Franklin & Marshall College

Dear Members of the Franklin & Marshall Community,

One of the greatest responsibilities of the Board of Trustees is to select the President of the College, and then to work with the President to advance the welfare of the College. The appointment of a new president is a monumental occasion. The Presidential Search Committee assessed numerous outstanding candidates, and I am pleased to report that one clearly stood out as an ideal fit for F&M’s needs and aspirations. It is therefore my great honor and pleasure to announce that the Board of Trustees has elected Franklin & Marshall’s next president, Daniel R. Porterfield, who will begin his official duties on March 1, 2011.

Dan Porterfield is Senior Vice President for Strategic Development at Georgetown University. As a senior university officer, he has contributed to nearly every critical initiative at Georgetown in the last 14 years—from admissions, athletics and civic engagement, to selling a hospital, ensuring the campus embraces differing ideas and perspectives and supporting a $1 billion campaign. He has inspired powerful community outreach with Teach For America and the District of Columbia schools, established the first LGBTQ center at a Catholic university and served as a Board leader for the national Cristo Rey Network of high schools serving low-income communities.

A Rhodes Scholar and a Mellon Fellow in the Humanities, Dan earned his Ph.D. in English from The Graduate Center of The City University of New York. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown and a second bachelor’s degree in English from Hertford College at Oxford University.

Dan is also an assistant professor of English at Georgetown. Since 1997, he has regularly taught courses dealing with human rights, education and social justice. A beloved teacher, he has won several of the university’s highest teaching honors. In 2003, he received the Dorothy Brown Award for exemplary commitment to the educational advancement of students. In 2008, he received the Georgetown College Edward Bunn, S.J., Award for Faculty Excellence and, in 2010, he was awarded the School of Foreign Service Faculty Excellence Award. Both awards are the schools’ highest honor for faculty distinction.

Dan also has experience in government. Prior to joining Georgetown in 1997, he served for four years as a senior aide to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala, contributing to communications, policy and strategy at the highest levels.

Now 49, Dan has been married to Karen Herrling for 20 years. Karen is an advocacy attorney in state and legal enforcement of immigrant rights. They have three school-age daughters.

Dan’s references were extraordinary. His supporters noted his leadership, his passion for the liberal arts and his ability to ignite the commitment of others. They spoke of Dan as a collaborator, a thoughtful listener, a relationship builder and a person of deep intelligence, authenticity and integrity. I know that Dan is totally dedicated to using his considerable intellectual powers, his managerial talent, his personal magnetism, his strategic vision and his encompassing interest in those who learn and those who teach, to advance the welfare of Franklin & Marshall.

On behalf of a grateful College, I want to thank the search committee, a diverse, thoughtful and mutually respectful group, and especially its exceptional chair, Sue Washburn ’73, who led the committee to a unanimous and inspiring conclusion.

I also want to thank Interim President John Burness ’67, who has led the College energetically since July and who will ensure a smooth and orderly transition to our new president over the next several months.

Please join me in welcoming Dan Porterfield and his family to Franklin & Marshall and to the Lancaster community.

Sincerely,

Larry Bonchek, M.D., P’91
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Franklin & Marshall College