NWACC panel backs naming building after Jorgenson

BENTONVILLE — It appears likely Northwest Arkansas Community College’s president will have a building named after her before she retires.

The college’s Land Use Committee recommended Wednesday the Integrated Design Lab on the main campus be named after Evelyn Jorgenson. The recommendation will go before the college’s Board of Trustees next month for approval.

Tim Cornelius, vice president of career and workforce education, presented the suggestion at the committee’s meeting, saying Jorgenson’s cabinet members came up with the idea. He added the proposal had been kept from Jorgenson up until Wednesday’s meeting, which she didn’t attend.

Jorgenson, 69, is retiring this summer. She began as the college’s third president in 2013. The board is expected to name her replacement by April.

Her accomplishments include getting the lab built. The building, which opened in fall 2019, provides more than 20,000 square feet for courses related to design, art and construction.

Rachel Harris, a member of the Board of Trustees who also sits on the Land Use Committee, thanked administrators for their idea.

“I myself was thinking about ways that we as a board and this college could recognize Dr. Jorgenson for the incredible work that she’s done, and I think this is a perfect way to do that,” Harris said. “We all know how near and dear the arts are to Dr. Jorgenson, and I feel like this outward display would honor her in a way that she would really appreciate.”

The college’s previous two presidents both have campus buildings named after them: the Becky Paneitz Student Center and Burns Hall. Bob Burns was president from 1990 to 2002; Paneitz was president from 2003 to 2013.