ARTICLE
National Park College President Dr. John Hogan has a strong belief that access to higher education builds a strong community, and that belief shines through in his work. In recognition of his leadership in the community, Hogan was named the 2018 Man of Year. “I was very surprised, mostly because of the previous winners of the award and the other nominees,” he said. “It was a most flattering development and somewhat surreal. I think being a recipient creates an even greater responsibility to contribute more! The Chamber’s willingness to recognize individual contributions is one of its many strong attributes.” Through his leadership at NPC, Hogan has expanded the opportunity for Hot Springs area residents to further their education without leaving the area. When he arrived at NPC, Hogan’s vision included increasing degree attainment for the citizens of Hot Springs and Garland County. By making it easier for local residents to attain degrees, the student is not the only beneficiary—the community is as well. “Degree holders are far more likely to earn a higher income, pay their bills, pay taxes, not use social services, not burden the criminal justice system, and they rear children that will also earn degrees,” Hogan said. “They will attract businesses, start businesses, and invest in their communities. The ideal effect is that it lessens the overall burden—the tax burden for example. The higher everyone’s income, the lower the tax burden. Higher education is still the best investment you can make in yourself, and the best you can make in your community.” Hogan said he also considers apprenticeship and workforce training to be higher education. “These are college-level programs that require very specialized skills,” he said. Hogan’s vision also includes close collaboration with local business and industry to provide workforce training. His support of the College’s Innovative Technologies Center (ITC) provides the ability to quickly develop and deploy training to meet the needs of industry partners. These efforts help close the skills gap and generate highly skilled workers at their facilities. Under his leadership with the National Park University initiative, students now have seamless transfer opportunities with partnering institutions. Last month, NPC announced a partnership with Southern Arkansas University to offer bachelor’s degrees right on the NPC campus. Other initiatives include the construction of a Student Commons as well as a new Marine Technology lab facility. The Marine Technology program is a magnet to Garland County and attracts students throughout the state and beyond. Hogan has a deep desire to serve the Hot Springs community and works to make it the best place to live for people of all ages. “To me, the definition of ‘community’ is a standard of quality of life,” Hogan said. “It benefits everyone if we aspire to improve the quality of living. There are many initiatives in which we could invest to gain that return for our residents. I know economists and actuaries could probably find a measuring stick, but I think that doing good for others is always its own reward. It turns out that the more we serve, the more rewarded and engaged we feel, and this fuels our appetite for more service to others.” Hogan and his wife, Dorelle, have three sons, Nick, Adam, and Josh, and one granddaughter Lily Margaret. He has been president at NPC since 2014.
National Park College President Dr. John Hogan has a strong belief that access to higher education builds a strong community, and that belief shines through in his work. In recognition of his leadership in the community, Hogan was named the 2018 Man of Year.
“I was very surprised, mostly because of the previous winners of the award and the other nominees,” he said. “It was a most flattering development and somewhat surreal. I think being a recipient creates an even greater responsibility to contribute more! The Chamber’s willingness to recognize individual contributions is one of its many strong attributes.”
Through his leadership at NPC, Hogan has expanded the opportunity for Hot Springs area residents to further their education without leaving the area.
When he arrived at NPC, Hogan’s vision included increasing degree attainment for the citizens of Hot Springs and Garland County. By making it easier for local residents to attain degrees, the student is not the only beneficiary—the community is as well.
“Degree holders are far more likely to earn a higher income, pay their bills, pay taxes, not use social services, not burden the criminal justice system, and they rear children that will also earn degrees,” Hogan said. “They will attract businesses, start businesses, and invest in their communities. The ideal effect is that it lessens the overall burden—the tax burden for example. The higher everyone’s income, the lower the tax burden. Higher education is still the best investment you can make in yourself, and the best you can make in your community.”
Hogan said he also considers apprenticeship and workforce training to be higher education. “These are college-level programs that require very specialized skills,” he said.
Hogan’s vision also includes close collaboration with local business and industry to provide workforce training. His support of the College’s Innovative Technologies Center (ITC) provides the ability to quickly develop and deploy training to meet the needs of industry partners. These efforts help close the skills gap and generate highly skilled workers at their facilities.
Under his leadership with the National Park University initiative, students now have seamless transfer opportunities with partnering institutions. Last month, NPC announced a partnership with Southern Arkansas University to offer bachelor’s degrees right on the NPC campus.
Other initiatives include the construction of a Student Commons as well as a new Marine Technology lab facility. The Marine Technology program is a magnet to Garland County and attracts students throughout the state and beyond.
Hogan has a deep desire to serve the Hot Springs community and works to make it the best place to live for people of all ages.
“To me, the definition of ‘community’ is a standard of quality of life,” Hogan said. “It benefits everyone if we aspire to improve the quality of living. There are many initiatives in which we could invest to gain that return for our residents. I know economists and actuaries could probably find a measuring stick, but I think that doing good for others is always its own reward. It turns out that the more we serve, the more rewarded and engaged we feel, and this fuels our appetite for more service to others.”
Hogan and his wife, Dorelle, have three sons, Nick, Adam, and Josh, and one granddaughter Lily Margaret. He has been president at NPC since 2014.