Scott Henderson

Scott Henderson has been chosen as the new Chair of the Brock University Senate.

Having worked at Brock since 1991, Henderson is prepared to take the reins of the University’s academic governing body. The Popular Culture professor, who started his tenure as Senate Chair in May, hopes to continue the work of his predecessor, Susan Sydor, whom he was worked along side for the entirety of his Senate career.

Henderson cites Sydor as his greatest influence in the Senate.

“Susan is a people person. She has passed on her wisdom about the Senate and her ability to work with various competing interests, which is very important,” he said.

With four years of Senate experience, Henderson sees his new post as an opportunity to maintain the Senate’s position as “academic guardian”, while also encouraging members to work together for the betterment of the University.

“My role is to pull everyone together. We are all in it for the benefit of Brock and need to get the best from every member,” he said.

Henderson also recognized that the Senate and University face new challenges that must be addressed to ensure a sustained academic focus at Brock. He emphasized confronting the issues of enrolment and funding pressures that are affecting the entire post-secondary landscape, noting the “long game” must be considered when addressing such trends.

Challenges aside, Henderson also recognizes some of the many benefits of his new post. He is particularly excited to meet new people from around the University and to interact with different departments while getting a glimpse of the “grand picture” of the Brock community.

When asked if there was any correlation between his work as Chair of Popular Culture and his new post, Henderson laid out a clear vision for how the two roles complement each other.

“A big part of pop culture is the understanding of everything around us. This is similar in the Senate as both are broadly focused on the big picture.”