Ignite Professional Studies Program to Expand to Future Bentonville Health Care Campus
Additional Northwest Arkansas School Districts Plan to Participate in Future Ignite Program Expansion
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS (December 9, 2025) – Today, Alice L. Walton Foundation, Heartland Whole Health Institute, and Bentonville Schools announced plans to partner on an expansion of Ignite Professional Studies on the future Bentonville Health Care Campus. Discussions are underway for the Foundation to provide a new building that could house a possible expansion.
Additionally, eight regional school districts plan to participate in future studies at the new campus. Programs will include Health Sciences, Technology, Global Business, and Engineering.
Planning for the future partnership has recently commenced in order to address the increasing regional need for health care professionals. A 2024 report, “Northwest Arkansas Health Care Vision 2030: Continuing the Transformation,” identified a growing need to support existing workforce development efforts and create a robust pipeline for future health care professionals. The report, conducted by Tripp Umbach and released through the Northwest Arkansas Council and Heartland Whole Health Institute, concluded that strategic partnerships with school districts, higher education institutions, health care systems, and public agencies will be crucial in sustaining these efforts, enabling Northwest Arkansas to cultivate a health care workforce that is highly skilled and deeply embedded in the community.
Through the Ignite program, students in grades 11-12 gain valuable work-based learning experience, industry-valued credentials, and high-quality classroom instruction across a variety of career areas. In the health sciences strand, students engage in hands-on learning labs, mentorships with clinicians and wellness leaders, and connect classroom learning to community health.
Alice L. Walton Foundation has previously announced plans for its future Bentonville Health Care Campus as a site for specialty care and other services focused on whole health. This year, it announced the campus location on a 100-acre site approximately two miles east of downtown Bentonville, and adjacent to Interstate 49. Recently, the Foundation announced the design for its initial phase of construction, focused on a Center for Advanced Specialty Care, planned to open in December, 2028. The future expansion of the Ignite program is intended for phase two.
“The innovative Ignite program puts students in real workplaces with mentors, where they earn industry credentials, build confidence, and learn how to care for people. Through planning to expand the program to the Bentonville Health Care Campus, we can offer a unique opportunity for Ignite students to learn on a world-class health care campus. Ultimately, the program expansion could help strengthen the health and well-being of our region and serve as a model for how communities can increase access to health care education.”
-Alice Walton, Founder of Alice L. Walton Foundation and Heartland Whole Health Institute
