Photo by Bob Oliver
Henry Ford College President Stan Jensen unveils the new “Future Driven” branding for the college during the 75th Anniversary Gala held inside the Ford Motor Co. Conference and Events Center May 10. The college also officially introduced its new name to the public at the event. The school had been known as Henry Ford Community College since 1952.
By BOB OLIVER
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — Administrators at Henry Ford Community College kicked off the institution’s next 75 years by doing something they had not done since 1952: changing the school’s name.
The Henry Ford College Board of Trustees voted unanimously for the name change at its April 21 meeting, but the college made the name official and introduced new branding for the institution at its 75th Anniversary Gala May 10.
HFC President Stan Jensen said the word “community” may be gone from the name, but not from the direction of the school.
“We’re very dedicated to our community and that will only deepen,” Jensen said. “We’re not changing our dedication to serving this great community or our focus on students.”
The new brand for the institution will be “Future Driven” and Jensen said new signage will begin being placed on campus in the coming weeks until the end of summer.
“It is a fitting name because we are very looking forward to many great things ahead for the college,” Jensen said.
Jensen, who took over in May 2013, was officially inaugurated as the fifth president of the college the previous day.
“I feel very distinguished to be known as the first president of Henry Ford College,” Jensen said.
Jensen also said other colleges have dropped the word “community” from their names over the last two years, including Jackson College and Schoolcraft College.
Board Chair Hussein Berry said that after a turbulent 2013 in which the college searched for a new president, faced a $16.6 million budget shortfall and secured a millage increase from voters, the college is excited about the future.
“We had many challenges that we had to overcome as a college but we did it and we now have many opportunities before us,” Berry said.
Henry Ford College will be the fifth name for the institution, which was originally named Fordson Junior College when it was opened in 1938. It became Dearborn Junior College in 1946 and after the merging of DJC with the Henry Ford Trade School became HFCC in 1952.
Also at the April 21 meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve new mission, vision and values for the college which were also introduced last month.
The new mission will replace the one that was created by the college in 1987 while the vision will be changed to “First choice. Best choice.”
The values describe how the institution works to instill passion, integrity, ingenuity and respect in students.
(Bob Oliver can be reached at [email protected].)