Arkansas

New Northwest Arkansas Community College president starts job

Published

2 years ago

July 27, 2022

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New Northwest Arkansas Community College president starts job

Dennis Rittle is in his third week on the job as NorthWest Arkansas Group School’s new president.

He informed Axios he likes to work in groups to make the group higher and will get the sense that NWA is ripe with expertise that does not function in silos.

Why it issues: The president is tasked with main the area’s flagship group faculty that gives an array of diploma packages and certifications at a decrease value than conventional universities.

NWACC performs a very vital position in NWA’s workforce pipeline in fields similar to well being care, tech and enterprise. It is also residence to a culinary college, Brightwater.
Spokesperson Elizabeth Kapsner confirmed to Axios in February that NWACC intends to develop its Washington County facility that simply opened in 2020 to fulfill the wants of the realm, notably in well being care.
NWACC has added tech packages, similar to coding bootcamps and a certificates in cloud computing, to fill the necessity for tech staff.

The large image: Rittle sees the college as a spot the place college students can discover with out breaking the financial institution and go on to contribute to the area’s workforce. The small-school surroundings permits individuals to have relationships with college who’re specialists of their fields relatively than trainer’s assistants, he informed Axios.

What they’re saying: Rittle says he is serious about discovering areas the place the school can provide upskilling alternatives — packages for college students who could already be within the workforce, however have to be taught a brand new ability.

Background: Rittle involves NWA from Arkansas Metropolis, Kansas, the place he was president of Cowley School, a group faculty, since 2015. He is labored in training since 2007.

He was a first-generation faculty pupil and attended group faculty himself.

Flashback: Former president Evelyn Jorgenson retired earlier this summer season after working within the position since 2013.

What’s subsequent: Rittle needs to seek out methods to verify the group is aware of what NWACC provides and to assist change destructive perceptions round group faculty. He’d wish to see an financial impression research present what the college’s graduates earn and contribute.

NWACC, like group schools nationwide, has seen a pandemic-induced drop in enrollment — a 12% decline from fall 2019 to fall 2020 and a 5.6% lower from spring 2021 to spring 2022.
“Larger training needs to be transformative not transactional,” Rittle mentioned.

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Arkansas

Get to know: Arkansas O-line signee Bubba Craig | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Published

5 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Get to know: Arkansas O-line signee Bubba Craig | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Arkansas offensive line signee Bubba Craig is expected to report Fayetteville this weekend for the spring semester.

Craig, 6-6 and 315 pounds, of Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College picked the Hogs over Temple, Liberty, Texas -San Antonio and others.

On3.com industry ranking list him the No. 1 interior offensive lineman and No. 23 overall junior college prospect.

Nickname: Bubba

Favorite thing about playing on the O-line: Moving people

Football has taught me: Patience

My parents stay on me to: Be great at whatever I do

My favorite childhood memory: Building a fort in my yard. It fell over because I was like 10 years old and my siblings and I didn’t know we were doing but ut was still cool.

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Arkansas

How Arkansas addressed receiver position in transfer portal

Published

13 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

How Arkansas addressed receiver position in transfer portal

Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino lost plenty of production in the passing game to the transfer portal and NFL Draft following the 2024 season.

With starting quarterback Taylen Green set to return for a second season in Fayetteville, the Hogs had to find the 6-foot-6 passer some new weapons. Star receiver Andrew Armstrong is on his way to the NFL, veterans Isaac TeSlaa and Tyrone Broden are out of eligibility, and speedster Isaiah Sategna transferred to Oklahoma.

Along with those departures, younger prospects Dazmin James and Davion Dozier also elected to hit the portal, which left plenty of recruiting for Petrino, receivers coach Ronnie Fouch and head coach Sam Pittman.

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Armstrong led all Southeastern Conference players with 78 receptions for 1,140 receiving yards in the regular season, but it was really a one-man show with him all season.

TeSlaa added 545 receiving yards and Sategna was second on the team with 37 catches. At 6-foot-7, Broden could never break through as a true difference maker, as he caught just 15 passes for 197 yards and barely played late in the year.

