NWACC discusses hiring full-time athletic director

BENTONVILLE — Northwest Arkansas Community College might hire its first fulltime athletic director this year.

The Bentonville-based college’s Athletics Committee voted unanimously last month to recommend hiring an athletic director for the 2023-24 school year, according to Justin White, vice president of student services.

The matter is on the agenda for approval at Monday’s meeting of the college’s board of trustees, according to committee chairman Todd Schwartz, who is also a board member.

The college has one National Junior College Athletic Association-approved sport — cross-country — and fields men’s and women’s teams in that sport.

“If a sustainable model of funding is approved, the goal would be to hire an athletic director after July 1, 2023,” said Grant Hodges, executive director of community and government relations and marketing, in an email.

Hodges said the college seeks an athletic director who focuses on student success, has a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, and has strong management and leadership experience.

Overseeing compliance and regulatory matters for the athletic association and Title IX is key, Hodges said.

The successful candidate will also “carry out the vision of expanding athletics” at the college, as expressed by college leaders, the board of trustees and students, Hodges said.

Many two-year institutions in the state have athletic programs and athletic directors; the biggest challenges are finding a dependable source of money and hiring the staff to build a high-quality athletic program, Hodges said.

“NWACC currently doesn’t have facilities that would support some programs; we currently only have our cross-country course on campus,” Hodges said.

Among the Athletics Committee’s priorities are the student-athletes’ academic success and a program that contributes to the college’s overall mission and enhances the college/campus experience for students, he said.

The athletic director would also “work with the Marketing and PR departments and the NWACC Foundation to support the college’s initiatives and strengthen the NWACC brand,” Hodges said.

The board voted in 2019 to begin a cross-country program, making it the college’s first sanctioned athletic program. The cross-country team competed for the first time in the fall of 2021.

In their second season this past fall, the men finished fifth in the NJCAA Division II cross-country national championship meet. The women’s team placed 18th.

Schwartz said decisions on whether to add other sanctioned sports at the college will be left up to the athletic director.

Schwartz said there has been discussion of adding esports — organized, competitive online gaming between individuals or teams — but added he’s letting White handle that, because White currently oversees athletics for the college.

White, in an email Friday, said athletic programs enrich the college experience for the entire college community.

“Expanded athletics would diversify the student body, give the college community a sense of pride, belonging and connection as well as provide experiences that students would otherwise not necessarily have the opportunity to be a part of,” White said. “Athletics would also help familiarize the region with the college brand and further showcase the quality academic and career credit programs, services and resources NWACC offers students and the community.”

A salary range for the athletic director was not discussed at the Athletics Committee meeting.

Northwest Arkansas Community College is the largest two-year college in the state, with 7,593 students taking courses for academic credit last fall semester.