Criminal Justice Alumnus Receives Academic Excellence Award

Russell Wade in suit holding certificate of Academic Excellence from UA-FS.National Park College (NPC) alumnus Russell Wade has received the Academic Excellence Award from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith’s Department of Criminal Justice.

Wade attended National Park Technology Center while in high school. After completing high school, Wade received the Promise Scholarship from NPC. He knew that he would need a bachelor’s degree to pursue his dream of being a commissioned officer in the Navy and with the Promise scholarship, Wade felt the natural direction was to begin his education at NPC.

Wade stated, “From NPC, I took with me determination and a strong work ethic. NPC prepared me to succeed at a four-year university. To current NPC students, keep working hard and stay the course.”

James Montgomery, assistant professor of Criminal Justice at NPC, said, “Mr. Wade excelled in all aspects of his course work. From the lab to the classroom, Russell was a rock-star here, and we were proud to see him continue his journey with our partners at UAFS. Russell came in with a razor-sharp focus on his goals, outstanding ability, and a determined work ethic to keep that focus all the way through our Criminal Justice program. I'm happy and proud, but not surprised, to see him continue to excel, and I look forward to his future success.”

“I would like to thank the Criminal Justice faculty at NPC for all that they have done and all that they continue to do for their current and previous students,” said Wade.