Executive Director of ITS retires

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Executive Director of ITS retires

Zenz
Executive Director of Information Technology Services David Zens retired from his position at Hillsdale College Tuesday after 24 years of service.
David Zenz | Courtesy

After bringing the Internet to the city of Hillsdale and serving Hillsdale College’s technology department for 24 years, Executive Director of Information Technology Services David Zenz retired this week. Friends and faculty gathered to celebrate his retirement Tuesday.
Zenz first joined the college as the director of academic computing, during which he ran an Apple computer store, kept the college’s two computer labs up and running, and oversaw the program.
“The faculty were pioneers,” Zenz said. “They had a vision for something they wanted but no provision for it. So when they hired me, they laid out a set of things they wanted to have accomplished, so I basically worked through that list.”
His first day on the job, he attended a conference hosted by Merit Network at the University of Nevada, making the connection that would ultimately result in Hillsdale’s Internet connectivity. Zenz was able to convince Merit Network to place a point of presence at the college and at the The Rockwell Lake Lodge in Luther, Michigan.
“That has been one of my great, fun projects,” Zenz said. “That was a collaboration. That was not me. We figured out how to get this small college a great connection on the digital frontier. It’s been just amazing to be a part of this.”
Later on, Zenz’s position on Merit Network’s board allowed Hillsdale to make an additional connection to an Internet service provider in Ohio. Pat Chartrand, network systems manager for ITS, said the connection to Merit has been an incredible asset for the college and the surrounding area, including the cities of Hillsdale and Coldwater.
“We’re connected to the two largest Internet service providers in the states of Ohio and Michigan,” he said. “It’s crazy — and that was all Dave. He also helped spearhead the fiber loop that goes around the entire city of Hillsdale. It’s through that loop that other places in Hillsdale are able to get connected.”
Over the course of two decades, Zenz worked on expanding Hillsdale’s networking capabilities, connecting the school’s email server to the Internet and arranging for fiber cables to run to the Roche Sports Complex. In the spring of 2000, the academic and administrative computing departments merged to form information technology services, for which Zenz became the new director.
Prior to the merge, Zenz relied on students and recent graduates to help him maintain the computers. Zenz said he enjoyed the friendships he formed with the bright student workers.
“Those were fun days because they had ideas to try, and I would say, ‘Yeah, go ahead,’” he said. “There was a tremendous amount of trust between the students and me and a lot of exploration of ideas.”
In addition to the serious work Zenz did for Hillsdale, his colleagues said he creates a fun work environment. Bobbie Brown, aide to the executive director of ITS, said Zenz occasionally brings in doughnuts from Hinkley Bakery in Jackson, Michigan, and participates in the Nerf gun fights that take place once in a while.
“Several people in the department have Nerf guns, and every once in awhile, if it’s nice and quiet on a Friday afternoon the nerf guns will come out,” she said. “The Nerf fights are always fun.”
Outside the office, Zenz is an avid outdoorsman. He participates often in yearly kayak trips with other members of the ITS department.
“We would go kayak down the Au Sable, and Dave would go, and we’d take a bunch of people from the office — student techs and whoever wanted to come,” Chartrand said. “Dave would always go, and we’d dunk him, tip him over, and it’s been great fun.”
Zenz said he’s looking forward to fly-fishing and backpacking during retirement and may travel with his wife or do some mission work.
“I want to take life at a different pace,” he said. “I want to get some dirt under my fingers, read the newspapers more fully. There are books on my office bookshelf. Some are textbooks. I always said when I get some time, I’m going to read them.”
Although Zenz is moving on, he said he will cherish the friendships he has made over his 24 years at Hillsdale.
“I’m going to miss it,” he said. “It’s going to be tough to set all this aside, but there’s opportunities for me out there.”