National Park College (NPC) is a public

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

in Hot Springs, Arkansas. NPC was founded in 2003 as a result of a merger between Garland County Community College and Quapaw Technical Institute. It is now one of the state's largest

s, enrolling 3,000 students annually in credit programs and an additional 3,800 students in non-credit programs. Tuition at NPC is less than half of Arkansas' universities. The name of the college is derived from its location adjacent to Hot Springs National Park.

History

National Park College was founded in 2003 as a result of a merger between Garland County Community College and Quapaw Technical Institute, which had been established in 1973 and 1969, respectively. In 2006, as part of its initial capital campaign, the college received a donation of 1.5 million dollars from Frederick M. Dierks of Hot Springs, who had been associated with a business and owned timberland and produced

pulp and paper The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard and other cellulose-based products. Manufacturing process The pulp is fed to a paper machine where it is formed as a paper web an ...

, and that was sold to Weyerhaeuser in 1969.Fred and Louise Dierks’ $1.5 Million Gift Allows Integration of Research Laboratories Into New Psychiatry Center
, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences press release, July 28, 2004 This was the largest cash donation in the history of Arkansas community colleges. These funds were purposed for a new nursing and health sciences facility. By December 2007, the college had raised an additional $900,000 for the campaign and initiated a joint program in early-childhood and middle-school teaching with Henderson State University. After

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

in 2005, NPC assisted students displaced from their home colleges by either enrolling in its college programs or finding colleges for them to enroll in. In 1994, when it was known as Garland County Community College, the college was censured by the

American Association of University Professors The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership includes over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations. The AAUP's stated mission is ...

for failure to abide by the ''1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure'' and ''1958 Statement on Procedural Standards in Faculty Dismissal Proceedings''. the censure remains in place. In 2013, National Park College celebrated two milestone anniversaries: the 40th anniversary of the founding of Garland County Community College (GCCC) and the 10th anniversary of the merger of GCCC with Quapaw Technical Institute that created National Park College.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Community colleges in Arkansas Educational institutions established in 2003 Buildings and structures in Hot Springs, Arkansas Education in Garland County, Arkansas Educational institutions accredited by the Council on Occupational Education 2003 establishments in Arkansas