Dr. Nancee Sorenson has been appointed campus president of the Brandon Campus. Dr. Carlos Soto, former campus president, retired after 15 successful and memorable years. Sorenson is the first female campus president at Brandon and has an extensive background in the field of college education. Her positioning was carefully decided among a committee made up of HCC faculty, staff, administrators and community representatives.

  “From what I’ve learned, it’s very fortunate for me as a campus president to be coming into a situation that the campus is generally, I think, very positive,” Sorenson said.

  Previously, she spent 30 years working in student development and enrollment with positions including vice president for student development, dean of student development, and many more. Sorenson worked at Pima Community College and Indiana Vocational Technical State Community College. Her strong professional background is an asset to the college and the entire community.

  Sorenson says, “What I will do is that I will use all of those experiences that I’ve had at two different one-college multi-campus systems” to explain a vision for the campus.

  ”I’ve worked both as a campus person and as a district person, and combining that with my educational background, my years as an administrator but also a staff member and an adjunct faculty, I think all of that will help come to bear in terms of my leadership style as a campus president.”

  Sorenson will first attend a listening tour arranged by students, faculty, and other members of the Brandon campus community.

  The goal of the tour is to inform her about the Brandon and its culture and history. It also serves as a way to interact with groups and hear pressing issues and concerns.

  Once completed with the tour, she will use that information to do an analysis, create a report and present it to the campus, the tour participants and Dr. Ken Atwater, the collge president.
She will also evaluate how the report aligns with with goals and plans from the 2014-2017 strategic plan.
“We’re going to focus on three things: what people like about what is going on and the positive things that they’re doing; issues and concerns; and how they see the future,” Sorenson added.

  Sorenson is recognized as the first female campus president at Brandon but feels that the significance may unfold over time as she makes decisions.

  “It’s really significant for me. I actually didn’t know that until after I was hired. I feel deeply honored,” Sorenson added.

  She hopes to find out during the listening tour if any previous decisions were influenced by gender roles.

  The community and the Brandon campus look forward to their new president and a new start. There are a lot of expectations at hand, but Sorenson is ready for it.

  “I am absolutely thrilled to be here and everyday has been a wonderful day. It’s really fun to be able to be in a place where everything is new and everyday really is a day of discovery. I think the key thing is keeping that attitude; to see it fresh every day and everyday understanding that you’re going to learn something new or that you have the potential of learning something new that you haven’t before,” she said with a smile.