Yesterday morning, the Board of Trustees announced that the search for President Crutcher’s replacement has been concluded with the selection of President-Elect Dennis Hanno, currently the Provost of Babson College. In the coming weeks, there’s bound to be many details shared surrounding the search and appointment, but for now, lets take a look at Hanno and his background.
Hanno grew up in Glenfield, New York, a small town about an hour and a half north of Syracuse. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, he went on to earn his Masters in Science degree from Western New England College, and continued on to UMass Amherst to achieve a Ph.D in management.
As a Professor at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, Hanno received rave reviews from students on the popular site RateMyProfessor. (Credit: Alex Natale) A theme of many of the reviews is the strong relationship he formed with students, being repeatedly referred to as “the man”.
He has also had a positive impact spreading ideas and working within the economical sphere in Africa, finding the Babson-Rwanda Entrepreneurship Center, located in Rwanda.
A year ago, the President of Babson College announced his intention to step down, leading to a push from alumni and students for Hanno to be selected for the position. A social media movement titled #PREZHANNO gained traction, the Facebook group totaling 2,242 members, complete with memes and hashtags. Although the position was filled by another candidate, members of the movement continued to support Hanno, even sending out a message of congratulations yesterday when his position at Wheaton was publicized.
Hanno also maintains an active voice on social media platforms, especially through Twitter, where you can follow him @dhanno. He has already engaged with students and alumni, even showing the audacity to ask to join the Dimple Divers.
On Tuesday, he will be officially welcomed into the Wheaton community, and will take office on July 15. So while there’s still much to be learned about our new President, I think it’s safe to say that his first impression has left many at Wheaton excited.
As always, keep an eye on the Wire for more details as they emerge!
