Photo courtesy of Henry Ford Community College
The HFCC Welcome Center represents a new model of student services geared toward student achievement.
By The Henry Ford Community College Office of Communications
DEARBORN — Since it was founded in 1938 as Fordson Junior College, Henry Ford Community College has been the gateway to higher education for thousands of students seeking affordable, high-quality post-secondary education.
HFCC is a comprehensive public community college serving about 18,000 students each fall and winter semester in southeast Michigan. HFCC is dedicated to preparing students for a rapidly changing world and workplace by offering more than 100 associate degree career and university transfer programs. HFCC offers high-quality, innovative programs to meet the educational and training needs of the region. Students prepare to transfer to a university or prepare to go directly to work.
According to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth, key demand occupation projections for 2012 reveal a number of areas with expected growth and career opportunities. These areas and positions include computer and information systems, computer support specialists, industrial engineering, health care and nursing, among others. HFCC offers students unique opportunities to gain skills in these disciplines required for high-demand positions and achieve the educational experience required to transfer into university programs.
To further support student success, the college opened its new Welcome Center on April 23. The Welcome Center represents a major step forward in state of-the-art enrollment services for students.
Prospective students looking to learn more about HFCC and current students looking for assistance will experience an innovative student-focused environment that provides the services they need in a newly designed center. Students will be able to apply to HFCC, talk to an advisor, apply for financial aid, and register
for classes through a streamlined process with help from knowledgeable staff dedicated to outstanding customer service.
The design creates an enjoyable space for students and supports a seamless flow of service. Environmental responsibility is also important to the design, which includes bamboo wall coverings, recycled content carpet, and low toxin paints. The center, with its innovative design and service model, positions HFCC to provide outstanding enrollment services to this generation of students and many more to come.
Additionally, the college announces the opening of the Science Center expansion for the Fall 2012 semester. The new Science Center offers a unique opportunity to position HFCC and our students
for the new Michigan economy by creating facilities to support state-of-the-art science education for high demand programs.
These programs include HFCC’s Biotechnology Program, which prepares
students to become biotechnology technicians in the region’s molecular biology-based industries and institutions. Students also prepare to transfer to a university with a major in science and related fields.
In addition to the construction of the expansion, the existing Science Building was renovated in 2011 to bring this facility up to the latest standards. Constructed in 1963, the existing Science Building represents one of the original structures on campus and during its 48-year history, thousands of students were educated in the facility.
Since that time, however,science education has changed dramatically.
Some of the science disciplines taught today were not in existence in 1963. But perhaps one of the most critical factors in pursuing a new facility is simply this: the role of science has changed immensely and plays a much stronger role in the transformation
of the regional economy toward a sustainable structure built on economic diversity.
With four new laboratories, two new classrooms, and more than 19,000 feet of expanded space, this facility will be a center of excellence for the college and community for many years.
HFCC’s Michigan Technical Education Center continues to support the region’s economic development by providing customized programs and services to enhance current workforce skills and provide certification for job seekers. This program continues to make significant impact for many organizations, including the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, Detroit Workforce Development Department, Michigan Economic Development Corp., and Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.
In December 2011, Edsel B. Ford II was named as director emeritus of the HFCC Foundation – the first individual to ever receive this honor in the 30-year history of the Foundation. He was chosen for this designation because he has served more than four terms on the HFCC Foundation Board, demonstrated strong leadership in the HFCC Foundation, as well as in the corporate and civic arenas. His efforts
have helped raised significant charitable support for the foundation and its initiatives.
To learn more about Henry Ford Community College, go to www.hfcc.edu; on Facebook, www.hfcc.edu/facebook; Twitter,
www.hfcc.edu/twitter; Linked In, www.linkedin.
com/company/264724; and on YouTube, www.youtube.com/user/henryfordcc.