NPC Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting
The National Park College Board of Trustees met in a regular session on October 25, 2023, beginning at 3:30 PM. Trustees present were Joyce Craft, Jim Hale, Rhonda Harrington, Lance Porter, Forrest Spicher, and Raymond Wright.
Staff, faculty members, and guests present were Bill Allison, Blake Butler, Sarah Day, Wade Derden, Kelli Embry, Roger Fox, Leane Hardin, Nicole Herndon, John Hogan, Delmar Hunter, Janice Ivers, Rodney Ivers, Brian Kroening, Julie LaRue, Jennifer Lyons, Melony Martinez, Jullian Merritt, Rose Milnes, Mark Oliver, Robin Pelton, Andrew Pennington, Scott Post, Bill Ritter, Nathan Ritter, Tikima Simpkins, Jerry Thomas, Rich Thompson, Darla Thurber, Lynn Valetutti, Lindsey Vondenstein, Amy Watson, and Tim Webb.
The media was notified of the meeting. Lance Brownfield and Courtney Edwards of The Sentinel Record were in attendance.
Chair Joyce Craft opened the meeting with a welcome at 3:30 PM.
Trustee Forrest Spicher provided the invocation.
Sarah Day introduced the media guests present.
Marine Tech Instructor, Delmar Hunter, introduced the October Student of the Month, Jullian Merritt.
Dr. Wade Derden introduced the ACC Outstanding Faculty and Staff, Lindsey Vondenstein and Tikima Simpkins, respectively.
Items for Action
- Trustee Wright made a motion to approve the September 27, 2023, minutes as presented. Trustee Porter seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
- Trustee Spicher made a motion to approve the July 2023 financial statements as presented by Andrew Pennington, Controller, during the Finance Committee Meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
- National Park College Vice President for Academic Affairs, Jerry Thomas, presented the proposed Academic Program Changes.
- Dr. Thomas proposed a program revision to the Radiologic Technology, AAS by reducing the credit hours from 72 to 68. The Radiographic Phlebotomy course will be discontinued, and the course content will be integrated into the Advance Radiographic Procedures IV course. Additionally, the computer literacy component will also be removed as it is not a requirement for matriculation to a Bachelor of Science degree.
- Dr. Thomas proposed a new Hospitality track within the Associate of Applied Science in Business Management. NPC currently offers business management tracks in Accounting and Management/Marketing. Adding this course of study gives students the opportunity to pursue a business management degree that prepares them for management-level roles in the hospitality industry. This curriculum addition aligns more closely with the needs of top employers in the hospitality industry in Hot Springs.
- Dr. Thomas proposed a new Certificate of Proficiency in Athletic Training. This CP is designed to meet student interest and addresses the needs of athletes who would like to pursue a career in athletic training or sports medicine. It will require three new courses – Introduction to Sports Management, Introduction to Athletic Training, and Sports Marketing. Additionally, it provides students with appropriate lab science courses for the Associate of Liberal Studies - Athletic Training track and an eventual transfer to a bachelor’s program.
- Dr. Thomas proposed a new Certificate of Proficiency in Sports Management. This CP will serve the needs of our athletes who wish to pursue a career in athletics. The CP requires four new courses – Introduction to Sports Management, Introduction to Athletic Training, Coaching Methods, and Sports Marketing. It will also provide students with the appropriate classes for the Associate of Liberal Studies - Sports Management track.
Trustee Hale made a motion to approve the academic program changes as presented. Trustee Wright seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
- National Park College Human Resources Director, Julie LaRue, presented the ratifications of personnel actions. Trustee Porter made a motion to approve the ratifications as presented. Trustee Harrington seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Items for Report
- National Park College Vice President for College Advancement, Dr. Wade Derden, shared a summary report and highlight video detailing the successful National Park College 50th-anniversary celebration held on October 5, 2023.
