This update will bring you up to speed on some of our aspirations and efforts.
In December, our Board approved some significant and sweeping initiatives. Among those was the adoption of seven High Priority Objectives which provide a dashboard for enrollment growth, student success and attainment, diversity, workforce development, and community engagement.
I’d like to outline some of the strategic initiatives which will help us achieve these objectives.
- The College will soon change its name to National Park College. While we will continue to be a community college in every sense, making our brand more succinct will also make us more attractive in a highly competitive marketplace. Rebranding is a tool we’ll use to communicate more clearly about the benefits of attending college, and National Park College in particular.
- We will reduce our tuition. In addition, we will offer a guarantee that tuition will not increase for students who continuously enroll until they complete a credential.
- We have created National Park College’s quality guarantee. If a graduate, partnering university, or employer determines that a competency from a course objective is lacking, we will welcome that student to return and repeat at no charge.
I’m very excited to discuss a new array of degree and training opportunities for Garland County students.
- National Park College will implement an even more robust linkage with Henderson State University and other four year universities which will be branded National Park University. Our students currently enjoy a strong pathway to degrees at HSU, and we can continue to build on these options. We believe that bringing these opportunities to Hot Springs will lay the groundwork for retaining our best and brightest students in Garland County.
- We are offering a four year degree in nursing on our campus in Hot Springs through a partnership with Henderson State. Students can complete a two year registered nursing degree and receive their licensure from National Park College, then complete their bachelor’s degree in nursing from Henderson State University without leaving the community.
- National Park College will promote a redesigned Associate Degree in Applied Technology that will provide graduates with a strong array of applied skills and the opportunity to earn advanced degrees through either the National Park University initiative or other transfer agreements.
- A new two-year degree in Tourism, focusing on hands-on experiences with local industry, will be offered. This will prepare students to work in all phases of the hospitality industry, and link with HSU’s four-year degree program.
- A new technical certificate will be offered in Aerospace Manufacturing and Repair. This expansion of our successful non-credit program is obviously a key workforce connection for our community.
- We will add a technical certificate in Industrial Technology, which will train graduates in basic manufacturing, industrial maintenance, and other technical skills.
- In addition, we’re connecting to the local workforce by integrating our information technology, coding, and programming degrees with a Center of Excellence in Information Technology. This will add courses in gaming, application development, and robust linkages with both the workforce and, eventually, four-year degrees. I believe this will be a significant initiative not only because of its relationship with the local workforce, but also because of the increased earning power our graduates and certificate holders will receive.
- Last year, the NPC Board approved an Associate of Science in Pre-engineering. We’re going to undertake some specific efforts to promote this program as it rests in the state’s STEM initiative, and leads to seamless transfer to the University of Arkansas and Arkansas Tech University.
- There are a number of new certificates of proficiency which will result in short-term credentials for students, and stackable, dependable credentials for our employers.
- National Park College is making aggressive improvements in our student life program. These changes will provide students with many options for personal, social, and professional growth outside the classroom. For example, we will begin a comprehensive intramural program which ranges from the traditional (such as basketball), to non-traditional outdoor recreation (such as hiking or climbing). The big idea is to use the wonderful aesthetic advantage that is National Park College and allow students to fully enjoy that also. We are also revamping our student organizations and streamlining the registration process.
Finally, we plan to initiate a new campus facility master plan. Our goal will be to begin one or more construction projects focused on value added to our students without asking the community for additional millage funds.
In summary, we’re planning to rename the college, cut tuition, guarantee quality, increase degree programs, strengthening the link between programs to the local workforce, develop pathways to four year universities, offer four year degrees on campus via partnership, improve student life, and begin updating our campus’s facilities.
While I think I’ve hit the high points, there is even more happening. I do appreciate your friendship and support, and I hope you will call on me with your suggestions for even more significant improvements.
John A. Hogan, Ph.D.
President, National Park College
