Rhine primed for CSC’s future

For the man who will lead Chadron State as the institution’s 11th president beginning January 2013, it’s all about the people.

Randy Rhine, who came aboard at CSC in 2005, has served as CSC’s interim president for the past eight months following Janie Park’s retirement in May.

Rhine outlined his position, priorities, and predictions for the coming years Wednesday morning from his office in Sparks Hall.

“The primary responsibility [of this office] is to lead the institution with integrity,” Rhine said. “It means doing the things we say we’re going to do and doing them well.”

Rhine said he wanted the college’s dealings with students, faculty, staff, and the Chadron community to be accurate, factual, and data-driven.

Rhine acknowledged CSC’s unique geographic, demographic, and economic context, and said he wanted to embrace these elements to bring about positive change.

“Chadron State is unique and our programs reflect this,” he said. “We want to continue to be an institution of access and opportunity. Being aware of our environment will help us know how to respond.”

Rhine hopes to strengthen relationships with the Chadron community through maintaining open lines of communication.

“We’re a part of the broader community,” he said. “People see me, know me, and know that I’m approachable and my door is always open.”

Under his predecessor’s leadership, Chadron State was the beneficiary of the CSC Foundation’s first-ever, multi-million dollar fundraising campaign, Vision 2011, which raised more than $16 million for the institution.

“You’re always in campaign mode,” Rhine said. “We have work yet to be done.”

Rhine said the Math and Science Building, the Rangeland Agriculture Center, and the Armstrong Complex will continue to be fundraising themes in the future.

“That [fundraising] is a big part of the job,” Rhine said

On the same vein of new buildings and projects, Rhine said that he recently met with state-level members of the National Guard and representatives from Chadron State’s ROTC program to add a rappel tower and climbing wall to CSC.

“We’re close to having a workable solution for that,” Rhine said. “Within fiscal year 2014, we expect to have made significant progress on that.”