Longtime campus police officer, Chief H.E. Jenkins, is a force to be reckoned with at UST. Guided by faith as his moral compass, he exhibits exemplary leadership skills mixed with a sense of humor.

Jenkins Serves as Incident Commander

As Incident Commander during an emergency, Jenkins exhibits “grace under fire.” Especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Jenkins strategically put the right people in the right place so UST could effectively make decisions with insight from the Emergency Management team.

“Chief Jenkins has been an exceptional example of poise under pressure,” VP of Finance and Business Affairs Spencer Conroy, who supervises Jenkins, said. “During the current pandemic, his leadership and ability to facilitate complex and challenging conversations punctuated with incomplete information and uncertainty has been invaluable to the effective management of a dynamic and incredibly challenging reality. It has been an honor to work alongside him in these times, and I am proud to have a colleague like him as a member of our Celt family.”

Jenkins stated his career as a security offer at Abilene Christian University in August 1999 and became a police officer in 2002. He has been an officer on a college campus for 18 years. He came to UST in June 2017.

Jenkins’ Creed

Jenkins states that the philosophy behind his success can be summed up in three points and thoughts:

• Put the student first-

“When making decisions about closing the school, I have always asked myself is this in the best interest of the student,” he said.

• Always consult God-

“There will be times in your life you do not know what to do and at these moments it is always best to consult God and let him lead you,” he said.

• My three principles are integrity, determination and respect.

“As police officer, if we do this we will earn the respect and trust we need from our community.”

Jenkins Praises Others for their Good Work

In Jenkins’ selfless manner, he wanted to give a shout out to all the folks he has worked with during this pandemic who offered their own version of goodness and guidance.

• Debra Moyer, coordinator of Health Promotion and Wellness, for her efforts to create the StayHealthy website and her community messaging at the beginning of the pandemic.
• Ana Alicia Lopez, director of Residence Life, who helped students move out of the residence halls and who handled all the medical personnel who checked in to this safe space so they didn’t infect their families with the virus.
• Information Technology who moved everyone online quickly.
• Student Affairs team who with 30 staff volunteers launched the Success Coach Model where they called every undergraduate student to check on their wellbeing.
• The president and vice presidents who made decisions to move the university online and for being a guiding light of optimism during a very critical time for the University.

Thanks Chief Jenkins for your wisdom and service.

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