Moraine Park Technical College has announced its top three candidates for the College’s next Vice President (VP) of Teaching and Learning. The current VP, Dr. Jim Eden, announced his retirement last year and since then has been the College has been in an active recruitment process. Dr. Eden will retire on June 30 and the new VP of Teaching and Learning will begin on July 1. After a nationwide search, the top candidates who will move forward to a second-round interview are Douglas Hamm, Dr. Fred Rice, and Dr. Brian Stout. Hamm has served over 30 years as a transformational servant leader in business and education. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and is concluding his dissertation. His MBA is from Illinois State University, and his BA in Business and History is from Illinois Wesleyan University. He has served his community as a volunteer educator within the Sheboygan County Detention Center, a delivery liaison for Meals-on-Wheels, and as the Kiel eSchool District Board President. Dr. Rice currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Academics at Moraine Park Technical College. He earned his Ph.D. in Technology Management with a specialization in Human Resource Development and Industrial Training from Indiana State University, a Master of Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch University, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Marian University, and an Associate of Applied Science in Water Technology from Bay College. Dr. Rice is a leader who demonstrates a strong sense of care through his core values of inclusion, innovation, communication, and trust, a deep respect for faculty, an unwavering commitment to student success, and nurturing partnerships with K12 school districts, industry, and community leaders, and other institutions of higher learning. Dr. Stout joined the leadership team at Moraine Park Technical College in 2022. He has also served in leadership roles at Milwaukee Area Technical College, the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan, the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and the United States Military Academy at West Point. Before entering academia permanently, Stout served for 23 years as an active-duty Army officer. Dr. Stout earned his Doctorate in career and technical education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, a master’s degree in business administration from Western International University and nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a bachelor’s degree with a double major in physics and anthropology from Ripon College. The interview process is expected to be finalized in April, with the public announcement planned for mid-May.
