Bob and Norma Plank Scholarship

This scholarship was created in 2024 by Bob and Norma Plank although their support for NJC has been lifelong. 

Bob Plank is well known on campus.  When anyone sits down to have a conversation with him about NJC, you can and will get a good history lesson, as Bob worked side by side with all of the greats on NJC’s campus at one time or another, either as a student or employee. Seventy-three years Bob and Norma have been supporting students and promoting NJC through the state.

Bob was raised in Fleming and graduated high school in 1950, then went on to NJC from 1950-1952, where he played basketball under Coach Roy Edwards. He was also the student body president and the sponsor of the program at that time was Ervin French; a member of the Phi Beta Kappa under advisor Dorothy Corsberg; and a business major with Zane Hays serving as his dean. He was recruited to be the registrar for NJC in 1961 by then-President Erv French and Zane Hays, French thought that Bob could get the enrollment up and Hays knew he could keep accurate records. At the time, the registrar’s office and the college presidents met once a month at the state capitol; it was a great opportunity for contacts to be made for the NJC programs and transferring credits. While Bob was the registrar, he started the elementary education program, working with Dorothy Corsberg.

In addition, Bob helped get NJC’s accreditation, working with the North Central Accreditation Committee. The records department held a key role in this process; at the time there were no backup records, so Bob had to microfilm all of the records that NJC had from 1941-1965. He completed this job and it was big for NJC when it became an accredited school.

Next, Bob served NJC in the capacity of business faculty with 12 full-time business instructors. They created a transfer program for accounting, vocational secretary science and marketing management programs, and he also sponsored a PBL (Professional Business Leaders) Club. They were an active club and respected by other clubs, both at two and four-year colleges and they were also very competitive at the state and national conventions, with one NJC student named the national convention winner one year. Their club took pride in always paying for all the members’ expenses for the conventions; they were amazing fundraisers, Bob recalls. While he was faculty at NJC, Bob won the Joel E. Mack Award, given in special recognition for outstanding instruction, a special award to him because it is selected by the students. He has also been the recipient of the NJC Agriculture’s Friend of the Department Award, in recognition of his dedication and service to the NJC students. When asked what one of his favorite parts of working for NJC was, he says helping the students to transfer, find jobs and find scholarships.

Bob was also on several special committees to the college over the years. He helped create the LPN program and still helps fund them today; he helped start the baseball program and assistant coached tennis. He ran an officiating clinic at NJC as well, to service the area with good officials. Some of the graduates in his class went on to big-time officiating, including an NCAA playoff game. Officiating is another very large chapter in Bob’s life, he officiated football and basketball for 28 years and has been at all levels, high school, junior college and four-year universities. For basketball, he officiated the state tournament for 24 years and several state championship games, and for football, he has refereed numerous playoff games and championship games at all levels from 6- and 8-man to 5A. At the last 5A state championship game he officiated in Longmont, he found out that he had been requested by the players to ref the game, which meant so much to him.

Bob has been chosen to represent Colorado at numerous out-of-state conventions, he helped write basketball rules for officials and once in Chicago he presented on crowd control. He was on the committee to approve girls basketball for the state of Colorado in 1976; he was also the state basketball officials president for five years. Bob was given the CHSAA Hall of Fame Award in 2013 and was also the recipient of a special memorial award for officials, an honor because he was nominated and voted on by all of Colorado officials.

Bob is currently 92 years old and he is still one of Northeatern’s hardest workers and fundraisers for the student community. Around 2015, he started helping out the NJC Foundation office and has worked with many different directors and coordinators through the years, but one thing is for sure, this man is relentless when it comes to raising money for student scholarships. The Foundation had to create an entirely new category of scholarship, called the Pathway Scholarship, solely to match the funds that this one man brings in annually.

“I could go another 73 years and never pay back NJC for all they have done for me. I struggled, I came here and they turned my life around,” said an emotional Bob upon accepting the award. “NJC is special; it’s not an ordinary junior college.”