Come Back to College Fair Will Connect Returning Students With Schools

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Graduate NWA, a partnership of six colleges and universities and the Northwest Arkansas Council, will hold its second annual Come Back to College Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in a push to help adults complete their education.

The University of Arkansas is one of Graduate NWA’s partner institutions.

The fair, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Jones Center, 922 E. Emma Avenue in Springdale, brings together representatives of six Northwest Arkansas colleges and universities, scholarship providers and academic advisers. The focus is on assisting adults interested in completing a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree or technical certificate.

Established in 2012, Graduate NWA targets Northwest Arkansas adults who’ve completed some college and encourages them to restart their education.

“People access information on the Graduate NWA website to learn more about returning to college, but every person interested in returning to college has unique circumstances,” said Stacey Sturner, the Graduate NWA program manager for the Northwest Arkansas Council. “The Come Back to College Fair is one more way to engage people and help them identify the best paths toward completing a degree.”

Graduate NWA has provided 21 tuition reimbursement scholarships in the past, and organizers will be giving out 20 additional $500 scholarships to people who attend Tuesday’s fair. A drawing will be held to help determine the winners.

Among Northwest Arkansas residents who are at least 25 years old, about 28 percent have at least a bachelor’s degree. Peer regions have a higher percentage of residents with college degrees. Business owners who are relocating and expanding to new areas of the United States consider a region’s level of educational attainment when determining if the region fits the company’s needs. The businesses need assurance that a region has an educated workforce ready to fill available jobs.

Other than the U of A, Graduate NWA’s partner schools are Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences-Northwest in Fayetteville, John Brown University in Siloam Springs, the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.

In addition to the Graduate NWA partner schools, counselors will be on hand to answer questions about financial aid and to evaluate college transcripts. Others helping with the fair include the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas, the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County, Veterans Upward Bound and adult education organizations from throughout the region.