Board of Trustees
July 10, 2025
The North Arkansas College Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday 10, July 2025 in the JPH Conference Center. Chair Feighert called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. Trustees Don Tomlinson, Linda Pledger, Jon Burnside, Pam Henry, Bob Mouser, Chris McNew, and Jason Patience were present.
North Arkansas College personnel attending included Dr. Rick Massengale, Richard Stipe, Kelsea Lowery, John Gripka, Darren Young, Dr. Ricky Tompkins, Dr. Rodney Arnold, Jeff Smith, Ryan Hoffman, Bobby Howard, Charla Jennings.
Approval of Agenda
Chair Feighert asked if there were any changes to the agenda as presented. There being none a motion was made, unanimously approved.
Regular Reports
Finance Report: Richard Stipe shared Preliminary E&G and Auxiliary budget activities through June 2025.
In the E&G fund, Richard Stipe stated the total preliminary monthly revenue was $682,860, and the expenditures ended at $1,072,314. The year-to-date total of revenues was $16,935,598, and expenses were $16,712,222. Richard stated the overall budget performance was positive with more revenue than expenditure.
Auxiliary: The month's preliminary revenue totaled $14,830, and the expenditures totaled $124,966 The year-to-date revenues were $2,315,369, and expenses were $2,161,033. He stated the auxiliary also had a positive overall budget performance.
Richard Stipe reported that the CRMI project should be completed within the next couple of weeks. He announced that a grand opening is scheduled for September 2, 2025. He invited board members to tour the building and suggested that the August board meeting could be held at the CRMI facility.
Richard also addressed a growing issue affecting colleges nationwide. Criminals have been using stolen identities to fraudulently register as students in order to receive Pell Grants. After the funds are disbursed, these individuals disappear and are no longer active students. At Northark, the Registrar’s Office discovered inconsistencies in several high school transcripts. Upon following up with the high schools, they confirmed that the students had never been enrolled and that the transcripts were falsified.
As a result, fourteen fraudulent students were enrolled and received a total of approximately $47,000 in federal financial aid. Although the funds were federal, the government requires Northark to reimburse the stolen amounts. Richard noted that detecting these “ghost students” will remain a challenge, but the college will continue to be vigilant.
President’s Report:
Dr. Massengale shared photos and stories from his recent vacation to national and state parks. He congratulated the sixteen Academic All-Americans and the Lady Pioneer Basketball Team, who were recognized as an All-American Team.
He also spoke about Movie Night, which featured the Minecraft movie, and emphasized that Northark wants to provide opportunities for the community to enjoy the campus. He highlighted the summer camps, including Quilting and Drawing.
Dr. Massengale discussed the Nature Unlocked Workshops: Combining Science and the Creativity of Nature (STEM). These workshops included activities such as collecting and identifying non-game fish, studying crayfish species, examining how organisms’ function within their ecosystems, and exploring the diverse plant and tree species of the Ozarks.
He also announced that Northark received a $2,000 grant to launch men’s and women’s golf teams.
Consent Agenda:
The Consent Agenda included approval of the June regular meeting minutes, Replacement Hires: PN Program Faculty and Welding Technology Instructor, New Hire: Energy Management Instructor
Chair Feighert asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. A motion was made by Trustee Henry seconded by Trustee Pledger, and unanimously approved.
Chair Feighert inquired about the merger with the University of Arkansas System. Dr. Massengale responded that the paperwork is currently with the attorneys, and they are estimating a completion date of May 1, 2026.
Chair Feighert adjourned the meeting at 3:26 p.m.
