Lone Star College System Chancellor Richard Carpenter announced Feb. 7 his plans to retire from the position this summer, citing health concerns and personal family needs as reasons for his retirement.

"I want you to know that these seven years with Lone Star have been unequivocally the pinnacle of my career," Carpenter wrote in a statement released to LSC employees. "Your dedication, your hard work and your compassionate focus have all combined to bring Lone Star to a whole new level of state, national and international prominence. And that you afforded me the privilege of being a part of this journey is a gift for which I will forever be grateful."

Carpenter said he plans to continue his activities as a consultant, but with more control over his own schedule.

David Holsey, chair of the LSCS board of trustees, said student enrollment nearly doubled while administrative costs were significantly lowered during Carpenter's tenure. He said more emphasis was placed on the quality of instruction and innovation of programs over the last seven years.

"I speak for the board when I say we're sad to see Dr. Carpenter leave. We're grateful for his hard work, his diligence and the success of the college under his leadership," Holsey said. "Dr. Carpenter is leaving the college in great shape, and the future is brighter than it has ever been for the college, its faculty and staff, and the community."

The LSCS board has appointed a search committee to begin searching for a new chancellor.

"Dr. Carpenter will be tough to replace, but his leadership has helped create an institution that has risen to such national and international prominence that this is a highly-desirable position which we know will draw top candidates from throughout the country," Holsey said. "We expect to have a very successful national search."

Carpenter joined the LSCS in August 2007, then known as the North Harris Montgomery College District. During his time with the college system, credit enrollment grew by 30,000 students, and the system added more than 2 million square feet of academic space, becoming the largest institution of higher education in the Greater Houston area.

"At the end of this academic year I will mark my 40th year in the education profession, 32 as either a college president or system CEO," Carpenter said in his message. "While I count every one of these years as a blessing, the time has come for me to enter the next phase of my life.

He was named president at Somerset Community College in Kentucky at age 29, the youngest college president in the nation. He was later recruited by colleges across the country before serving as president and CEO of the 16-college Wisconsin Community and Technical College System, which enrolled more than 400,000 students. He also served as president of the College of Southern Nevada and as state director for Nevada's Community Colleges.

As chancellor of the LSCS, Carpenter oversaw the opening of the LSC-University Park campus and the second LSC-University Center, as well as the creation of the Lone Star Corporate College.