In Pursuit of Excellence

Dartmouth College Recognizes with Deep Appreciation the Extraordinary Achievements of

DOUG WISE ’59

2016 President of the Year
26 Years Out and Older

Doug epitomizes the Dartmouth alumnus who “bleeds green.” Dartmouth is lucky that not only has Doug chosen to settle in the Upper Valley, he also donates large amounts of time and talent to numerous civic organizations that positively impact the local area. Doug chaired the Hanover Chamber of Commerce for three years and served as a trustee of the Upper Valley Land Trust, whose main focus is to preserve the beautiful land surrounding the College.

It’s hard to know where to start when talking about Doug’s service to his class and to the College, but we do know one thing for sure – he started early and hasn’t stopped! In the mid-90s Doug, along with fellow members of the Class of 1959, created Dartmouth Partners in Community Service, then served as chair of the board. To young students, he has been a valuable mentor in his role as alumni career advisor. And to his class, he has been an extraordinary leader. Over the past 57 years, Doug has served virtually every class officer role, including vice president, secretary, newsletter editor, mini-reunion chair, webmaster, head agent, and chair of his 35th, 40th, 45th and 50th reunions. After his 55th reunion in 2014, he stepped in as president and, in typical Doug Wise style, hit the ground running. In fact, he currently wears multiple hats, serving concurrently as webmaster and as interim newsletter editor. Doug has also served as president of the Class Newsletter Editors Association and received the 2012-2013 Dartmouth Alumni Award.

After creating a new mission statement for the Class of 1959, Doug set up his volunteer team and class activities to support the class’s two main goals: staying connected and directly supporting students. He leads with a focus on inclusivity and inspires his team to bring together classmates with common interests. He actively examines all class activities – from communications to governance and participation – and is forthcoming with best practices. He constantly strives for improvement among his team, and he achieves all of this with an inspiring and positive attitude that is infectious.

Doug graduated from Dartmouth with a Bachelor of Arts in history and served as treasurer of Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity. It is no surprise that he participated on the cheer team and was clever enough to score a job selling popcorn at the Nugget Theater so that he could enjoy four years of free movie viewing! After graduation, he served three years in the military, including two years in Germany. In 1965, he earned his MBA in marketing from Columbia University and joined the InterPublic Group of Companies. They were lucky to have Doug for 28 years, which included an overseas stint in Tokyo. When not spending time with his wife of 40 years, Joanne, or the many young people who he and Joanne have mentored over the years, and when he is not volunteering for Dartmouth, Doug works as president of Wise Associates, which he founded nearly 24 years ago.

Doug’s creativity, passion and dedication to his class highlight the best of what a president can be. It is with great pride that the Class Officers Association Executive Board honors him with the 2016 Class President of the Year Award.