What does Jack Quinn bring to ECC presidency?

   Former Congressman Jack Quinn will be announced as the ninth president of Erie Community College this morning at a news conference.

   Some will say it's a coup for the college to be able to snag a recognizable local figure like Quinn to head the two-year school of 13,000 students.

   Others will say it's patronage and politics as usual in Erie County.

   Whatever it is, it probably doesn't mean a whole lot to the students at the school.

   For them, it's about what Quinn can do as president.

   In fact, student Paul Leski … who was just a toddler when Quinn was first elected to Congress … doesn't know a whole lot about politics, or Quinn, other than he had been in office.

   "Nice guy, from what I can tell," Leski, 18, of Buffalo, said after meeting Quinn last week at the downtown campus.

   But maybe Quinn will be able to add a couple classes that aren't currently available at ECC, Leski said, or make some changes to the cafeteria menu.

   "Our lunch quality is not always the best," Leski said.

-- Jay Rey

Comments

[Barton Keyes]

There isn't much doubt as to why Quinn was selected as president of ECC. It is because WCC's Board hopes he can deliver the dollars, especially government dollars to the college. He certainly wasn't hired because of his academic credentials. And for Quinn to suggest he was hired because of his wide-spread fame as an administrator is to ask the public to accept the improbable.
Quinn is now at ECC because ECC hopes he will be their bag man who can deliver the cash.

[Eddie]

Nothing.

[rational mind]

This decision is a difficult one to fathom. For me it essentially puts ECC in the academic category of getting your degree from an institution of higher learning advertised on the back of a match book cover. Must be ECC needs a lobbyist in Albany. ECC Board, you could have done better to establish moving forward with an academic leader!