In his annual address to the faculty yesterday, College President James Freedman reported on the successful completion of the Will to Excel capital campaign and the state of Dartmouth's student admissions.
"I can't remember a happier time reporting on the state of the College," Freedman said. "The campaign has ended at a very triumphant figure," raising more than $550 million.
"A consulting firm had urged us to ask only for $400 million," he said. "They did not even think we would be able to even reach our original goal of $425 million."
"The campaign succeeded because our alumni and friends believe in the level of education at Dartmouth, believe in a liberal arts education and believe in the quality of teaching at Dartmouth," Freedman said. "This is in large part a result of the work of the faculty."
The campaign resulted in an increase in endowments for scholarships, which Freedman said are "closest to my own heart."
Freedman said the overall endowment has more than doubled since 1987, growing from $537 million to $1.1 billion.
He also congratulated the faculty on the creation of a faculty scholarship, the first of which was given last year.
"This is the first time I've heard of this being done," Freedman said. "It is a wonderful testament to the faculty."
Freedman described the plans to use the $18.1 million bequest received earlier this month from the estate of Florence Moore, a widow whose husband attended Dartmouth for one semester in 1937. It was the largest bequest in the history of the College.
Freedman said $2 million from the bequest will be given to the Hood Museum.
"The Hood Museum's acquisition budget will now become the third largest of any college museum. Only Harvard and Yale will have greater acquisition budgets," he said.
Freedman said part of the money will also be used to set up two scholarship funds in the name of each of Moore's sons.
"The scholarships will be awarded to a person entering Dartmouth with some kind of disability," he said.
Freedman said $15 million will be placed in an academic enrichment fund with its specific use to be determined later.
"We must look to enhance the opportunities for our most academically ambitious students," Freedman said. "The bequest is a rich opportunity to provide a range of programs for our most talented undergraduates."
Freedman then discussed admissions, which he called "the heart and soul of how we make Dartmouth stronger."
Freedman said applications increased by 43 percent last year, because "word is increasingly out about the quality of education at Dartmouth and the kind of students Dartmouth attracts."
The Class of 2000 is "the strongest class in terms of academic profile in the school's history," he said. "Of the Ivy League schools Dartmouth's academic index has increased more than any other."
Despite the overall strength of the Class of 2000, Freedman said the decrease in the number of minority students in the class "is a vexing and difficult problem despite the efforts of the admissions office."
He attributed the problem to increased competition among top schools for top minority students.
The admissions office will continue to seek "students who are bright, idealistic, ambitious and creative," Freedman said.
Freedman then opened the floor to the faculty. English Professor Allan Gaylord moved that the faculty "congratulate the president upon the successful completion of the capital campaign and thank him for his leadership."
Other topics discussed at the meeting included the Baker-Berry Library expansion, a plan to increase the number of overseas scholarship programs provided by the College and the progress of the East Wheelock cluster residential experiment.
