PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Jeff Weaver, Melony Ritter
(501) 760.6410 office
press@np.edu

November 11, 2016

NPC EARNS MILITARY FRIENDLY® SCHOOLS DESIGNATION

Hot Springs, AR – National Park College (NPC) announced that it earned the 2017 Military Friendly® School designation during the Annual Veteran’s Day Celebration.  

Hot Springs High School NJROTC provided the presentation of the colors for the event. NPC veteran student, James Clark, retired from the U.S. Marine Corps sang the National Anthem. The NPC Student Government Association provided coffee and donuts for attendees. Rick Martin and Gene Rasuer represented the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 10483 in Hot Springs Village. Guest speaker, Lt. Colonel Joel Lynch addressed the crowd.

Lynch is a 32-year veteran of the Army National Guard. He deployed overseas with the Army on four separate assignments, including two combat missions to Iraq – once as an infantry company commander in 2004, and again as an intelligence officer in 2008. His awards include two bronze star medals, the global war on terrorism expeditionary and service medals, the Iraq campaign medal with two campaign stars and the combat infantryman’s badge. Lynch holds a bachelor of arts degree from Oklahoma State University and is a graduate of several U.S. Army schools, including the Command and General Staff College. He is currently a cavalry squadron commander and state public affairs officer for the Arkansas National Guard.

NPC Director of Development, Sara Brown announced that all donations made on Veteran’s Day would be designated for the Military Service Scholarship fund in honor of active military and veteran students at NPC. Scholarship recipients for the Spring 2017 semester were announced and included, Nick Cullen, Allie Roles, Joseph Thurlow, Darrin Momsen, Jennifer Arledge, Maria Grace, Kevin Bishop, and Eric Hutchins. James Clark was awarded the VFW Scholarship.

Award AnnouncementNPC Veteran’s Affairs Coordinator, Nathan Looper expressed how proud he was to be able to give back to his fellow veterans on campus. “We want to make the transition from service to college as simple as possible for our veteran students. Their sacrifice deserves our best effort and we strive to provide an accommodating and supportive atmosphere here to help foster their academic success.”

Photo: Nathan Looper, NPC Veteran’s Center Coordinator announcing NPC earned the 2017 Military Friendly® School designation.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from Victory Media’s proprietary survey. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Loan Default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.
NPC will be showcased along with other 2017 Military Friendly® Schools in the annual Guide to Military Friendly® Schools, special education issues of G.I. Jobs® and Military Spouse Magazine, and on militaryfriendly.com.


About Military Friendly® Schools

The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly®​ Schools survey from participating institutions. The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weightings were developed by Victory Media with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers. Data calculations and tabulations were independently evaluated for completeness and accuracy by EY. The survey is administered for free and is open to all post-secondary schools that wish to participate. Criteria for consideration can be found at: https://militaryfriendly.com.

About Victory Media

Founded in 2001, Victory Media is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs®, Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur®, STEM Jobs and Military Friendly® brands.

Learn more about Victory Media at www.victorymedia.com.

For further information or to arrange interviews, contact:

National Park College
Melony Ritter
mritter@np.edu501.760.6410

Victory Media
Suzanne Treviño
Gordon C. James PR
strevino@gcjpr.com
602.618.7857