Richard Gross, president of Western Dakota Technical Institute, announced Thursday that he will move on at the end of the term.

Gross informed his staff and the Rapid City school board yesterday that he is leaving after Western Dakota's graduation May 17.

"Obviously, I care deeply about Western Dakota Tech," Gross said. "I worked very hard in putting together an exemplary leadership team. I think it's time for me to go back and take on some new opportunities for myself."

Gross, 56, is leaving to take a position with the Clements Group, one of the largest community-college consulting firms in the nation.

"We've been very pleased with his service and his leadership," Rapid City superintendent of schools Peter Wharton said. "He's made a number of contributions to the school. It's certainly different than when he took over, in a very positive way."

Wharton said Gross has been a positive influence on legislation that has resulted in increased funding for the state's four technical schools.

"We're certainly going to miss him and wish him well in his new endeavors," Wharton said.

Gross has been a prominent spokesman for South Dakota's four technical schools' efforts to win more financial support from the state Legislature and separate the schools' governance from local school boards.

"Dr. Gross understood the needs of businesses and industry in western South Dakota," John Carlson, president of Highmark Federal Credit Union and former chairman of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce, said in a news release. "He aligned WDT with industry needs and made the institution a real force in work-force development."

Gross said that the biggest frustration of his tenure at WDTI has been state government's lack of understanding of the role technical schools play in work-force development.

Under their current level of funding, technical schools cannot keep up with the growing demand for trained workers, Gross said. Two years ago, the 1,829 students completing programs at the state's four technical schools filled about 38 percent of the current demand for skilled workers, he said.

The greatest challenge facing the technical institutes in the future will be to get Gov. Mike Rounds, the Board of Regents and others to include the technical institutes in plans and initiatives that affect the quality of life and the work force in South Dakota.

"We have tremendous tools that can serve as an asset for the state," Gross said.

When Gross arrived at WDTI in 2003, the school was under the cloud of a poor accreditation review by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The 2002 review resulted in a five-year accreditation, rather than the 10-year approval typically awarded.

Gross is confident that the school will emerge from an April review with a 10-year accreditation. The review will confirm a new self-confidence at the school, he said.

"I think they are going to realize just how far we've come as an institution since 2002," Gross said. "In my mind, there's no comparison."

The credit for the turnaround goes to a faculty and staff that pulled together and set goals for the school, he said.

"The strength of this institution is not my personality or any one individual's," Gross said.

Gross said his duties with Clements will include creating new lines of service and new products as the company begins to train and prepare a new generation of community and technical college leaders.

Gross and his wife, Diane, operated their own educational consulting firm, RDR Associates, before he joined WDTI.

Diane Gross has taken a part-time consulting position with Clements, as well.

The couple owns Black Hills Books and Treasures in Hot Springs. They plan to continue living in Hot Springs and operating the book store.

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com