Daniel R. Porterfield
Encyclopedia
Daniel R. Porterfield is the 15th president of Franklin & Marshall College
.
, a Jesuit college prep school, in 1979. In 1983 he received a B.A. in English from Georgetown University
. As a Rhodes Scholar, Porterfield earned a second B.A./M.A. from Hertford College, Oxford University
. He was a Mellon Fellow in the Humanities at The City University of New York Graduate Center, which granted him a Ph.D. in 1995. His dissertation, which covered writers in captivity, received the Irving Howe Prize at CUNY graduate center.
From 1993-1996 Porterfield served as a chief speechwriter and then Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (Policy & Strategy) for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala.
Georgetown University president Leo J. O'Donovan
recruited Porterfield to join the English faculty at his alma mater in 1997. He taught literature courses dealing with human rights, education and social justice. In 2003, Porterfield received Georgetown’s Dorothy Brown Award for exemplary commitment to the educational advancement of students. He subsequently received the Georgetown College Edward Bunn, S.J., Award for Faculty Excellence and the School of Foreign Service Faculty Excellence Award.
Porterfield later served as Senior Vice President for Strategic Development at Georgetown. In this role he assisted President John J. DeGioia
with the development of new projects and led Georgetown's institutional positioning, communications, government relations, community relations and intercollegiate athletics. He spearheaded Georgetown’s relationship with Teach For America
, KIPP
, the D.C. public schools and The Cristo Rey Network
, on whose board he serves. He also served as interim director of Georgetown's NCAA Division I athletics program
from June 2009 to April 2010.
On Nov. 16, 2010, the Franklin & Marshall College board of trustees announced its selection of Porterfield to serve as the college's 15th president. Porterfield began his tenure at F&M on March 1, 2011 and was inaugurated on Sept. 25, 2011.
In his inaugural address, titled "Kindle Fire," Porterfield spoke about the core purposes and values of a liberal arts education, the traditions of Franklin & Marshall and the power of ideas and knowledge. "It is imperative that we at F&M and all liberal arts colleges embrace the idea that we can be high-impact forces for the long-term good in the world," Porterfield said. "Liberal arts education is the single finest form of cultivating emerging human talent and character that this world has ever known."
Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College is a four-year private co-educational residential national liberal arts college in the Northwest Corridor neighborhood of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States....
.
Education
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Daniel R. Porterfield graduated from Loyola BlakefieldLoyola Blakefield
Loyola Blakefield is a Catholic, college preparatory school established by the Society of Jesus, to educate men for others. The ideal Loyola graduate is a man of integrity who, because he strives "to find God in all things," is open to growth, dedicated to academic excellence, religious, committed...
, a Jesuit college prep school, in 1979. In 1983 he received a B.A. in English from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. As a Rhodes Scholar, Porterfield earned a second B.A./M.A. from Hertford College, Oxford University
Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is located in Catte Street, directly opposite the main entrance of the original Bodleian Library. As of 2006, the college had a financial endowment of £52m. There are 612 students , plus various visiting...
. He was a Mellon Fellow in the Humanities at The City University of New York Graduate Center, which granted him a Ph.D. in 1995. His dissertation, which covered writers in captivity, received the Irving Howe Prize at CUNY graduate center.
Career
In 1984 Porterfield founded the D.C. Schools Project, through which college students tutor immigrant or first-generation children and their parents in English-language skills. He was also instrumental in creating the After School Kids program in 1987, which trains college students to tutor at-risk youth in the District of Columbia. Both programs are currently run by the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service at Georgetown University.From 1993-1996 Porterfield served as a chief speechwriter and then Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (Policy & Strategy) for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala.
Georgetown University president Leo J. O'Donovan
Leo J. O'Donovan
Rev. Leo J. O'Donovan, S.J. was the 47th President of Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States. A 1952 graduate of Iona Preparatory School, and a 1956 graduate of Georgetown, he studied at the Universite de Lyon on a Fulbright scholarship and received a doctorate in 1961 from Fordham...
recruited Porterfield to join the English faculty at his alma mater in 1997. He taught literature courses dealing with human rights, education and social justice. In 2003, Porterfield received Georgetown’s Dorothy Brown Award for exemplary commitment to the educational advancement of students. He subsequently received the Georgetown College Edward Bunn, S.J., Award for Faculty Excellence and the School of Foreign Service Faculty Excellence Award.
Porterfield later served as Senior Vice President for Strategic Development at Georgetown. In this role he assisted President John J. DeGioia
John J. DeGioia
John J. "Jack" DeGioia became the 48th and current President of Georgetown University on July 1, 2001. Since graduating from the university in 1979, he has served both as a senior administrator and as a faculty member...
with the development of new projects and led Georgetown's institutional positioning, communications, government relations, community relations and intercollegiate athletics. He spearheaded Georgetown’s relationship with Teach For America
Teach For America
Teach For America is an American non-profit organization that aims to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation's most promising future leaders to teach for two or more years in low-income communities throughout the United States...
, KIPP
Kipp
-People:*Annika Kipp , German radio and television presenter*George Washington Kipp , U.S. politician*Karl-Heinz Kipp , German entrepreneur*Kipp Lennon , American musician*Lyman Kipp , U.S...
, the D.C. public schools and The Cristo Rey Network
Cristo Rey Network
The Cristo Rey Network comprises 25 high schools that provide a quality, Catholic, college preparatory education to urban young people who live in communities with limited educational options...
, on whose board he serves. He also served as interim director of Georgetown's NCAA Division I athletics program
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the...
from June 2009 to April 2010.
On Nov. 16, 2010, the Franklin & Marshall College board of trustees announced its selection of Porterfield to serve as the college's 15th president. Porterfield began his tenure at F&M on March 1, 2011 and was inaugurated on Sept. 25, 2011.
In his inaugural address, titled "Kindle Fire," Porterfield spoke about the core purposes and values of a liberal arts education, the traditions of Franklin & Marshall and the power of ideas and knowledge. "It is imperative that we at F&M and all liberal arts colleges embrace the idea that we can be high-impact forces for the long-term good in the world," Porterfield said. "Liberal arts education is the single finest form of cultivating emerging human talent and character that this world has ever known."