NPC Board Approves Phase One Of The Master Plan
The National Park College (NPC) Board of Trustees approved a resolution to begin phase one of the campus master plan. Architect John McMorran of Lewis Architects and Engineers presented the proposed projects during the regular monthly board meeting Wednesday.
The College recently engaged the community to determine what NPC might look like in the coming decades. An emerging sentiment was that NPC should continue to grow and improve facilities to attract more local students to attend both during and after high school and to attract more young people to the area through expanded recruitment efforts. What resulted was a comprehensive plan that attempts to meet the holistic wants and needs of the student body.
Implementation of phase one of the plan will include additional campus housing, a new welding technology center, a learning commons and an indoor athletic facility. The projects were prioritized based on feedback received from students, employees, and the community during the master planning process.
Existing on-campus housing exceeded capacity in the fall semester of 2021. The addition of a new housing facility will expand the housing capacity by 150 beds, bringing the total number to 330 beds.
A new welding technology center will provide space needed to expand the current welding program and house a new high school welding program. Industry partners have expressed a significant need for trained welders. Increasing the capacity of the welding facility will aid in meeting the local demand for highly trained welders.
An indoor athletics facility will provide training space for soccer, workout space, and offices for the coaching staff. It also provides space for future expansion of athletics programming such as wrestling and volleyball.
A learning commons facility will provide a state-of-the art library/media center and additional classrooms for cybersecurity and other technology programs. It will also incorporate spaces for large classrooms that are needed for academic programming.
“I am excited that John McMorran is here today to provide us with a glimpse of what our phase one projects might look like. When you are looking at a 25 year master plan, it is important to get the right projects in the early phases. These phase one projects would address our students’ need for affordable housing, create opportunities for us to meet a high demand need for industry partners, allow for the expansion of athletics, and provide students with classroom and library facilities that meet their needs and bring us in to the 21st century of learning spaces,” said Kelli Embry, vice president for administration.
NPC Board Chair, Forrest Spicher said, “All of these projects will build the College’s capacity for teaching and learning and amplify the student experience. They rose to the top as the most immediate needs, and it looks like we have a good plan to address them. I appreciate John McMorran’s counsel as we move through this process and make a significant and positive impact on this campus.”
NPC President, Dr. John Hogan said, “I am appreciative of the work of the Board, campus, and community to get us to this point. Phase one will address our students' immediate needs and ensure their success as they pursue their education and then their careers. All the heavy lifting is worth it.”
