A Message to the Dartmouth Community

To the Dartmouth community,

When I arrived at Dartmouth in 2013, I laid out a 10-year vision for my presidency. Dartmouth would be a magnet for talent, home to a diverse and engaged set of students, faculty, and staff drawn to Hanover from around the world by the excellence of our teaching and research missions. Dartmouth would lean into its strengths and dare to take on some of the world's most urgent challenges, pulling together the intellectual resources of the campus community and alumni body in an inclusive and collaborative effort to make an outsized impact wherever we choose to focus our energies. And we would celebrate the distinctive Dartmouth experience by elevating the tight connection between students and faculty, and the profound sense of place here in these North Woods which create a community unlike any other.

Over the past eight and a half years, we have done just that, and I could not be prouder of the strides we have made towards this vision. Our progress has been fueled by historic investments across the institution in the academic enterprise and the undergraduate and graduate student experience, made possible by extensive community participation in The Call to Lead campaign.

As the vision I set forth almost 10 years ago becomes reality, the time is right to pass the torch. I have informed the Board of Trustees that I will step down as president in June 2023 after a decade at the helm. I want to ensure that the Board has ample time to find Dartmouth's next president. I am committed to supporting that person through a smooth leadership transition while we continue the important work that lies ahead.

Between now and then there is still much to achieve. Through the continuation of the campaign, I am committed to meeting our full set of financial aid goals that will position Dartmouth as one of a handful of U.S. universities that is universally need-blind and has eliminated loans from its financial aid packages for all undergraduate students. Furthermore, we will highlight our commitment to the arts through an exciting plan to modernize and expand the Hopkins Center. And crucially, we must continue to expand our efforts to shape a campus community that is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. 

It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve Dartmouth, an institution that did so much to transform my life when I was student here in the 1970s. Gail and I are profoundly grateful that you welcomed us both with open arms on my return and that we have forged meaningful friendships with so many of you. We are particularly thankful that we have been able to spend so much time with Dartmouth students. For me, it is a privilege to personally greet every matriculating first year undergraduate student as they begin their college career and to salute every graduate up to and including our PhDs as they set forth into the world strengthened by what they learned and accomplished at Dartmouth. Whether in the classroom, at athletic events, artistic performances, graduate school investitures, or group dinners at the president's house, Gail and I have been inspired by the undeniable talent and passion of our students. It is, after all, why as faculty, staff, and administrators, we come to Dartmouth. 

Yours truly,

Philip J. Hanlon '77
President