Alumnus Derden’s public policy insights support students as the new president of National Park College

Wade Derden was teaching history at Pulaski Technical College when he became interested in a question that led him to higher education administration: What factors led some students to pursue college degrees and others to drop out of school?

This question personally affected Derden, who had friends and family members who had not graduated from high school while he was pursuing college degrees. His journey to answer this question led Derden to the U of A’s interdisciplinary public policy doctoral program and ultimately to a new role as president of National Park College in Hot Springs, where he uses the knowledge gained through the Public Policy Program to better support his students.

Initially interested in pursuing a doctorate in history, Derden turned his interest to public policy after gaining experience at Pulaski Tech, where he saw firsthand the struggles of low-income students.

“I saw these students struggling every day,” he said. “It was a completely different experience than mine — even though my family was relatively poor, these students had problems that I never understood. I had students who lived in cars. I just wanted to help them more than anything.”

Students’ experiences and the factors that influenced their likelihood of earning a college degree became the focus of Derden’s research in the Public Policy Program. During the program, Derden’s research was complemented by classes with other students from various disciplines and fields, which enriched his knowledge and broadened his perspective.

“In any given class, I could have colleagues focused on everything from health policy and criminal justice to agricultural policy or environmental policy,” he said. “The conversations were rich and came from different angles that I had never encountered before. There were also a lot of international students in this program, so there was a lot of diversity. There was a lot to learn beyond what was on the syllabus.”

In his research project, Derden took factors such as parents’ wealth and education into account and analyzed them at the community level to see if there were common characteristics between communities. He found that the wealthier the community, the more likely students were to earn college degrees. Not only this, but social networking has also played a vital role.

“Social capital is extremely important for success,” he said. “The wider and richer your network and the greater your access to income, the more successful you will be.”

These findings may seem common knowledge, but Derden saw opportunities to apply his research in unique ways when he joined National Park College, beginning as chair of the Department of Social Sciences and then being named vice president for academic affairs. In this administrative role, he led efforts to improve academic transfer programs, including a transfer degree in social work. This degree led to the employment of licensed social workers who not only assisted students but also raised awareness of their needs, such as improving food services and adding a medical clinic on campus through a partnership with a local hospital.

These efforts paid off. Even with declining college admissions, more students have graduated from college over the past three years than in any other year in the past decade.

“I often advocate for students in ways that surprise people,” he said. “We see greater success for our students and higher on-time rates because we have developed our campus around the idea of ​​creating a strong social network for students. Access to mental health and health care resources creates a stronger social network for our students, which in turn creates the foundation for their success.”

In 2023, Derden was promoted to executive vice president for development and government relations, a role he was well prepared for thanks to his internship in the public policy program.

“Studying public policy was very useful to me,” he said. “I have spent more time in the state capitol advocating for the college, and this degree has given me a set of tools to do that.”

This spring, Derden was named the fifth president of National Park College – a position he readily admits is new to him because he is accustomed to being the person who “helps a leader succeed.” Now, as a college leader, he seeks to chart a path forward, focusing on diversifying revenues, increasing community support and continuing to support students.

“Thanks to my presidency, we have a great foundation thanks to our previous president, and my task will be to continue to raise our status in society and the country,” he said. “At NPC, we have a simple and direct mission: ‘Our purpose is learning, our purpose is student success.’ I look forward to helping our campus continue to achieve this mission.”