Get to Know HFC: For Shaun Stevens, student success is personal

Shaun Stevens wearing a light grey polo shirt and glasses smiling.

The opportunity to work at a community college and help students change their lives attracted Assistant Registrar Shaun Stevens to HFC. He takes the mission personally.

“I have a passion for helping people and seeing them obtain their goals and aspirations,” said Stevens. “Higher education and skilled training are two of the best ways to obtain the skills to reach those goals.”

Stevens has been at HFC since 2014. He reports to Interim Registrar Karen Sadanowicz. His duties include:

Overseeing application of external transfer credit(s)
Overseeing graduation audits
Overseeing program changes
Organizing commencement and graduation ceremonies

“Shaun is focused on student success and is always willing to work with students to solve any problems,” said Sadanowicz. “He is a valued colleague in the Registrar's Office and is always ready to collaborate on new processes and projects. He has also worked with international students and veteran and military service students, assisting in these areas whenever help is needed.”

Great personal satisfaction in seeing students succeed

An only child, Stevens was born in Dearborn and lives in Flat Rock with Joanna, his wife of 22 years. They have a son and a daughter, 19 and 11, respectively. Stevens graduated from Southgate Anderson High School. After graduation, he enrolled at Wayne State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy. He later earned his MBA at Baker College.

“When I graduated with my degree in occupational therapy, it was a tough market to find a job, so I ended up working at Baker in admissions and found a passion for higher education,” recalled Stevens. “Eventually, I worked as an occupational therapist for a short time, but truly enjoyed higher education and came back to it.”

Before coming to HFC nearly 10 years ago, Stevens worked at Baker for 13 years. Prior to his career in higher education, he worked in the banking industry for five years.

“I enjoyed the customer service side of it and the flexibility of the hours, which allowed me to finish my bachelor’s degree,” he said. “I also ended up working as one of the original employees at the MGM Grand Detroit casino. My time as a banking employee opened up that door.”

Although Stevens enjoyed that experience, hew knew his true passion was in higher education.

“I find great personal satisfaction in seeing students obtain their goals and the culmination of graduation at the commencement ceremonies,” said Stevens. “I strongly believe in the mission of HFC and how it relates to innovation, along with the universal success of our students.”

Vice President of Student Affairs Holly Diamond has worked closely with Stevens throughout his time at the College.

“Shaun is an exceptional registrar and student affairs professional,” said Diamond. “Time and time again, his contributions have made significant differences in the lives of our students and graduates, as well as his teammates. He truly puts himself in the shoes of those we serve and has an excellent student-focused lens through which he views everything. In his time with the College, he has made important changes to how the graduation and transfer credit processes have provided greater efficiencies and enhanced service.”

A leader with the utmost integrity and accountability

Stevens is the man behind the curtain when it comes to organizing the large and complex commencement ceremonies held every May at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn. For him, commencement is the best part of his job.

“I enjoy seeing the excitement on our graduates’ faces at commencement,” he said.

In recent years, Stevens has made several changes to the commencement ceremonies, making the events more streamlined event without compromising the spirit of the graduating students’ and their families‘ special day.

For instance, during the pandemic, Stevens assisted in organizing a virtual commencement ceremony when gathering restrictions were in place to allow for a celebration of the graduates' accomplishments. When returning for in-person events, his office worked with the HFC tech team to live stream the ceremonies on the HFC YouTube channel to allow more family and friends to see the ceremonies. There have also been more community and state leaders participating in the graduation festivities.

“We have increased our communication to the graduates to encourage greater participation,” said Stevens. “This past May, we had our largest participation of graduates in more than 10 years.”

“Shaun continues to evaluate the services and processes that our students utilize with the focus of always becoming better,” said Diamond. “He is a leader with the utmost integrity and accountability, which is reflected in his work every day. I am continually amazed at his accomplishments and am truly grateful that he is part of the HFC team.”

Sadanowicz agreed with Diamond.

“Commencement is always a wonderful event, and that is because Shaun takes such care in making sure that everything is set for our students to enjoy the ceremony and receive the honor that they deserve, showcasing their accomplishments,” said Sadanowicz. “Shaun takes great pride in his work, and it shows in the quality and attention that he puts into everything that he does. I am so happy to be working with Shaun. He is an asset to the Registrar's Office and to the Student Affairs division.”

We enjoy helping our HFC teammates get to know each other through our Get to Know and HFC Welcomes series. We always learn something new and inspiring about people's lives and aspirations through these stories. If there is a new or longstanding HFC teammate whom you think should be featured in our series, tell us! Send a message to HFC Communications: communications@hfcc.edu.