Hot Springs, Arkansas – National Park College (NPC) and Lakeside High School (LHS) announced that they received accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) for an additional location as part of the Lakeside Legacy program. The Lakeside Legacy program allows high school students to pursue an Associate of Arts degree through dual credit while completing their high school diploma.
Only one other college in Arkansas holds HLC accreditation on a high school campus.
In order to earn accreditation for an additional location, both LHS and NPC had to
complete a series of applications and site visits. During this process, HLC representatives
review the quality of instructional resources such as registration, advising, career
counseling and placement, and library access. Financial resources and sustainability
plans must be provided. Evidence that the College effectively oversees instruction
at LHS, and that assessment and evaluation methods are equivalent to those used on
the main campus is required.
HLC also verifies that qualified and sufficient staff and faculty are available and that the partnership between NPC and LHS delivers, supports and manages necessary student services according to specified standards. HLC standards require that all college level faculty have a master’s degree in the specific area they teach or a master’s degree plus 18 graduate hours in the specific area they teach. NPC sought and received an extension through January 2019 on this credential requirement for all of their high school partners. The credentials extension as well as LHS’s commitment to offset the costs of extra graduate hours for the Legacy program faculty were key factors in the program’s approval.
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Wade Derden said, “Our support and involvement in the Legacy program at Lakeside stems from our belief that the program has the potential to provide a valuable service to the community. The Legacy program is important to Garland County because it allows an opportunity for children from families with very few resources to get a college education at no cost while in high school. The key is unlocking that pathway to college for students.”
The program offers LHS students two valuable options. A student can complete the program and receive an associate’s degree that will transfer to any public university in the state. If a student does not complete the degree, the college credit that the student earns will transfer to NPC where the student can complete their associate’s degree at a very low cost and likely with financial assistance.