- Dr. Derden also shared the results of the recently completed economic impact study with labor market analytics company LightCast via a PowerPoint presentation. Derden said the study's purpose was to take a snapshot of how well the College serves the community. The report was limited to Garland County. Results are based upon data from fiscal year 2021-22. According to the report, NPC’s total impact from alumni, current students, and employees on the county economy is $111.4 million, which means the College supports 1750 jobs locally beyond the 309 employees who work for NPC. In short, one in every 31 jobs in Garland County is supported by the activities of this college. Alumni contributions total $83.5 million. The College’s operational impact is $23.7 million and student spending equals the remaining $4.2 million. Those numbers reflect the impact the College has, but there is also a return-on-investment element of the study that is important. For every dollar a student spends on their education at NPC, they get a $13 return on investment. Current students will collectively receive $66.6 million in increased earnings over their working lives. That corresponds to an 84.7% rate of return. Derden said Garland County taxpayers will receive an estimated $23.3 million in added tax revenue stemming from higher lifetime earnings for the class of 2022. The report stated that the community receives a $6.40 societal impact for each dollar invested in the College. The local community can expect a return of $236.1 million in added revenue throughout the students’ working lives. The community will also benefit from $7.3 million in social savings related to reduced crime, lower welfare and unemployment assistance, and increased health and well-being. Derden said to remember this is a snapshot of a single year. The analysis is the results from the student body of fiscal year 2021-22. This is the impact the community has felt and will continue to feel from this class. The community can expect the same impact every single year with each new class.
- National Park College Vice President for Administration, Kelli Embry, presented an update on the 2022-2023 High Priority Objectives (HPO) for the recently completed Academic Year 2022-2023. Embry shared a PowerPoint presentation detailing the results and included a look forward to Academic Year 2023-2024. For the first time in the history of NPC, five of the eight HPOs were met or exceeded. HPO 2, Student Success: Increase the percentage of students persisting from fall to spring semester to 71%, was exceeded with 76%; HPO 3, Student Success: Increase the number of credentials earned, including associate degrees, technical certificates, and certificates of proficiency, to 800, was exceeded with 833 credentials awarded; HPO 4, Student Success: Reduce the gap in completion rates of underrepresented students compared to all students to less than 3% of the overall mean, was met with no gap recorded; HPO 6, Workforce Development: Generate 40,000 non-credit contact hours in workforce development and customized workforce training, was exceeded with $46,238 non-credit contact hours logged; and HPO 8, Fiscal Responsibility: Minimize percentage of Education & General (E&G) budget expended for administrative services to 18%, was exceeded by lowering the amount expended to 17%.
- Board Chair Report - Chair Craft restated that she was appreciative of the thoughtfulness reflected in setting the High Priority Objectives and looks forward to the College’s future accomplishments. Craft expressed her congratulations to everyone involved in organizing the 50th-anniversary celebration, noting that it was a special evening that brought the community to the NPC campus. Finally, Chair Craft emphasized the importance of the economic impact study results. Craft stated that the study demonstrates that NPC is vital to this county, not just in the students being served and educated, but also in driving the economy. Chair Craft is hopeful that the students will see the benefit of the investment they are making in their education, noting that for every $1 a student invests in their education at NPC, they will receive $13 in return. Craft believes that as this study becomes public, it should help to communicate the importance of NPC in the future.
- President's Report - President Hogan congratulated the Student of the Month and the ACC Outstanding Faculty and Staff on their achievements. Hogan expressed appreciation to the academic team for their attention to the needs of the students represented by the programmatic changes and new certifications. Dr. Hogan thanked everyone who attended the 50th-anniversary celebration for their help in ensuring it was a successful event. President Hogan emphasized the accomplishments of the NPC men’s and women’s soccer teams, congratulating them on a stellar season. Hogan thanked Kelli Embry for the High Priority Objective report noting that this is the first time the College has reached five HPOs successfully. Dr. Hogan emphasized the relevance of the economic impact study, stating that the results reflect NPC’s responsibility to continue to grow and contribute to the quality of life and economic prosperity of Garland County. Hogan views this responsibility as an imperative.
At 4:26 PM, Chair Craft called for an executive session to consider an employment matter. Guests were asked to leave the room.
Chair Craft reconvened the public session following the closed executive session at 5:55 PM.
No decisions were reached in executive session, and no actions were taken.
There was no further business. Chair Craft asked the trustees for further comment.
- Trustee Spicher shared a testimony of the College's impact on a friendly acquaintance.
Trustee Hale motioned to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 5:59 PM.
Joyce Craft, Chair
Beverly Joe, Secretary/Treasurer
