National Park College (NPC) announced the newly renovated Hospitality and Tourism Center will be named for the Oaklawn Foundation. The Oaklawn Foundation invested $400,000 in 2018 to help renovate the 7,500 square foot space, now located on the first floor of the Gerald Fisher Building.
The mission of the NPC Hospitality and Tourism Program is to provide students from diverse backgrounds a quality education and skill set pertinent to preparation for career success in the Hospitality and Tourism industry.
Forrest Spicher, NPC Board Chair, noted that hospitality and tourism are a huge part of our local economy. “Hot Springs averages approximately eight million visitors per year, with about half staying overnight.” The 8,000 workers in the industry make up about 25 percent of the workforce and noted Hot Springs has nearly 200 restaurants and 100 hotels.
Ira Kleinman, Oaklawn Foundation Chair discussed the mission of the Oaklawn Foundation and how the growth and evolution of NPC has allowed the organization to meet that mission. “The work that you guys have done and the progress that National Park College has made in the last several years has been a real pleasure to witness and all of this progress has provided an avenue for the Oaklawn Foundation to fulfill our mission. Our mission is to enhance the quality of lives of the people in Garland County and we are specifically doing that by funding programs for students and seniors.”
“That is exactly what the Hospitality program does. A student can come, earn a degree in Hospitality right here in Hot Springs, then work right here in our community…in one of the largest industries in our community,” Kleinman added.
