Dan Angel

BA 1961, MA 1963, Education, Wayne State University
PhD 1965, Brian Lamb School of Communication

President, Golden Gate University, San Francisco, CA

Not many people can say they’ve led six different institutions of higher education, but Dan Angel, president of Golden Gate University in San Francisco, has done just that. Though he has dedicated his career to education, it might not have turned out that way. Gathering data for his PhD in communication at Purdue in 1964, he drove the press vehicle for Michigan Governor George Romney during his re-election campaign. After graduating, Angel himself entered politics, serving three terms in the Michigan legislature before deciding he could make more of an impact in higher education.

His career since then has taken him to colleges and universities across the U.S.—in Texas, West Virginia, and California. President of Golden Gate University since 2007, Angel was honored by the San Francisco Business Times in 2010 as the “Most Admired CEO” in the “Turnaround” category. He has always tried to learn from mentors and those he admires, noting that one of his favorite career moments was “the opportunity to have a half-hour one-on-one interview with Dwight Eisenhower.”

Purdue Influences
N.B. Beck, my dissertation major professor in communication, guided me flawlessly through the PhD maze. I will forever be indebted to him for being able to complete it when I was 25. 

Purdue Memories
Being head resident at H-4. It added volumes to my working with people skills. [Editor’s note: H-4 is the former name of McCutcheon Hall.] 

Purdue Now
I think of my whole experience at Purdue, in class and out, with warmth and appreciation. 

Greatest Achievement
Serving as president of six colleges and universities over the past 35 years. 

Person I Admire
George Herbert Walker Bush 

Idea of Perfect Happiness
Happiness is a by-product. It starts with getting out of bed each day with purpose. 

What I’m Reading
I’m currently reading The Closer by Mario Rivera and Wayne Coffey and Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. 

Profession I’d Like to Try
Acting or law