F. Jon Kull ’88
Dean of Graduate Studies and the Rodgers Professor of Chemistry
Alma Mater: Dartmouth College
Jon Kull’s college choices came down to Dartmouth, Harvard, Amherst, or Williams.
“I remember visiting Dartmouth,” says Kull, who grew up in rural Pennsylvania. “I don’t think I even went on a campus tour. But I walked through Baker-Berry Library and that was it—my decision was made. It seemed like such a great place.”
At Dartmouth, Kull participated in the Dartmouth Outing Club, traveled to Germany on a Foreign Study Program, and double majored in chemistry and biology. While he thoroughly enjoyed chemistry and biology, Kull encourages students to take classes outside of their major.
“Dartmouth offers the rare opportunity to learn from a world expert, no matter what the department,” says Kull. “After college, it is going to be either very difficult or hugely expensive to have that kind of access to an expert.”
Kull himself has become one of those experts. In fact, Kull knew what he wanted to do professionally soon after arriving on campus in 1985. “Honestly,” he says, “I knew I wanted to come back to Dartmouth and become a professor. “I thought, what a cool place—where you have such great teachers who are doing fascinating research.”
Here are some tips for the Class of 2017 from Kull:
- Get Outside: “Many of our students are from cities, and they’ll return to work in cities after Dartmouth. So this could be one of the few chances for them to take advantage of such natural beauty.”
- Try to see things from a different perspective: “Whether exploring nature, making friends with people from diverse backgrounds, or traveling abroad on an FSP—it’s important to see things in a different light.”
- Don’t be afraid to respectfully disagree: “Debating is good for the learning process.”