April 05, 2018

Dr. Michael J. Hannan named interim president of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

He has been at Edinboro University for nearly 30 years, first joining the faculty as an assistant professor in 1988 and later serving for eight years as chair of the Department of Business and Economics. He was named interim provost in 2012 and provost two years later.

“Dr. Hannan has a breadth and depth of experience at Edinboro University that is perhaps unparalleled,” said Board of Governors Chairwoman Cynthia D. Shapira. “He is committed to the success of the university and its students. There is no one better to lead Edinboro at this critical time. He will ensure stable, consistent leadership going forward.”

“Mike is a trusted colleague who has the full confidence of the Edinboro community,” said State System Interim Chancellor Dr. Karen M. Whitney. “He will be a tremendous addition to our leadership team.”

"I am honored to have been selected to serve as Edinboro's interim president, a university I have proudly served for 30 years,” Dr. Hannan said. “I am confident in the advancements we have made and will continue to make toward a bright future for Edinboro.

“As a campus community, we will continue to build on our recent progress on many important initiatives to ensure that we continue to provide a great value for the working class students and families we serve. For 160 years, Edinboro has transformed the lives of generations of students through access to quality higher education and we will continue that work for many years to come.”

Dr. Hannan began his tenure at Edinboro as an assistant professor of economics and quantitative analysis, where his teaching centered on economic theory, applied statistics, modeling and forecasting. He was promoted to associate professor in 1991 and to professor in 1994. He served as chair of the Business and Economics Department from 1999 to 2007. He also served as associate dean of both the university’s School of Science, Management & Technology and College of Arts & Sciences. He was named the founding dean of Edinboro’s School of Business in 2011.

As Edinboro’s provost, Dr. Hannan implemented a data-driven holistic review of all academic programs, resulting in significant changes to program offerings and the development of multiple student and employer demand-driven programs. He collaborated with leadership in enrollment management in the design and implementation of a plan for raising admission standards at the university and launched a Center for Faculty Excellence to support faculty professional development. He has held a variety of leadership roles at the university, including currently serving as chair of the Planning for Instructional Technology Committee.

Dr. Hannan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with a minor in political science from the University of Pittsburgh. He earned a Ph.D. in mineral resource economics from West Virginia University, specializing in regional economics and economic modeling. His research interests are in the areas of pedagogy, economic modeling, forecasting and macroeconomics.

He has published in the Pennsylvania Economic Review and the International Regional Science Review, the International Journal of Business and Social Science and The Prison Journal, among others. He also was named Reviewer of the Year for 2009 by the Journal of the Northeastern Association of Business, Economics & Technology.

Dr. Hannan has been a long-term member of the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Economic Association and served as the association’s president in 2004-2005.

The Board of Governors is responsible for hiring university presidents within the State System. When the need for temporary leadership at a university occurs, the chancellor—in consultation with the chair of the Council of Trustees—makes a recommendation to the Board of Governors, which then meets to ratify the selection. An interim president serves as the university’s chief executive officer, with the same responsibilities and authority as a permanent president.