The University Record, January 28, 1998
William A. Jenkins
William A. Jenkins, chancellor emeritus of the U-M-Dearborn, died of pneumonia Jan. 20 in Wisconsin. He was 75.
Jenkins served as Dearborn’s chancellor from 1980 to 1988. During his tenure as the campus’s second chancellor, U-M-Dearborn grew from 6,000 students to 7,316 students. and the campus received accreditation by North Central Association in 1984.
On his retirement in 1988, the Regents said: “For the past eight years, Chancellor Jenkins has guided the Dearborn campus through a maturing process that has enabled it to achieve an unprecedented level of service to students, the communities of southeast Michigan and business organizations in the area. He has ably directed the development of facilities and the strengthening of academic and research activities so that the campus now stands as one of the true pillars among the colleges and universities of the state.”
Jenkins supervised significant physical growth of the Dearborn campus, including the dedication of a four-story library in 1981 and the construction of the Manufacturing Systems Laboratory Building in 1988. Substantial renovations also took place at the Henry Ford Estate, a national historic landmark on campus. Articulation agreements with six southeast Michigan community colleges–Oakland, Wayne, Henry Ford, Highland Park, Schoolcraft and Monroe County–were signed during Jenkins’ tenure.
Prior to becoming chancellor, Jenkins served as vice chancellor for academic affairs and acting chancellor at the University of Colorado at Denver. He previously served in various administrative and academic positions at Portland State University, Florida International University in Miami, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Hawaii. A specialist in English language arts and reading, Jenkins co-authored 80 elementary-school textbooks. He also served as a consultant for the Ford Foundation, the Educational Testing Service and Compton’s Encyclopedia. He was president of the National Council of Teachers of English 196869 and was editor of the Council’s journals for seven years.
Jenkins earned doctoral and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois and a bachelor’s degree from New York University.
He is survived by his wife, Alice; son, Bill; and daughter, Darcy.
Memorial contributions may be made to the William A. Jenkins Scholarship at U-M-Dearborn, 1040 Administration Building, 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, MI 48128.
From U-M-Dearborn
