J. Kyle Dalpe, Ph.D.
On December 16, J. Kyle Dalpe, PhD, stepped into his new leadership role at Truckee Meadows Community College following the retirement of Maria Sheehan. Dalpe hopes to keep the College moving forward to meet the needs of its community.
“It’s an honor to serve in this capacity – I’ve worked with many of our faculty and staff during the 13 years that I’ve been at the College and know we can do great things here at TMCC,” Dalpe said.
The new Acting President added that being part of a community-based College is especially important to him because the lives of people can change in important ways through an accessible, quality education.
“I hope to keep the momentum going as we continue to provide access to programs and support the success of our students,” he said. “Students of all ages and backgrounds have come to TMCC to find a great education to support their career goals, or to get started on a transfer degree. This is our work every day: to help make their dreams a reality.”
During the recent recession, TMCC has become strong in securing grants and private funding. The College has created new community partnerships and renovated or opened buildings. The William N. Pennington Health Science Center opened in fall. A TMCC High School Technical Pathways option has been formed together with the Washoe County School District. Dalpe believes TMCC can keep building on these strengths and grow enrollment and increase student success.
“We began a broad, College-wide discussion on enrollment in 2013, and have been able to stabilize declining enrollments,” he said.
In the 2015 Fall Semester, the College saw an enrollment increase for the first time since 2009. In addition, the number of students completing a class has increased, reducing the overall withdrawal rate by 9%.
A large percentage of occupations in Nevada call for a two-year college degree or technical training, and experts at the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) have predicted the number of associate degree-level jobs will increase by more than 12% between 2010 and 2020. TMCC is in the position to not only benefit students’ careers, but the state economy as well, he said.
TMCC has also added two unique bachelor’s degrees that will begin in the Fall: Bachelor of Applied Science, Logistics Operations Management and Bachelor of Applied Science, Emergency Management and Homeland Security – Public Safety. The Logistics degree will fill a need strongly expressed by local business leaders. Students seeking further study in crisis and emergency management will have a pathway to master’s level work at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
About Dr. Dalpe
Dalpe joined the staff of TMCC in 2002 as assistant director of the Public Information Office. He served as the Director of Institutional Advancement and Public Information offices before advancing to Chief of Staff and Associate Dean in December 2013.
Before TMCC, Dalpe was director of marketing and public information at Mohave Community College in Kingman, Arizona; coordinator of university publications at the University of Texas at Tyler; and an instructor at Kilgore Junior College in Texas.
He currently teaches graduate classes in educational leadership at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Dalpe holds a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of Connecticut, a master’s degree in journalism, speech and political science from the University of Texas at Tyler, and a doctorate in educational leadership from UNR.
For more information about the TMCC President’s Office, please call 775-673-7025.