First in America Campaign 2011-12

Building on the momentum of the first phase of the First in America campaign, which raised $151.8 million, Dickinson launched a second phase, First in America: Building Our Tomorrow, last year. In its first year, the second phase of the campaign has already raised more than $28 million.

Phase II – Campaign Progress

About First in America: Building Our Tomorrow

Dickinson today is at the powerful intersection of history, achievement and momentum. Thanks to the commitment of Dickinsonians on campus and around the world, the college has amassed an astonishing list of achievements and created a new and well-founded depth of pride in our college. Applications have nearly tripled. Diversity has soared. New programs augment the college’s profound commitment to globally oriented liberal arts, and sustainability now lies at the very core of the institution. 

Dickinson has progressed further, faster than its peers, and the world has taken note. The perception of our college has changed dramatically, and its prestige on the landscape of higher education has grown by leaps and bounds. Although Dickinson’s leaders have made it clear that commercial rankings are an ineffective means of choosing a college, it’s difficult not to notice that our college has risen in just a few years from #113 to #59 on the Forbes’ list of America’s Top Colleges, among all U.S. colleges and universities, no matter their size. 

The first phase of the campaign made all of this possible. Gifts from alumni, parents and friends enabled the college community to "fulfill our destiny" and realize Dr. Rush's vision for Dickinson as the first college chartered in the newly formed United States. Now we turn boldy toward the future as we look to secure Dickinson's place as "First in America." 

To accomplish this, we must make changes in four critical areas. First, we must not only maintain our beautiful and historic campus, we must make our facilities match our students’ needs by modernizing the spaces they need to excel. Second, we must acknowledge the increasing hardships that families face and provide more scholarships for more students in need. Third, we must continue to invest in our outstanding faculty and curriculum. And fourth, we must provide the financial resources that will sustain the trajectory of our college now and into the future, no matter what challenges may come on an ever-changing global landscape. 

By pushing forward with the second phase of the campaign, we are now "building our tomorrow" by providing the college the resources needed to maintain and advance Dickinson's new level of achievement, prestige, pride and momentum.