History, Role, and Scope
The NorthWest Arkansas Community College District was authorized on August 15, 1989, when voters in the Rogers and Bentonville public school districts passed a 3-mil tax. The first classes were attended by just more than 1,200 students in the fall of 1990 at high schools, chambers of commerce, municipal and leased facilities throughout the district.
Burns Hall opened its doors to just more than 2,400 students in August 1995. The main building is a multipurpose facility on 131 acres of land at Exit 86 of Interstate 540 on the Rogers and Bentonville, Arkansas, city limits. The 181,000 square-foot facility houses the College, Pauline Whitaker Library, lecture halls, laboratories for computers, science, nursing and allied health; music and art studios, and faculty and administrative offices.
Day, evening, and weekend classes are offered at the Burns Hall, as well as at locations throughout the service district. At the College’s new Shewmaker Center for Workforce Technologies, a 44,000 square–foot–facility on Southeast Eagle Way, west of Burns Hall, customized programs are offered to area businesses. The College’s Adult Education Program, which serves over 3,000 students a year, is located at the College’s East Classroom Center. Opened in Bella Vista in the Fall of 2004 was College at the Crossings. The new Regional Technology Center, an area secondary education center, opened August 2005.
In serving a dynamic region of the state, Northwest Arkansas Community College recognizes the importance of providing varied and abundant opportunities for learning.
NWACC is a comprehensive, learning-centered two-year college dedicated primarily to meeting the educational needs of its service area. NWACC offers a comprehensive education program including, but without limitation, technical occupational programs, freshman and sophomore programs for students to transfer to four-year colleges, specialty courses, professional continuing education courses, community enrichment classes, and business and industry training to meet the needs of the emerging and existing workforce. Part-time and full-time students are valued equally.