Nov. 30,
2022
| Matt Conway
mconway@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD – Following an extensive track record in academia, American International College (AIC) President Hubert Benitez is developing a future of prosperity for the educational institution.
Benitez was named the 12th president in AIC’s 137-year history in February after receiving unanimous support from the college. He officially took office on April 11.
Prior to his new role, Benitez spent the last two decades entrenched within academia. He served as vice president for strategic initiatives and academic innovation and as the acting chief inclusion officer at Rockhurst University, as well as the president and chief executive officer for Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences.
Growing up, Benitez always envisioned himself in a caretaker role. He initially pursued a doctorate degree in dentistry.
“I wanted to be able to be in a discipline where I could take care, in some way, shape or form, of individuals. Health professions sounded like a good option for that,” said Benitez in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
Benitez practiced as a clinician for 15 years before centering his focus on a new career pathway in education.
“When I was in dental practice, I always said, ‘There has to be more in my professional career than being a clinician.’ The opportunity to do that was to go back to education and see what the opportunities were,” said Benitez.
Benitez eventually worked in a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut for his research in education, working to develop assessments, academic writing and the implementation of new programs. He then received a doctorate in higher education and administration from St. Louis University.
Along the way, Benitez said he experienced a “traditional trajectory” of growth while assuming different positions across multiple institutions. Benitez stressed that AIC became an appealing opportunity due to the college’s focus on equity and diversity. AIC features a more diverse student base than most higher education schools, including a 23 percent Black population and 22 percent Hispanic population.
“It’s a blessing for me to truly seek where I can make a difference … I was looking for an institution that has its fundamental pillars and values related to access and opportunity. My academic career, I spent trying to create pipelines, pathways and opportunities for underrepresented minority kids to go into education,” said Benitez.
In his initial months as AIC president, Benitez said his wealth of experiences across different organizational structures continues to aid his understanding of the college’s operational structure.
“I learned accreditation, I learned institutional assessments and then I learned the financial aspects of what running an institution looks like … all that comes together when you really learn what leadership is all about,” said Benitez.
Benitez described his leadership style at AIC as people focused.
“I focus on people and the success and growth of people. I want to create an environment where people have an opportunity to fulfill their hopes, aspirations and professional pathways. I always believe if you focus on people, everything else will fall into place,” said Benitez.
A significant accomplishment of Benitez’s first seven months in office came with the development of a new strategic initiatives plan, AIC Reimagined, after months of “nonstop work.” The recently released document paints the college’s next five years of growth.
“We came together as a team and we have now fundamentally spent the last six months preparing what we’ve entitled as AIC Reimagined … it’s a five-year blueprint,” said Benitez.
The strategic plan highlights six core tenants. Benitez shared that revitalizing academic programming is one of those focuses.
“We are revitalizing the academic portfolio at AIC, looking at what academic degree programs should we have that not only fulfill the workforce of the local community, fulfill the workforce of the commonwealth, but also are academic programs that are appealing and relevant to our students,” said Benitez.
Another tenant is empowering students to be successful by “creating an infrastructure where students here have a profound experience.” Benitez said the plan also focuses on financial prosperity, athletics, internal and external community development and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Developing diversity and inclusion initiatives are especially essential to AIC’s mission.
“The intent is that every single employee and student feels like they belong at AIC … [we’re] creating structure, programs and models that truly appeal to minority backgrounds,” said Benitez.
Benitez also expressed pride in AIC’s athletic success, citing 50 percent of the student population as student athletes. Recently, AIC celebrated a conference championship for their women’s volleyball team.
“We’re creating champions inside and outside of the classroom,” said Benitez.
Benitez said that AIC is facing similar challenges to most other higher education entities, including declining enrollment numbers and lingering ramifications in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, Benitez remains steadfast in executing a new vision of success for the college.
“It’s a good time at AIC … we have a beautiful story that we are ready to tell,” said Benitez.
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