Community owes much to departing officials

The Gazette staff is gearing up for one of the biggest projects of the year, the annual Progress edition that will be out in a few weeks.

There will be no shortage of progress to report in McCook, from the completion of Community Hospital's latest construction and remodeling project, to McCook's new municipal building, a new McDonald's and at least two church construction projects.

One of the biggest to cover is McCook Community College's new Events Center, which promises to become a focal point for athletic and civic events for years to come.

It has been needed for a long time, and should help with recruitment of athletes to the college.

Nobody may have thought of it at the time it was being planned, but the Events Center will probably help with recruiting of a new campus CEO and Mid Plains Area president as well!

Southwest Nebraska owes a debt of gratitude to the two men now in those positions, Dr. Richard Tubbs, and Dr. Michael Chipps, who announced this week that they would be leaving.

Chipps credited Tubbs, who has been at the helm of McCook Community College for 12 years, with achievements like the Accelerated Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic program, Graphic Design, welding program and new facilities like the Center for Applied Science and Technology and the new Events Center.

Tubbs has been especially involved in the community, in activities such as Rotary and theater.

For his part, Chipps' obvious achievements as president of the Mid-Plains Community College area include construction of the new Health Complex in North Platte as well as the Events Center in McCook, as well as establishing or strengthening extended campuses in Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine.

But the greatest achievement for both men has been their ability get involved and work with the communities they represent. It is an especially delicate balancing act in the position held by Chipps, where old McCook-North Platte rivalries can manifest themselves to the detriment of area-wide higher education.

Dr. Chipps has been able to navigate those treacherous waters well, a skill that was not present in some of his predecessors.

Dr. Tubb's retirement is effective June 29, and Chipps will start his new position as head of the Norfolk college no later than July 1.

They will be hard to replace, but we're thankful they will be around long enough to help with the process of searching for qualified replacements.

We are grateful for their contributions to the strength of one of the most important institutions in our community and wish them well in the future.