Dartmouth's capital campaign is back on track, according to Vice President for Development Carolyn Pelzel.
Despite a dip in donations last spring, the College's capital campaign recently reported that it was back on track with $890 million so far in gifts and pledges, . The current total figure for what is called the "Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience," which began in 2002, dates to the end of August. The campaign, the largest in the College's history, aims to raise $1.3 billion by the end of 2009.
Pelzel also said that the $24 million drop below the campaign's target pace, reported by The Dartmouth at the beginning of May, was no longer an issue and that the campaign is on schedule.
"At the end of August we had raised 69 percent of the goal in 69 percent of the time," Pelzel said. "We're right on target."
Though some have suggested that the recent reforms by the Board of Trustees, which sparked outrage in many alumni groups, might have a negative impact on the fundraising process, Pelzel remains optimistic about continued alumni donations.
"With the strong position that the board recently took, we are now in a much better place," Pelzel said. "People who invest in a place like Dartmouth want a strong and decisive board."
According to Pelzel, the campaign's events and publications have helped encourage fundraising efforts. The campaign recently issued a new brochure informing alumni, parents, and donors how they can invest in the College. The College also held a 300-person fundraiser attended by College President James Wright and Board Chairman Ed Haldeman '70 in Boston on Sept. 15.
Alumni donations to the campaign total $631 million and constitute the majority of the funds raised. $59 million has come from foundations, $39 million from parents and grandparents and $33 million from corporations and other organizations.
According to the campaign's website, the money raised will be divided into four "strategic imperatives": academic enterprise, residential and campus life, financial aid and annual giving. $716 million of the funds raised will go towards academic enterprise, which focuses upon hiring more professors and investing in new academic facilities.
Of the remaining funds, the campaign has allotted $244 million to support undergraduate and graduate educational programs, $187 million to renovating and constructing dorms, dining facilities and athletic buildings, $150 million to undergraduate financial aid and $16 million to graduate fellowships. This campaign's focus on improving buildings and facilities distinguishes it from past fundraising efforts, Pelzel said.
The Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience reports updated figures at the beginning of every month. September's fundraising results will be published during the first week of October.
