MENA (KFSM) – A local community college has taken another step forward in trying to merge into the University of Arkansas system.
The Rich Mountain Community College Board of Trustees will present a resolution to the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, to be read in the U of A’s May 2016 board meeting for final consideration, according to a press release.
“I commend the RMCC Board of Trustees for their leadership and vision that led to this important decision,” Rich Mountain CC president Philip Wilson said in a statement. “From discussions with all involved, the decision to join the University of Arkansas System is in the best interest of all our stakeholders. This is truly a day that we can all be proud of.”
If approved, the resolution would to join the U of A system would be effective July 1, 2016.
Wilson had told 5NEWS last month that a decision to be made by the college’s board could come soon.
In 1973, the College began as Rich Mountain Vocational-Technical School serving Polk, Scott, and Montgomery counties under the Arkansas Department of Vocational Education, the release stated. In the late 1970s, community leaders alongside Representative Ode Maddox began discussions about the creation of a community college. Representative Ode Maddox introduced legislation which ultimately became Act 16 of the 1983 General Assembly that established Rich Mountain Community College on July 1, 1983, according to the release.
