After nearly two years as director of the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Perry VanKirk Career Academy, Rick Carpenter ended his employment with the college June 7 and returned to his native Missouri to be nearer to his daughter.
Carpenter, with 25 years experience in higher education, worked 12 years for the DMACC system. Before that, he was dean of students, department chair and athletic director at AIB College of Business in Des Moines, now part of the University of Iowa system.
In a curious example of academic musical chairs, Carpenter came to the VanKirk Career Academy campus in August 2015 from the position of director of DMACC Southridge. He replaced Hollie Coon, who left after 14 months as the Perry director in order to assume the same position at DMACC Southridge.
The Perry Perry VanKirk Career Academy opened in 2011. The 16,000-square-foot facility received a cornerstone grant of $250,000 from the VanKirk family of Perry, but many smaller donations were also raised by the Perry Economic Development group and the Perry Capital Campaign.
The academy offers career and technical training to high school students during the day and college credit classes at night and on weekends. Course offerings include English as a Second Language (ESL), welding and criminal justice.
Tyson Fresh Meats recently formed a partnership with the Perry DMACC in a three-year industrial maintenance program. Similar efforts toward developing an ag business program and a building trades program at the VanKirk campus are underway.
