NWACC Fund-raiser Gala to Benefit College, Community
by March 29, 2004 12:00 am 67 views
NorthWest Arkansas Community College is focused on increasing its local profile, said Bill Outhouse, vice president of the NWACC Foundation Inc. That goal, along with the mission of providing financial support to the Bentonville college, was the impetus for NWACC to host its first fund-raiser gala, “An Evening With the Stars.”
The April 20 event, which Outhouse expects to attract 350 people, will begin with a silent auction and cash bar at 6 p.m. at the Rogers Embassy Suites Hotel Ballroom (see date).
“We serve about 15,000 students per year now in one way or another including credit courses, adult education and professional certifications,” Outhouse said. “This event is designed primarily to be a fund-raiser for the college because since we’re one of the fastest-growing colleges in America, there’s never enough funds to do everything that needs to be done.”
Regular college credit enrollment at NWACC when it opened in August of 1990 was 1,232. That more than doubled by 1996 to 2,869, more than tripled by 1999 (3,923) and hit 4,808 by 2002 and more than 5,000 this year. That’s more than 27 percent growth just since 2000, and none of those figures includes work force development.
The NWACC Foundation has raised more than $7 million for the college during the last three and a half years. It had $200,000 in its coffers in July of 2000 when Outhouse arrived. It paid out about $2 million for facility expansions this year, so its portfolio has dipped to about $1.6 million.
Outhouse said because NWACC is “all about improving the quality of life we all enjoy in Northwest Arkansas,” the event was centered around celebrating others who do the same. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will be recognized for its contributions to the local community along with Uvalde Lindsey, chairman of the Northwest Arkansas Council, and philanthropist Pauline Whitaker. Coleman Peterson, a retiring executive vice president, and Linda Dillman, Wal-Mart’s chief information officer, will accept on behalf of the retailer.