What People Are Saying

“Phil brings a remarkable combination of outstanding scholarship and pedagogy and deep administrative expertise. He has a sophisticated understanding of the higher education landscape and a true appreciation for the immense value of the liberal arts, grounded in his intimate connection to Dartmouth. I look forward to working with Phil to build upon the significant momentum under way on campus to take Dartmouth to even greater heights of excellence.”
—Carol L. Folt, president and the Dartmouth Professor of Biological Sciences

“Phil is a distinguished scholar, educator, and leader who believes passionately in Dartmouth’s mission. At a time of momentous global change, Phil’s understanding of how higher education must evolve to adapt to the world and improve it puts Dartmouth in an outstanding position to continue to lead. I congratulate Phil on his election and look forward to hearing about the great things he will do to further Dartmouth’s record of accomplishment and innovation.”
—Jim Yong Kim, Dartmouth president emeritus and president of the World Bank

“Phil is an exceptional leader with a passion for higher education and its critical role in society. As Michigan’s provost, he has steered the institution through some of its most fiscally challenging years, all the while advancing our academic excellence and impact. As a teacher, his passion for undergraduate education is palpable. As Dartmouth’s next president, his vision, experience and deep integrity will elevate its already exceptional standing in higher education.”
—Mary Sue Coleman, president of the University of Michigan

“Phil Hanlon is the real deal—a passionately committed undergraduate teacher; a brilliant, hard-driving research scholar; and a supremely competent academic leader who helped one of the biggest and best universities on the planet flourish in tough times. He embodies the virtues that have made America’s greatest academic institutions great, and he’s also keenly aware of the novel challenges they face. At a defining moment in its nearly 250-year history, Dartmouth can look forward to a leader with a profound and deeply personal sense of what makes the College such a special place and the judgment and vision to help it acquire new eminence.”
—William Wohlforth, the Daniel Webster Professor of Government and search committee member

“Phil is an inspiration. I will long remember him telling us about how Dartmouth formed him into the formidable intellectual he has become, about how his PhD advisor’s encounters with sexism made him an advocate for fairness and diversity, and about how our task in higher education today is to help one another become not only knowledgeable but also wise. I eagerly look forward to working with Phil as we all ensure that Dartmouth’s voice is heard throughout the world.”
—Steve Swayne, professor of music and search committee member

“Phil Hanlon is an inspired choice for Dartmouth’s future. He clearly understands and appreciates Dartmouth and will lead Dartmouth forward in the world. His personal values and extensive academic and leadership experience are a winning combination.”
—Jeffrey Horrell, dean of libraries, librarian of the College, and search committee member

“When Phil Hanlon related how Dartmouth had unlocked his potential and how he saw his job as helping Dartmouth to realize its full potential, I knew we had found the right leader for Dartmouth in this time of profound changes in higher education.”
—Mary Lou Guerinot, the Ronald and Deborah Harris Professor in the Sciences, professor of biological sciences, and search committee member

“As a teacher, scholar, administrator, and leader, Phil Hanlon’s achievements and capabilities are truly exceptional. With a compelling vision, a passion for education, a drive for excellence, and a deep-seated commitment to Dartmouth, he is ideally suited to take the school to an even higher level.”
—Ron Adner, professor of strategy and entrepreneurship and search committee member

“Phil Hanlon has been an absolutely outstanding faculty member in our College of Literature, Science and the Arts, and a superb chief academic officer for the University. His academic values have been first rate, his budgetary acumen unparalleled, and his calm leadership personality just what has been needed in some trying times for the University. His call to a presidency is the logical next step in his career and he will be a great one.”
—Terrence J. McDonald, the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, professor of history, and dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan

“Phil is an extraordinary academic leader. He has a deep understanding of the challenges facing higher education, and a profound commitment to ensuring that educational institutions meet those challenges. He has an uncanny ability to bring people together and lead them toward shared goals. And he combines a passion for undergraduate teaching with extremely high standards for scholarship, research, and professional education. I have been privileged to work closely with him, and while all of us at Michigan will miss him terribly, as a Dartmouth alumna (Class of 1979) I am thrilled that he is going to be the next president of the College.”
—Martha E. Pollack ’79, vice provost for academic and budgetary affairs, professor of information and of computer science and engineering, University of Michigan