NPC Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting
The National Park College Board of Trustees met in regular session on November 30, 2022, beginning at 3:31 PM. Trustees present were Larry Bailey, Mike Bush, Joyce Craft, Jim Hale, Rhonda Harrington, Bev Joe, Lance Porter, Forrest Spicher, and Raymond Wright.
Staff, faculty members, and guests present were Bill Allison, Bernice Bailey, Melanie Beltz, Tena Brown, Blake Butler, Chris Coble, Donald Cross, Wade Derden, Kelli Embry, Roger Fox, Michelle Godwin, Dustin Green, Katelynn Hardage, Jacob Hartle, Dylan Henry, Nicole Herndon, John Hogan, Brad Hopper, Lisa Hopper, Jill Houlihan, Janice Ivers, Rodney Ivers, Zane Jeffers, Brian Kroening, Melony Martinez, Kenita McKenzie, Susan Millerd, Andrew Pennington, Janetta Ritter, Nathan Ritter, Andy Sandlin, Sharon Sinclair, Karen Smeltzer, Brandon Smith, Jerry Thomas, Rich Thompson, Darla Thurber, Gary Troutman, Steve Trusty, John Tucker, Lynn Valetutti, Amy Watson, Tim Webb, and Kevin Wright.
The media was notified of the meeting. Brandon Smith and Donald Cross of The Sentinel Record were in attendance.
Chair Forrest Spicher opened the meeting with a welcome. Trustee Hale provided the invocation.
Items for Action
- Trustee Bush made a motion to approve the October 26, 2022, minutes as presented. Trustee Hale seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
- Trustee Craft made a motion to approve the July, August, and September 2022 financial statements as presented by Andrew Pennington, Controller, during the Finance Committee Meeting. Trustee Bush seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously.
- Julie LaRue, Director of Human Resources, presented the ratifications of personnel actions. Trustee Wright made a motion to approve the ratifications as presented. Trustee Joe seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
- Kelli Embry, Vice President of Administration, requested approval of an extension of the 2020-2023 Strategic Plan to 2025, as discussed during the October 2022 regular meeting. Trustee Bailey made a motion to approve an extension of the Strategic Plan to 2025. Trustee Porter seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Items for Report
- Kenita McKenzie, Veteran Services Coordinator, shared a report from the Veterans Services Office. McKenzie gave a detailed report on the NPC Veterans Office's wrap-around services. The services include assistance with benefit applications, a computer lab with printers, a team meeting space, 10 VA work-study positions, and a student organization entitled Vet Hawk. McKenzie reported that the Veterans Services office currently serves approximately 75 veterans, veteran spouses, and dependents. Additionally, on Veteran’s Day, Nov 11, 2022, the Veterans Services Office set up a table in the student common area to hand out cupcakes and information about the Veterans Services offered on campus.
- Katelynn Hardage, National Park University Center Transfer Coordinator, gave an update on the National Park University Center’s (NPUC) university partners and degrees awarded. Katelynn shared that the first NPUC degree was offered in Fall 2016 and recognized that as of Fall 2022, NPUC offered 67 articulated degrees, with 425 students (23%) enrolled in NPUC degrees. Fall 2023 will offer 72 articulated degrees. The NPUC university partners are as follows: Arkansas State University; Arkansas Tech University; Harding University (Private); Henderson State University; Southern Arkansas University; University of Arkansas; University of Arkansas – Criminal Justice Institute; University of Arkansas – Fort Smith; University of Arkansas – Little Rock; University of Arkansas – Monticello; University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff; and the University of Central Arkansas. Katelynn announced that five NPC students would graduate with a bachelor’s degree in May 2023; two in Biology, two in Biochemistry, and one in computer science. Katelynn emphasized that the 2022 graduate survey revealed that 44 of 235 responses asked for more four-year degrees on the NPC campus. Ten of those responses explicitly requested a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She underscored that NPUC degrees increase the number of bachelor’s level graduates in garland county and encourage keeping the talent in our community. The 2016 U.S. Census reported that the percentage of bachelor’s degrees held in Garland County was 26%. In 2020, the U.S. Census reported that the percentage of bachelor’s degrees in Garland County increased by 2.2% for a total of 28.2%.
- Board Chair Report - Chair Spicher congratulated the student of the month awardees. Additionally, Chair Spicher recognized NPC students who have served in the Armed Forces. He expressed deep appreciation for the sacrifice they had made. Chair Spicher commended the National Park University Center team for their hard work and role in increasing the number of bachelor-level graduates in Garland County.
- President’s Report - President Hogan echoed Chair Spicher’s expressions of appreciation to the Veterans and Kenita for her report of the Veteran Services. President Hogan thanked the National Park University Center for the update. He appreciated the Academic Affairs team’s work to create transfer pathways that prepare students for academic success. Additionally, He stated that NPC would continue to answer the student’s request for local access to four-year degrees through significant strategic investment in the University Center, including an ongoing pursuit of an on-premise Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) completion program.
There was no further business. Chair Spicher motioned to adjourn, and Trustee Bailey seconded. The meeting adjourned at 4:19 PM.
Forrest Spicher, Chair
Beverly Joe, Secretary/Treasurer