By Nargis Rahman
David M. Knezek, the new president of Henry Ford College, says he wants to be a “strong ambassador” for HFC as he reinforces trust and close ties with the community.
“Throughout my career, it’s always been about public service and service to our community,” Knezek, who became the 7th president of the college, told the Yemeni American News.
Knezek was born in, and lives in Dearborn Heights, so he is rooted in the community, and he says he’s deeply honored to serve as HFC president.
“I’m humbled by that, and I’m also very excited about the future and where I think that we can go as an institution, there are incredible challenges that higher education is facing right now,” he shares.
Knezek says these are opportunities for him to be more creative to overcome challenges. He says he’s been having one-on-one meetings with college leaders, staff and students.
He says the college is ready to meet people where they are, including providing services in English, Arabic and Spanish.
“I’ve been really blown away by these last couple weeks is being able to see firsthand and to interact with people and to understand their stories and the work that we’re doing, the things that that we know we’re doing really well and… where we think that we could make improvements and the pathway to get there,” he said.
Emphasis on jobs
Knezek says the college offers over 150 different programs for students.
One of those programs is Nurse Immersive Clinical and Employment (NICE), a nursing pipeline which offers paid training, accelerated learning opportunities, scholarships and a guaranteed job at Corewell Health upon completion of the program.
“Those are the type of relationships that I want to think about how we can expand where students are able to make money while they’re going to school because we know there’s an opportunity cost that comes with pursuing higher education, but then once you complete that that credential, that you are actually able to find a job in the industry that you are pursuing,” he explains.
Knezek says there are programs with Stellantis, such as the Mopar Career Automotive Program, to address the shortage of automotive technicians in the country.
“We’re one of five institutions in the state that do this, that give you that training that automatically leads into a job after you earn that credential and leave here at Henry Ford College,” he says.
STEM and summer programs are offered for middle and high school students.
Creating a community connection
Knezek says the Arab American community has welcomed and supported him.
“My life has been enriched in such deep ways by the Arab American community,” he shares.
He says HFC has a diverse and welcoming environment.
“If you come here, you will be supported, and we can work to get you on that path into the career or into the four-year institution that you want,” he says.
Knezek adds that student success is the number one priority.
“I think that we share those values with the Dearborn community and certainly with the Arab American community,” he expresses.
Creating scholarships
Knezek told the Yemeni American News that he is working to create more scholarship opportunities for students.
“We know that the financial barriers to higher ed are difficult sometimes, but we want to make sure that we’re doing our part to remove that barrier and to set our students up for success,” he says.
Knezek says he also hopes to develop stronger relationships with the business community for students to have pathways to employment across healthcare, automotive and government sectors.
Part of that work involves working on arrangements for transfer students to get into four-year institutions to further their educational goals.
“I want to make sure that that pathway is set up so that whatever you do here, as many credits as possible can go with you to that next institution… so building and maintaining those new pathways academically are important to me,” he says.
Knezek says part of his work involves showing up for the community.
“It could be how we’re physically showing up or many other ways, but then also what are we doing to open our doors here at the college, to bring the community in, to use our facilities, to truly act as that convener of dialogue or of conversations that our community are crying out for. So to me, it has to be a two-way street,” he shares.
‘A strong ambassador’
Knezek wants to strengthen the bond with students, families and the community.
“Whether it’s among members of the Yemeni American community or others, I want to be a known commodity, and I want to be a strong ambassador for this college, because we know that when we’re active and engaged in the community, it builds that sense of trust,” he says.
Knezek previously served in the Wayne County Commission, representing Dearborn Heights, Garden City, and Inkster. He was the chair of the Committee on Senior Citizens and Veterans Affairs, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Audit, and a Committee on Government Operations member.
He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2012, and then the Michigan Senate in 2014.
Knezek has also previously worked as the Chief Operating Officer for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
He served in the United States Marine Corps. His community work includes being a Silver Life Member of the Detroit NAACP, the Vice President of the Dearborn Heights Goodfellows and a Special Olympics Michigan board member.
