GPN & ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026

Attendees of this tour will gather in the lobby of the Shewmaker Center at 4 PM and take a short walk over to the CTEC Center. Those who wish to drive can park in a limited parking lot on the west side of the CTEC Center (1201 SE Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR 72712).

NOTE: There is a competing tour for this tour so the shuttle will NOT be available to take attendees of this tour back to Embassy. See Mickey Slimp for more details.

*IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Attendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this Tour. In addition, pre-registration for this Tour is required at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/

Tour the C‑TEC Facility at NWACC

 Experience the C‑TEC (Cycling and Trails Education Center), a state‑of‑the‑art facility created through an $8 million investment from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. C‑TEC serves as an integrated hub for hands‑on skills training in bicycle repair and maintenance, trail design, trail architecture, and sustainable construction practices, all supported by purpose‑built labs, specialized tools, and outdoor learning spaces.

This guided tour offers an inside look at how applied technology and real‑world instruction come together in a single facility to support the growing cycling and trail economy. Attendees will see how C‑TEC functions as a replicable model for workforce training, facility design, and industry engagement—bridging education, infrastructure, and outdoor recreation.

The United States is experiencing unprecedented investment in fiber infrastructure, with fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment accelerating toward near-universal coverage of homes and businesses by the end of the decade. At the same time, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence is driving a new wave of demand for high-capacity fiber networks to connect data centers and support next-generation digital infrastructure. What do these converging investment cycles mean for the future of broadband, networks, and the broader technology ecosystem? As you're planning your campus and state infrastructures, renewing your leased broadband services, and navigating the emerging landscape of a BEAD universal connectivity deployment, learn what this means for you, your campus, and your students. 

The Statewide Quantum Computing Working Group is a multi-disciplinary collaborative initiative launched in March 2026 to establish an integrated educational framework for quantum computing curricula across Arkansas. Led by the Emerging Analytics Center at UA Little Rock, the group brings together academic faculty from the Arkansas Quantum Network, industry partners, and technical experts to bridge expertise gaps in the field. Its primary goal is to develop shared instructional materials and identify best practices for research data management and cyberinfrastructure to prepare a highly skilled STEM workforce.

The key takeaway for attendees is the opportunity to participate in the co-development of a foundational Quantum Computing Curricula designed for use by academic institutions throughout Arkansas.

Audience: CIOs / CTOs, VPs of IT, IT Directors and Managers, Network Engineers and Administrators, Cybersecurity Professionals, HPC & Research Computing Professionals, Grant Administrators and PIs, Faculty and Academic Researchers, New and Emerging IT Professionals

This workshop is cancelled.