BENTONVILLE -- The Board of Trustees on Wednesday solidified the profile for Northwest Arkansas Community College's next president.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the profile at a special meeting Wednesday. Board members Rachel Harris and Jerry Vest were absent.
Evelyn Jorgenson, 69, has worked in education for 48 years and began as the college's third president in 2013. She'll retire when her contract ends June 30.
The profile, in addition to information on the college and region, includes details on the president's role, opportunities and challenges of the position and ideal characteristics and qualifications for the next president.
The profile will be posted online by Monday to begin identifying candidates qualified to be the next president, said Kennon Briggs, a consultant with the search firm Association of Community College Trustees of Washington. The college used the same firm to select Jorgenson.
"We're looking for the best leader in this role," said Ron Branscum, board chairman.
The board meeting followed a day of four forums at the college on Tuesday to receive student, faculty, staff and community feedback to help shape the profile.
About 225 people attended the forums overall, and more than 400 people responded to online surveys offered in the weeks prior to the forums to provide feedback on the qualifications for the college's next president, Briggs said.
Eric Vest, the college's executive director of student success, said at a staff and faculty forum the college needs a leader with a strategic focus on student success who sees students as individuals and considers what wraparound services they may need to remain in school and find jobs after graduation.
"How can we best prioritize what that may look like?" Vest asked.
Justin White, associate vice president of student services, said he'd like a president who's innovative in involving the college's front-line workers in the school's decision-making process and engages enthusiastically with the community.
The information from the forums, surveys and college and community resources were combined to create a draft of the profile presented Wednesday morning to the Presidential Search Committee, Briggs said.
The committee comprises 22 regional leaders and members of the college's foundation, board, faculty and staff.
The committee was confident in the bulk of the profile, offering minor suggestions for adjusting areas that included effective leadership, retaining graduates in the region and creating collaborative partnerships toward more diverse funding.
Developing relationships leading to funding and creating pathways for student employment following graduation were key topics of discussion for the committee.
"We can't make it all happen at the community college level without those partnerships," said Evetta Aldridge, the college's training and community development director for workforce development.
Position candidates will be recruited from Nov. 22 to Feb. 2, Briggs said. The search firm and search committee will review and evaluate applications prior to selecting semifinalists for the position in mid-February.
The committee will then interview semifinalists online and recommend finalists to the Board of Trustees in early March, he said. Three to five finalists will then visit the college in late March to tour the campus, participate in public forums, meet senior leadership and interview with the board.
The new president is anticipated to be selected in April with a July 1 start date, Briggs said.
Northwest Arkansas Community College is the largest community college in the state with more than 7,000 students.
More News
NonePresidential search
Information on the search for Northwest Arkansas Community College’s next president is available online and includes the presidential profile, updates on the search process, an overview of the college and a community feedback form to provide input on the search.
Explore the content at https://presidentsearch.nwacc.edu/default.aspx
Source: Northwest Arkansas Community College