The history of the College on the Hill since 1769
Since its founding in 1769, Dartmouth College been home to a diverse range of characters including Daniel Webster, Robert Frost and Keggy.
Since its founding in 1769, Dartmouth College been home to a diverse range of characters including Daniel Webster, Robert Frost and Keggy.
Six hours every day. That's how long the offices on the second floor of Robinson Hall are quiet when The Dartmouth is in production. The rest of the time -- from 7 a.m., when carriers arrive to begin deliveries, until 1 a.m., when the last night editor leaves -- students are working to put out "The D," the campus' only daily source of news and opinion. Founded in 1799 by a student group that included Daniel Webster (Class of 1801), The Dartmouth is the oldest college newspaper in the United States.
As September rolls around and high school friends have long departed for their college orientations, the members of the Dartmouth Class of 2008 will anxiously await their opportunity to join their new classmates.
From the western hunter to the mountain skier to the avid climber, the Dartmouth Outing Club provides ample opportunities to explore the wilderness, to hike the Appalachian Trail and to kayak rapids on the Connecticut River. In addition to the offering of 11 student-run clubs, the Outing Club is credited for the 1911 founding of Winter term's big celebration -- Winter Carnival, weekend of such traditions as the ice sculpture, polar bear swim and, until its much-lamented demise four years ago, Psi Upsilon's "keg jump." Founded 95 years ago to "stimulate interest in out-of-door winter sports," the Outing Club boasts both more members than any other student organization on campus and a longer history than any other college outing club in the nation. Paddle On Among the most popular of Outing Club affiliates, the Ledyard Canoe Club rents out whitewater and flatwater kayaks and canoes from their Outing Club just a short walk down the hill from the Treehouses and River Cluster on a seasonal basis to students interested in looking for a little excitement in between classes.
There's a reason why an overwhelming majority of the College opts for laptop computers. With a wireless network blanketing the entire campus, from the library to the dorms to the middle of the Green, students can access the Internet and (more importantly) BlitzMail from anywhere on campus, without plugging in. In October 2002, Wired Magazine even dubbed the college "Unplugged U." for its widespread use of wireless technology.
For a small college situated in the New Hampshire wilderness, Dartmouth has attracted many non-academic celebrities to campus, ranging from talented musical artists to sports legends and high-ranking politicians. Popular occasions for celebrities to visit campus include the Commencement and Reunion period, when keynote speakers address the graduating class and other prominent figures receive honorary degrees from the College. President Bill Clinton's Commencement address in 1995 is likely the most recent notable arrival of a public figure on the Hanover plain.
The College's Class of 2008 is firmly cast in place, as 1,095 students have submitted letters of intent to matriculate at Dartmouth come Fall term.
Incoming freshmen are encouraged to jump directly into student government at Dartmouth College. Dartmouth's student government is the Student Assembly, and while Assembly officers are elected every Spring term by the student body, freshman representatives are elected during Fall term, after they matriculate, to represent their dorm clusters. This year's Student Body President is Julia Hildreth '05.
College admissions officers continue to focus on increasing the diversity of incoming classes, including Dartmouth's Class of 2008.
Welcome to Dartmouth! From the moment you set foot on campus, you'll be swept up into a whirlwind of amazing people, extraordinary places and crazy, unique traditions that celebrate Dartmouth's newest members.
While it may not be the most talked-about aspect of campus life, many Dartmouth students maintain active spiritual existences.
Editor's Note: The following is excerpted from an interview conducted with then-trustee chairman David.
The selection of David T. McLaughlin '54 as the 14th president of the College came at a special Feb.
"In going to Dartmouth, I think I'll find the things I'm looking for," said David T. McLaughlin '54. One might suspect that the College's 14th president spoke these words when he accepted his position as its head.
David T. McLaughlin, a member of the Class of 1954 who, as Dartmouth's 14th president, oversaw a campus-wide building boom and enacted fundamental changes in the Dartmouth Plan, died Wednesday morning in Dillingham, Alaska's Woodriver Lodge while on a fishing trip with friends and his two grown sons. The cause of McLaughlin's death was not immediately clear, although several people close to the retired president said he died of natural causes in his sleep.
WEB UPDATE -- Aug. 25, 9:49 p.m. David T. McLaughlin, a member of the Class of 1954 who, as Dartmouth's 14th president, oversaw a campus-wide building boom and enacted fundamental changes in the Dartmouth Plan, died Wednesday morning in the wilderness of Alaska while on a fishing trip with friends and his two grown sons. The cause of McLaughlin's death was not immediately clear, although several people close to the retired president, who was 72, said he died of natural causes. McLaughlin suffered a heart attack during the first year of his term and had a history of heart trouble, but was not generally regarded as being in poor health. He was president from 1981 to 1987, and was known for a corporate approach to the job that was both a source of outside praise, particularly among alumni impressed with his fundraising prowess, as well as faculty criticism. Indeed, McLaughlin's resume read largely like a roadmap through some of the most prominent destinations in corporate America.
Many Dartmouth students going abroad this fall still plan on taking part in the political process here at home by registering to cast absentee ballots in what promises to be a very close race for the presidency. Students may obtain absentee ballots from the Hanover town clerk 30 days prior to the election.
Students returning to campus next term will be greeted with a new student political publication, thanks to the initiative of a few members of the Class of 2007. Last spring, Anoop Rathod '07 and Pooneet Kant '07 approached Karen Liot, the coordinator of the Student Programs Office for the Rockefeller Center, with the idea to start a student-run publication devoted to presenting a balanced view of politics. This new publication will be entitled The Dartmouth Independent and was recently granted funding by the Council on Student Organizations to begin publication in the upcoming term. Rathod, who first conceived of a centrist political publication, wants to feature "healthy dialogues on issues that matter." The Independent will publish point and counter point articles on prevalent campus and political issues, according to Rathod and Kant. Rathod will serve as the Independent's editor-in-chief, Kant as the executive editor, and Michael Green '07 will be the managing editor. Liot has agreed to serve as the paper's advisor during its first year of publication. "I was happy to sign on as their advisor and look forward to working with them in the coming year," Liot said.
Food, clothing and shelter -- life's basic necessities -- cannot be fully guaranteed to some Dartmouth students who are struggling to find roofs over their heads for the upcoming Fall term. A number of members of the Class of 2007 are still waiting to receive a room assignment this summer and have been assigned to the primary or "on-time" waitlist. "At the moment, there are 85 to 90 students on the primary waitlist who for the most part are '07s," Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman said. These students received unfavorable numbers that prevented them from participating in Room Draw, but they applied to be placed on the waitlist by the May 31 deadline. "I believe my number was 4,330, but I didn't think that it was that bad," Jared Cato '07 said.
For the fifth year in a row, U.S. News and World Report ranked Dartmouth ninth in its annual "America's Best Colleges" report released Tuesday. Harvard and Princeton again buoyed the rankings in a tie for the number one school.