Jason D. Young joins HFC as Director of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence

On Sept. 5, Dr. Jason D. Young will join the College as Director of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence (IRBI).

“This position is crucial to HFC’s strategic mission. We will leverage data and information to provide the College with insights that will help drive current and future student success,” said Young, of Wyandotte. “In a collaborative environment, I plan to introduce some innovative ideas to the office. I think we can glean new insights into student success through data mining and predictive modeling. Because student success is the College’s top strategic priority, the IRBI office will focus substantially on this.”

Young, who has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, will report to HFC Vice President of Strategy and Human Resources Dr. Lori Gonko.

“Dr. Young brings a wealth of experience to the HFC Institutional Research team,” said Gonko. “Not only has he served as the Director of Institutional Research at 2-year and 4-year institutions, but he has also spent time in academic leadership and faculty roles. I am eager to see the College benefit from his experiences as both a data analyst and a data consumer.”

Background in teaching and administration

A graduate of Gabriel Richard Catholic High School in Riverview, Young earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He later earned both his master’s degree in psychology and his doctoral degree in social psychology from Wayne State University.

Young comes to HFC from Delta College, where he served as Institutional Research Director for more than three years. Prior to Delta, he served as the Director of Institutional Research at Siena Heights University (SHU) from 2018-20 and the Director of Academic Affairs at Baker College in Flint from 2016-18. Young has also taught at several colleges and universities, including HFC, UM-Dearborn, Wayne State, SHU, and Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor.

“Four aspects attracted me to HFC,” said Young. “Its mission, vision, and values; its highly student-centered faculty and staff; its excellent leadership; and its proximity to my family and hometown.”

His short-term goals at HFC are learning more about the College culture and getting to know the faculty and staff who rely on the IRBI office for vital data and consultation.

“My long-term goals for this position are to have the IRBI office gain a statewide or broader reputation for providing the highest internal service, for being creative and innovative, and for consistently recognizing the contributions of team members,” he explained. “I want to develop a strong team culture where team members have opportunities for professional growth and exceed expectations. My ultimate goal is to build a high-performing IRBI office that exceeds expectations and maintains a high level of efficiency and productivity.”

Young sees IRBI as a path to create impact beyond data and actionable data analysis.

“I want my work and my team’s work to contribute to a more equitable society,” he said. “I want my team members to be able to see that we made a difference.”