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DMACC History - 1980s

1980s Infographic

  • DMACC President Dr. Joseph A. BorgenThe new Administrative Building on the Ankeny Campus was completed (Dec. 1981)
  • Dr. Joseph A. Borgen was installed as the College's second president (Sept. 1981)
  • The new Urban Campus facility was completed. All programs and staff were moved from the old site at Fifth and College (1980)

  • The College Wellness Program was initiated (1982)
  • A Computer Science program was established on the Urban Campus (1982)
  • The College cooperated with the Mayor's Task Force on Retraining in the implementation of special training programs for workers displaced by plant closings. Involved were seven different programs and a total of more than 300 students. (1982)
  • The first Automotive Service Education Program (ASEP) training agreement with General Motors Corporation was approved (1982)
  • The Student Center building (Bldg. #5) was completed and also a new greenhouse and classroom/lab for the Commercial Horticulture program. Landscaping also added significantly to the attractiveness of the Ankeny Campus. (1982)

  • The first H.F. 623 project, with Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., was implemented (1983)
  • Dental insurance became a part of the College's fringe benefit package. (1983)
  • Extensive research was conducted concerning instructional needs in the western part of the DMACC district and the possibilities for a permanent facility in Carroll. (1983)
  • The Food Services building was remodeled to create the Conference Center (1983)
  • Effective in the fall term, the transition from a quarter to a semester schedule was accomplished. As a part of this transition, all curricula were re-examined, revised and updated with special emphasis on accessibility to part-time students. (1983)

  • The Economic Development Group (EDG) was established providing training to more than 11,000 individuals during its first year (July 1984)
  • Bldg. #6 was remodeled and the Randtriever was replaced with open stacks. Bldg. #16 was remodeled for the relocation of the Commercial Art program. (1984)
  • A ten-year extension of the capital improvement levy was approved, assuring funds for vital upgrading of instructional equipment, as well as construction of needed new facilities. (1984)

  • Since 1982, the number of microcomputers to which students have instructional access has increased from fewer than 25 to nearly 300. (1985)
  • A comprehensive marketing study was conducted. The Marketing Commission was established to monitor and provide input into the College's ongoing marketing efforts. (1985)
  • Broadcast-quality video production equipment was purchased to permit the development of quality video presentations. (1985)
  • An automated transcription system was implemented, eliminating time-consuming manual updating of permanent record cards and enabling appropriate staff on all campuses to request copies of student transcripts via CRT. (1985)
  • An electronic mail system was implemented, accessible to all campuses. (1985)
  • The Golden Circle Center for Business Development was established on the Ankeny Campus (1985)
  • Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided-Manufacturing (CAM) equipment was purchased for use by students in the Drafting, Tool and Die Making, and Commercial Art programs. (1985)
  • Japan Week, a major international education project unique among community colleges in the country, was planned and conducted with outstanding success. (Apr. 1985)
  • The new south entrance to the DMACC Ankeny Campus, together with the dam and spillway, were completed, as well as the widening of the remainder of the main perimeter street to four lanes. (1985)

  • DMACC is one of only two community colleges in the nation to receive funding through the U.S. Information Agency for a three-year international exchange of faculty and staff members with a Japanese University. (1986)
  • As a result of the Greyhound project, DMACC received one of three national awards presented by AAJCJ in its "Excellence in Partnership" competition. The College also shared in the other two awards—the ASEP project with General Motors and the Northwestern Bell project. (1986)
  • The FARMCAP program was developed and implemented with almost 200 agricultural workers and their spouses participating in career assessment and planning activities in a series of workshop throughout the area. (1986)
  • The new Carroll Campus facility was officially dedicated on July 21, 1986 (July 1986)
  • A North Central Accreditation (NCA) Self-Study and team visitation results in the College receiving the maximum extension, ten years, of its accreditation status. (1986)
  • Following the success of Japan Week in 1985, DMACC hosts its second major international education event, China Week in April, 1986 (Apr. 1986)

  • DMACC celebrates Mexico Week, the College's third annual major international education event. (Apr. 1987)
  • Construction begins on a 30,126 square foot addition to the Urban Campus to be completed in time for the start of the fall 1988 semester. (1987)
  • A remodeling at the Boone Campus was completed, providing an enlarged learning center and four additional classrooms. (1987)

  • The first rural business incubator in the state, Circle West Incubator, was established in Audubon and serves a seven county area in the western part of DMACC's district (1988)
  • DMACC's Transportation Institute was created in 1988 providing opportunities for inexperienced commercial vehicle drivers to become professional operators with a sponsoring transportation company through an industry-approved training program. (1988)
  • The focused visit by a North Central Accreditation (NCA) review team resulted in ka very favorable report concerning the College. The self-study report developed by the College in preparation for the visit, has been cited by the NCA as a model for other colleges. (Nov. 1988)
  • A 30,000 square foot addition to the Urban Campus was completed doubling the size of the Urban facility (1988)
  • The U.S. Information Agency-funded faculty exchange program between DMACC and Yamanashi Gakuin University in Kofu, Japan has been in full operation for FY 1987. Four DMACC faculty members have participated in the exchange. (1988)

  • DMACC establishes an Office of Minority Affairs to expand and improve services to minority students and prospective students. (1989)
  • An Assessment Center was established on the Ankeny Campus to serve current and prospective students with admissions, ASSET testing, CLEP testing and other tests used for counseling, academic advising and career planning (1989)
  • A special DMACC 2000 Task Force completed a strategic report, "Passport to the Future: Creating a Learner-Centered Climate at DMACC," which included 10 major recommendations to enhance the College's capacity to effectively meet the needs of the students in the future. (1989)
  • Student housing for 200 students (50 units for four students each) on the Ankeny Campus was completed and fully occupied for the fall semester (1989)
  • Installation of the Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) Cell in the technology building on the Ankeny Campus was completed with CIM instructional courses offered in the fall semester (1989)