BENTONVILLE -- The Northwest Arkansas Community College Board of Trustees on Monday approved a fee of $4 per credit hour to fund athletics and student activities.
The 5-3 vote followed a spirited discussion about the role sports should play at the college.
Talks centered on whether there should be a part- or full-time athletic director, how to balance funding between student fees and the community and how much the college should expand its athletic program. Concerns were voiced about adding more expenses for students.
Another key topic was how sports teams might boost the college's brand, perhaps giving students a sense of pride and a rallying point. Then there's the issue of area athletes who go elsewhere after high school because the college doesn't offer opportunities in their particular sports.
Those matters weren't settled. But the fee made it through.
Trustees Todd Schwartz, Lori Frank, Ron Branscum, Jonathan Woods and Amber Latimer voted for it. Rachel Harris, Joe Spivey and Carolyn Reeves voted against it.
The $4 per credit hour fee would amount to $472,688 over five years on average, said Justin White, vice president of student services. The fee will take effect July 1, the start of fiscal year 2024.
"The money will fund our current athletic program as it is now and then give a substantial amount of money to student life on campus," White said. "It's going to be great for our students. It's good for the community."
The college has one National Junior College Athletic Association-approved sport -- cross country -- and fields men's and women's teams in that sport.
"I want sports," said Spivey, who voted against the fee. "But I think we need to ease into this. I'm a big advocate for doing what's right for the students of Rogers and Bentonville."
The board voted in 2019 to begin a cross country program, making it the college's first sanctioned athletic program. The cross country team competed for the first time in the fall of 2021.
In their second season this past fall, the men finished fifth in the NJCAA Division II cross country national championship meet. The women's team placed 18th.
The college's Athletics Committee voted unanimously last month to recommend hiring an athletic director for the 2023-24 school year.
Grant Hodges, executive director of community and government relations and marketing, said earlier this month if a sustainable model of funding is approved, the goal would be to hire an athletic director after July 1.
Many two-year institutions in the state have athletic programs and athletic directors; the biggest challenges are finding a dependable source of money and hiring the staff to build a high-quality athletic program, Hodges said.
Northwest Arkansas Community College students pay a number of fees, several of which were increased last year.
The college is the largest two-year college in the state, with 7,593 students taking courses for academic credit last fall semester.