NPC Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting
The National Park College Board of Trustees met in a regular session on August 28, 2024, beginning at 3:30 PM. Trustees present were Mike Bush, Joyce Craft, Jim Hale, Rhonda Harrington, Bev Joe, Lance Porter, Forrest Spicher, Renee Westfall, and Raymond Wright.
Staff, faculty members, and guests present were Jacynda Ammons, Thia Armstrong, Alex Cervantes, Kaylee Cogburn, Dorrie Cormier, Sarah Day, Wade Derden, Jaymes Doss, Jessica Ellis, Kelli Embry, Kathy Flournoy, Nia Fontes, James Frierson, Katelynn Hardage, Terri Helms, Brad Hopper, Janice Ivers, Diane Johnson, Raymond Jordan, Melissa Kennon, Brian Kroening, Tyanna Lindsey, Nathan Looper, Jennifer Lyons, Renee Marchand, Melony Martinez, Rose Milnes, Joel Newburn, Mark Oliver, Scott Post, Bill Ritter, Stephanie Rizzo, Jennifer Seward, Sharon Sinclair, Hayden Stofan, Kirsty Teale, Darla Thurber, John Tucker, DeAnn Utley, Lynn Valetutti, Les Warren, Tim Webb, and Megan Wheeler.
The media was notified of the meeting. Brandon Smith of The Sentinel Record was in attendance.
Chair Joyce Craft opened the meeting with a welcome at 3:30 PM.
Sarah Day took roll call. A quorum was present.
Trustee Rhonda Harrington provided the invocation.
Sarah Day introduced the media and other guests present.
Items for Action
- Trustee Wright motioned to approve the June 26, 2024, minutes as presented. Trustee Joe seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
- Trustee Spicher motioned to approve the June 2024 financial statements as presented by Kelli Embry, VP for Administration, during the Finance Committee Meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
- Trustee Spicher motioned to accept the FY2021 Legislative Audit as discussed by Kelli Embry, VP for Administration, during the Finance Committee Meeting. Trustee Renee Westfall recused herself from the vote. The motion passed unanimously.
- Trustee Spicher motioned to accept the FY2022 Legislative Audit as discussed by Kelli Embry, VP for Administration, during the Finance Committee Meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
- VP for Administration, Kelli Embry, presented the ratifications of personnel actions. Trustee Bush motioned to approve the ratifications as presented. Trustee Hale seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Items for Report
- Trustee Raymond Wright, provided the Building and Campus Development report. Trustee Wright asked Associate Vice President of Campus Operations, Brad Hopper, to provide the report. Mr. Hopper stated that the Redbud Hall construction had the footings completed, the main slab would be complete on September 4th, block work for the stairwells and elevators has started, and framers could start as early as September 9th. Hopper shared that the Maintenance Shop should be complete by the end of the first week in September. Hopper said that summer projects included sealing and striping the new drive and Commons parking lot, contractor washing of high windows around campus and the building exterior of Frederick Dierks. He stated that NPC Custodial staff has been busy with refinishing tile floors and deep cleaning carpets in many buildings on campus. Mr. Hopper commented that Maintenance and Grounds have been busy adding two offices to the Commons, mowing miles of grass, working flower beds, and removing dead trees. He also mentioned the new lighting and summer touch-ups done in many of the buildings, and the large number of set-ups that had occurred for all the summer events.
- Melony Martinez, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, provided the Marketing report by showcasing the all-new NP.edu website. Martinez reminded that the process of redesign began two years ago and that while there is still much work to be done, the site was smoothly launched last week with minimal interruption. Jaymes Doss, Director of Web Services, shared that NP.edu had a total of 287K site visitors last year. He also stated that with the redesign they were able to reduce the number of old and outdated documents and files, thus making the maintenance of code and design much easier. Melissa Kennon, Content Developer, stated that a major focus of their efforts involves ensuring all content is displayed in a way that visitors can fully engage and access regardless of their abilities. She said that with the redesign, accessibility errors are down 53% and that of the remaining issues, many can be globally corrected using new website templates, likely bringing the success rate closer to 90%. The remaining 10% is largely due to PDFs. Kennon shared that it is their goal to completely remove PDFs from the NPC website due to the many accessibility issues they cause. Ms. Martinez ended by announcing upcoming projects that include MyNPC Portal optimizations, personalization on the website, pathways – Bureau of Labor Statistics data for program pages that will include salary information and labor market data, and upgrades to campus digital signage.
- VP for Student Affairs, Darla Thurber, provided the Student Affairs report. VP Thurber shared that fall enrollment has consistently been up compared to last year’s numbers. She stated that the board can anticipate an annual preliminary enrollment report at the September board meeting. Thurber went on to introduce some of the Student Affairs team in attendance. Ms. Thurber said that there are a record number of international students enrolled for the fall term, including students from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and the UK. Out-of-state numbers include over 100 students from 19 states, not including Arkansas. VP Thurber expressed that they are incredibly proud of the growth and success of the student body, stating that their commitment to providing a high-quality education and a supportive community is evident in the increased interest from students both locally and internationally. Thurber concluded by sharing that they are dedicated to providing NPC students with the resources and support they need to succeed and that her team is committed to fostering a positive and inclusive campus culture.
- Board Chair Report - Chair Craft expressed thanks for each of the reports. Craft stated that she was not seeking reelection to the NPC Board of Trustees, and acknowledged Mr. James Frierson and Mr. Joel Newburn as candidates for position 6. Ms. Craft appointed Trustee Rhonda Harrington as the head of a new ad hoc committee with the intent of establishing a general policy for the selection of future NPC presidents. Anticipated members will include select NPC Cabinet and/or staff. Craft ended by setting the expectation that the committee would report their progress by the October 2024 regular meeting.
- President's Report - President Derden thanked the Trustees, Cabinet, faculty, and staff for all the support he has received as he assumed the presidency. Derden noted that it has been a busy summer, as VP Thurber’s Student Affairs report indicated. Dr. Derden stated his appreciation to Melony Martinez and the Marketing team for all the time they had invested in launching the new NPC website. President Derden said that he has challenged the NPC faculty and staff to begin working toward creating a more accessible campus and that this will become a central element of strategic planning discussions moving forward. Derden indicated that future board meetings will include a more frequent report from the NPC Foundation and a larger focus on student voices. Dr. Derden ended by reminding the trustees that he would be traveling to Japan as part of the Sister-City program from September 6-15th. Derden reassured that VP Kelli Embry would be acting president in his absence.
Executive Session
- At 4:19 PM, Chair Craft called for an executive session to consider Board expectations for the president’s evaluation. Guests were asked to leave the room. When concluded, Chair Craft reconvened the public session at 4:47 PM. Chair Craft announced that no decisions were reached in executive session and no actions were taken.
- Trustees returning from the executive session were Mike Bush, Joyce Craft, Jim Hale, Rhonda Harrington, Bev Joe, Lance Porter, Forrest Spicher, and Raymond Wright.
There was no further business.
Trustee Hale motioned to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 4:48 PM.
Joyce Craft, Chair
Beverly Joe, Secretary/Treasurer