Franklin College Receives $1 Million Gift
Franklin College has received a $1 million bequest from Dan Hann and his wife, Pam Hann, in support of Franklin Forward: The Campaign for Franklin College. The gift will help strengthen the College’s long-term financial future.
A $900,000 designation of the Hanns’ gift supports Franklin Forward, the College’s five-year, $40 million comprehensive fundraising initiative designed to enhance the sustainability and continued impact of the College. The campaign focuses primarily on growing the College’s endowment to support scholarships, academic programs and student experiences, while also funding a major renovation of the Elwood Fitness Center and advancing key institutional priorities.
The remaining $100,000 will provide continued support for the Hann Family Award for Excellence in Teaching, established by the Hanns in 2024 to recognize and support exceptional faculty members at the College. Inspired by Dan’s own experience as a former Franklin College assistant professor of economics, the award is presented annually to a faculty member whose teaching has had a significant impact on students. In addition to establishing the award, the Hanns have been longtime supporters of the College through their contributions to the Franklin Fund.
“Pam and I are pleased to be able to give back to Franklin College and support this all-important campaign,” said Dan. “As a young professor at Franklin and fresh out of graduate school, Franklin played both a supportive and formative role in my professional development. I truly appreciated being a small part of the Franklin College community that provided students from all walks of life with amazing educational and personal growth opportunities. It is our hope that our gift will continue this important mission for future generations of Franklin College students and their families.”
Franklin College President Kerry N. Prather said, “Dan and Pam’s generosity reflects their deep commitment to Franklin College, our students and our mission. Their support of the Franklin Forward campaign adds to their longstanding generous support, which includes recognizing the outstanding faculty who help shape our students’ lives every day.”
Dan earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Mihaylo School of Business and Economics at California State University, Fullerton, and later a master’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois. He began his career in academia as an assistant professor and chair of the Department of Economics, Business and Accounting at Franklin College, where he received the Roger Douglas Branigin Award for Teaching Excellence in 1983.
After earning his degree from the Indiana University School of Law, Hann practiced at the Ice Miller firm in Indianapolis and went on to join Biomet (now Zimmer Biomet) as general counsel and later CEO following the retirement of Biomet’s founder, Dane Miller. Dan served on the Franklin College Board of Trustees from 2013-2025 and was named an emeritus trustee following the completion of his service.
Pam is a retired veterinarian who earned her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Although she is no longer in active practice, she remains deeply engaged in the horse industry as a breeder and owner of thoroughbreds and quarter horses. She currently serves on the Breed Development Advisory Committee of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. Pam is also an author and her debut novel, The Circular Path, is scheduled for publication later this summer.
Franklin Forward builds on a strong period of institutional momentum. The College has recorded three consecutive years of freshman enrollment increase, risen in the U.S. News & World Report’s Top Performers in Social Mobility ranking among the national liberal arts colleges and expanded its campus with the opening of the Johnson Memorial Health Athletic Annex and the Center for Tech Innovation. Franklin has also launched a competitive esports program and introduced new academic offerings — including cybersecurity, neuroscience, sports communication, sports and fitness management and concentrations in game development and digital marketing — designed to meet evolving student interest and workforce demands. With the Franklin Forward campaign, Franklin College looks to continue this positive and energizing activity into the future, working from a position of strength and stability to shape the Franklin College of tomorrow.
By expanding endowment resources and strategic investments, Franklin Forward aims to reduce reliance on tuition revenue and position the nearly 200-year-old institution to thrive amid significant demographic and shifts facing higher education. The 5-year campaign, which has been in a silent phase since 2024, runs through June 30, 2028. To learn more about the campaign and details about giving, go to www.franklincollege.edu/franklin-forward.