For the second year in a row, National Park College (NPC) has set record highs for the number of graduates and degrees conferred. During a regular monthly meeting of the NPC Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Dr. Chuck Argo, vice president for Academic Affairs presented a graduation report.
NPC conferred 885 degrees and certificates to 543 graduates for the academic year 2024, an increase of 8% over 2023. This marks the highest number of credentials conferred in the college’s half-century history.
According to a press release by the institution, nine new degrees were conferred for the first time, including Associate of Applied Science in Law Enforcement Administration, Associate of Science degrees in Business Administration, Elementary Education K-6, and Language Arts Middle-Level Education, Associate of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences degrees in Art Education, Communication Studies, and Hospitality- Lodging Management, Associate of Science –STEM in Engineering, and a Certificate of Proficiency in Law Enforcement Administration.
“I continue to be impressed by the quality and dedication of our faculty,” said NPC President John Hogan. “This commitment to student success is evidenced by the record number of graduates and credentials this year, but it is our students’ persistence that should be applauded most. Some of them face tremendous obstacles along their journey, which makes celebrating commencement with them an even greater reward.”
In addition to the students who call themselves Nighthawks, five Southern Arkansas University (SAU) students participated in the commencement ceremony earning bachelor’s degrees in Biology-Pre-Health and Computer Science. Also recognized at the ceremony were apprenticeship students, concurrent enrollment students earning college credentials, and adult basic education graduates earning an Arkansas high school diploma. A total of 272 students walked in the graduation, an increase of 1% over the previous year.
According to Argo, the ceremony was live-streamed to viewers from all over the world.
“We are pleased that we can provide a live-stream option for family and friends who are not able to join us in person,” he said. “This year, there were 137 live-stream views from Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom and the USA, most of these are families of student-athletes.”
With newly formed and very successful athletic programs, many international students are flocking to the school to play basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and more.
Twenty-six student-athletes earned credentials this month with 32 student-athletes soon to be awarded National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Academic All-American awards. The NPC softball team will also receive All-Academic Team honors including 11 First Team All Americans with a 4.0 GPA, 9 Second Team All Americans with a 3.8-3.99 GPA, and 11 Third Team All Americans with a 3.6-3.79 GPA.
“It is such a pleasure to take time to recognize the accomplishments of our students,” NPC Board Chair Joyce Craft said. “The achievements of those graduates should not be understated. Each of them walked across the stage because of their determination and their hard work as well as the support of their family and friends. But, we should also recognize that their success represents the cumulative effort and support of the faculty and staff of this campus. As difficult as the profession of education can be sometimes, we must recognize the generational impact that we can have as educators not just on the student receiving the diploma, but also on the lives of those around the graduate. Your work here at NPC is important. Don’t forget that.”
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