Farewell Message from Tim Wynes

Served as DCTC president July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2018

On July 1, 2018, Tim Wynes, JD, will begin his new role as president of Black Hawk College, a community college with two campuses in Moline and Galva, Illinois. Wynes has served as president of Dakota County Technical College since July 1, 2013, and Inver Hills Community College since July 1, 2010.

“As I reflect on my time at DCTC, I’m grateful for the leaders who have helped guide this institution towards a brighter future,” President Wynes said. “When the system office asked Inver Hills and DCTC to align administratively, no one was sure what it would entail. Well, it’s been five years. The original shared employees were me, Patrick McQuillan, Dee Bernard and Anne Johnson.

“Together as a campus community, we have all worked hard to create an environment that keeps the best interests of our students at the forefront, and we made DCTC the most welcoming college in Minnesota. Thank you all for cultivating that culture.”

To learn more about Black Hawk College, read a May 15, 2018, editorial in The Dispatch • Argus:

“Editorial: BHC incoming president checks all the boxes”

Tim Wynes Q & A

What is the most significant role of a technical college president?
Promoting high-quality career and technical education as a viable, streamlined and practical higher education option. We must make sure we are educating students to be successful in the future workforce.

What was the most challenging aspect of your time at DCTC?
The first 18 months were not easy. Faculty and staff were suspicious and skeptical of shared services. I made it my job to show the DCTC community that my actions matched my words.

What was the most rewarding aspect of your time at DCTC?
Our enrollment turnaround plus new opportunities provided by the Veterinarian Technician program as well as the new Transportation Management B.A. program in partnership with Metropolitan State University.

Our faculty and staff are all on the same page in their commitment to student success. Everybody knows why they work here.

— Tim Wynes, JD, DCTC President, July 2013 – June 2018

What do you consider your most memorable experience at DCTC?
Transforming the main commons and following through on Phase I and II of the nearly $15 million Transportation and Emerging Technologies Renovation project.

What is DCTC’s greatest strength?
Our faculty and staff are all on the same page in their commitment to student success. Everybody knows why they work here.

How can DCTC best prepare to meet the needs of future students?
By continuing our progress toward a polytech-oriented model that provides more opportunities for our students and graduates to advance their chosen careers. We also need to continue strengthening the college’s longstanding collaborative relationships with business and industry.

What do you view as your most enduring accomplishment at DCTC?
The turnaround in morale due to significant enrollment and financial improvements.

Tim Wynes DCTC gallery

More about President Wynes…

Previously, Wynes served from 2002–2010 as chancellor of the Iowa Valley Community College District and from 1996–2002 as executive dean of grants and governmental affairs at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Wynes served as full-time faculty at the University of Missouri School of Law and as an adjunct at Iowa State University, Buena Vista University, St. Ambrose University, the University of Missouri Graduate School of Social Work and Missouri Southern State College.

President Wynes holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, a juris doctorate from Saint Louis University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri, and has completed coursework in the doctorate program in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Iowa State University.

In October 2017, President Wynes received the Phi Theta Honorary Member Award at the Inver Hills fall semester Phi Theta Kappa Induction Ceremony. In April 2018, he was recognized by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society National Center for Excellence​ with the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction.

College presidents receive this prestigious national award based on their exemplary support and promotion of the Phi Theta Kappa mission: Recognizing the academic achievements of two-year college students while providing opportunities for all students to grow as scholars and leaders.

Michael Berndt to serve as interim DCTC president

Michael Berndt

The Board of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has named Michael Berndt to serve as interim president of Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) and Inver Hills Community College. The appointment becomes effective July 1, 2018, and is for a one-year term. The search for a permanent president will begin this fall.

Michael Berndt has served Minnesota State for 18 years in several capacities, including as a faculty member, dean and executive leader. He has served in his current role as vice president of academic affairs at Century College since 2014.

To learn more about the DCTC presidential transition, contact:

Angela Burns
Marketing Director
Dakota County Technical College
Inver Hills Community College
651-423-8233