Christine Downey-Schmidt, a member of the Kansas Board of Regents, is the guest speaker for the 2013 commencement ceremonies at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School.
She has visited the campus previously and said she was very impressed by the college as it was presented to her by college president Dr. Duane Dunn. She was impressed with how the enrollment at the college has increased. Downey-Schmidt will address the record number of about 400 Seward County Community College/Area Technical School graduates at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 11 in the college gym.
She brings many years of academic experience with her to the stage when she addresses the graduates, friends and family members.
“It’s a nerve-racking process when it comes to writing a speech for a commencement. You don’t want to bore the audience. but you still want to make a point.”
She was a teacher for 20 years and dealt with students ranging from preschool to college levels. “I knew I wanted to be a teacher at a very young age. My grandmother was a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse, and, when the schools started consolidating, one of our upstairs bedrooms was set up with everything from the globe to the desk. With me being the oldest of five children, I was the teacher.”
She started her college life at Kansas State University, where she met her first husband who was in the military. They spent four years in Germany and another four years in Mexico. After returning to the United States, her husband was stationed at McConnell Air Force Base. Two weeks after having her third child, she returned to college at Wichita State University. Her final year in college, she worked at a preschool and said that some of the things she was learning in class, she was able to use at work. At the age of 30 years old, she received her bachelor of arts in elementary education. She also received her master’s in education administration and supervision from Wichita State University.
After graduating, she taught fourth grade and then later moved to working with sixth graders. During her 20 years of teaching, she also worked at Bethel College in the education department.
From 1992 to 2004, she was a Kansas state senator. As a state senator, she served as the Ranking Minority Member of the Ways and Means, Education, and Agriculture committees. In 2005, former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed her to the Kansas Board of Regents, where she served as the vice chair from 2006 to 2007 and the board chair from 2007 to 2008. Gov. Mark Parkinson reappointed her in 2009.
She currently serves as a member of the Board’s Academic Affairs Committee and has previously served as a member of the CEO Assessment and Fiscal Affairs Committees.
Downey-Schmidt serves on the boards of directors for the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston. She serves as the co-chair of the Education System Coordinating. She is a member of the Kansas Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution in North Newton and the American Association of University Women. She has served as a member of the Kansas Educational Leadership Commission and the Kansas Arts Commission.
She and her second husband, Gordon, now reside in Inman. They have four married children and nine grandchildren that range in age from one month to 16. Now that she has retired from teaching, she enjoys reading, gardening, traveling and being a grandparent. “I want to give my grandchildren the love and attention that my grandmother gave me. Having my grandmother at my events gave me that extra level of accomplishment.”
Downey-Schmidt enjoys travelling. “I have traveled to China twice and stayed for 22 days each time. I have also been to Africa and Europe. As far as in the United States, we like to vacation with our family in Colorado, Oklahoma and Missouri.”
Of all of her travels, she has spent the most time in China. Her trips to China were with different groups of students. Her next traveling adventure will be to Southwest Kansas to give the commencement speech at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School.