QUINCY – Quincy College welcomes three new deans this academic year: Vincent van Joolen, dean of natural and health sciences; Michael Marrapodi, dean of inter-institutional affairs and online programs; and William Brennan, interim dean of professional programs.
William Brennan, Interim Dean of Professional Programs
Brennan has been with Quincy College since September 2012, when he joined the faculty as an instructor teaching courses in management, business, labor law, economics, advertising and other related subjects.
In the past year, Brennan has proven himself to be a committed member of the Quincy College community. He served on the Grade Appeals Committee, NEASC Finance Committee and Institutional Issues Committee. In addition, he developed the proposal for a paid internship program, which was recently funded by College Courses Inc.
His teaching experience includes faculty appointments at Curry College and at Bridgewater State and Bryant universities. He has more than 25 years experience working in management/leadership positions for leading regional, national and international organizations, including the Stratagem Group, Adelphia Communications, Constar International, Stop & Shop, Halliburton/DRESSER and Interstate Brands.
Brennan holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Providence College, a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University and a master’s in applied management from Lesley University. He also completed certification as a Senior Ppofessional in Human Resources (SPHUR).
He is an active member of the business community serving on the South Shore Workforce Investment Board and the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. He has been a trainer for several organizations and a contributor to PaperAge Magazine, a national industry publication. In addition, he has served as a youth coach in soccer, baseball and hockey and as assistant coach for the Providence College Women’s Hockey Team. Brennan is also a former player on the New England Senior Hockey League.
Vincent van Joolen, Dean of Natural & Health Sciences
Van Joolen joins Quincy College after a distinguished career as a Naval officer and permanent military professor at the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md.
A community college graduate himself, he holds an associate’s in natural sciences from Pasadena City College, a bachelor’s degre in chemical engineering from the University of California, San Diego; a master’s in strategic planning from the Army War College, in Carlisle, Pa.; a second master’s in applied mathematics from the Navy Postgraduate School, in Monterey, Calif.; and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, also from the Navy Postgraduate School.
During his Naval career, which included significant experience on surface warships as well as at the United States Naval Academy, Captain van Joolen served as executive officer on the USS Juneau and as chief engineer on the USS Cayuga. He has received several academic and military awards, including the W. Randolph Award for Excellence in Mathematics; the Meritorious Service Medal for excellence in training and retention of personnel, while an officer on the USS Juneau; and a Navy Commendation Medal for excellence and safe plant operations under extreme environmental conditions, while chief engineer on the USS Cayuga. While at the U.S. Naval Academy, he was nominated three times for the Military Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award. The title of his doctoral dissertation was “Application of Higdon Non-Reflecting Boundary Conditions to Shallow Water Models.”
He has presented several times at conferences of the Mathematical Association of America and at the Military Operations Research Symposium on “Artificial Intelligence and Robotics on the Battlefields of 2020”; and he published a number of scholarly articles and papers on topics such as the application and effect on high-order Higdon boundary conditions.
Michael Marrapodi, Dean of Inter-Institutional Affairs and Online Programs
Marrapodi has been an educator and senior leader in education for nearly 20 years. He has 10 years of teaching and administrative experience working with new and established online programs. His experience in training faculty to incorporate technology to enhance teaching and learning, as well as his work in curriculum development, qualitative and quantitative analysis and statistics in online settings, will help Quincy College as it builds its online presence in the education community.
He holds a Bachelor of Sacred Music degree from Northeastern Bible College in Essex Falls, N.J.; a Master of Education in music education from The College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J.; and a Doctorate in Education in education leadership from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I.
During his career, Marrapodi has served as headmaster, principal or director of development for several private Christian schools. He has been or is an online faculty member for Argosy University, the University of Phoenix (School of Advanced Studies) and Capella University. He has also been a faculty member at the New England College of Business, Dean College, Boston Baptist College and Northeastern Bible College. These experiences have led him to become familiar with many different types of instructional software prevalent in the higher education community today.
He has presented at conferences and workshops on topics such as “Transformational Leadership,” “Successful Teaching in a Technological World,” “Understanding by Design/Concept Based Curriculum,” “Shared Leadership,” “‘Who Moved My Cheese’: Implications for Teaching and Learning,” “Professional Staff Development” and a number of other education-related topics.