A CT university has a new president. He’s being called ‘a transformational leader’

It’s an exciting time for a Connecticut university that has seen some upheaval in the past several years.

The University of New Haven in West Haven recently introduced Dr. Jens Frederiksen as its new president.

Frederiksen, 44, is a native of Denmark and will formally become the school’s seventh president with his tenure to begin at the end of this school year.

“I’m grinning from ear to ear I’m so excited about this incredible opportunity,” Frederiksen said. “We are poised for the next great phase in the transformative history of this university. This is a can-do university and I think of myself as a can-do guy, and I think it’s a brilliant match.”

Frederiksen takes over for Sheahon Zenger, who has been the interim president since 2022. Prior to that, longtime president Steven H. Kaplan served as the school’s president for 18 years before coming the university’s first chancellor in 2022. Kaplan led the University of New Haven since 2004, but stepped down earlier than planned from his new role as chancellor, in part because of “university politics,” according to a letter at the time from Charles Pompea, chair of the Board of Governors.

Pompea wrote that that actions taken and comments made by certain members of the University faculty in 2022 “prompted Steve to advance his timeframe.” The university has declined comment on Pompea’s letter.

The goal, Pompea’s 2022 letter stated, was to have an individual “ready to take office” no later than September 2024.

“We are very excited about Jens and the future of the University of New Haven,” said Michael H. Ambrose chair of the Presidential Search Committee and vice chair of the University’s Board of Governors.

There was a thorough, national search to find the new UNH president. There were 75-plus candidates evaluated and they were whittled down to the best fit, according to the committee.

“Jens differentiated himself in the process and has shown to be a transformational leader, who accomplished some amazing things at Fisk (University). Those are things we want to see at UNH,” Ambrose said.

Frederiksen has spent the last seven-plus years at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He was most recently serving as the executive vice president.

At Fisk, Frederiksen oversaw a 70 percent enrollment increase and an increase in the caliber of students, he said. Fisk was also in the black for the past five years and raised $110 million during that time.

“Higher education is a business – the business of changing lives,” Fredericksen said. “It’s a complicated space with a complicated business model. We were continually addressing sound financials. We did it at Fisk against all odds. We were able to operate on an operational surplus.”

“Students are investing in their future and want to see a return,” he said. “Cost and affordability are considerations. We were able to show students if you keep doing the right things, we can open doors and create seamless transitions into pathways you never thought were possible. This was on a smaller scale than there is at UNH.”

Fredericksen was also a professor at Fisk, Vanderbilt, and the University of the South. He earned bachelor’s degrees in political science, history, economics, and philosophy from Vanderbilt. He also earned a master’s degree in interdisciplinary social and political thought and a doctorate in contemporary political theory and comparative politics from Vanderbilt.

Ambrose said the student population at UNH has exploded in recent years with about 10,000 students, and about half are graduate students.

“It’s a complicated time in higher education and the value of the four-year degree is being questioned,” Frederiksen said.

“I’m one of those who sees those challenges as an opportunity, and I believe in the spirit of changing lives and realizing dreams,” he said. “I see an incredible student body of doers who are seeking a platform to accomplish their dreams. The school has had an upswing in enrollment, but we can grow even more.”

There also has been a growing international population.

“We want to be fiscally responsible and make the university more sustainable in today’s world and there’s a balance there,” Ambrose said.

“The clincher for me with Jens is that he does things in a collaborative manner. It’s not just Jens – it’s everyone and all of the stakeholders on this journey together,” he said. “It’s important to (have a) leader that understands all backgrounds of the stakeholders and that everyone has a voice.”

Frederiksen said he’s looking forward to making partnerships in the West Haven and New Haven area similar to what he did in Nashville.

“This is a brilliant location with so many opportunities with so many potential partners like Yale,” Frederiksen said.

“I see a host of partnerships in our future. We are poised for the next phase because there are so many great possible collaborations,” he said. “We are poised for the next phase. I see no ceiling here and I think we will surprise a lot of people.”

“His vision of no ceiling and that energy and vision he has resonates with a lot of stakeholders,” Ambrose added.

Ambrose added that seeing Frederiksen grow Fisk was impressive and is excited about seeing what the new president will do at UNH.

“He grew the school in every dimension including revenue and the quality of the students increased” Ambrose said. “He was able to create partnerships and strategic relationships with Vanderbilt and other major employees across Nashville. He not only has vision, but he has an ability to execute that vision.”

Fredericksen first met Zenger only recently. The two spoke for an hour and a half. The two of them have a love for higher education. They were bonding towards the common mission.

Frederiksen said he’s been welcome with open arms.

“Being on campus, I’m blown away about how UNH reflects the world we live in and the world we want to live in,” Frederiksen said. “I’ve been so supported in these initial days.”

Frederiksen and his wife May have two children, Gunnar and Lilly.

Pompea’s 2022 letter praised Kaplan generously, saying “The University of New Haven in 2022 would be unrecognizable to a student, staff or faculty member from 2004, the year Steve Kaplan became our president.”

UNH was founded in 1920. It offers nearly 200-degree programs at the graduate and undergrad levels, according to the university. UNH’s main campus is in West Haven and has a campus in Orange as well as Tuscany, Italy.