DMACC President Rob Denson told board of trustee members the college will review DEI language taken offline in response to legislative actions. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Des Moines Area Community College will continue to review materials it has removed from its website relating to diversity, equity and inclusion after legislation that would bar community colleges from maintaining DEI offices was tabled, President Rob Denson told the college board of trustees Monday.
The community college announced in an email to students, staff and faculty Jan. 25 that in response to uncertainty surrounding DEI and with federal and state actions being taken against it, “certain DMACC websites that may conflict with state or federal legislative action will be taken down until further notice.”
Denson said the removed online materials are being examined by the college to identify what information can be published again, a process which could take “several months.”
“What can come back, will come back,” Denson said.
According to the email, meetings of the diversity commission and DEI task force have also been halted until further notice, and training courses touching on DEI have been canceled.
Denson said the Iowa Legislature, specifically the new House Higher Education Committee, are taking a hard look at DEI on college campuses. The Legislature has turned its eye to private and community colleges this session, considering bills that would prohibit DEI offices at private universities participating in the Iowa Tuition Grant program and add community colleges to legislation passed last year barring state universities from having DEI offices.
Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, tabled the legislation aimed at community colleges, saying colleges have already come into compliance with recommendations made by Community Colleges for Iowa relating to DEI, or are currently working on updating their programs. Denson said in the meeting the college is still focused on student success.
“Clearly, our commitment to helping students succeed has not been diminished a bit,” Denson said.
Denson discusses retirement plans
Denson also thanked the board of trustees and college community for their work with him over the past 20-plus years at its February meeting Monday. With 11 months to go, Denson said he and others are spending time looking at policies and procedures to ensure they are “in the best shape possible” for when he retires at the end of the year.
The college president in late January announced his plan to retire, stepping down after 22 years with the community college and more than 40 years in higher education. A consultant will be hired by the college to conduct a national search for his replacement.
The announcement was a culmination of several months of discussion with the board, Denson said in an interview, and, in addition to feeling like this is the “right time” to make the decision, he also has a clause in his contract to give a year’s notice of his leaving.
With Denson turning 78 this year, he said this was the best time for him to step back and spend more time with his wife, children and grandchildren. If he stays healthy, Denson said he could see himself still using his truck driving license to make a run occasionally, having driven the DMACC semi-truck almost 500 times, according to information from the college.
Over this year, Denson said the college has projects like new dental hygiene and diesel mechanics buildings that he will keep a focus on, as well as paying attention to the legislative issues that could need a response from DMACC.
“Otherwise, we’re going to just kind of double down on student success, making sure that we help more and more of our students be successful in whatever area they want to be in,” Denson said.
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