National Park College (NPC) will host a grand opening for the new Student Commons
building Thursday, October 3.
The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce will conduct a ribbon cutting at 11:00
a.m. and a cookout will follow. The event is free and open to the public.
The NPC Foundation will host a VIP reception in the Student Commons at 6:30 p.m.
featuring keynote speaker Rex Nelson. Tickets are $35 per person or $50 per couple
and include a VIP tour and heavy hors d’oeuvres. Tickets can be purchased at np.edu/events.
About Rex Nelson
Rex Nelson is one of the most high-profile writers and speakers in the state. As
senior editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, he writes three columns a week and
essays for the cover of the newspaper's Sunday Perspective section. He's the author
of three books -- the first full-length biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton, a biography
of Arkansas educator Ben Elrod and a collection of his essays on Arkansas. He's also
the author of a popular blog known as Rex Nelson's Southern Fried and makes regular
television and radio appearances.
Nelson served for almost a decade as the policy and communications director for Gov.
Mike Huckabee and then served for four years in the administration of President George
W. Bush as one of the president's two appointees to the Delta Regional Authority.
He has been inducted into the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.
In 2016, Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas Rural Development Commission named Nelson
as its Rural Advocate of the Year for the state of Arkansas.
