BENTONVILLE — Evelyn Jorgenson, the new president at NorthWest Arkansas Community College, told trustees during a board retreat Friday she is a fiscal conservative.
“I really believe we should live within our means,” Jorgenson said. “People will hear me say that, and people will see that in the way I operate.”
Friday presented the first opportunity for the board and Jorgenson to meet and talk as a group. Jorgenson started as president July 1.
Jorgenson took time to share with the board a little about herself personally as well as her feelings on college-related issues.
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Board Retreat
The NorthWest Arkansas Community College board retreat is expected to continue from 8 a.m. to noon today at the Ozark II Conference Room of the DoubleTree Suites Hotel, 301 S.E. Walton Blvd., Bentonville. On the agenda are presentations by Ricky Tompkins, interim vice president for learning, who will review strategic goals and accomplishments from the past fiscal year and proposed initiatives for this year. Mark Lundy, former board member, will review policy governance.
Source: Staff Report
She said she believes community colleges should maintain a reserve fund equal to at least 10 percent of its budget. The NorthWest Arkansas Community College board requires 7.5 percent of the school’s budget be set aside for emergency purposes. Jorgenson said the 10 percent figure is “pretty standard” across the country for colleges.
“I think there are a lot of institutions that cut it closer to the edge than that,” she said. “But most of us know from our own life situations, it’s not healthy for families if we’re barely making it. There should be a healthy reserve that will allow for emergencies and allow the college to continue to operate.”
Jorgenson said she developed her fiscal conservatism early in life from growing up on a farm in Missouri.
“Knowing farm life … there’s not a lot you can control, so you learn to live through lean years,” she said.
Scott Grigsby, a board member who works for Arvest Bank, said he appreciated Jorgenson’s view. Daniel Shewmaker, another board member, said state legislators and others consider an institution’s financial decision-making when deciding whether to give money to it.
“An awful lot of it is perception,” Jorgenson said.
She added she’s less conservative in other aspects of life, though she didn’t go into detail.
The board hired Jorgenson in November to take over for Becky Paneitz when Paneitz retired earlier this month. Since then six new people have joined the nine-member board, so Friday’s retreat was a chance for Jorgenson and those board members to get acquainted.
Geovanny Sarmiento, one of the new board members, asked Jorgenson about her vision for diversity at the college. Jorgenson said it’s important to make sure all students — regardless of race or gender — have the support services they need to feel comfortable pursuing higher education.
“Many of the students we get at community colleges are students who don’t always recognize how much potential they have, so if we do our job we will help them recognize how much potential they have,” she said.
About 12.5 percent of the college’s full-time faculty and staff are minorities, whereas about 28 percent of the students enrolled last fall were minorities, according to data provided by the college.
Jorgenson said she wants to maintain good communication with both board and staff members. She wants her staff to communicate well with her, too.
“I tell my staff not to protect me, not to shield me, just give me the good, the bad and the ugly,” Jorgenson said. “I like to know what’s going on.”
About two dozen staff members, mostly upper-level administrators, also attended Friday’s meeting.