Almost a year after its public launch, the College's ambitious five-year, $1.3-billion Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience is proceeding precisely as planned, according to Vice President of Development Carrie Pelzel.
"The campaign, at the end of August, hit $601 million, which is exactly on track," Pelzel said. "More than that, when you look at the goals for Tuck, Thayer, the medical school and arts and sciences, each part of the College is also on track. That's very good news."
The capital campaign is raising money to fund all aspects of Dartmouth, from construction and renovation to financial aid. It is the College's largest fundraising effort ever.
Pelzel, who directs the campaign, said students should already notice the impact of the massive drive, which has helped fund much of the construction on campus, including the renovations to the Alumni Gymnasium and the creation of the new fitness center and several residential clusters.
"There's a lot of building going on on campus, and donations from alumni and parents are helping to make all of those possible," Pelzel said.
Given the current progress, Pelzel said she is "optimistic" and thinks that the overall goal of $1.3 billion will be met.
"Sometimes after a public launch the momentum in a campaign can slow down a bit. And, in fact, ours hasn't. We were pleasantly surprised at the end of August. We were exactly on target," Pelzel said.
According to Pelzel, the December release of a letter in which Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenberg criticized football as antithetical to the academic mission of a college has not upset the campaign's fundraising goals.
"There are certainly alumni who have expressed concern about that, and it's conceivable that some have not contributed because of that," she said.
Speaking from California where she recently met with Dartmouth alumni, parents and friends, Pelzel attributed the campaign's current success to a mix of dedicated support from alumni, effective teamwork among the campaign's many volunteers and solid leadership from College President James Wright.
"This campaign has really proceeded on track, and I must say I think it's because we have in President Wright someone who's providing incredible leadership in the campaign," Pelzel said. "It's been teamwork that's really made this campaign successful."
Wright, who has traveled extensively to raise money for the campaign, speaks to at least a dozen alumni clubs each year to rally support, Pelzel said.
"The thrust of his message is that Dartmouth provides the best undergraduate education in the world and the finest student experience across the board, and this campaign is aimed at doing just that," Pelzel said.
Pelzel also praised the campaign's co-chairs, Brad Evans '64 and Peter Fahey '68, for their hard work.
Despite the campaign's successes, Pelzel noted that it is far from over.
"We have a long way to go. We have a lot of work to do. But so far it's going well," she said.
