In recognition of her remarkable career as President of Gateway Community College, Dr. Dorsey L. Kendrick was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of New Haven at its 2014 Spring Commencement Ceremony, held May 18. Kendrick also served as the Commencement speaker at the university’s ceremony for the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences and the Tagliatela College of Engineering.

According to Steven Kaplan, president of UNH, Kendrick’s visionary leadership and courage are an inspiration.  [She has] “overseen a period of extraordinary growth that has been highlighted by increasing enrollments, the introduction of innovative academic programs and the creation of industry partnerships that respond to the needs of the workforce.”

Kendrick assumed her role as president of Gateway in 1999. The college’s enrollment grew an impressive 100 percent during her first eight years, becoming the largest of Connecticut’s 12 community colleges. Her most outstanding achievement, however, was the completion of Gateway’s four-story, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold-certified campus in downtown New Haven, which opened in August of 2012. This was ultimately accomplished through an unprecedented collaboration of city, state and private enterprise, each playing a major part in the realization of her vision for Gateway Community College.

Over the course of her tenure at Gateway, Kendrick has received numerous distinctions and awards. In 2012, New Haven Living named Kendrick “one of the region’s 50 Most Influential People” for her pioneering working in education and for spearheading GCC’s move to the new downtown campus. In 2013, the Connecticut National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) named Kendrick to their list of the100 Most Influential African Americans.

Under Kendrick’s leadership, Gateway also has been recognized for outstanding contributions to education and the environment. The college, which serves more than 12,000 undergraduates each year, received in 2013 an Award of Merit from the Connecticut Green Building Council and has been listed in The New York Times as the top community college in Connecticut for incoming freshmen.