Henry Ford College's multi-million-dollar Student Success Center is on hold while the school's new president reviews its cost and scope.
President David M. Knezek Jr. confirmed the pause in an interview published Monday, Oct. 5, by the Mirror News. The Dearborn community college is reassessing the project's potential impact on students, employees and HFC's long-term finances, Knezek said.
The project had been moving toward a mid-May 2026 start date under interim President Lori Gonko. Renovations to Building A were expected to wrap by June 2027, according to March 16 board meeting minutes.
At the April 20 board meeting, Gonko reported that the Building and Site Committee had agreed to pause the project until the new president was in place, according to the meeting minutes.
Knezek said the college expects to have a clearer picture in the coming months. The interview did not provide a decision date.
Honors students had raised concerns that the project could reduce or eliminate space in the Honors Hub. "Message received," Knezek told the Mirror News.
He pointed to the Honors Program as one of HFC's strengths, praising Director Chardin Claybourne and the students he has met in the Hub. Knezek said he wants to find ways to expand the program rather than shrink it.
The Dearborn Heights resident took office in 2026 after the Board of Trustees selected him from more than 120 candidates in a national search, according to The Arab American News. The board voted 6–0 to approve his appointment, with Trustee Amer Zahr abstaining, the newspaper reported.
Knezek served as a Michigan state representative (2013–2014) and state senator (2015–2018). He later became a Wayne County commissioner for District 8 and chief operating officer of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Arab American News. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Knezek completed two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Times-Herald Newspapers.
The Mirror News reported that Knezek returned to campus 21 years after attending HFC as a student. He later earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and an MBA from UM's Ross School of Business, according to the Arab American News.
On campus, Knezek has adopted what he calls the "10-foot rule." If someone is within 10 feet of him, he engages. He recalled one student who shouted "Yo, Knezek" while he walked through the K Building, according to the Mirror News.
His first-year priorities include expanding employer partnerships to create more internship and co-op opportunities, and strengthening transfer agreements with four-year institutions beyond Southeast Michigan. He told the Mirror News he personally contacted two state legislators on behalf of an Honors student seeking internships in Lansing. Both offered her internships.
