HACC’s new president looks to reshape college experience as enrollment changes

Daniel Lufkin is the college's eighth president

• Haley O'Brien/WITF
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  Haley O'Brien joined WITF in 2026. A native of Scranton, she enjoys exploring Pennsylvania's diverse communities. Haley previously worked at NPR/PBS stations in Northeast Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, and has won awards for video storytelling and beat reporting.

HACC is no exception to the changing landscape of higher education.

The community college’s new president, Daniel Lufkin, is focused on creating flexible learning options to empower students to meet career goals.

“Right now it’s critically important that we don’t fit students into the old model of higher education,” he said. “Our learners can come in and out of the of the academic continuum, building every time on their skill sets to advance their career.”

His vision comes as colleges nationwide face a “demographic cliff” with fewer high school graduates expected to reduce higher education enrollment. HACC enrolls about 12,000 students.

Lufkin is HACC’s eighth president. With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, he previously served as president of the South Campus at Tarrant County College in Texas. Before that, he was the president of Paul D. Camp Community College in Virginia and served as vice president for student affairs at Thomas Nelson Community College, now Virginia Peninsula Community College. He began his career as an elementary school teacher in Arizona

Enrollment

Lufkin says HACC saw a 3.1% decrease in enrollment for the 2025-26 school year, a trend that is mirroring nationwide. At the same time, more students are interested in virtual or hybrid learning, Lufkin said.

“We are not closing any of our campuses. We will continue to serve our communities,” he said. “We don’t utilize the facilities as we did 15, 20 years ago, so it only makes sense in terms of our facilities long-term sustainability.”

To accommodate the changing needs of students,  HACC’s board approved the sale of seven buildings in June at the college’s five campuses. Two buildings on HACC’s York campus are currently up for sale and the rest are under review.  

Lufkin says the changes won’t impact academic programs or their availability at each campus.

The York campus has consolidated as a result. Chrissy Davis Jones, vice president of student success and chief enrollment officer, says it makes for a better learning environment.

“It’s going to create a more vibrant experience to have everyone in a single location,” she said. “We’ll have a kind of a building that will allow the students and the employees to engage more closely.”

Still, the college is focused on recruiting.

Workforce development

Lufkin says one of his top priorities is ensuring that students graduate from HACC with a pathway to immediately enter the workforce.

“The more we’re able to build these pathways that are relevant in today’s job and industry, then we’re going to do a much better job of attracting new students,” he said. “Particularly as it relates to the adult learners.”

HACC’s largest programs include nursing, business and trades. The college works with employers in the region to identify and fill gaps in the workforce.

During his first year, Lufkin says he plans to learn and listen, and strengthen relationships.

“That’s what I’m most excited about in my first year as president of HACC,” he said. “Getting out into the community, learning where some of those employment gaps may be, how we can partner with those business and industry partners to develop these programs that not only will benefit our students, but will benefit the employers and ultimately our community.”