Hartford Business Journal: ‘Lugo Takes Helm at Trinity College’

A profile of Trinity College President Dan Lugo published in the Hartford Business Journal on August 11 tracks the progression of Lugo’s career—a journey that “has landed him at the helm of a top liberal arts college in Connecticut.”

The article, “From first-gen college grad to higher-ed president: Lugo takes helm at Trinity College,” by Andrew Larson, says that Lugo is impressed with the school’s faculty, student body, small classroom environments, and athletics program. Lugo says in the story, “It’s a community that I’m drawn to because of the balance of excellence that we have across the curriculum, rooted in the traditional humanities and social sciences, but we have an incredibly impressive array of hard sciences, quantitative disciplines, including engineering, which is a standout offering from any of our peers in the traditional liberal arts, small-college environment.”

Delving into Lugo’s background as an intellectual property and entertainment attorney, the article examines how the president made a career change to work in higher education, which he described as “the most important environments and institutions that made the biggest impact on my life.”

Lugo worked at his alma mater, Carleton College, before serving as vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at Franklin & Marshall College, vice president of advancement at Colby College, and president at Queens University of Charlotte. “In 2021, Lugo was selected as one of Charlotte’s ‘Most Admired CEOs’ by the Charlotte Business Journal,” the HBJ says.

Lugo says in the story that he believes a liberal arts education equips students with knowledge that teaches them to think critically about a range of topics. “The multidisciplinary approach gives you not just one insight into a problem, or a challenge or an opportunity, but you get this full spectrum of ideas that help you influence the choices that you can make,” he tells the HBJ.

While reviewing his initial goals at Trinity with HBJ, Lugo says that “one of his top priorities is to build a leadership team that combines new with old.” Lugo’s first appointments were Gavin Viano as athletic director, Scott Jordan as vice president and chief financial officer, and Ben Anderson as vice president for advancement.

The HBJ adds, “Lugo also plans to go on a listening tour, asking how the school is serving faculty and students to do their best work, and what should be prioritized for the ‘next era of capital improvements.’”

Read the full story in the Hartford Business Journal here.