Reminders, Events and Meetings

Dec. 4: First Amendment Center (COMM) hosts conversation with LAist journalist and JPR faculty Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, COB-139A, 9:30 a.m. 

Dec. 6: CLA Faculty Council meeting, LA2-200, 3:30 p.m. 

Dec. 6: Jewish Studies presents “American and California Politics” talk, Alpert JCC, 7 p.m.

Dan O’Connor Retires



More than 150 people gathered at the Anna W. Ngai Alumni Center last week to honor associate dean Dan O’Connor. O’Connor is retiring at the end of this month after a nearly 30-year career at CSULB and eight years as CLA associate dean of personnel and curriculum. You can view the photos from the retirement celebration here or watch the tribute video here.

O’Connor earned a PhD in political theory from UCLA and first started teaching political science courses at CSULB as a lecturer in 1995; he was hired into the tenure track in 1999 with a dual appointment in the CLA and College of Education. He was named “Most Valuable Professor” twice, in 2003 in the CLA and in 2006 in the CED, and focused his research on the radical democratic theories of John Dewey. Before being appointed associate dean in the CLA, O’Connor was the founding chair of the liberal studies department, a position he held for 10 years. 

O'Connor pursued countless service and administrative activities focused on leadership and collaboration over the years, including serving as chair of the Academic Senate (2013-15) and co-founding the Provost’s and President’s Leadership Fellows Program. O’Connor created the program in 2013 alongside former CSU Chancellor Chief of Staff Karen Nakai. The dynamic O’Connor-Nakai duo designed the curriculum and led five cohorts of fellows. O’Connor said the leadership program is his “greatest contribution” on campus as far as impacting the broader university because many of the close to 80 faculty and staff who participated in it now serve in leadership roles across CSULB and other universities. 

O’Connor was born and raised in Panama, and Spanish is his native language. He is also a proud grandparent seven times over and an expert wine educator. O’Connor arrived late to the wine world, as he started drinking wine in his 40s. 

Over the past 10 years (and many glasses and bottles of wine), O’Connor has earned numerous sommelier and wine education certifications. For O’Connor, wine provides opportunities for “intellectual engagement, an awareness of science and agriculture, an understanding of cultural and social practices, and the hedonistic aspects of pairing a beautiful beverage with the food you’re consuming and/or the company you are keeping.”

Reflecting on his time at CSULB, O’Connor said, “It’s all about the friendships and collegiality,” adding that he is “proud to have been part of a community that is determined to improve the lives of our students through education.”