Ryburn named interim president of Northwest Technical Institute

by Jeff Della Rosa ([email protected]) 79 views 

Nicholas Ryburn will become interim president of Springdale-based Northwest Technical Institute on July 1, according to a Friday (June 14) news release. Ryburn is the director of adult education and will add the interim president duties on July 1.

According to the release, he will be a candidate for the permanent president position. Currently, there’s no timeline to fill the role.

On May 21, Jim Rollins, president of Northwest Technical Institute, announced his resignation because of health reasons. The resignation is effective June 30. Rollins started as president of the technical school on July 1, 2020.

Ryburn joined Northwest Technical Institute in 2014 as director of student services and has served as director of adult education since 2018. On Thursday (June 13), Ryburn was named interim president at the Northwest Technical Institute Board of Directors meeting.

“I anticipate my new position with enthusiasm and am exceedingly grateful for the opportunity that the board has bestowed upon me,” Ryburn said. “It is an extremely rewarding experience working with adult learners. I have had the opportunity to collaborate with some exceptional individuals the past 15 years. I will make every effort to uphold our legacy of changing lives through education, training and skill development.”

Nicholas Ryburn

Ryburn is pursuing a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) with an emphasis in adult and lifelong learning at the University of Arkansas. He earned a master’s degree in workforce development education from the UA in 2010 and a bachelor’s degree in speech communications from the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 2006.

The transition from Rollins to Ryburn will begin Monday (June 17) with the official start date of July 1.