Alum, news anchor to help Heidelberg kick off 2025-26 academic year

Scott Carpenter’s on-air success as a TV sportscaster and news anchor began in the modest WHEI TV and radio studios at Heidelberg, where he graduated in 2017 with a double major in communication and integrated media. 

On Thursday, Aug. 21, Scott will return to where it all began, Heidelberg, to help his alma mater officially kick off the 2025-26 academic year. He will serve as the keynote speaker for one of Heidelberg’s longest-standing traditions: Opening Convocation.

Opening Convocation is part of Welcome Week at Heidelberg. Welcome Week showcases Heidelberg’s many resources for academic, personal, and professional success and features activities planned to help the campus get the academic year off to a great start. 

Scott's news career has taken him all over the country to cover tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes and major sporting events. He has investigated businesses and government policies and has shared heartwarming stories of people overcoming challenges and communities uniting in the wake of tragedy.

He currently serves as the morning anchor for WVTM 13, an NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama, where viewers can watch him every weekday morning from 4-7 a.m. He also makes regular appearances during the Today show. 

Following his graduation from Heidelberg, Scott started his career in Columbus, Georgia, where he was the main sports anchor for WLTZ, an NBC affiliate. 
In 2020, during the pandemic, he made a career change from sports anchor to news anchor. He moved to Des Moines, Iowa, to be a weekend morning news anchor and general assignment reporter for KCCI, a highly regarded CBS affiliate. He was quickly promoted to weekday mornings as the Right Now/Traffic anchor of Iowa’s most watched morning newscast. He was promoted within his company to his current position in Birmingham in 2024.

While at Heidelberg, Scott created the Siggy Awards, the annual sports awards ceremony that still takes place each spring on campus. He also worked for WTTF as a sports broadcaster, where he became the radio voice of Heidelberg football.

When he’s not working, Scott loves to golf, grill and hang out with his wife, Sandy, and their two rescue dogs, affectionately named Blitz and Zone.

We look forward to welcoming Scott to campus and look forward to his inspiring words to help students -- especially incoming freshmen -- start the academic year on a successful note!