John McKnight will become Dartmouth’s inaugural dean of undergraduate student affairs in the College’s new School of Arts and Sciences on June 1, according to a campus-wide email sent by interim dean of arts and sciences Nina Pavcnik and interim dean of undergraduate student affairs Anne Hudak on Nov. 18, 2025.
The appointment fills a key leadership role in the School of Arts and Sciences, a reorganization Dartmouth approved in 2024 that merged several undergraduate-facing divisions. McKnight will lead the Division of Undergraduate Student Affairs and oversee offices including Residential Life and Student Life, according to Dartmouth News.
Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees established the School of Arts and Sciences on Nov. 13, 2024 by merging the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Division of Undergraduate Education and the Division of Undergraduate Student Affairs. In an email announcing the new school at the time, College President Sian Leah Beilock wrote that the change will make faculty advising and the undergraduate deans “part of one shop,” “allow for targeted investments in groundbreaking research” and improve undergraduate research opportunities.
McKnight currently serves as vice president and dean at Haverford College. In an email statement to The Dartmouth on Dec. 12, McKnight said it is “still early to define precise long-term goals,” but that he “broadly envision[s] deepening the integration of co-curricular learning into our academic fabric — a goal that aligns with the overall mission of the School of Arts and Sciences.”
He also pointed to relationship-building and communication as priorities across groups he described as “students, faculty, administrators and other community members.” “Many of the foundational tools — like a clear commitment to dialogue — are already firmly in place at Dartmouth,” McKnight wrote. “Open and transparent communication is key, and I am committed to doing my part to promote a culture of openness, trust and collaboration.”
In separate email statements to The Dartmouth immediately after the announcement, Pavcnik and Hudak praised McKnight’s prior work with students. Pavcnik wrote that McKnight is “very student-focused” and “quickly connected with students and other members of Dartmouth community during the search process.” Hudak said McKnight’s “student-centered focus and exceptional depth of experience across all areas of student life” will make him a “wonderful leader.”
“He’ll be joining a strong, caring student affairs team who will support him as he shapes the division’s long-term vision and strengthens the undergraduate student experience,” Hudak wrote.
Before joining Haverford, McKnight served as the founding dean of institutional equity and inclusion at Connecticut College, according to his profile on Haverford College’s website.
McKnight’s selection comes as [Dartmouth continues staffing](Beyond the Department: How Dartmouth’s Society of Fellows Is Redefining Academic Boundaries → /campus/2025/11/dartmouth-society-of-fellows-interdisciplinary-scholarship) the School of Arts and Sciences’ top leadership. The search for the inaugural dean of arts and sciences remains underway, according to College spokesperson Jana Barnello.
Hudak, who began serving as interim dean of undergraduate student affairs in July 2024, said in a follow-up statement that she will remain at Dartmouth in another position after “supporting Dean McKnight with onboarding.”
McKnight is set to assume the role June 1, when he will take over leadership of undergraduate student affairs within the School of Arts and Sciences structure.
