Originally published in the Eagle View’s February print issue.
The college’s Board of Trustees caught a glimpse of the new campus master plan at their recent January meeting. NWACC’s Campus Master Plan was a heavy talking point at the recent meeting. The Campus Master Plan introduces an outline for NWACC’s campus in its future. Liz Anderson, chair of the Campus Master Plan Steering Committee, said, “The campus master plan aims to be an aspirational vision that guides the college’s future growth.” The whole process of the Master Plan began in November 2023 and is now entering its final stages towards mid March 2025.
Throughout the past stages of the plan, the committee valued its community input and brought in many students, staff and faculty to participate in building workshops so they could sketch out what people wanted to see for NWACC’s future campus. Anderson, executive director of the NWACC Foundation, said, “Community is our middle name; feedback and listening sessions with all stakeholders were critical to the process.” The workshops brought in many goals for the architectural firm, Lake Flato, that was chosen to assist with this project. Taryn Settle, president of Student Government Association, said “Lake Flato, the architectural firm responsible for the plan, went out of their way to accommodate student needs.”
The idea of the campus master plan began in early November 2023, and throughout the beginning of discussions for this master plan, NWACC applied to The Walton Family Foundation’s grant for their Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program. NWACC received the grant in January 2024 and had been working on this project since then. Anderson said, “I say we are nearing the end of this project, so we are hoping to present the final plan to the land use committee in March, and the land use committee will then consider the plan. If they approve it, then they will propose it and recommend it to the [NWACC’s] Board of Trustees.”
Lake Flato and the masterplan committee had 4 concept schemes for college, and the one they chose and shared at the recent Board of Trustees meeting is the “Ozark Academic Village.” The academic village introduces a student housing village, campus commons building, soccer field/track and stadium, etc. It includes many open spaces for students to walk around campus and brings in a lot of opportunities. Settle said, “I am most looking forward to the proposed expansion of academic buildings. NWACC offers one of the best educational experiences available, and the prospect of making it even better is very exciting.” Throughout the many workshops, Lake Flato and the masterplan committee strived to reach an idea that fits what most people would like to see in the upcoming years. Yet there are many things that couldn’t have been included, but they are confident in their preferred scheme and see it have a positive impact for NWACC campus and the nearby region.
NWACC’s last campus master plan was introduced in 2008, and with their upcoming master plan it is expected to bring in major changes to the well-known campus as it keeps on growing throughout the years. At the recent meeting, Board of Trustees member Rachel Harris said, “With this vision, I know we can do it.” Although the public won’t see the final product in the upcoming years, college leaders suggest that it is sure to bring a lasting impact to the region in 10 to 20 years from now. The finalized plan is set to be shared by mid-March this year, and most likely to be presented to the Board of Trustees at their March meeting.
Update from December 2025:
The Board of Trustees approved the final version of the campus master plan in March. The plan is expected to guide the next five to 20 years of growth and expansion for the campus. Subsequent meetings included discussion about housing for students and the workforce as a part of the master plan. The fitness court, part of the plan, opened in the fall of 2025.
