IGE Program Coordinator Elected as Faculty Senate Vice-Chair

Professor Dennis Quinn, coordinator of the Interdisciplinary General Education (IGE) program, has been elected to serve as vice-chair of the Academic Senate.

The role of the vice-chair includes acting as a liaison between the Executive Committee and all ad hoc and standing committees. This requires the incumbent to be in charge of the referral process and reporting to the Executive Committee on the status of work assignments. The incumbent is also responsible for publicizing information related to the work of the Academic Senate.  

Prior to his election as vice-chair, Quinn has served as a member of the Academic Affairs Committee and the Faculty Affairs Committee. Further, in 2019, he was elected as chair of the General Education Committee and has been serving as member of the Executive Committee since 2021. His experience on the Academic Senate will be instrumental as he begins his new role in hopes of improving work conditions for faculty and being a strong advocate for the College of Education and Integrative Studies (CEIS).

“During the first year, I intend to learn the ropes of the Senate vice-chair,” said Quinn. “I have had many conversations with the current vice-chair and chair about what the role entails, but just like every leadership position I have jumped into at Cal Poly Pomona (CPP), I will learn by doing. I intend to help Senate business run as smoothly as possible.”

One of the issues that Quinn plans to tackle is faculty workload, which has steadily increased over the years. 

“I think faculty workload is the most pressing issue as reflected in the Resolution in Support of Unit 3 Employees and the Learn Through Discovery (LTD) Polytechnic Model, which passed the Senate unanimously in April,” said Quinn. “Faculty morale has been the lowest I’ve seen in all my 23 years working at CPP and I will try my best to help administration and faculty bring it back up again. This in turn will support student success.”

During his time on Academic Senate, Quinn says his most memorable moments have been working with his colleagues and administration to explore issues that often have opposing viewpoints. 

“In general, I think just learning how faculty and administration negotiate their sometimes-opposing interests has been enlightening,” he said. “My favorite has been working closely with the many amazing faculty from across campus, especially while chairing the General Education Committee during one of the most challenging times in the history of the GE program.”

The Academic Senate meets on a monthly basis to vote on referrals issued by faculty, committees and administration. Their goal is to represent the best interest of faculty, something Quinn has done for many decades as an interim associate dean, a department chairperson and now program coordinator of IGE, which allows students to complete their general education requirements through small interactive classes that combine the humanities, arts and social sciences. 

“I am truly honored to serve in this important role in faculty governance,” said Quinn. “I was a student at Cal Poly Pomona, then a lecturer, then a tenure-track faculty member, along with department chair, administrator, and now I am stepping in as vice-chair of the Senate. CPP is truly my academic home and I look forward to this new opportunity to serve the campus I love.”  

For more information about the Academic Senate, visit www.cpp.edu/senate.