DEARBORN — Henry Ford College President Stanley Jensen announced he will leave HFC on Dec. 15, to take a position as executive vice president of College Operations at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa.
Jensen had announced last April his plan to retire from HFC, effective June 30, 2018. This new opportunity changed his plans, he said. Jensen is a native of Iowa and had long planned to retire there once he concluded his presidency at HFC.
The search for a new president is in the active recruitment stage, HFC Board of Trustees Chairwoman Mary Lane said, and the board expects to appoint a new president in the spring. The board will appoint an interim president to serve until the new president arrives on campus.
“I have deeply appreciated the HFC team, our students, and our community,” Jensen said. “Together we have accomplished many outstanding and positive results. I will miss all of you. I hope you will understand and appreciate how much my wife, Teresa, and I look forward to being within 30 minutes of all our kids and grandkids, with an opportunity to continue serving community college students.”
During his time at HFC, Jensen helped guide the college to a strong financial footing and added new academic and student-focused programs, including Guided Pathways, which provides a streamlined method for students to meet their career goals.
He also instituted Continuous Process Improvement CPI, which has been used to revise dozens of processes and practices at the college. During Jensen’s tenure, the college offered its first bachelor’s degree program in Culinary Arts, and changed its name to Henry Ford College in 2014.
“The Board is grateful to Stan for his steady leadership these past four years,” Lane said. “We have made great progress with enrollment, finances, and academic and co-curricular programs that prepare our graduates for professional and personal success. We are confident in the future of the college, and we wish Stan well as he returns to his home state.”
Jensen was president of Colorado Mountain College before coming to HFC in 2013.