Dickinson Celebrates Surpassing Scholarship Campaign Goal, Launching the Dickinson Promise

Video by Stephen Munchel; story by Matt Getty

Campaign Celebration Highlights Impact of Over 5,000 Scholarship Donors

Dickinson recently celebrated the triumphant completion of its Campaign for Scholarships: Change a Life—Change the World, surpassing its $75 million goal to raise $78 million for scholarships. This historic achievement not only reinforces the college's commitment to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student but also propels the launch of the Dickinson Promise, a transformative initiative offering loan-free financial aid to many students.

Former Board of Trustees Chair Jennifer Ward Reynolds '77 kicks off the celebration as she walks out onto the stage through a replica of the doors of Old West.

"This is a tremendous achievement and was accomplished by the entire Dickinson community coming together with a common purpose—to allow as many students as possible to walk through these doors and benefit from the same life-changing education that has touched each of our lives," said President John E. Jones III ’71, P’11, noting that this was the largest successful scholarship campaign in the college’s history. "The success of this campaign is due to the generosity of alumni, families of students past and present, faculty, staff, friends of the college and even our current students. We came together ... It is these gifts, large and small, that have brought us here and will allow us to truly change lives and therefore change the world."

A Celebration of Impact

To honor this achievement and the community of donors behind it, the event featured what former Dickinson Board of Trustees Chair Jennifer Ward Reynolds ’77 called “an evening of celebration, connection and inspiring stories.” Alumni and current students addressed the audience throughout the evening, highlighting the transformational power of scholarship support.

"In 2007, I got a phone call that changed my life—I had been selected as a Posse Scholar,” said JB Baez ’12. “That call meant I was headed to Dickinson College. And from that moment on, I was stepping into a completely new world.  … [Dickinson] taught me how to ask better questions, how to see beyond what’s in front of me and how to truly engage the world.”

Today, as senior director of college and career success at Achievement First, Baez utilizes the skills and perspectives gained at Dickinson to guide students from similar backgrounds. "Every single day, I use what I learned at Dickinson," he noted. "The academic foundation, yes—but also the empathy, the cultural lens, the commitment to understanding people fully. It gave me the tools to go back to my community—not just with knowledge, but with perspective and intention.”

JB Baez '12 shares the story of the impact of his Dickinson scholarship.

Echoing Baez’s transformational story, graduating seniors Sophia Perrone ’25 and Alex Rojek ’25 spoke about the powerful impact the campaign’s donors have had on their lives. “It's your support and it's your community that allows students to do whatever we want in the world,” said Perrone.

“With your encouragement, we feel unafraid to pursue the biggest of our dreams,” added Rojek.

The Dickinson Promise

By exceeding its historic $75 million goal, the campaign—and the thousands of donors who joined together to make it a success—has also allowed the college to launch a powerful new affordability initiative—the Dickinson Promise. Starting with the class of 2030, this new initiative will allow Dickinson to offer all domestic students with a family income of $75,000 or less financial-aid packages that will allow them to graduate with no student loans.

The new program enables Dickinson to join a small group of less than 50 schools in the country able to provide such support. However, as President Jones stressed, the college doesn’t plan to stop there.

President Jones announces the Dickinson Promise.

“We are not done!” he said. “This is the beginning, not the end. The Dickinson Promise intends to increase the $75,000 income threshold with continued philanthropic support from our community to allow even more of our students to graduate without loans in the coming years.”

Honoring Sam Rose ’58

In addition to highlighting the way contributions of all sizes from a community of more than 5,000 donors made an impact, the celebration honored Sam Rose ’58, a pivotal figure in scholarships at Dickinson and the campaign’s success.

"His vision and actions 20 years ago set the stage for tonight,” said President Jones, noting how the Rose Scholarship has provided scholarships to over 300 Dickinsonians and how Rose spurred the campaign across the finish line with a $10 million matching challenge gift. “Sam wanted to build a community here at Dickinson that better reflected today’s world, where the best and brightest students, no matter what their financial circumstances, could attend this college."

Sam Rose '58, seated next to Beth Jones, receives a standing ovation as President Jones highlights his pivotal impact on scholarships at Dickinson.

Opening the Door

The event ended with alumni donors sharing their motivation for giving to the campaign. Before opening a replica of the Old West doors to students backstage carrying signs displaying what they value most about their Dickinson experiences, Julie Johnson ’82 and Jeremy Lupowitz discussed why they “open the door” for students by supporting scholarships at Dickinson.

Jeremy Lupowitz ’15 stands among students holding signs displaying what "opening the door" has allowed them to experience at Dickinson.

"Why do I open the door?” said Johnson. “Because without a scholarship, I would not have been able to come to Dickinson, [and] it’s important to always give back. To pay it forward."

As Johnson and Lupowitz then opened the doors to let the students onto the stage, Lupowitz reminded the audience of the power of their gifts. "Each of you here tonight, by supporting the Campaign for Scholarships, has opened a door for students,” he said. “Together, we are standing up for what we believe in."

The celebration continued after the event during a reception at the John M. Paz '78 Alumni & Family Center.

Watch the Full Campaign Celebration Program

Published May 7, 2025