Profile: Pat Cunningham

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By Kaitlynn Magnuson

The College of Humanities and the Arts is thrilled to welcome Pat Cunningham as the newest member of the Dean’s staff team. Although new to the Dean’s office, Cunningham is not new to San José State: she earned her bachelor’s degree in business accounting here at SJSU, and has recently worked for both the College of Education and the Department of English.

With more than thirty years of corporate accounting and small business management experience under her belt, Cunningham brings a unique range of skills and an enthusiastic mindset to her new position. Ongoing projects and new initiatives, such as the revitalization of the Hammer Theatre, will benefit from her real-world experience and allow her to contribute to the mission of the College in deeply meaningful ways.

Cunningham’s drive to improve the campus and its Colleges helps explain why she returned to SJSU after being in the corporate world for so long. “I love being on campus,” she says. “I love being around the students, I love the professors, and I love the diversity of everything that happens here. There are just so many things that happen every day; every day is completely different.”

Cunningham’s arrival in the Dean’s office will allow for the expansion and creation of more projects that will support student learning throughout the College’s many disciplines. We are thrilled that she has joined our team, and we look forward to working with her to provide a high-quality liberal arts education that prepares students to be compassionate, informed citizens of the world.