Pegeen Quinn Named Director of Faculty Affairs

Veteran higher education administrator brings experience in growth, innovation, and student success

Key Highlights

• Sacred Heart University has appointed Pegeen Quinn director of faculty affairs
• Quinn brings more than 15 years of experience in faculty affairs, academic personnel administration, and higher education human resources
• Prior to joining Sacred Heart, Quinn served as associate provost for academic personnel at Columbia College Chicago
• Quinn’s expertise includes faculty affairs, shared governance, faculty policy development, faculty recruitment, promotion and tenure, and faculty relations
• Quinn’s priorities include building relationships with faculty, supporting faculty success, and advancing collaboration across the University

Sacred Heart University has appointed Pegeen Quinn director of faculty affairs.

Quinn joins Sacred Heart with more than 15 years of experience in higher education faculty affairs and academic personnel administration. In her new role, she will report directly to Michael Larobina, provost, and lead initiatives related to faculty affairs, faculty personnel processes, shared governance, faculty policy development, and faculty support across the University.

Prior to joining Sacred Heart, Quinn served as associate provost for academic personnel at Columbia College Chicago, where she oversaw faculty affairs operations, advised academic leadership on faculty-related matters, and partnered with faculty governance groups on policy development and institutional initiatives.

“Pegeen brings extensive experience in faculty affairs and a deep understanding of the collaborative relationships that are essential to a thriving academic community,” said Larobina. “Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to supporting faculty success, strengthening shared governance, and helping institutions navigate complex academic personnel matters. Her expertise, leadership, and collaborative approach will be tremendous assets to Sacred Heart as we continue to advance our mission of academic excellence.”

In a question-and-answer session, Quinn discussed what attracted her to Sacred Heart University, her priorities as director of faculty affairs, the importance of shared governance in higher education, and her approach to supporting faculty success.

What attracted you to Sacred Heart University?

Sacred Heart University is attractive in so many ways—the great academics, Catholic mission, beautiful campus, MAAC/Metro Conference athletics membership, the campus in Ireland. The list of attributes and successes is long. But above all, when you engage with members of the Sacred Heart community, it is clear that faculty, staff, and students are happy to be here and are proud of their institution. I’m thrilled to join such a vibrant and talented community.

What are some of your top priorities in your new role at Sacred Heart?

My top priority is to get to know the faculty, acclimate myself to the current priorities of the provost, the vice president of human resources, and the deans, and bring my experience and expertise to those challenges. On a more practical level, my immediate goal is to learn as much as I can from the outgoing executive director, Heidi Foster-Cho. This includes getting up to speed on the nuances of the faculty handbook and the procedures and timelines for all of the faculty cycles.

You’ve worked extensively in shared governance and faculty policy development. Why are those areas so important in higher education today?

A collaborative shared governance model is a fundamental aspect of higher education. The perspective and expertise of the faculty is critical, particularly in areas of curriculum, research, hiring, promotion, tenure, and faculty policy development. Simultaneously, the administration brings critical high-level expertise in leadership, management, and operations. A respectful, collaborative engagement of these experts can be very rewarding, can build a welcoming campus environment for students, and is necessary for an institution to achieve success.

Faculty affairs touch many areas across the University. What do you see as the most important part of supporting faculty success?

Building relationships with faculty is the foundation of supporting their success. When I attended commencement this year, I witnessed the many faculty who showed their gratitude to Heidi and Sina Binkowitz, retired faculty affairs manager, for the support they have provided over the years. That is the result of building strong relationships, anticipating people’s needs, and being responsive when issues arise. Those relationships are also what makes this type of work enjoyable and rewarding.