Bill and Susan Stiritz offer to match gifts for
$1.4 million Student Center renovation
Thanks to an offer from one of North Arkansas College’s most outstanding long-time supporters, Northark students are one major step closer to dreams of modern facilities.
“A modern student center is our number one priority,” said Dr. Jeff Olson, in a conversation with Bill Stiritz (from St. Louis and a former graduate of Harrison High School). “We need to provide a nicer, more comfortable place for our students to spend time between classes. We don’t have dormitories. With the price of gasoline, our students can’t afford to drive back and forth between home and school in between their classes.”
Dr. Gwen Gresham, vice president of learning, added, “With a new student center, we will be able to provide all the various student services (testing, advising, financial aid, registration, book store, etc.) in one convenient one-stop area. The problem is we have no funds for this project.”
Stiritz responded that he would match dollar for dollar funds donated for the project. “If the area residents will support it, Susan and I would love to see it become a reality,” he said.
Estimated cost of the Student Center project is $1.4 million. The proposed renovation totals 12,135 square feet and would share an entrance with the Allied Health Addition, currently under construction.
Gresham co-chaired a 13-member committee made up of faculty and staff that came up with the proposal. “It will enable us to consolidate services to students, so they are not shuttled back and forth between one end of the building and the other, depending on what they need,” she pointed out.
Cindy Mayo, director of Northark’s Title III Program and the other committee co-chair, pointed to the synergy created by having testing, advising, registration, and other student services in one area. “We think putting everyone together will improve customer service and build a better sense of teamwork,” she said.
Offices and areas occupied by counselors and student accounts staff who relocate to the expanded Student Center will be available for college use as classrooms and-or offices for other programs.
“This project demonstrates our commitment to providing services and facilities to help students be successful in college,” said Dr. Jeff Olson, president of North Arkansas College. “We are working hard to increase the college-going rate and reach the four of 10 high school students who don’t plan to continue their education.
“When we bring students to the college, an updated and expanded student services area will provide a more welcoming atmosphere and improve our efforts to recruit them,” he continued. “It will also house services to help retain students once they are here, which is critically important.”
Actual construction costs, not including furnishings and equipment, are estimated at $1,190,693. This includes $859,250 for 6,874 square feet ($125 per square foot) of space that will require major renovation, and $331,443 for 5,261 square feet ($63 per square foot) for areas that will need more minor changes and new finishes.
Stiritz is the retired president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Ralston Purina. The 2003 recipient of the Northark Foundation’s Ozarks Ambassador Award, he received the North Arkansas College Board of Trustees Award in 2005.
With his wife, Dr. Susan E. Stiritz, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Stiritz established the Stiritz Endowed Chair in the Humanities in 2004 at Northark. They also created two scholarship funds, and were lead donors for the Bill Baker Amphitheatre and Northark Center Campus projects.
“Northark is a transformational place,” Stiritz pointed out. “It adds substance to the aspirations of people. It changes their lives.”