rhines are growing people. After coming to Chadron in 2005, Rhine was made vice president of enrollment management, and grew CSC’s numbers to more than 3,000. The Rhines know how to take something small, like CSC’s enrollment numbers or an infant zucchini plant, and nurture it into something healthy and vital.

As our interview drew to a close, I asked Ann for any final comments about her husband. “He really cares a lot about the students,” she said, and smiled. With Ann’s commitment to a warm and inviting world for students, it is clear she cares a great deal for them too.

Listen to audio from Rhine’s inaugural address here.

Dave Heineman, governor of Nebraska, motions with his hands during the keynote address of the State Colleges Conference Friday afternoon in the auditorium of Memorial Hall. — Photo by T.J. Thomson

Gov. Dave Heineman spoke to a crowd of around 30 people at the keynote speech of a three-day student leadership conference, hosted at Chadron State College. The audience consisted of about 14 student leaders from Wayne, Peru, and Chadron State Colleges, and 16 other students and people from the Chadron community.

The governor gave a short address based on two questions the conference organizers had previously provided him. The questions asked how Nebraska youth might affect the future of the state, and how students can get their voices out and heard and make an impact.

The governor emphasized participation as the biggest way that youth can affect the future of Nebraska. He said education and jobs are his top two priorities. By providing the youth in Nebraska colleges and universities the opportunity to get the best education that they can, the state strives to have the jobs to keep graduates here when they are settling into a career.

As far as having their voices heard, the governor said students should have conversations with elected officials and business leaders locally, volunteering, and getting a good education.

Heineman said “With a good education, if you work hard as an adult you can go do and be whatever you want. And you’d be surprised what an impact you can have on the community and state, and can affect the nation too.”

The governor also gave an overview of the state’s status regarding the economy and jobs.

“I am very proud of our state and our citizens because we’re in better financial shape than almost any other state in America right now. What’s different about Nebraska? We’ve got a lot more common sense than they do in New York City or Los Angeles,” Heineman said.

He continued, “The most important reason that we’re in better financial shape than the rest of the country is a very fundamental financial principle that they’ve forgotten sometimes. In Nebraska, we don’t spend money we don’t have. We are able to balance our budget by controlling spending, not by raising taxes.”

Following his address, Heineman took questions from the crowd off-microphone.

The following is a summary of the audience’s questions and the governor’s responses:

Robert Jordan, of Harrison, was the one of the first to stand. Jordan said “We do have more common sense” here in Nebraska and asked Heineman how he feels about the Occupy movement.

Heineman said he’s still trying to grapple with what the movement is about. He sees a lot of frustration with Wall Street bankers who got bailed out, while community banks shut down, and the high unemployment rate.

He suggested that the movement needs to quit Wall Street and occupy outside the White House. The governor cited that no change will come from Wall Street internally, and only the adoption of policies that focus on jobs will help people get back to work.

Chance Soester, 20, sophomore of Crawford, introduced himself as a life-long rancher. He asked the governor, “Why, if we don’t spend money that we don’t have, do taxes keep skyrocketing?”

Heineman said within 48 hours of taking the governorship, he was inundated with complaints that taxes were too high. At that time, the state was 45th out of 50, with some of the highest taxes. According to Heineman, Nebraska is now 29th.

Heineman also said it’s important to remember that property taxes are locally assessed, collected, and spent. He said that part of the issue is the success of agriculture in this state has continued to drive up property values.

Soester then asked why the state doesn’t have some measure to regulate the levying of local taxes. He estimated that he pays 50 percent of profit per acre, while a friend in the eastern part of the state pays only 3 percent.

Heineman said the state has to be careful about trying to regulate local legislation, and that Soester could have a voice in those decisions by attending city counsel meetings.

Later, CSC student David Sprague, 31, sophomore of Chadron, asked “How does President Obama’s healthcare bill affect Nebraska?”

Heineman said “I think the bill focused on the wrong issue. It should have focused on controlling cost rather than providing access.” The governor cited that the state must meet a medicaid provision mandated by the bill, that it cannot afford. He also said that Nebraska is one of the 26 states suing in hopes that the bill is declared unconstitutional.

Sanjeev Khanal, 19, freshman of Kathmandu, Nepal, said as an international student, he loves Nebraska and especially the warmhearted people of Chadron. However, tuition is difficult to afford, and especially looking toward graduate school in Lincoln or Omaha, it is very difficult to get more affordable in-state tuition.

Heineman said, “I appreciate where you’re coming from. I’ve suggested some of these institutions go back and take one of their own courses. It’s called Finance 101. How do you sell more product? By lowering the price. Universities need new ways to attract students.”

Aaron Gonzalez, opinion editor for The Eagle, asked the governor if he’d support an injunction against the pipeline, supposing the State Department approves its proposed route.

The governor said, “I don’t answer hypotheticals, that’s where I get myself in trouble,” to laughter from the crowd. Heineman added, “I appreciate the additional safety measures they have agreed to, but I think the best alternative is to go with the current Keystone pipeline. TransCanada should bring the route of the XL to the current one, because I don’t want to risk our water.”

Heineman also said he sent a letter to President Barack Obama, asking that the pipeline be denied so the route can be renegotiated, or approved with a requirement to move its route out of Nebraska’s sandhills region.

Lastly, Don Hlava, 20, junior of Gordon, asked the governor which candidate for the 2012 presidential election he thought would most benefit the people of Nebraska.

The governor replied that he is backing Republican Mitt Romney. Heineman cited Romney’s business experience, and the fact that while he was a Republican governor in a Democratic state, “He did a pretty effective job.”

Heineman added, “We’ve got to turn this place around. If America had Nebraska’s unemployment rate, we’d be in a lot better place than we are right now.”

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