National Park College
Fifty years of changing lives
This year represents NPC’S 50th anniversary and 50 years of changing lives.
NPC is one-of-a-kind. We are a community college first and foremost, so we strive to fulfill that mission while ensuring that the students’ voices are heard. We have diligently worked to tailor our mission to that of Garland County. What students expect from NPC reshapes the antiquated traditions of what a community college has been.
NPC’S academic programming continues to grow. Our teaching responsibilities range from customized noncredit training to high school classes, to teaching campus-based bachelor’s degrees. We have adult education students who struggle with literacy and English as a second language. We also have students in premedical studies, and almost every variety of ambition in between. The responsibilities of our faculty in the face of this academic diversity are enormous and continue to grow.
You can expect NPC’S 50th year to continue to augment our entrepreneurial approach to expanding academic and workforce disciplines. We must build on our strengths of innovation and partnering, including new bachelor’s degrees, apprenticeships, internships, and online degrees.
This has been a 50-year journey that has resulted in approximately 7,000 individuals served annually across credit and noncredit programs. The diversity of this clientele is astounding. While we are proud of this, we are cognizant of how daunting it will be to sustain and improve on this growth.
For the past four years, the number of out-ofcounty and out-of-state students has grown. This academic year, NPC’S international population grew to 11. Serving students outside our county has become a significant part of our mission. International students pay their way and add invaluable diversity to our learning environment. International and outof-district students are more likely to relocate and work in Hot Springs while studying and after they graduate. We hope to continue these initiatives as a magnet to our community.
This year’s graduation ceremony will commemorate our 50th year with some landmark examples. Five Southern Arkansas University students are expected to be awarded their bachelor’s degrees. The ceremony will also include apprenticeship graduates who have completed their training at NPC.
As we all reflect on what NPC has meant to this community during this 50-year journey, consider that the best is in NPC’S future and the future of our students.