Incoming Northark President has Community College Values

A large crowd of people gathered to attend the formal ceremony in which Dr. Jacquelyn Elliott was officially selected take the helm as the next president of North Arkansas College on Wednesday afternoon.  College trustees voted unanimously to hire her.

Elliott, currently vice president of student affairs at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO., holds a bachelor’s degree in communications, a master’s degree in English, and a doctorate in higher education administration and leadership.

She is married to Neil and they have four sons, Benjamin, Josh, Noah and Brian.

It is several months until she begins work, and she’s already looking forward to the new position.

“It is truly exciting for me that I’ve been asked to serve as the third president of Northark, both personally and professionally.  Having started my career in higher education at the community college level, it feels like coming home again, to serve where lives are truly changed,” Elliott said. 

She added, “While I have been fortunate enough to be able to serve public and private four year universities, I’ve held a strong commitment to the vision and mission of the community college because I believe it represents the purest form of opportunity.  At its inception, the community college was founded on the idea that higher and broader education should be placed within reach of those whose destiny assigns them to live, and where all have access to educational advancement if they so choose.”

One of Elliott’s selling points was her strong connection with the students, board members said.

She definitely made an impression; one student returned to an evening forum and brought her artwork she had admired earlier on campus.  Several other students in the forum wrote “my pick of all the candidates,” “very smart, great goals, willing to work with people” and “hire her immediately.”

It is evident her dynamic leadership style and communication skills appealed to many varied groups of stakeholders.

Those skills will be expected to translate into productive goals and growth for the Harrison community college in the wake of increased scrutiny on the cost of college and earning potential versus tuition conversations.  The college currently enjoys one of the lowest tuition rates in the state. A recent economic impact study revealed the average Northark student’s discounted lifetime income increases by $7.90 for every dollar invested in Northark.*

Dr. Elliott said she feels the low tuition combined with the quality education the college offers are both ideal reasons for enrollment growth and expansion into other states and different countries. 

Popular degree programs at the two-year college have traditionally been allied heath and business and technology.  Elliott mentioned the potential of developing niche programs like GPS and diesel mechanics to capitalize on current trends and employer needs.

The first item on her agenda will include meeting everyone and developing an understanding of Northark’s culture, climate, challenges and opportunities.  Strategic planning and data driven decisions are both components that will drive the choices made by the new president in her leadership role.

Elliott described a future goal as aggressively identifying innovative and new programs that distinguish Northark from its competitors.

*Based on a recent economic impact study conducted in December 2010 by Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc.

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For more information, contact Micki Somers, Director of Public Relations & Development, North Arkansas College at (870) 391-3242 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Micki Somers
Director, Public Relations & Development