UA-Monticello to offer 4-year business degree at National Park College

For the first time, higher education students in Hot Springs will be able to earn a four-year degree without having to leave their city.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello, part of the University of Arkansas System, and National Park College, a public community college in Hot Springs, have agreed to partner on a pathway for students to turn their associate degrees from the latter into a bachelor of arts in business administration from the former while remaining in Hot Springs on the National Park College campus. The degree was approved by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education in July and by the Higher Learning Commission earlier this month.

The agreement is unique in several ways, from a UA System institution partnering with a non-UA System school to a “campus within a campus” model, said Peggy Doss, chancellor of UA-Monticello. “I don’t know of anything like it in the state, and I think it’s pretty rare in the country,” so this is “pretty momentous,” she said.

It’s “something that truly puts students first, in the state and the region,” and provides a clear path for students to navigate to a four-year degree, Doss said. It’s also a way to define new pathways in higher education in a cost-effective manner by using resources from multiple institutions, as students in the program will have access to all of the services and resources offered by both National Park College and UA-Monticello.

Though those with a college degree generally earn substantially more than those with only a high school diploma, individuals with a bachelor’s degree earn roughly three-quarters of a million dollars more over a 40-year career than those with an associate’s degree, so “education pays,” said John Hogan, president of National Park College. This new opportunity will improve the workforce and quality of life in Hot Springs and Garland County, and the “economic impact is profound,” he said.

The agreement takes effect in the fall, and “I think we’ll be pleasantly surprised” by how many individuals grab the opportunity, Hogan said. There are already numerous individuals who have completed an associate degree in business, so “they can start immediately.”

While UA-Monticello may provide some remote instruction as part of the agreement, these courses will be taught predominantly by National Park College professors students already know, and they can maintain continuity with their academic advisers, said Jeff Weaver, UA-Monticello’s vice chancellor for advancement. “The Hot Springs community, [especially] the business community, is pretty excited about this, [as] Hot Springs is a pretty large town to not have a four-year program.”

This is “a proud day for National Park College and means a lot to students” in Hot Springs and Garland County, Hogan said. “We need to pay attention to student voice and this is a response to” something students have wanted.

Tyanna Lindsey is “proud to be a part of a campus that puts the needs of our students first and is always looking for ways to expand opportunities for us,” the National Park College Student Government president said in a news release from the college. “We are grateful to our partners at UA-Monticello for extending such a generous scholarship package, and we look forward to the impact this will have on our community.”

National Park College leaders “want to hear from [students] and empower them by delivering degrees they want,” Hogan said. “If geography is an obstacle, we want to overcome that.”

UA-Monticello and National Park College have similar missions, and their students have a lot in common, Doss said. Many are first-generation college students, while others are older students making career changes, but who have work and family responsibilities that might make it challenging to relocate from their homes in Hot Springs.

This agreement removes that barrier, but students are also welcome to move to Monticello — which is more than two hours from Hot Springs — and be part of that campus community if they wish, Doss said. They’ll be eligible for a $3,000-per-semester scholarship whether they take these business courses in Hot Springs or Monticello.

Though these students will have to pay UA-Monticello tuition as juniors and seniors, the Nighthawk Transfer Scholarship will make the Bachelor of Business Administration degree one of the most affordable bachelor’s degrees in the state, Doss said. Students will be required to complete 55 credit hours and maintain a 2.5 grade-point average to be eligible.

Doss is a first-generation college student who wouldn’t have had that opportunity if not for her alma mater of UA-Monticello, so “this is a heartfelt mission for us,” she said. “We know the value of these degrees, and we want to open access to them.”

This is “very special and outstanding, everyone pulling the wagon in the same direction,” said C.C. “Cliff” Gibson III, chairman of the University of Arkansas board of trustees, the governing body of the UA System. “Good things happen when you pull together, and Arkansas is not the biggest state, so it’s important we pull together.”

In the current landscape of higher education, institutions are being asked to do more with less, and the only way to accomplish that without sacrificing quality is through creative partnerships like the one announced Tuesday at the UA System offices in Little Rock, said UA System President Donald Bobbitt. This is “very important for higher education in the state, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Doss, Hogan, and Weaver all said they could envision additional partnerships between their institutions to bring more four-year degrees to Hot Springs.

“This is just the beginning,” Doss said. “We want to be on the cutting edge of innovation — that’s part of our brand.”