Larry Smyrski retires from HFC: “Each day will be its own adventure”

Mathematics instructor Larry Smyrski, who has been at the College since 1993 both in and beyond the classroom, has announced that he is retiring on the last day of the calendar year.

“What got me thinking about retirement was a conversation with former HFC President Dr. Andy Mazzara at the dedications of the campus spaces in memory of John McDonald and Rick Goward in August 2023. Dr. Mazzara asked me when I was going to retire and advised me to do so while I was still young enough to enjoy it. That conversation got me thinking, and I decided that 2024-2025 would be my final year,” explained Smyrski, a lifelong Downriver resident.

“I do not have any firm plans for retirement,” admitted Smyrski. “I expect the first few months will allow me to adjust to the new reality, catch up on some long-neglected reading, and decide what to do next. Each day will be its own adventure, and I will take each day one at a time.”

“A greater impact on the lives of students at the community college level”

An only child, Smyrski graduated from Aquinas High School in Southgate. He is a two-time alumnus of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in political science and his master’s degree in public administration. He also earned a master’s degree in mathematics from Wayne State University.

Smyrski started his higher education career in 1991. He taught at HFC (then Henry Ford Community College), Wayne State, and UM-Dearborn. For the Fall 1993 semester, Smyrski joined HFC full-time.

“I just fell in love with working with students and helping them,” he said. “Teaching felt right. It was a calling, a vocation. Then-Mathematics Division Director Barb Near was the only community college faculty member to respond to my inquiries about possible teaching opportunities, and the rest is history. I think I have been able to have a greater impact on the lives of students at the community college level than I would have had at the university level. Once I was here, I had no thoughts to leave until retirement. Looking back, I can see that the students and my colleagues are the reason I applied and stayed for a full-time position here. If the students and my colleagues and the HFC ethos had not made a positive impression on me that first year, I would have looked elsewhere.”

On the administrative side, too

Smyrski served as Interim Associate Dean of Mathematics in 1999 and as Associate Dean of Mathematics from 2005 to 2013. He also served as chair of the College Senate from 2001-02. These were his first forays into administration.

“That year, our primary task was revising the College Constitution. I spent many hours in the archives in the Eshleman Library and in Dr. Mazzara's office discussing changes to the Constitution. While on the Senate, I temporarily moved into an administrator's seat both on the Senate and in the Math Department as I served as Interim Mathematics Division Director while then-Division Director Walt Mackey served as the Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs. That experience and my time on the Senate gave me some valuable experience and preparation to serve as the AD beginning in 2005. While I was on the Senate, Dr. Mazzara invited me to participate in a national community college leadership development program with the University of Michigan, which was very worthwhile,” he recalled.

In early 2021, Smyrski returned to administration as Interim Dean of the School of Liberal Arts (SOLA) after founding dean Dr. Jennifer Ernst left the College. Smyrski remained in this position until July 2022, when he returned to the classroom.

“I am proud of the faculty and staff, both in the Math Department and in SOLA, who worked hard to serve students and do their best to improve student success,” said Smyrski. “I am proud of the things they accomplished. I am proud of the space that was created in the Health Sciences Education Center (Building G on the main campus) when the Nursing Program moved to East Campus and the Math Department was asked to move into the vacated space. I learned a lot about architecture and buildings and building codes.”

“I feel most at home in the classroom”

Smyrski still feels the classroom is the place where he made the most difference as a professional.

“I feel most at home in the classroom,” he said. “I think one reason I preferred the classroom to administration was because of the immediacy of the feedback. Students will let me know pretty quickly when I need to adjust to better help them. Administrative tasks don't always have the need for significant feedback, or may involve a longer timeframe in which it can be hard to measure success or areas of improvement. And with longer projects, it can be easy to lose focus as other tasks, both routine and crisis management, need attention. The most common student interaction is when there are problems and difficult situations. The best part of being in the classroom is the interaction with students, seeing the understanding, sharing the successes, the growth, the plans for the future, all of which are made possible by success in a class. It is also about listening to them, sometimes even comforting them.”

Smyrski's colleague, math instructor and faculty chair Scott Barnett, will miss working with Smyrski.

"Larry has been an invaluable colleague in the Math Department and at the College as a whole. Over the years he has helped me and so many others navigate challenges that even fellow math faculty would describe as countless. I will miss his guidance and presence tremendously. We all wish him the best in a well-deserved retirement,” said Barnett.

Will miss the people the most

HFC President Russ Kavalhuna enjoyed working with Smyrski when he was the Interim Dean of SOLA.

“I was grateful for the opportunity to work with Larry when he served as Interim Dean,” said Kavalhuna. "He was always dedicated, knowledgeable, personable, and willing to do whatever was needed to serve students, faculty, and staff. He even continued as Interim Dean for a much longer period than originally planned, as we continued to develop the long-term strategy for the School of Liberal Arts and asked Larry to stay on. Vice President Michael Nealon and I could not have asked for a better colleague in this important academic role. We finally had to let Larry return to his first love, in the classroom, after more than 18 months."

Like so many faculty and staff members at HFC, the most memorable part of the work for Smyrski has been the variety of people he met and got to know over the decades.

“Lots of wonderful students. Lots of fantastic colleagues, faculty, staff, and administrators," said Smyrski. “Another best has been the opportunity to have multiple roles and careers without leaving the institution. My career as a teacher changed over the years. I was able to serve in administrative roles while maintaining the ability to return to the classroom. Lots of change, lots of growth. I will miss all of those people as I retire.”

Everyone is invited to a retirement party for Smyrski on Tuesday, December 10, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Rosenau Rooms in the Andrew A. Mazzara Administrative Services & Conference Center (ASCC) (Building L on the main campus). Light refreshments will be served.