On May 16, approximately 300 people attended an event titled “Give a Rouse: Hanover” in the Hanover Inn Grand Ballroom to celebrate the tenure of College President Philip J. Hanlon and the Call to Lead campaign, which recently closed the global “Give a Rouse” fundraising tour, which held events in six cities.
According to Hanlon, the campaign has raised $3.7 billion as of Tuesday, exceeding its initial goal of $3 billion when it launched in April 2018. In 2022, the campaign commenced the Give a Rouse tour, hosting fundraising events in London, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco. The events brought together Hanlon and other Dartmouth leadership together with alumni for a celebration of the campaign and Hanlon’s presidency.
“It’s especially meaningful to conclude this tour here in Hanover,” Hanlon said. “We do this work because of Dartmouth students and your promise to go out and make an impact, and also because we believe in our faculty and the discoveries that they’re able to make.”
The event featured a video titled “A New Day at Dartmouth,” capturing campaign milestones: the construction of the Irving Energy Institute and the Engineering and Computer Science Center, the renovation of Dartmouth Hall and the ongoing renovation of the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
Following the video, Hanlon made a speech in which he announced that the campaign had surpassed a $500 million goal to support the College’s financial aid program.
The announcement follows on several milestones achieved by the campaign on financial aid support. Funded by the campaign, the College expanded eligibility for financial aid in 2021 by eliminating loans for students whose families make up to $125,000 annually, a $25,000 increase from the previous threshold. Dartmouth also extended its need-blind admissions policy to international students in 2022.
The Call to Lead campaign enabled the College to “invest where it matters most,” Hanlon said. For Dean of the College Scott Brown, the support for financial aid supported by the campaign makes a concrete difference in the type of students Dartmouth can bring to campus.
According to Brown, the campaign helps the College to attract the “absolute best and brightest students possible” due to its substantial provision of financial aid.
“[The Call to Lead] has been immensely successful, and the campaign is really in service of the institution,” Hanlon said. “I think one of the most impactful parts of the Call to Lead has been its ability to allow us to attract great talent to campus.”
Dartmouth Board of Trustees chair Liz Cahil Lempres ’83 invited on stage members of the senior Class Executive Committee, a group of students who have led a campaign to encourage graduating seniors to donate to the Dartmouth College Fund.
“Like the classes who have come before them, they have expressed their gratitude to Dartmouth through a senior class gift, which directly supports financial aid for the incoming Class of 2027,” Lempres said.
Ale Geisel-Zamora ’23, head agent for the senior Class Executive Committee, said that she sees the Call to Lead campaign as an important way to continue to bring the “transformative” Dartmouth experience to future classes.
“Being here really reinvigorated me,” Geisel-Zamora said. “It’s our responsibility to help future classes have the same experience we did.”
President of the senior Class Executive Council Sanne Schouten ’23 said that it is important for students to maintain their bond with the College after they graduate and mentioned the connections she has made with alumni, including some from the class of 1973.
“One part of the Call to Lead campaign that resonated with me is that there is always an 'and,'” president of the senior Class Executive Council Sanne Schouten ’23 said. “You can be a student and a leader. [The campaign] says a lot about our community; it shows that Dartmouth people care.”
The Call to Lead campaign will conclude on June 30, 2023. According to its website, 98,000 donors have participated in the campaign, and the campaign is less than 300 donors away from reaching 60% participation from undergraduate alumni.
“This is our grand experiment brought to life,” Hanlon said. “Thank you to students, alumni and staff who made it possible.”
Co-chairs of the Call to Lead campaign Ellie Mahoney Loughlin ’89 and Laurel Richie ’81 thanked Hanlon and his wife Gail Gentes for their role in overseeing the campaign.
“You have worked tirelessly to understand what’s important to Dartmouth’s many constituents,” Richie said. “From all of us to the two of you, much gratitude.”
Tuesday’s celebration also followed a series of events honoring Hanlon, who began his tenure as Dartmouth’s 18th president in 2013. On April 20, several hundred people attended a celebration of Hanlon and Gentes held in the Irving Institute atrium, according to Dartmouth News.
