College President James Wright reappointed Paul Danos as dean of the Tuck School of Business, according to statements released Monday. The reappointment, which was contingent on a review process that included input from several campus entities, marks Danos' fourth consecutive term as head of Tuck.
"We are lucky that he was willing to continue to serve," Wright said. "I was involved in recruiting him in 1995. I was very pleased with the appointment -- he had taken an exceptional program and made it one of the best in the world."
The review process revolved around letters sent to administrators, faculty, students and members of the Board of Overseers at Tuck asking for an assessment of the dean. Some senior administrators at the College were also included.
"[Provost Barry Scherr] and I viewed all of the responses sent," Wright said. "We were eager to see [Danos] continue."
Danos' reappointment, extending his 12 year incumbency as dean, "exceeds the normal term," according to Wright.
Scherr said that Danos' long term is warranted because he "is extremely good at what he does."
"He really has been able to have the school build on its strengths over the years," Scherr said. "It has been moving up the national rankings quite consistently. The MBA program has stayed extremely strong, with he and his colleagues thinking constantly about the curriculum and updating what they are doing. He has recruited first-rate faculty and made the school extremely popular for students, strengthening the student body."
Most Tuck faculty members are pleased with Wright's decision to reappoint Danos, according to Andrew Bernard, professor of international economics and senior associate director of the Center for International Business.
"It is much better to have him in charge than anyone else I can think of -- I don't know anyone who is either surprised or disappointed," Bernard said.
This sentiment was echoed by some Tuck alumni.
"In my mind, Paul Danos is hands-down the best business school dean in the world, and his appointment to a fourth term is roundly welcomed by the overseers," William F. Achtmeyer Tu'81, chairman of Tuck's Board of Overseers said in a statement. "As our school continues in its second century, we look forward to supporting Paul as he cements Tuck's position at the very top of MBA programs around the world."
Danos said he is "honored" to be the dean and to be able to continue to support the various programs of the Tuck School.
"We have a lot of initiatives that we are planning and they are all aimed at giving our students the best possible leadership education," he said. "Tuck competes with the other great MBA programs. We are continuously monitoring our program and improving it so that we remain at the top. It is a tough task in a heavily competitive market."
As a result, Danos hopes to focus on faculty excellence in his coming term.
"The most important asset we have at Tuck is a great faculty," he said. "It is important to make sure that we have the very best faculty and to make sure they are accessible to students."
In addition, he pledges to further Tuck's global image.
"Tuck is a very international place," Danos said. "A significant percentage of faculty and students are non-U.S. born and almost all of the students go into global firms. Even though we are in the Upper Valley and are relatively small, we have to reach the world. We have made great progress but we have to continue."
