(Danville, Va.) — Danville Community College President Dr. Bruce R. Scism will retire in December. Scism announced his decision in a letter to students and faculty  Monday.

Scism became the fifth president of DCC on August 1, 2013. Since then, he worked with faculty at the college to launch a number of initiatives and programs that lead to a stronger economy and a highly skilled and trained workforce, including the upcoming power substation electrician program, a robotics and automation program, an on-campus cosmetology lab and program, a new state-of-the-art welding building, and the rebuilt and modernized engineering and industrial technologies (EIT) building, which houses the precision machining, automotive, and dimensional inspection programs.

The Advanced IT Academy and truck driving program were also developed during Scism’s tenure and the college earned the cyber security certification of program excellence by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security in January 2017.

Scism plans to retire at the end of the calendar year.