Page 8 - BusinessWest May 30, 2022

Instead, he opted to change course and pursue a career in higher education, or “the academy,”
as he called it, because it met a life-long desire
to serve others while presenting many different opportunities to grow as an individual and lead others.
“I always saw my colleagues in higher educa- tion as individuals who were trying to find new directions, trying to research, trying to find new directions for healthcare for education ... and that was something that was intriguing to me,” he said.
In his most recent position, Benitez served as
“You don’t learn about an institution until you’ve talked to its people.”
vice president for Strategic Initiatives and Aca- demic Innovation, and as acting chief inclusion officer at Rockhurst University (RU) in Kansas City, MO. Prior to Rockhurst, Benitez served as president and chief executive officer for Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences for almost five years, where he provided visionary and strategic leadership that included merging the school in Rockhurst (more on that later).
In his short but busy time at AIC, he has been “learning and doing,” as he put it and starting the hard work of creating an envisioning plan for the college, an effort involving many individuals and constituencies.
“Many people ask me, ‘what is your vision?’ he
said. “I have a vision of what AIC will be, but the vision of AIC will be a shared vision, a vision cre- ated by faculty, staff, administra- tors, because I want to make sure everyone owns that vision.”
Something to Sink His Teeth Into
Benitez told BusinessWest that while he was at Rockhurst Univer- sity, he was encouraged by recruit- ing firms to apply for various positions, most of them presiden- cies, across the broad spectrum of higher education. The presidency of AIC was not one of them.
“No one invited me to apply to AIC; I chose AIC, and I was hop- ing that AIC would choose me,” he said, adding that there were many things about the small, urban school that intrigued him, start- ing with the three words over the school’s banner: Access, Opportu- nity, and Diversity.
While Hubert Benitez, right, was offering congratulations to students at commencement, they were offering it right back to him.
“When I see an institution that
focuses on providing access to demographics of students, providing opportunities to students who haven’t been successful a first time, or a sec- ond time, and maybe this is their last opportunity, and when I see an institution that is working on maximizing the diversity of the future workforce ... that is absolutely true to who I am, not only as a person, but as a professional.”
Elaborating, he said that the mission of AIC is
true to his heart and a reflection of what he has devoted his career to in recent years. To under- stand those sentiments, we turn the clock back to his decision to transition from dentistry to higher education.
That transition occurred as he was pursuing a post-doctoral fellowship, when Benitez met
a fellow DDS who
became a mentor
and eventually con-
AIC
Continued on page 44
Let’s Talk.
Meet Our Local Commercial Team
Commercial Lenders Rob Chateauneuf, Darlene Mark & Jay Berry
Contact Us: 413-267-1254 [email protected]
Your Business is our Top Priority
We have a strong history of providing custom lending solutions for businesses of all sizes and types. Let us help you finance your next business venture.
www.monsonsavings.bank
MEMBER FDIC I MEMBER DIF
Your Bank for Business
8 MAY 30, 2022
FEATURE
BusinessWest