By Brooklyn Draisey, Iowa Capital Dispatch
As Des Moines Area Community College President Rob Denson prepares to step away from the role — and the campus community he’s spent more than two decades serving — he said he’s working to make sure the college, ongoing projects and its new leaders are in the best place they can be.
After 22 years leading DMACC and more than 40 years in higher education, Denson will retire at the end of the year, with interim president Liang Chee Wee set to take over until a permanent president is found. Looking back on his career at the community college, Denson said he has no regrets.
“We’ve got a great organization. We’ve got enough facilities to handle everybody in central Iowa or be available to everybody in central Iowa. I think the operation is pretty good. We’ve got a very strong team, a leadership team that’s passionate about what they do,” Denson said. “But other than that, you know, I think I’m going to feel like I’ve done enough.”
A couple of capital projects currently in progress are still itching at him, however, namely new construction for the dental hygiene and assistance programs and industrial trade facilities. Construction crews have already broken ground on both of the projects, Denson said, but he was hoping to see at least $2 million raised by the college for both projects before he retires.
The community college foundation’s lack of an executive director has slowed fundraising, he said, and a search to fill the position didn’t see success. With Denson’s retirement coming up, he said the plan was to wait until a new president is in office to start the search up again. But with the presidential search itself delayed due to candidates withdrawing, he’s now spoken with Wee about trying to hire for the job instead of holding back.
“Since we’re not going to a permanent president probably till next June or July, we’re going to go ahead and fill that position, because I want to get that person up and running as far as raising that money,” Denson said.
In his time as president, Denson said he’s seen new technologies change the direction of higher education, from cell phones to artificial intelligence. DMACC is already offering both noncredit and credit courses in AI and related technologies, having been the first college in Iowa to partner with Intel to create curriculum and resources on the subject.
Employers Denson has spoken to in his role as president have said they’re looking for hires with skills and competency in AI tools. Denson predicted that AI training will be incorporated into “every program going forward,” whether that’s at community colleges, four-year universities or training offered directly by companies.
“I think the technology that we have and the ability to support students is really exciting, and this means that we can help them get through easier,” Denson said. “And there is so much support in Iowa.”
A more recent sign of change Denson said he’s not quite so hopeful about is the possibility of community colleges offering four-year degrees, something the association Community Colleges for Iowa explored at the prompting of Iowa lawmakers.
Community colleges already have amazing partnerships with Iowa’s four-year institutions, Denson said, and there aren’t any crises of capacity causing the need for such a shift in programming. When he worked in higher education in Florida, Denson said something similar occurred, but that was because universities simply didn’t have the room for all of the students.
“I think the Legislature is pretty smart, and I think they’ll work with the four-year institutions, and with us, and if there’s a gap there somewhere that we can fill, we’re happy to do that,” Denson said. “We do it all the time, but a blanket bachelor degree authority is probably not something that I would be excited about.”
Nearly two years after breaking the record to become DMACC’s longest-serving president, Denson’s favorite part about his job has now become the thing he will miss the most — graduation.
Seeing all of the students and families come out to celebrate such an important milestone as graduation, especially as more than one-third of DMACC students are low-income and more than half are first-generation, has been the highlight of his career, Denson said. He’ll miss the students, as well as the faculty, staff and leadership he has worked with for so long.
“Then again, you know, I’m not going to be lonely,” Denson said. “I’ve got plenty to do.”
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