The College's Will to Excel capital campaign has raised $396 million as of the end of January and is fast approaching its goal of $500 million by June 1996, according to Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Stan Colla.
The campaign has now raised 79.2 percent of its goal in about 76.4 percent of the time.
Last October, the directors of the campaign increased its goal from $425 million to $500 million. Colla said the goal was raised because he thought the College had the potential to meet the higher goal by the deadline.
"It won't be easy, and our margin of error is tighter, but we ought to be able to do it with a lot of hard work," he said.
This January was a record setting month for the program. The College received $12 million, a one-month record.
The campaign has now received $51.3 million in the current fiscal year. At the same time last year, the College had raised $42.8 million, and ended the year with $73.87 million.
"I would venture that if we have a traditional February, we will break $400 million by the end of the month," Colla said.
The funds raised from the campaign are primarily earmarked for specific improvements in College facilities and at increasing the College's various endowments, said Director of Development Publications John DeGange.
The endowment for arts and sciences will be the main beneficiary of the heightened goal, DeGange said.
The campaign has raised about 60 percent of the $203 million goal set for endowments and most of the additional money raised will go towards the arts and sciences, he said.
DeGange said the new curriculum is an example of programs that have increased financial pressures on the arts and sciences departments.
"Every senior is required to have a culminating experience here at Dartmouth -- do a thesis, or some other project," DeGange said. "For this to happen, each individual senior has to have a mentor."
He said campaign funds will be used to hire faculty to teach culminating experience courses and advise students.
"Funding from the campaign has been critical in helping us implement the new curriculum," Acting Dean of the Faculty Karen Wetterhahn said.
Wetterhahn also said she is looking forward to the influx of funds the higher goal will mean for the arts and sciences departments.
DeGange said campaign funds will also be used to offset the burdens of the College's need-blind admissions policy.
"Financial Aid endowments are a big beneficiary of capital campaign funds," he said.
The campaign has also provided funds for capital improvements, like the new Berry Library and the Sudikoff Laboratory.
DeGange said the College prefers to use campaign funds for endowments.
The College invests these funds with the intention of raising revenue from the returns on the investments, he said. DeGange said these gifts provide the College with a continuing source of revenue.
