March 12, 2026
The UA Northark Board of Trustees met in regular session on Thursday, March 12th in the JPH Conference Center. Chair Pledger called the meeting to order at 3:00p.m. Trustees Burnside, Feighert, Tomlinson, Johnson, Patience, Henry, McNew, and was present.
UA Northark personnel attending included Dr. Rick Massengale, Tavonda Brown, Richard Stipe, Dr. Matt Cardin, Dr. Rodney Arnold, Randall Dias, Jo Adams, Micki Somers, Ryan Hoffman, John Gripka, Bridgette Kampfe, Darren Young, and Kelsea Lowery.
Approval of Agenda
Chair Pledger 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 the E&G and Auxiliary budget activities through February 2026.
In the E&G fund, Richard Stipe stated the total monthly revenue was $694, 925 and the expenditures ended at $1,203,424. The year-to-date total of revenues was $15,064,855 and expenses were $13,048,178.
Auxiliary: The month's revenue totaled $65,140 and expenditures totaled $388,171. Year-to-date revenues were $2,175,530 and expenses were $1,711,895. HE noted that housing payments contribute to the totals.
President Report:
Dr. Massengale opened the meeting by thanking the Boone County Cattlemen’s Association for their $44,000 donation to the UA Northark Foundation, which will support Northark agricultural students. He congratulated the Dorm Saylors Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, Jeff Brasel, Hannah Villines Willis, Nathan Denny, and Brian King and recognized Bobby Howard for his 40 years of coaching.
He highlighted that the FAA selected UA Northark for its drone program. He noted that other community colleges have taken notice and are interested in partnering with Northark. Northark also hosted a Career Fair that included approximately 60 businesses. In collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Harrison, Northark is working to support individuals seeking employment.
Dr. Massengale reported that the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) conducted its evaluation and site visit of UA Northark regarding the potential merger with the University of Arkansas System. A decision is expected by the end of March.
Dr. Matt Cardin shared additional information about the programs listed on the consent agenda.
Consent Agenda
The consent agenda included the February regular meeting minutes, new position- Academic Advisor, Replacement position- Vice President of Technical Education and Workforce Development, New certificate program- Certificate of Proficiency in Industrial Maintenance Technology, Program deletions and deactivation- Administrative Medial Assistant Certificate of Proficiency, Clinical Medical Assistant Certificate of Proficiency, Certification Welding Certificate of Proficiency, Shielded Metal Arc Welding Certificate of Proficiency.
Chair Pledger asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Trustee Feighert made the motion, which was seconded by Trustee McNew, and unanimously approved.
Monitoring Report
Director of IT Ryan Hoffman presented the March monitoring report on optimizing the deployment and use of technology, focusing primarily on Objective 3.5.
Mr. Hoffman began by reviewing completed projects, including the network connection to CRMI and a fiber optic extension from the residence hall. He also noted the addition of computer labs on the North campus and at CRMI, as well as audio/visual enhancements in the Cathy Brandt Board Room in the Learning Resource Center. Additional upgrades included improvements to computer hardware in the Esports lab and the implementation of a Passpoint cellular signal–boosting network.
Mr. Hoffman provided a breakdown of the Microsoft Secure Score, which stood at 54.71% as of March 10, 2026.
He concluded with a preview of upcoming projects, including an employee laptop refresh, installation of interactive classroom displays, a security camera refresh, and implementation of Passkey/YubiKey authentication.
New Business
Appointment of Board of Trustees Commencement Award Committee- As Chairman, Linda Pledger appointed Trustee Johnson as committee chair, with Trustees Burnside and Mouser serving as committee members.
Appointment of the Presidential Evaluation Committee- As Chairman, Linda Pledger appointed Trustee McNew as committee chair, with Trustees Henry and Patience to serve on the committee.
Adjournment- Dr. Lewis Villines thanked the Board of Trustees for approving his position as VP of Technical Education and Workforce Development.
Chair Pledger adjourned the meeting at 3:38 p.m.
