Dr. Carole Sloan retires from HFC after 37 years

In her 37 years at HFC, health and physical education professor Dr. Carole Sloan always advised new faculty members to reach out beyond their academic departments.

“While at HFC, I served on almost every committee at the College. Serving on these committees is a great way to understand how the College operates and to have input into the College’s operations,” said Sloan.

During her 37 years at HFC, Sloan has been on and/or held a leadership role on the following committees:

• Member, Faculty Senate (1998–2009, 2012–16)
• Chair, Faculty Senate (1999–2001, 2003)
• Member, Facilities Management Committee (2009–15)
• Chair, Facilities Management Committee (2009–11, 2014)
• Member, Strategic Planning Committee (2006–09)
• Faculty Liaison to Dearborn Citizen Commission for HFCC Self-Study (2005)
• Chair/Member, Instructional Technology Committee (1999–2018)
• Member, Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning (2004–08)
• Member, numerous screening committees including Presidential Selection
• Co-Chair, Elections Committee (2002–20)
• Member, Advisory for Early College (2007–09)

“Being on these committees has enriched my time at HFC. I always tried to remember that students come first,” said Sloan, who lives in Plymouth with John, her husband of 41 years. Together, they have two children and one granddaughter.

As much as she enjoyed teaching at HFC and being part of these committees, Sloan made the painful decision to retire from the College. Her last day was Aug. 21.

“It’s time to move into the second phase of my life,” said Sloan. “It has been a difficult decision as I love teaching and I love HFC. I will miss my students and my colleagues.”

Sloan’s background

Born in Iowa, Sloan moved to Italy when she was 6 because her father worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN). After three years in Italy, her family returned to the United States, settling in Atlanta. In 1982, Sloan moved to Michigan because her husband began a job at Chrysler. She’s lived in Michigan ever since.

“I still have a slight southern accent from my years in Atlanta, which I love,” she said.

An alumna of Avondale High School located near Decatur, GA, Sloan earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education and her master’s degree in exercise physiology – both from Georgia State University (GSU). She later earned her PhD in exercise physiology with cognates in nutrition and statistics from Wayne State University. Sloan is a certified personal trainer, group exercise instructor, exercise technologist, and is certified through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

“I didn’t necessarily need to be a jock to major in physical education”

“I was a rising junior at GSU and the university said I must choose a major in order to register for classes. Up to that point, I had been taking my general education classes and classes that were interesting to me. One of the classes I took was a class for ‘Teaching Gymnastics.’ At the time I taught gymnastics part-time at the Atlanta School of Gymnastics. Most of the students in the ‘Teaching Gymnastics’ class were physical education majors. I realized I didn’t necessarily need to be a jock to major in physical education, so I chose that as my major. To this day, it is one of the best decisions I ever made. I love teaching but getting to teach people about how to stay active and eat well is the best subject to teach,” explained Sloan.

According to Sloan, no one in particular nor did any certain event inspire her to become a teacher.

“As with many things in life, I just ended up a teacher,” she said. “I think teaching is a wonderful profession. What other job allows you to be so influential on so many people? Also, teaching allows for a great deal of flexibility in the classroom. I have enjoyed creating new lessons or activities in an attempt to teach new material.”

Working with the Falcons, the Braves, and the Hawks

Prior to coming to HFC, Sloan was the coordinator of the Human Performance Laboratory at GSU. The lab – which conducted a variety of different research projects in the area of body composition, blood lipids, and exercise prescription – had contracts with the major professional sports teams in Atlanta.

“We worked doing a variety of different fitness testing and rehabilitation for the Falcons, the Braves, and the Hawks,” recalled Sloan. “In addition, the lab operated a large adult fitness program for people who worked near the university. I taught one class with several staff of then-Gov. Jimmy Carter.”

When Sloan first came to Michigan, she worked at Ford Motor Co. setting up a wellness program for employees. Ford had purchased an old elementary school in Dearborn for its wellness program. There, she met a woman from Ford who lived in Dearborn and knew about a teaching position that was open at what was then called Henry Ford Community College.

A good place to work

“She said she heard the College was a good place to work,” said Sloan. “I applied and the rest is history as the saying goes.”

At HFC, Sloan founded the Fitness Leadership Program, where she also served as director. She taught many different classes during her time at the College, including:

• HPE 253: Nutrition for the Professional
• HPE 150: Exercise Physiology
• HPE 142: Introduction to Health and Wellness
• HPE 158: Introduction to Nutrition
• HPE 126: Aerobic Dance
• HPE 152: Measurement and Prescription of Fitness and Sport
• HPEA 155: Relaxation Techniques for Stress Management
• HPE 192: Internship in Physical Education
• HPEA 117: Strength Training and Physical Conditioning
• HPE 143: Advanced First Aid
• EMS 101: Basic EMT
• ECG Interpretation (no longer offered)

Witnessing numerous changes at HFC

During her tenure at HFC, Sloan was privy to many changes that occurred, including the erection of the number of buildings on the main campus, including the Andrew A. Mazzara Administrative Services & Conference Center (ASCC).

The biggest change was the transition to technology, according to Sloan.

“HFC lagged behind other institutions when embracing technology. The establishment of the Technology Investment Fund (TIF) was significant in moving the college forward with technology and continues to keep our infrastructure, software, and hardware up-to-date,” she said. “I like technology so I was fortunate to begin using technology in my classroom as soon as it started to become available (in regards to the growth of online classes). I eventually transitioned to teaching several classes as hybrid and then 100 percent online. Though online is not for all students, it can be an effective way to learn for many students.”

“There are so many good things about HFC”

As Sloan looks forward to spending more time with her family – particularly her granddaughter – she also looks back on the best things about HFC.

“There are so many good things about HFC,” she said. “Being part of a union that negotiated for the faculty a contract that provided a good standard of living. The union and Faculty Senate worked tirelessly to share in the operation of the College, which is what made the College such a special place to work. Though I experienced an administration that supported me and gave me anything I needed to be successful in the classroom, it was helpful to know that the union always had my back if a problem were to arise. This gave me the confidence to speak up for what I thought was best for the students.”