PEA RIDGE — ’Tis the season to elect a new leader for our nation.
Even though Arkansas is not a major player in the outcome of the election, we can’t hide from the news and/or the news media’s coverage. The national election coverage detracts from local elections but we still have opportunities to use our votes to decide the outcome of our state representatives, the county judge, some city positions, etc. But, one of the important educational election choices does not include the majority of the voters in this paper’s distribution area.
Our local Community College, NWACC, is in the process of electing a new Board of Trustees to meet revised district standards on population changes. The trustees come from school districts that are part of the millage base for Rogers and Bentonville public schools.
That means residents in the Pea Ridge District do not have a vote in the election, and only one candidate filed for the Board in District 3, the part of the Rogers School District in the northeast area of Rogers - Mike Shupe, a current board member, filed for re-election. The trustees are elected for terms of two, four or six years with terms to be determined by a drawing after the Nov. 6 election. The only compensation the board receives is reimbursement for out of town travel related expenses.
A number of newspaper articles have been written recently concerning NWACC, the firing of thechief financial officer, the budget and the redistricting required by state law.
Most of us take the college for granted and we are likely to complain there is too much traffic in the NWACC area, slowing us down on Arkansas Highway 102. But, if you have a child, a grandchild, or even attend yourself, you know this institution of higher learning is a true jewel in its service to the community. If northwest Arkansas has “seven wonders” (as in seven wonders of the world), NWACC would be one of them.
The growth of the college in numbers of students and improvements in its facilities has been truly incredible since its inception in 1989. Under the very capable leadership of Dr.
Becky Paneitz during the last 10 years, the college has continued to develop some truly remarkable facilities, not just for this period, but is preparing for the future as well. Revenue from numerous sources - individual gifts, private sources, grants, the NWACC Foundation to name a few - have played an important roll in developing these facilities. Tuition rates have less to do with these facilities than I realized. I have been too quick to blame the new facilities on tuition when successful fund-raising efforts have been the source for some ofthe projects.
Recent events have given me an opportunity to see NWACC from a much different perspective than 12 years ago when I taught some off-site programs for the college. The closer I have gotten to the inside of the college, the more I appreciate the wisdom of the original founders and marvel at the results of Dr.
Burns, the original president, and the current leadership of Dr. Paneitz. This is a big institution serving over 8,500 regular students and served over 18,000 students during the academic year 2011 when workforce development classes, community education, adult education and secondary students through the Regional Technology Center are included. The revised budget for this academic year is approaching $40 million. The sources of revenue include tuition and fees (approximately one half), state funding (approximately one quarter) and real estate and personal property taxes providing most of the balance.
The responsibilities that leading an institution of this size are enormous and demand a great deal of managerial expertise, fundraising ability and vision. Dr. Paneitz retires next June and the Board of Trustees, under the leadership of Randy Lawson, has the responsibility of hiring the next president. This is being done as the board’s realignment takes place and only four of the previous board are seeking reelection. The board is part of the team that continuesto guide NWACC.
My inquiries have produced far too much information to do justice to the opportunities provided by the college in a single article. I hope to provide more details on my exposure to NWACC in future articles.
So much has been written about the negative aspects of the administration, I have to take issue with some of the columnists who have used some financial problems to create confusion about the success of the college.
Certainly there have been some mistakes, but Dr. Paneitz, the administration and the Board of Trustees have taken steps to correct them and we need to celebrate their decisiveness and look to the future. What has really concerned me has been articles in the daily newspapers questioning Dr. Paneitz’s authority to discharge an employee (CFO) who reported to her. How can she operate an administration without that authority? And, to then criticize the Board of Trustees for not conducting a hearing that they are not authorized to conduct seems counterproductive.
If you have a computer and a few free minutes, go to http://www.nwacc.edu” www.nwacc.edu and check out their website.
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Editor’s note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. He is a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Opinion, Pages 5 on 10/17/2012