NORFOLK, NE – Two long time members of the Northeast Community College faculty and staff were honored recently during a retirement reception. Dan Frohberg, electrical construction and control instructor, will retire over the summer, while Karen Casselman, assistant registrar, retired this spring.
Dr. Michael Chipps, president, recognized the honorees during the reception that was held in the College’s Hawks Point dining facility.
“This is always a bittersweet occasion. We are honoring our co-workers and friends as they leave us and head off to explore new and exciting opportunities,” Chipps said. “The two employees being recognized have a combined service of 60-years to Northeast Community College. It certainly will be difficult to replace such talented, knowledgeable and dedicated individuals.”
Frohberg is retiring after 37-years of service to Northeast. His time dedicated to the College dates back to its founding in 1973, first as a student who took classes on campus and assisting with musical groups. He began his current position as Electrical Construction and Control instructor in 1980, and saw the program grow from one-year to two-years in 1983.
Frohberg has been involved with several projects on campus, including wiring the student apartments, helping with welding labs, and performing electrical work in many new buildings, including the Applied Technology building and the rewiring of his former lab in the Arlo Wirth building that is now home to Allied Health programs. He’s also worked with his students to upgrade lighting systems at Norfolk Senior Citizens Center, and with Habitat for Humanity.
In his time at the College, Frohberg also served as president of the Faculty Association, as well as secretary/treasurer.
In 2015, Frohberg received the US Bank Award for Teaching Excellence - Full-time Faculty. The award annually honors employees who have been nominated for their outstanding contributions to Northeast Community College.
Casselman worked in the Registrar’s office for 23 years. She started as an administrative assistant, and worked on the front line for the office when there were just three people and no digital files; everything was still on paper.
For a period of time, she served as the interim registrar, and eventually became the associate registrar. During her tenure at Northeast, Casselman assisted with several projects, including Banner software upgrades. She was part of the implementation team, and while it was challenging, she said she enjoyed working with the team and the trainer.
Casselman enjoyed having interactions with the students and participating in activities. She assisted during a student fair where she worked at a station to make greeting cards, and she relished in meeting students and watching them take part in activities.
Casselman received the US Bank Great Performer Award in 1996. In addition, all three of her children attended Northeast Community College.
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PHOTO CUTLINE
Dan Frohberg, electrical construction and control instructor at Northeast Community College, is congratulated by Shanelle Grudzinski, associate dean of Applied Technology, during a retirement reception recently. Frohberg is retiring this summer as a full-time instructor after 37-years of service
at the College.