Dartmouth College Retains Isaacson, Miller to Find New Provost
December 2, 2024 – Boston-based Isaacson, Miller was recently called by Dartmouth College to lead in its search for a new provost. John Muckle, Becky Piper, Stephen Kalogeras, and Ethan Thomas are leading the search for the firm. Dartmouth seeks a distinguished academic and strategic administrative leader to serve as Provost. Dartmouth’s profile is unique in higher education in combining the energy, activity, and resources of a major research college with an unparalleled dedication to undergraduate education across the arts and sciences as well as engineering.
The next provost, as the chief academic and budgetary officer of the institution, will be charged with leveraging Dartmouth’s commitment to academic excellence and its distinctive institutional assets to advance Dartmouth’s impact in the world. Isaacson, Miller notes that the provost position at Dartmouth represents an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and experienced leader to guide college-wide strategy at an institution on the cutting edge. The role is central to driving institutional objectives across a wide range of areas, including academics, research and scholarship, budget, and finance. The Provost leads college-wide strategy in areas such as the rise of AI in research and pedagogy, climate and sustainability, a vibrant arts community, global engagement, and the growth and future direction of graduate programs.
The position requires a leader who is comfortable navigating complexity and ambiguity and who has the collaborative instincts, listening skills, empathy, and emotional intelligence necessary to bring together varied constituents across the community, according the job specification. The provost will bring exceptional managerial skills to the task of leading and developing a diverse team and campus community with unique talents, academic specialties, and experiences.
A successful candidate will bring an outstanding record of scholarly achievement and a record of bold leadership, turning plans into a reality. Exceptional organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and make timely but considered decisions are essential for success in the position.
Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is a member of the American Association of Universities and consistently ranks among the world’s greatest academic institutions with a rich scholarly tradition. It educates 4,400 undergraduates and 2,100 graduate students with 937 faculty across the arts and sciences and four graduate and professional schools: the Geisel School of Medicine, the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, the Thayer School of Engineering and the Tuck School of Business.
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A nationally recognized search firm focused on recruiting transformational leaders for mission-driven organizations, Isaacson, Miller has conducted thousands of placements over more than three decades. More than half of the firm’s work has been in academia, involving university presidents, college chancellors and deans. The firm has filled top leadership posts at Wellesley College, Washington State University, Miami University, Howard University, Bowdoin College, Dartmouth, NYU, Virginia State University, and the University of North Carolina, among others.
The Search Team
Mr. Muckle heads the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) practice area for the firm, building scientific capacity at many leading academic institutions. He also has engaged in a number of the firm’s most recent university president and provost searches. In addition, Mr. Muckle is a leader in the firm’s healthcare practice, where he oversees the recruitments of deans, department chairs, division chiefs, and biomedical center and institute directors. He has assisted clients such as Duke University, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Iowa, and the University of Pennsylvania, among other leading academic healthcare organizations to attract talent at all levels.
Ms. Piper joined Isaacson, Miller in 2015 and has since worked on a broad array of higher education academic and administrative searches, with a particular focus on advancement. Recent clients include: Harvard University; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; University of California, Berkeley; University of Maryland, College Park; Washington University in St. Louis; Dartmouth College; and Amherst College. Prior to joining IM, Ms. Piper began her career at Harvard University where she worked as the briefing/administrative coordinator in the office of the president.
Mr. Kalogeras joined Isaacson, Miller as an associate in 2021. Prior to joining the firm, he worked with art and design students at Parsons School of Design at The New School as assistant director of Academic and Career Advising. His experience working in education spans from higher education to school counseling 6th-12th grade students.
Mr. Thomas joined Isaacson, Miller as a search coordinator in 2017. He manages the logistical and administrative aspects of searches led by Mr. Muckle, including recent presidential searches at New York University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and The Ohio State University. As a managing search coordinator, he supports internal recruiting, training, and management of the search coordinator cohort.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
