LEADERSHIP PROFILE

Some of life’s greatest journeys involve unexpected detours. It’s a lesson that Dr. Michael Hannan learned many times over on his path from firstgeneration college student to chief academic officer.

After high school, Hannan – a Pittsburgh native who knew little about choosing a career path and even less about the college-selection process – enrolled at the first of three undergraduate universities as a Spanish major. A few semesters later, a friend mentioned moving to Washington, D.C., to study international relations. The idea piqued his interest.

“That sounded like an option that would allow me to use my language skills and apply them in a way that led to a good job,” said Hannan, whose interest in Spanish was inspired by his own Hispanic heritage. “So, I ended up transferring. Ironically, he did not.”

Hannan studied in the nation’s capital for one semester, but the cost of tuition and room and board were more than his family could afford. He returned home for his junior year, enrolling at the University of Pittsburgh’s main campus as an economics major. There, he joined the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and met his wife, Laurie.

“Miraculously, I did finish my degree in four years and only lost one credit in all of the transferring around,” said Hannan, who graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in economics and concentrations in microeconomics and political studies in 1984.

He applied to West Virginia University’s Ph.D. program in mineral resource economics and was granted a graduate assistantship and tuition waiver. He spent four years in Morgantown studying regional economics and quantitative modeling.

Fresh out of grad school, Hannan explored several career options. He applied for multiple collegiate-level teaching positions, including one at Edinboro University, as well as research positions in both the public and private sectors.

On the day of his interview at Edinboro, Hannan began the two-hour drive north on I-79 before mistakenly exiting the highway early in Meadville. Luckily, he soon found himself on a road that led directly to campus.

“I was always glad for that,” said Hannan. “The interview went well, and I got the job. That was my start here, and I never left.” be a part of the whole process.”

Knowing firsthand the difficulties of entering academia as a first-generation student, Hannan was committed to making their transition easier.

“I have always believed in not shuffling students to someone else if they had a question. Instead, I tried to find the answer myself while staying in the room with them,” Hannan said. “When I started college, I knew almost nothing about how a university functioned or where to go for answers, and I didn’t want our students to have that same experience.”

Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, interim president of Edinboro, said she was immediately struck by Hannan’s loyalty, humility and dedication to students.

“Mike is a well-respected leader who has served students, colleagues and the broader campus community well during his long tenure. His impact will be felt long after he is gone. Edinboro is a much better place because he was here,” said Pehrsson, who is also president of Clarion University, interim president of California University and presidential lead of the Western integration project. The project will result in the consolidation of California, Clarion and Edinboro, effective July 1.

From his first days in Hendricks Hall as an assistant professor of economics and quantitative analysis, Hannan felt a special connection to his students, many of whom were also first-generation scholars from working-class families.

“I really enjoyed getting to know the students and working alongside excellent faculty and staff who were really committed to serving them,” he said. “This was an opportunity for students to change their lives, and it was exciting to

Hannan rose quickly through the tenure ranks at Edinboro and became assistant chairperson of the Business and Economics Department in 1993. Six years later, he was elected department chairperson, a position he held until 2007 when he was appointed associate dean of the School of Science, Management and Technology and later associate dean of business in the College of Arts and Sciences.

In those roles, he planned for initial accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and worked with multiple departments across the university in curriculum and accreditation planning. But despite these and other advancements, Hannan had doubts in his early days as an administrator.

“The best job on campus is being a faculty member and getting to work with students every single day,” he said. “When you assume an administrative role, you don’t really get to know the students nearly as well. I missed that.”

Hannan confided in Dr. Eric Randall, dean of the School of Science, Management and Technology at the time, about the possibility of returning to teaching.

“Eric told me that one-on-one interaction with students was one type of impact, but that if I would try to stay in a leadership role, I had the potential to impact even more students. And that’s what motivated me to stick it out,” he said. “I hope Eric was right and that the decisions I made did improve the experiences of even more students.”

Hannan was named founding dean of the School of Business in 2011. One year later, tragedy struck campus with the passing of then-provost Dr. Philip Ginnetti. Former University president Dr. Julie Wollman called on Hannan to serve as interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, a responsibility he graciously accepted. He was named to the position permanently in 2014 following a formal search process.

Four years later, the chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education phoned him with an even bigger request. Edinboro needed an acting president. Unsurprisingly, Hannan again stepped up.

“I had never intended to be the president,” said Hannan, who served as acting and then interim president until 2019. “I was happy being provost, but I thought it was important because of my longevity and the relationships I had built over the years to step into that role temporarily.”

Amid rapid and unexpected change at Edinboro, Hannan provided much-needed stability in the Office of the President, while focusing on recruitment, diversity, equity and inclusion, retention and community building. Dr. James Fisher, professor of politics and legal studies at Edinboro since 2000, took on the role of interim provost and vice president for academic affairs during that time.

Affairs and provost for Pennsylvania Western University.

“I have worked with Dean Miller for more than a decade, and I am very happy that he has accepted this critical leadership position for our new university,” Hannan said. “He examines multiple perspectives in making decisions and always considers what is in the best interest of our students.”

In retirement, Hannan is looking forward to volunteering in the community, spending time with family and enjoying the outdoors. He is thankful for the patience and support of his wife, Laurie, and children, Victoria and Matthew, over the years while working many evenings and weekends.

“I am highly confident that no one works, or has worked, harder than Mike at Edinboro,” Fisher said. “One of the many reasons I so enjoyed working with Mike – and one of the reasons I admire him so much – is that it became quite clear to me early on that he cared deeply for Edinboro and its stakeholders and invested pretty much zero ego in himself or his work.”

Since July 2021, Hannan has provided leadership in academic affairs consolidation planning and implementation for Western integration. He will retire in June after 34 years of service to the university.

“Mike has been a steadying force in the life of Edinboro University – and now PennWest – at a time when that quality was needed the most,” Fisher said. “He just has a way of lowering the temperature so that people can focus on solutions. This is how he proceeds with almost everything: Steady, careful forward movement, attention to detail, cautious optimism and a sense of humor.”

Dr. Scott E. Miller, dean of Edinboro’s School of Business since 2012 and its College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences since 2015, was selected as senior vice president of Academic

“In the early years, I thought that I would always be a faculty member in the classroom, and I never aspired to be anything beyond that. But circumstances led to people asking me to move into different positions,” Hannan said. “I made a commitment here, and I was in it for the long haul.”