Dear faculty, staff, and Guarini students,
As we begin the search for our next Dean of the Frank J. Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, we invite your perspectives on the qualities, priorities, and opportunities that should guide this appointment.
I first want to extend our sincere thanks to Jon Kull for nearly 14 years of dedicated service as graduate dean and his willingness last year to agree to an extension through June 2026. First appointed in 2012, Jon helped guide the transition from an office of graduate studies to the creation of the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies in 2016—becoming its inaugural dean—and continued as it was named for Frank Guarini in 2018. His leadership and commitment to graduate and advanced education have had a lasting impact on Dartmouth, and we are deeply grateful for his contributions.
As Jon prepares to return to the faculty and we begin the search for his successor, your counsel will inform the position profile and the search process, including your views on Guarini’s opportunities and challenges and on the qualities we should seek in the next dean.
Your experience—whether through direct involvement in graduate education, mentoring post-baccalaureate and postdoctoral scholars, or engaging with recruitment, funding, advising, and program governance—offers an essential perspective on shaping the school’s future. In particular, we would be grateful for comments on:
- Opportunities: Cross-disciplinary programs, partnerships, recruitment
- Challenges: Funding models, time-to-degree, mentorship capacity, facilities
- Essential Qualities: Intellectual leadership, stewardship of research training, commitment to equity, operational acumen, and fundraising
- Search Committee Composition: Representation across Guarini-affiliated programs and fields, faculty ranks, staff and administrative roles, and graduate/post-baccalaureate/postdoctoral training perspectives
Listening Session Options
- Thursday, Feb. 12, from 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. in Moore Hall B03
- Friday, Feb. 13 from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. in Haldeman Center 041
If you prefer, you may also send comments—including confidential suggestions regarding committee composition—to the Office of the Provost (office.of.the.provost@dartmouth.edu) or via the Community Input Form by Friday, Feb. 13.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful counsel. Your perspectives are essential as we work together to identify a leader who will steward the continued growth and success of the Frank J. Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies.
Sincerely,
Santiago Schnell
Provost