North Arkansas College (bg真人游戏注册) was founded 50 years ago. To celebrate this historic 50周年, bg真人游戏注册 will remember the people and places who made it the outstanding institution it is today. A series of articles and special events are planned for the upcoming year. This article focuses on the effort to establish community colleges in Arkansas.
When Dale Bumpers became 政府ernor of Arkansas in 1970, he immediately began working to establish a community college system in the state. 政府. Bumpers believed community colleges would bring the opportunity for higher education to more people in Arkansas.
A local group, Citizens for Boone County 社区 College, headed by Dr.’s Clarence and Katala Williams, as well as both Boone County State Representative Roger Logan and Baxter County Representative Veda Sheid, played key roles in getting the Arkansas community college act passed in 1971. 迈克Nabors, publicity chair for the local committee, said the effort had some headwinds as the state’s four-year institutions were initially skeptical. “They feared community colleges would take away from their enrollment. 然而, a study out of Florida showed the new community college system there was actually funneling more students into the four-year colleges and universities. That really helped us get the legislation passed,” Nabors said. The act was approved and signed into law; it authorized the State Division of Higher Education to approve 8-10 community college districts in Arkansas.
The Boone County group, led by the Dr.’s Williams, immediately began the application process. Others serving on the initial steering committee were Jerry McFarland, financial support; 迈克Nabors, publicity; Roy Baker, Jr. curriculum; Gene Durand, building and equipment; Felix古德森, site acquisition; and Mike Hodges, petition circulation
A group from Baxter County also submitted an application. “Un我们很幸运, the Baxter County application was approved,” Nabors recalled. “但, 我们很幸运, the voters of Baxter County rejected the proposal, and the Higher Ed folks gave us the green light to take the issue to Boone County voters and ask them to underwrite the college with a five-mill tax.”
The committee had their work cut out for them. They surveyed students, contacted legislators, 在教堂演讲, 学校, businesses and civic clubs, 写信, made phone calls and, with the help of dozens of other volunteers submitted thirty-seven individual petitions containing 1,140 signatures to the Arkansas Secretary of State “We worked really hard,迈克想起了. “这是一个大买卖. We went to county quilting meetings and every possible place we could go to speak.” He also lauded the support of KHOZ and the Harrison Daily Times saying, “Times Editor J.E. Dunlap was a huge voice for the college.”
Their work paid off. Boone County voters approved the tax to fund the college on November 6, 1973, by 76 votes. Nabors recalls, “It was close.”
The college’s service district included Boone, Carroll, Marion, Searcy, Newton and Madison counties.
政府ernor Bumpers appointed a nine-member 校董会 as the governing body to establish policies for the institution. The original board included John O. Campbell, Maxine Pettit, Dr. 吉姆欣然地, Felix古德森, 多丽丝·贝克, 乔·米勒, 弗朗西斯Doshier, Virgil Stonecipher and Richard Hudson. When one of the 政府ernor-appointed terms ended Nabors campaigned for it and became the first elected Board of Trustee member.