Philip J. Hanlon

Philip J. Hanlon '77 is the inaugural Dartmouth Trustee professor of mathematics and president emeritus of Dartmouth College. 

As a mathematician, Hanlon's academic research is focused on probability and combinatorics, the study of finite structures and their significance as they relate to bioinformatics, computer science, and other fields. Throughout his distinguished career, Hanlon has earned numerous honors and awards for his mathematical research, including a Sloan Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Henry Russel Award, and the National Science Foundation's Presidential Young Investigator Award. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Hanlon served as Dartmouth's 18th President from June 10, 2013, through June 12, 2023, and was the 10th Dartmouth alumnus to serve in that role.

Throughout his presidency, he championed academic excellence in service to the world and encouraged innovation in scholarship and teaching. He launched initiatives to build interdisciplinary strength around global challenges, expanded opportunities for experiential learning, and initiated new seed funding programs to support cutting-edge research and creative endeavors. He launched the Irving Institute for Energy and Society, established the DEN Innovation and New Venture Incubator (now known as the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship) and led the expansion of the Thayer School of Engineering. He also created the Society of Fellows, an interdisciplinary community of post-doctoral scholars dedicated to the integration of research and teaching.

Committed to reining in the costs of higher education, Hanlon maintained fiscal rigor throughout his tenure, establishing an annual institution-wide reallocation process while holding tuition increases to the lowest levels since the 1970s. At the same time, he oversaw record levels of giving, including for financial aid, raising more than $3.7 billion with 60% alumni participation in the Call to Lead campaign, the most successful in Dartmouth's history. 

Under Hanlon's leadership, Dartmouth also launched a comprehensive set of initiatives designed to combat high-risk behaviors while building a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment for students, faculty, and staff. 

Hanlon has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE), the Executive Committee of the National Academies' Division of Policy and Global Affairs, and in countless other roles in higher education.

Phil Hanlon is married to Gail Gentes. Both were awarded honorary degrees from Dartmouth at its 2023 Commencement for their extraordinary contributions to Dartmouth and the surrounding community. The couple has three children and two grandchildren.

Prior to coming to Dartmouth, Hanlon served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan, where he was also the Donald J. Lewis Collegiate Professor of Mathematics. He was a member of the Michigan faculty for over 20 years, and held an Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship, the University of Michigan's highest recognition of faculty whose commitment to undergraduate teaching has had a demonstrable impact on the intellectual development and lives of their students.  

Hanlon began his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1981-1983) and was a Bantrell Fellow in Mathematics at the California Institute of Technology (1983-1986). 

He graduated from Dartmouth Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1977 with his Bachelor of Arts degree before earning his PhD from the California Institute of Technology in 1981.