Gov. Reynolds announces appointment of Jim Lindenmayer to Board of Regents
State of Iowa Seal
(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday that former Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) president Jim Lindenmayer of Ottumwa will serve as the newest member of the Iowa Board of Regents.
“I am pleased to appoint Jim to the Board of Regents,” Gov. Reynolds said. “He spent the bulk of his career in leadership at one of Iowa’s community colleges and has a passion, like I do, for work-based learning. His focus was on training Iowans and getting them the advanced skills and experience needed to meet workforce needs and provide them with a great career. I am confident he’ll bring that passion to the board and Iowa’s public universities.”
Lindenmayer began his tenure at IHCC in June 1980, serving as the college’s continuing education coordinator and then as vice president of administration and human resources. In December 2001, he assumed the presidency. During his 12 years as president, he led the three-campus system that included eight additional county seat centers.
Lindenmayer and his team were responsible for increasing the college’s enrollment from about 3,000 full-time students in December 2001 to more than 5,500 full-time students in December 2013. The growth (60 percent in technical programs and 40 percent in liberal arts) took place despite declining population in the region. Additionally, Lindenmayer and his team were responsible for increasing international student enrollment.
Lindenmayer was an early adopter of work-based learning, establishing a “one-of-a-kind” workforce campus that housed training programs specific to local industries. He also established 70 Employer Advisory Committees comprised of 500 industry representatives to help guide curriculum development and initiated new programs to match student skills to current employment needs.
Lindenmayer was concerned about rural health and established a Rural Health Partnership that included all health care providers in the college’s 10 county region and some in bordering counties. He also built a new Rural Health Education Center, allowing the college to start new programs in its Allied Health Division to help address regional health industry needs and nearly double its nursing program enrollment.
Lindenmayer received his doctorate from the University of Iowa, his master’s degree from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and his undergraduate degree from William Penn University. He is the current chair of the National Job Corps Association in Washington, D.C., and receives invitations from state and national groups to speak on workforce and training.
