Official To Start College Visits

— North-West Arkansas Community College’s new president will start in July. Her preparations, though, could start as soon as next month.

Evelyn Jorgenson was approved as the college’s next president during a special Board of Trustees meeting Dec.6. She will be the third president in the college’s history, replacing Becky Paneitz, who will retire June 30.

Jorgenson, president of Moberly Area Community College in Missouri, said Thursday she plans to visit the again in late January.

“At this point, I really need to do more reading, more listening, and I plan to do that over the next six months so that when I get there in July I feel confident that I have a good, basic concept to start with,” Jorgenson said.

Ric Clifford, Board of Trustees chairman in 2013, will have a role in getting Jorgenson acclimated to the college and the area.

“My responsibility as the board chair is to get her introduced to multiple diff erent community partners,” Clifford said. “We interact with the business climate and the government climate, and we have the whole Kthrough-12 audience. As we can, we will get her in here and introduced so she knows names and faces so that when July 1 gets here she knows her way around.”

Jorgenson knows state funding is one concern she will have address when she starts.

“I am aware that NWACC doesn’t receive the same funding as other colleges in the state,” Jorgenson said. “I am interested in meetingwith some legislators and the governor to get a better understanding of how this came to be and how we can correct it.”

Jim Hall, college executive director of community and college relations, has worked with the state Legislature ontwo-year college funding for several years.

The college has received nearly $10.6 million in state money annually since 2008, Hall said. That number has remained flat even though college enrollment has grown. There are more than 8,400 students enrolled this year compared with 7,216 students in 2008.

Funding for two-year colleges across the state has remained flat since 2008, but Hall said some state colleges also have seen decreased enrollment since then, giving those college more resources for their needs. College oft - cials will need to spend theyear trying to find a compromise in funding at the state level, Hall said.

“We have been advocating funds for those institutions where the jobs are in Arkansas,” Hall said. “We have been talking to legislators this fall, and they are starting to understand the dynamic of this. Those decisions on how those funds get distributed are made in the Joint Budget Committee. A lot of this is going to fall on the responsibility of our trustees and president to see what can be done. No one wants to see another college get cut, but we need equality.”

The opening of the Health Professions Center and the National Child Protection Training Center are expected prior to Jorgenson’s start date in July. Yet, Jorgenson said both will add excitement to her job.

“We want the best facilities in order to train and educate,” Jorgenson said. “There is nothing better than seeing students work hard, faculty work hard and seeing a great product at the end of that educational process and then knowing that person is going to leave and have a great impact on the community for sometimes decades.”

News, Pages 1 on 12/28/2012

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