Though most graduates will be leaving Hanover next year, many will still be able to find a bit of Dartmouth green. Many cities and regions have alumni clubs that work to foster connections between alumni and to keep the College fresh in the minds of graduates.
Each alumni club tries to cater to the interests of the alumni in the area through social and intellectual programs. Cocktail parties, lectures by professors and outings to athletic games or cultural events are all events characteristic of the majority of clubs. For young alumni, the Dartmouth Club of New York hosts a September cocktail party to allow recent graduates to reconnect with friends. In Boston, young alumni are treated to cruises around the harbor, happy hours and volunteer opportunities through the Dartmouth Club of Greater Boston.
For older alumni, events such as the Christmas party in New York or a Boston outing to a Red Sox game or a Los Angeles sailing event keep them connected back to Dartmouth.
Boston boasts the largest and oldest alumni club, with 8,000 members on their mailing list. New York caters to 7,000 alumni in the area, and Los Angeles has a membership of 2,400.
Education is also still a focus for the alumni clubs. Many hold either lectures or the more serious alumni colleges, in which a Dartmouth professor will put together a one-day seminar on a historic or cultural event with reading required before the seminars.
Besides the social and intellectual components of the alumni clubs, some clubs try to help with career advising and networking. Connecting alumni in the area who have career opportunities with those that have career interests is a focus for the club, said president Bruce Eakin '60.
The club tries to put on three programs per year on the various aspects of career placement and advancement, Eakin said. Career advisors conduct seminars for alumni on how to best market themselves and how to use the Dartmouth community. The club also offers a website where those with job opportunities and those with job interests can post listings.
DCLA also holds job creation events in various industries, but many of these events are focused on Hollywood due to its location.
"We try to get the movers and shakers around the young alums to help them bond and network," said Craig Douglass '78, president of DCLA.
Another important part of both DCLA and DCGB is the scholarship funds they offer for current undergraduates. Los Angles' roughly one-third of a million dollar fund sponsors a student every other year, while Boston's larger fund sponsors a student every year contributing about $7,000 to $12,000 per student.
One defining feature of the New York club is that it is the only Dartmouth club in the world that has its own location. Located within the Yale Club, near Grand Central in Manhattan, Dartmouth Club has 1,000 members, a membership separate from membership in the greater alumni club. It has a library, gym and squash courts, and also features large spaces for meetings and parties.
Currently, there are no plans to build a unique Dartmouth facility due to the large cost of New York real estate, Eakin said. There is a friendly relationship between Dartmouth and Yale, and it is not a handicap, he added.
"We really do have a unique Dartmouth experience, due to the events and common bond that people have," Eakin said. "We feel we aren't in any way overwhelmed by or dominated by Yale."
Many graduates do plan to join alumni clubs. Ben Phillips '04 was a member of the Dartmouth Club in New York during his off-term this past winter, and he said he would definitely join if he takes a job there this summer.
The major draws for him were the facilities, the gym, the library and the location in the heart of midtown Manhattan.
Chris Amery '04 is also working in New York next year. He said he would join for a number of reasons, including the gym, social events and career advancement possibilities.
"I think the Alumni Association also gets preferential access to tickets for certain events, including the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows," Amery said. "That would be a nice side benefit."
