Washington Post Article - July 14, 2004

Every Wednesday, the Washington Post runs a feature called "Escapes" in its Style section. It highlights regional getaways for residents of the Washington area.

On July 14, 2004, writer Christine H. O'Toole recounted a weekend visit to Carlisle. She described it this way: "Less touristy than neighboring Gettysburg, more textured than Harrisburg to the north, the town is totally comfortable in its own skin."

She noted "how easily the town wears its 250-year history" and described a walking tour of the area around High and Hanover Streets. She also noted that "the surrounding blocks of stately churches and homes also have a modest hippie vibe, thanks in part to downtown Dickinson College."

The full text of the article is available at washingtonpost.com.

At its annual dinner on September 22, 2003, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry named the borough of Carlisle the 2003 "Outstanding Pennsylvania Community."

The state chamber gives the award annually to a community that had made great strides in neighborhood revitalization. Carlisle earned the honor in part because of the borough's historic district and thriving downtown shops and restaurants.

Carlisle's educational institutions also set the borough apart, according to chamber officials. In addition to Dickinson College, these include the U.S. Army War College and the Penn State Dickinson School of Law.

While enjoying the social, cultural and commercial benefits offered by Carlisle, Dickinson College strives to add to the greater community by offering opportunities ranging from arts to academics to athletics, from studying at Dickinson to working at Dickinson.

Children from the Carlisle community learn about physics at an open house at the Tome Scientific Building.

From the time of its founding, the four-year liberal-arts college has viewed itself as a vital part of the Carlisle community. Benjamin Rush, Dickinson's founding father and signer of the Declaration of Independence, encouraged 18th-century students to involve themselves in the Carlisle community and make use of its assets, such as the Cumberland County courthouse, where Dickinson students spent afternoons as keen observers of the political and judicial process.

Today, as a model and resource for local youth, the college remains in constant interaction with Carlisle's young people - whether guiding school children through art shows at The Trout Gallery, demonstrating science principles at a community open house, or bringing Dickinson students and Carlisle youth together as part of the Big-Little program. Dickinson's athletic facilities are used by local sports teams, including the Carlisle High School swim team, which has held all of its practices and meets at Dickinson for the past 20 years.

Every year for more than a decade, the Dickinson College Choir has sponsored a variety show to benefit the local food bank, Project SHARE. Students, staff and faculty are working on a Habitat for Humanity house on North Pitt Street. A Dickinson student is serving as a nonvoting member of Carlisle's Borough Council working as a liaison between the two communities and lending a distinctive perspective on issues.

A band plays during Octubafest.

The Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM), a project of the environmental studies department at Dickinson, partners with Pennsylvania communities, including Carlisle, to protect and restore watersheds. And the same department sponsors the Student Garden that offers low-income residents the chance to help produce their own food. This group also operates a stand at the Old Pomfret Farmers' Market.

Over the years, Dickinson has hosted lectures and appearances by Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize and Oscar winners that are open to the public at little or no cost. Area residents also feel they are a part of the college by attending performing arts events and the college's gallery. The Clarke Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Contemporary Issues coordinates panel discussions and lectures on timely topics such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bio-medical issues. Yearly, the college sponsors the Public Affairs Symposium, which provides in-depth programming on topics of interest to the whole community.

Dickinson is a major sponsor of the Amani Festival, Summerfair, Fall Harvest of the Arts, Octubafest and First Night. The college also supports a variety of other local programs with contributions or in-kind gifts. The College-Community Connections Committee has coordinated "Talk of the Town," a community-wide speakers bureau and is creating a Community Calendar.

Although difficult to quantify, students and staff of the college volunteer a great deal of their time to local agencies and charities, such as Adopt-a-Grandparent, America Reads, Carlisle Tutoring Program and Special Kids.

• In 2002, the college's economic impact on Carlisle was $59 million.
• Also, in 2002, the college's voluntary annual payment in lieu of taxes to the borough was $45,000.
• Dickinson faculty, administrators and staff contributed $33,295 to the United Way in 2002.
• In 2002/2003, Dickinson students contributed nearly 20,000 hours of community service.

In every instance of cooperation between the college and the community both bodies have grown stronger. Dickinson celebrates its partnership with Carlisle that has thrived for well over two centuries and is proud to be a part of the 2003 "Outstanding Pennsylvania Community."