NWACC hires new president

The Board of Trustees selected Dennis Rittle to lead NorthWest Arkansas Community College, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

Why it matters: The president is the top job at NWA's flagship community college, which plays a fundamental role in offering low-cost degrees and training for the region's workforce.

What happened: The Board of Trustees on Friday unanimously voted to hire Rittle after a search committee recommended him and two other finalists.

• Fifty-three people applied for the job, the newspaper reported.

What they're saying: As to why the board picked Rittle, chairperson DeAnne Witherspoon told the newspaper, "He seems to know where he's going, and where he's going seems to be where we want to go."

About Rittle: He has been the president of Cowley College, a community college in Arkansas City, Kansas, since 2015.

• Rittle has worked in education since at least 2007.

Flashback: NWACC president Evelyn Jorgenson announced in February that she will retire when her contract expires on June 30, 2022.

• She has been president since 2013.

Of note: The vote means the school can start contract negotiations with Rittle. We don't know what his salary will be. Jorgenson's is $205,000 per year.