This is a Casual Conversation that all of you must attend: Dartmouth’s new Provost Santiago Schnellwill be our guest on December 8 at 5 pm Eastern on Zoom. He was recommended to us for a Casual Conversation by Dartmouth President Sian Beilock.
Dartmouth’s Provost, per the press release announcing his appointment, “is Dartmouth’s chief academic and budget officer, responsible for academic strategy and operations and for leveraging Dartmouth’s distinctive strengths to advance its impact in the world.” https://home.dartmouth.edu/news/2025/05/dartmouth-names-santiago-schnell-provost . “As provost, Schnell will oversee the Geisel School of Medicine, Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Thayer School of Engineering, and Tuck School of Business.” Id.
His own field is mathematical biology, as described in his Dartmouth faculty entry, at https://schnell.host.dartmouth.edu/about/ :
“Santiago is a mathematical biologist whose research lies at the interface of the life, physical, and computational sciences. His work focuses on understanding the molecular continuum between health and disease, with particular emphasis on enzyme kinetics, protein aggregation, and quantitative diagnostics. He is internationally recognized for developing the Schnell-Mendoza equation—a widely adopted method for estimating enzyme kinetic parameters—and for advancing mathematical models of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a cornerstone technique in molecular biology.”
But don’t let that frighten you. First, as you can see from above, Provost Schnell is overseeing schools which range widely across a variety of disciplines. Second, the head of the search committee wasGovernment Professor Brendan Nyhan, a previous guest for a Casual Conversation. Third, and most important for our purposes of seeking knowledge from all walks of life and all subjects for study, the Provost “describes himself as a proponent of the philosophy of the ‘unity of knowledge,’ the idea that all disciplines can contribute a unique and important perspective to any given problem.” There may be Two Cultures, but there is but one world to explore, and we need to have at least one foot planted in each Culture.
Further from the announcement: “His research on health and illness, and his approach to leadership, is informed by his own experiences with chronic immune illness, including Crohn’s disease and cancer.” (A recent article in the Wall Street Journal’s Encore section describes the increase in autoimmune conditions in the elderly: “Why Autoimmune Diseases Rise Sharply After 50: Scientists are making progress in understanding and treating these disorders, which can go unrecognized for years” by Laura Landro, 11/23/2025.)
Our own provost, emeritus, happens to be our Class President, Jim Staros, who writes: “He is more of an applied mathematician than a biologist, but we do have some overlapping interests, in particular in kinetics.” Jim will be able to translate for us when we need some help, although I doubt that we will, because Provost Schnell was able to impress and convince the search committee of his ability to be responsible for the academics of the entire College.
Finally, even those who are otherwise critical of the College praise Dartmouth’s leaders: “Its new president, Sian Beilock, is emerging as a strong and sensible advocate for reform, and its new provost has a stellar reputation as a serious defender of academic excellence. Dartmouth’s leadership team is one to watch.” https://collegerankings.city-journal.org/school/dartmouth-college .
Lots to talk about, and you should be there. Usual rules apply: email me at arthur.fergenson@ansalaw.com if you want to attend, and do so by close of business the Friday before the Casual Conversation, to wit, December 5.
Arthur Fergenson