Liz Garrigus drives at least 45 minutes to attend classes at NorthWest Arkansas Community College’s campus in Bentonville. It takes her less than half that time to commute from her Knob Hill home to other classes at the college’s Washington County Center on White Road in Springdale.
“It would be awesome for the students to be able to complete their degrees without having to go to the main campus,” Garrigus said. “I think more people would sign up if they knew they could get everything done right there in Washington County.”
Officials first discussed a permanent facility in Washington County five years ago. The idea gained momentum when the college identified a site a little more than a year ago. The NorthWest Arkansas Community College Foundation is negotiating with land owner Philip Taldo for 39 acres of pastureland just west of Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.
College officials said they haven’t decided what the building will look like, how big it will be or how much it will cost. The college leases two spaces in Springdale and one in Farmington to serve Washington County residents. About 40 percent of the college’s students live in Washington County.
“We know there’s a greater need than what we’re meeting there,” said Steven Gates, senior vice president for learning and provost.
The college gathered public comment when it revised its master plan in 2008. One of the strongest messages officials heard, they said, was that the college needed a permanent facility in Washington County.
The Board of Trustees made that project a priority. Becky Paneitz, college president at the time, put Gates in charge of it. The college’s board gave the go-ahead for negotiations on Taldo’s land in May 2012.
“His land location and interest in working with us as a partner moved him to the top,” Gates said.
Starting some time this fall, the college will organize focus groups to discuss what kinds of services the facility should offer. Steven Hinds, the college’s director of public relations, said focus groups likely will meet in Springdale, Fayetteville, Siloam Springs and possibly Tontitown.
The building likely will be between 40,000 and 50,000 square feet, Gates said. As for how that space will be used, officials have some general ideas they think will be supported during the community feedback sessions.
One is a need for general education opportunities for people starting their degree plans, Gates said. There also are unique work force needs, particularly in the food manufacturing sector, for which the college could offer training.
At A Glance (w/logo)
College Enrollment
NorthWest Arkansas Community College’s enrollment last fall was 8,341. Here’s a breakdown of where those students reside:
• Benton County: 4,484 (53.8 percent)
• Washington County: 3,258 (39.1 percent)
• Other in-state: 404 (4.8 percent)
• Out-of-state: 195 (2.3 percent)
Source: NorthWest Arkansas Community College
The college also might offer space for high school students who want to take college classes concurrent with their high school classes.
“And then because of the nature of our population being open admissions, we always have a number of people not ready for college-level coursework who are in need of remedial education,” Gates said.
Cost is another issue — not only for land acquisition and building construction, but also for operating the facility. The state does not provide higher education institutions with money for new buildings, but the college can seek philanthropic support. The foundation plans to lead fundraising efforts to buy the land and build the facility. Once the building is complete, the foundation would give it to the college.
“We know philanthropy will have to play a role, which is why the foundation is involved on the land component,” Gates said.
The college recently saw its enrollment decline, and officials ran a deficit in its operating budget last year before crafting a balanced budget for the current fiscal year. Gates said the college wants to put together a plan for the Washington County facility that’s feasible and sustainable.
“The goal is not to add financial burden to the institution,” he said.
The college is partially funded by property taxes collected from landowners in the Bentonville and Rogers school districts in Benton County. Officials haven’t discussed trying to implement property taxes in Washington County to pay for a facility there, Hinds said.
The college’s expansion into Washington County might seem to some as an attempt to compete with the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, but neither the college nor the university see it that way.
Sharon Gaber, university provost, said Gates has kept her informed on the college’s plans for the facility.
“The chancellor and I have been working with them,” Gaber said. “There might be some old history we’ve moved beyond, and now we’re trying to figure out how we support each other so we have a better educated region.”
While the college focuses on Benton and Washington counties, the university serves the entire state, she said. Gaber added she views a permanent facility in Washington County as a positive for the region.
“They understand our mission, that we serve some students they don’t,” Gates said.
Tuition at the university is $211.77 a credit hour, and more for some specialized classes, such as engineering. The college’s tuition is $75 for students who live in the Bentonville or Rogers school district and $122.50 for those living elsewhere.
Edward Franklin, director of the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges, said he’s a little surprised NorthWest Arkansas Community College hasn’t yet established a permanent presence in Washington County.
It is not unusual for two-year schools to do this kind of thing, he said. Pulaski Technical College, the largest two-year college in Arkansas, has six locations in addition to its main campus. It owns all of those buildings.
“It’s about providing access for folks,” Franklin said. “Having something close to where they live and work can make the difference between whether they go to school or don’t go.”