Dan and Pam Hann’s philanthropy at Franklin College reflects a relationship that has unfolded over time — one shaped by early professional opportunity, strengthened by later success and grounded in a belief that the institution can change students’ lives.

Hann’s career as an assistant professor and chair for the economics, business and accounting department at Franklin College, 1979–84, was enriched as much by relationships as by roles. He developed close friendships with colleagues, including now retired economics professor George Launey, Ph.D. He was also part of a faculty cohort that included science professors Steve Browder, Ph.D., Sam Rhodes, Ph.D., and Bill Pohley, Ph.D., forging bonds that have endured. While teaching, Hann also coached tennis, giving him another avenue to connect with and mentor students.

Today, he and Pam support the Grizzlies’ tennis program through the annual #GRIZTuesday fundraising campaign. He has traded his tennis racket for a pickleball paddle and enjoys traveling the country to compete in amateur tournaments. “It’s great exercise and very social. My post-retirement circle of friends is primarily through pickleball,” he said.

While teaching, Hann pursued a law degree at Indiana University at night, balancing his teaching responsibilities with legal studies that would ultimately redirect his career. During summer breaks, he clerked at the Ice Miller law firm in Indianapolis, an experience that proved pivotal. When the firm later offered him a full-time associate position, he approached then Franklin College President William “Bill” Martin, J.D., (HD ’09), about taking a one-year leave. With Martin’s support and a belief that his experience in Indianapolis could ultimately benefit Franklin students, Hann stepped into legal practice while maintaining his connection to the College.

“I really had no intention of leaving academia,” Hann said. But the work at Ice Miller offered a different pace and complexity. “The pace of law is different every day, and that was very exciting,” he said.

The firm soon led to another unexpected turn. Through legal work on a securities matter, Hann became acquainted with Dane Miller, who was the founder and CEO of Biomet, a medical device manufacturer in Warsaw, Indiana. What began as professional networking evolved into deeper engagement, and when the company entered a phase of rapid growth in the late 1980s, Hann was invited to join its leadership team as general counsel. He dedicated nearly 30 years to Biomet, now Zimmer Biomet, rising to CEO before retiring 11 years ago this June.

Despite a career that took him from the classroom to corporate leadership, Franklin College remained a steady point of reference. Hann re-engaged with the College in 2013 at the invitation of then-President James “Jay” Moseley, Ph.D., (HD ’23) and Browder, during the early stages of the Franklin College Campaign for the Sciences. He also was elected to the board of trustees, serving from 2013 25, and is now an emeritus trustee. For Hann, the re-engagement reaffirmed his belief in the College’s mission and its ability to open doors for students. “Small colleges create extraordinary opportunities for students, and Franklin has always done that well,” he said. “For example, take a kid who doesn’t want to go to college far from home, and then is afforded an opportunity to be involved in Model U.N., travel during Immersive Term or compete in athletics — those experiences carry them through life.”

Outcomes like that informed the creation of the Hann Family Award for Excellence in Teaching, which recognizes faculty whose work has a lasting impact on students. Receiving the Roger Douglas Branigin Award for Teaching Excellence in 1983 was a highlight in Hann’s career. “It was incentivizing,” he said. Recognizing faculty, he believes, is part of a bigger picture. “It’s a chain reaction. Teaching awards help attract and retain strong faculty, which, in turn, helps attract and retain strong students.”

Even now, Hann views his connection to Franklin College as both personal and practical. “Giving back to Franklin is important to me. Franklin was special and pivotal to me coming out of grad school,” he said. “And with the demographic cliff and other challenges in higher education, support is especially important today.”

That conviction continues to guide the Hanns’ relationship with the College. Their most recent commitment is a $1 million bequest supporting Franklin Forward: The Campaign for Franklin College. Of that total, $900,000 will support the College’s comprehensive campaign, which focuses on strengthening the endowment to expand scholarship support, enhance academic programs and invest in key campus priorities. The remaining $100,000 will sustain the Hann Family Award for Excellence in Teaching, established in 2024.

For Hann, the decision to support faculty reflects a long-held conviction about what defines Franklin at its best. “To make a lasting impact on students is the heart and soul of teaching at Franklin,” he said.

That view is shared by his wife, Pam, a retired veterinarian. She remains active in the equine industry as a breeder and owner of thoroughbreds and quarter horses and serves on the Breed Development Advisory Committee of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. She is also an author, with her debut novel, The Circular Path, scheduled for publication later this summer.

Outside their personal commitments, the Hanns enjoy life on Lake Tippecanoe in Leesburg, Indiana, where they spend time boating with their children and grandchildren. Through their philanthropy, the Hanns are sustaining the same qualities that first drew Dan to Franklin College more than four decades ago: exceptional faculty, meaningful opportunities and an educational experience capable of changing students’ lives.

By: Amy (Kean) VerSteeg ’96

Republished from the Franklin College Magazine, Summer 2026