National Park College (NPC) hosted grand opening events for the new Student Commons
building Thursday, October 3.
The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce conducted a ribbon cutting at 11:00 a.m.
Students, staff, faculty and guests were invited to participate in a cookout following
the ceremony with hamburgers and hotdogs to celebrate.
The NPC Foundation hosted a VIP reception and tour Thursday evening. Rex Nelson provided
a keynote address to guests and spoke about the economic potential for our region
and how higher education is becoming the next area of growth for Arkansas.
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.
