DEARBORN — Dr. Gail Mee, president of Henry Ford Community College (HFCC), announced that she will leave the College to pursue other opportunities at a Board of Trustees meeting on May 21.  She has agreed to remain in her position until a new president is appointed.

Dr. Mee joined HFCC as president in July 2006, and is well known for her outreach efforts to engage the Arab American community and to bring more students from the community to the school. Under her leadership a new Arab Cultural Studies program was formed at HFCC. 

Dr. Mee is the fourth president of the College and the first female to serve in that role.  During her highly successful tenure, enrollment at the College increased more than 45 percent, from 13,000 to 19,000 students each semester.

 As president Dr. Mee led significant capital projects including the creation of a new School of Nursing, a new Enrollment Services Center, and major improvements to roads, parking lots, and landscaping on the main campus.  Dr. Mee also secured state funding for a new Science Center, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012.  In addition, her leadership led to the development of new programs in Biotechnology and Alternative Energy as well. She also collaborated with Henry Ford Hospital and Dearborn Public Schools to create the Henry Ford Early College, a five-year program that allows students to earn both a high school diploma from the Dearborn Public Schools and an associate’s degree in healthcare from Henry Ford Community College.

 Under her leadership the College also earned a selection to participate in Achieving the Dream, a national initiative designed to advance student retention and success in community colleges.  HFCC students recently awarded her an honorary lifetime membership in the National Society of Leadership and Success for her “continued dedication to students and leadership at the College.”

 Dr. Mee has received many other awards during her tenure at the College, including the 2012 Gene L. Brazell Community Role Model Award from HFCC and the 2012 Idalynn Karre International Exemplary Leader Award from the International Leadership Academy for Community Colleges.

 Dr. Mee is active in the community, serving on numerous boards including Henry Ford Hospital, the Engineering Society of Detroit, Dearborn Chamber of Commerce and more. 

 “I have been extremely fortunate to serve at HFCC.  It is a pleasure to work for a Board that is committed to the College and our students, and an honor to work alongside a dedicated faculty and staff,” Dr. Mee said.  “The College is privileged to have the overwhelming support of the community.  I am pleased to have played a role in the life of the College and the Dearborn community,” she added.