Of the players the Hogs are set to return at wide receiver — Jordan Anthony, CJ Brown, Krosse Johnson, Bryce Stephens, Monte Harrison and Shamar Easter (moved from tight end to receiver for Liberty Bowl) — the production from 2024 only combined for a total 18 receptions, 243 yards and one touchdown.

Incoming freshmen such as Warren (Ark.) product Antonio Jordan and Missouri City (Tx.) four-star Ja’Kayden Ferguson are intriguing prospects, but it was clear the Hogs needed to add talent in the transfer portal.

So far, the Razorbacks have signed five transfer portal wide receivers. Three of them put together very solid seasons in 2024 for their respective programs, while one — former four-star and Pine Bluff native Courtney Crutchfield — redshirted and the fifth, Ismael Cisse, was a contributor at Stanford.

Arkansas Wide Receiver Production

Note: Courtney Crutchfield is not part of the table, as he did not record any statistics in 2024.

O’Mega Blake (6-foot-2, 180 lbs) began his career at South Carolina, where he spent three seasons and caught 20 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. At Charlotte in 2024, Blake caught five passes for 205 yards and three scores in the Nov. 23 win over Florida Atlantic.

Hailing from Fresno State, Raylen Sharpe (5-foot-9, 165 lbs) is very familiar with Petrino. Sharpe spent 2022-23 at Missouri State, where Petrino was head coach from 2020-22. Sharpe caught 73 passes for 991 yards and seven touchdowns at Missouri State in 2023.

Kam Shanks (5-foot-8, 180 lbs) will more-than-likely be the favorite to return punts after leading the nation with 329 punt return yards and two punt return touchdowns this season. Shanks caught five passes for 31 yards and one score in the Sept. 14 loss at Arkansas.

After being committed to Arkansas for nearly seven months out of high school, Courtney Crutchfield signed with Missouri and redshirted after appearing in just two games in 2024. He was rated by Rivals as the No. 2 overall recruit and No. 1 wide receiver in the state of Arkansas in the 2024 recruiting class.

The latest addition to the class, Cisse signed with the Razorbacks on Monday evening following a visit over the weekend. He logged 381 snaps as a freshman in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. Cisse is a former three-star recruit out of Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, Colorado.

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Arkansas

Arkansas Hoping to Combat ‘Randomness’ from Ole Miss Offense

Published

21 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Arkansas Hoping to Combat ‘Randomness’ from Ole Miss Offense

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Overshadowed by Arkansas’ 52-point offensive performance was the difficulties the Razorbacks had stopping Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, who scored 29 points on 10-for-20 shooting, including five threes in a 24-point loss against the No. 1 Volunteers.

Now, the Hogs must deal with a quartet of guards against No. 23 Ole Miss. All four can score in the “randomness” of coach Chris Beard’s system. The Rebels’ top four scorers, Sean Pedulla, Jaylen Murray, Matthew Murrell and Dre Davis are all listed as guards and average double figures.

“These guys run motion,” assistant coach Chin Coleman said. “It’s all random and it’s all different and so, while they’re moving and cutting and screening, you’re going to have to guard every kind of screen there is in the game of basketball. That motion is unpredictable. The freedom of movement, cutting, screening. It’s hard to scheme against. It’s hard to scout.”

Arkansas also must contend with an Ole Miss team that wins the turnover battle on both ends of the floor. The Rebels commit the ninth-fewest turnovers in the country (9.3) and are third-best in turnover margin (+7.0).

“We want to stay on the attack and make plays for one another and not have a lot of live-ball turnovers,” Coleman said. “Those are the ones that we can’t defend against. We want to make teams play against our set defense, which is one of the best in the country. If we can do that and not have live ball turnovers, we’ll be fine.”

Tennessee forced the Razorbacks to commit 15 turnovers, picked up 10 steals and turned it into 13 points. Ole Miss ranks fourth in the SEC at 10.2 steals a game.

Tipoff between Ole Miss and Arkansas is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday and will be broadcast on ESPN2.