Charles ‘Ed’ Haldeman ’70, Doctor of Humane Letters

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The financial sector CEO received an honorary degree from Dartmouth during commencement.

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Charles Haldeman

(Photo by Herb Swanson)

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CHARLES E. HALDEMAN, as a principled business executive, your distinctive approach to leadership and passion for public service have earned you a reputation for integrity, excellence, and impact, both in the financial management industry and in the world beyond.

Born and raised in Philadelphia by hard-working parents, you arrived on the Dartmouth campus in 1966 aspiring to a career in medicine. But when Professor Colin Campbell made economics “come alive,” you opted for a different path. After graduating summa cum laude from Dartmouth in 1970, you continued your studies at Harvard, simultaneously earning a JD and an MBA in 1974.

For the next 35 years, you applied your mastery of finance and firm understanding of the law to a series of successive leadership roles, first at Cooke & Bieler, then at United Asset Management, and subsequently at Delaware Investments. In leading a successful turn-around of Putnam Investments as CEO in the aftermath of a trading scandal, honesty, transparency, and an employee focus became your calling cards.

In 2009, you took on the daunting task of leading the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the government-sponsored mortgage company known as Freddie Mac. Your success in stabilizing the company at a time of great uncertainty following the 2008 housing crisis solidified your status as a trusted leader, even in the most tumultuous times.

You applied the same ethics and rigor in service to your alma mater as chair of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, courageously leading the College through a challenging reorganization of Board governance.

For your dedication to public service in the broadest sense, for your commitment to the highest ethical standards in your work, and for your exceptional organizational leadership, especially in trying times, Dartmouth is proud to award you the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

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