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Report on Giving 2023-2024

You Are Creating the

Dickinson EXPERIENCE

This year, 6,336 alumni, parents and friends partnered with the college to create an innovative and impactful Dickinson experience for every student. Thank you for your commitment to Dickinson!

$38M
IN GIFTS AND COMMITMENTS THIS FISCAL YEAR
FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR WITH GIFTS OVER
$20M
6,000+
DONOR GIFTS

Carlo Robustelli

THANK YOU!

“Over the last four years Dickinsonians have given more than $120 million to the college—the most in any four-year period over the last two decades. It’s clear that our alumni and parent community has reached a new level of commitment to, and investment in, Dickinson. Thank you for partnering with us in enhancing the Dickinson experience. As this report shows, every step we take in moving Dickinson forward is only possible because of you. Every contribution really does make an impact.”

—CARLO ROBUSTELLI, Vice President for College Advancement


Investment in Student Success

83 gifts totaling $143,787 helped shape career success through support for Dickinson’s new career communities and pathways programming, including alumni-sponsored, career exploration trips, professional development resources and networking resources like the newly launched Dickinson Finance & Business Network.


Emmanuel Arung Bate
Dickinson student at a Google Networking event

Alumni gifts supporting student leadership development, like LeaderShape and the ACE Peer Mentor program, also helped students build leadership skills through events, workshops and peer mentoring opportunities.

“The peer mentors and I are deeply grateful to the donor whose generosity is making the expansion of the program possible.”

—YVETTE DAVIS, director of the Popel Shaw Center for Race & Ethnicity, which runs the ACE Peer Mentor Program

“It’s been really valuable to know that we have these awesome connections.”

—FAITH PARKER ’25 (economics), who traveled to NYC with 22 other students on the Career Center’s Finance Career Trek to Bank of America’s headquarters, where she met alums in the industry to network and learn about banking and finance careers


Thanks to alumni and parent support, Dickinson’s Career Center expanded and will continue to expand its Career Trek programs. Recent highlights include a Bank of America trip and visit to Google’s headquarters, where data-analytics, computer-science and math majors networked with alums like Spyro Karetsos ’96, P’25, former chief compliance officer at Google.

“The opportunity to engage with alumni in person while asking questions and gaining valuable insight was great for me. I believe that networking is equally as important as your education, and Dickinson provides you with a lot of opportunities through our strong alumni channels.”

—LEON FRIEBEL ’26 (international business & management, quantitative economics), who got business advice from Ben Catanese ’00 and TJ Doyle ’00, CEO and president/COO, respectively, of Legacy Automotive Capital, thanks to an alumni networking event organized by the international business & management department, the Office of College Advancement and the Center for Career Development


Fostering Academic Excellence

612 gifts totaling $13,219,115 enhanced the Dickinson academic experience inside and outside the classroom, fostering mentorship opportunities for students with faculty, alumni and parents, launching a bold new initiative to strengthen our teaching in business and finance and solidify Dickinson’s commitment to humanistic inquiry.


Students in a biology cadaver class
Dickinson Students in Milan holding a mosaic banner

“Dickinson alumni have shown they are still strongly engaged in the academic program here not only by supporting these initiatives financially but also by serving as valuable advisors and guest lecturers.”

—RENEE CRAMER, Provost and Dean of the College

Thanks to you, Dickinson:

  • launched the Dickinson Fund for Humanistic Inquiry, which will innovate in humanities education across a range of pedagogical and research needs, including grants that help faculty take students to field sites, performances and museums, as well as funding for students to attend disciplinary conferences to showcase their work
  • established the Burgess Institute for the Global Economy, which will provide executives in residence, site visits, course development, career pathways trips, networking opportunities and more to help students with any major launch careers in business and finance
  • helped dozens of professors and students conduct groundbreaking research, such as Professor of Music Amy Wlodarski’s Guggenheim-winning work on Jewish World War II music history and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Maggie Douglas’ pollinator and pesticide data analysis, which placed Dickinson at the forefront of the fight to save bees
  • brought students to Italy for a Mosaic course, through which they studied and conducted field research into what fashion can tell us about history, culture, identity, politics, gender, race and economic systems
  • created the college’s first Human Anatomy course, giving pre-med students vital access to human cadavers.

“Our students always impress me, but they have blown me away with their ability to adapt and engage with cadaver work, and they will be better prepared emotionally and academically for graduate-level coursework and clinical experiences based on this course.”

—TIFFANY FREY, associate professor of biology


Feeding the Fire

That Burns in Every Red Devil

Whether it was bolstering athletics facilities, providing equipment upgrades or supporting vital team travel, more than 1,528 alumni, parents and friends fed the fire that burns in every Red Devil with gifts totaling more than $1,148,290 to the McAndrews Fund for Athletics this year.


Dickinson softball
Dickinson Lacrosse team huddle


Together those gifts have helped:

  • 18 Red Devils earn recognition as Academic All-Americans
  • 19 teams earn Centennial Conference playoff appearances, including men’s lacrosse winning the conference title
  • 5 Red Devils to be named All-Americans
  • 6 teams qualify for NCAA postseason appearances
  • 89 Red Devils to be named to all-conference teams
  • Dickinson’s student-athletes maintain a 3.39 average GPA

Celine Cunningham

“I’m so excited to join this community where our alumni and parents play a pivotal role in our student-athletes’ success. Thank you for all you do for our Red Devils inside and outside of the game.”

—CELINE CUNNINGHAM, who joined Dickinson as the new director of athletics on July 1


Continuing Your Dickinson Experience

More than 2,040 alumni, parents and friends of the college engaged with Dickinson through giving, volunteering for their class or affinity group, speaking in class, meeting with students, and dozens of other ways. Additionally, more than 4,500 alumni and parents attended Dickinson events throughout the past year, connecting with each other through cultural, social and lifelong learning programs.


Wheel and Chain Anniversary

Your engagement...

  • helped raise an additional $17,739,086 toward scholarships between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. (1,762 alumni, parents and friends joined the Change a Life Challenge in FY24.)
  • launched the Dickinson Finance & Business Network
  • celebrated a century of women’s leadership at Dickinson through the 100-year anniversary of Wheel and Chain
  • built a network of 2,000 alumni, parents and friends from 44 states who helped classmates to reconnect with and support Dickinson, recruiting the next generation of Dickinsonians, connecting students with internships, providing career advice to students and more
  • officially opened the John M. Paz ’78 Alumni & Family Center, which was supported by more than 1,000 alumni donors, and now gives all alumni a permanent home on campus.
Paz Center Aerial Photograph

“I would not be where I am now without those four years at Dickinson. Giving back—and celebrating who we are and who we were, through the reunion—is pure joy.”

—GRETCHEN BRIGDEN ’89, who, with her classmates Amy Barefoot and Ashley Brookes Richardson sponsored a class of 1989 reunion challenge that raised $120,000 for scholarships

“I think this network is a wonderful opportunity to give access to students who want to learn about the business and finance worlds.”

—LAURA CHEN ’11, senior vice president at Morgan Stanley and member of the Dickinson Finance & Business Network planning committee

“I think so fondly of my time as a Dickinson student and of the unique experiences I had, and I want others to have similar opportunities. As those before me have said, ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’ I see it as a duty to give back and help others.”

—JONATHAN ADKINS ’96, who consistently supports scholarships at Dickinson


Students jumping at Dickinson Accepted Student Weekend

Change a Life—Change the World

Thanks to you, Dickinson’s historic Campaign for Scholarships: Change a Life—Change the World neared its $75 million goal this year, thanks in large part to the Dickinson community launching and rallying around several successful challenge gifts.

$70M
Raised
93%
Toward Goal
4,415
Donors

The most substantial challenge gift is the $10 million Change a Life Challenge that Sam Rose ’58 announced in January. Rose’s challenge has already cracked the $4 million mark, and because it offers a dollar-for-dollar match, that added a total of $8 million toward scholarships for students. This, combined with five Day of Giving scholarship challenges, has brought the campaign total to $70 million—93% toward its goal.

But more importantly, these challenges and the gifts they inspired have helped Dickinson uphold its commitment to providing sufficient aid to meet the full demonstrated need for every student we admit.

“Dickinson really set me up for success and adaptability. I give back to Dickinson because Dickinson gave to me, and I want to open opportunities for others.”

—NALLELI HASSAN ’07, who supports scholarships at Dickinson and was one of several alumni who met with students at Bank of America’s New York HQ, where she discussed her experience as an HR executive for the bank

“My world has been filled with so many wonderful people, from my professors and classmates to the alums and close friends I’ve made in my short time here.”

—EVAN MCCLURE ’27, Reynolds Leadership Scholar, and one of more than 1,800 Dickinson students currently being supported by the Campaign for Scholarships


“Thank you for your time, dedication and service to Dickinson. We are stronger because of you, and our future is brighter because of you.”

—PRESIDENT JOHN E. JONES III ’77, P’11

Every scholarship gift will continue to be matched through the Change a Life Challenge until June 2025. Join in and double your gift.

Dickinson’s alumni are proof that a Dickinson education is life-changing. We invite you to join this powerful community again and continue the momentum as we prepare tomorrow’s global leaders.

Make your gift today at www.dickinson.edu/gift



Questions

Office of College Advancement

Address: Dickinson College
College Advancement
PO Box 1773
Carlisle, PA 17013

Tel: 800-543-3809

Email: