Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity

Moving Dartmouth Forward (MDF), launched in January 2015, set standards of behavior for individuals and the community and mechanisms for reinforcing those standards through accountability and support.

A new residential model—newly instituted House Communities—is helping to build community by providing residential continuity for students, integrating intellectual engagement into residential life, and connecting students with faculty and staff through activities outside the classroom.

In addition, MDF encompasses a ban on hard alcohol on campus, community standards to which all students pledge to adhere, and training in bystander intervention and other tactics to encourage students to look out for one another. 

Building on the strong foundation established through MDF, Dartmouth announced its Action Plan on Inclusive Excellence (IE) in 2016. This initiative seeks to promote an environment where each individual is valued for their unique contributions, experiences and perspectives and is able to realize his/her greatest creative and productive potential.

Based on the conviction that an inclusive environment is one where diversity can thrive, IE also seeks to redress the imbalance between the diversity of Dartmouth's student body and the relative lack of diversity of its faculty and staff.

As part of IE, Dartmouth:

• Expanded and enhanced opportunities for learning about implicit bias for all community members;
• Instituted more professional development opportunities for faculty and staff focused on communicating and working effectively across difference;
• Revamped its recruitment processes to support the diversification of faculty and staff, deploying additional resources for recruitment and employee support, and is working to equitably balance workloads across the faculty ranks.

Launched in January of 2019, the Campus Climate and Culture Initiative (C3I) tackles the particular problem of sexual misconduct while addressing broader issues of campus climate around gender and power dynamics.

As part of C3I, Dartmouth has adopted all of the recommendations for higher education put forward by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) in its report Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

Dartmouth's approach is three-fold: ensuring healthy relationships in all contexts on campus; enhancing resources for support of its Title IX office and mental health services, and disrupting traditional power hierarchies through diverse recruitment and professional development.

Among the more than 400 endowed scholarship funds that have been created as part of the Call to Lead campaign to support students in perpetuity are:

The King Scholars Program

The $3 million King Scholars program provides scholarships for exceptional students from developing countries.

"Trailblazer" Scholarships

A $10 million anonymous gift is establishing 10 undergraduate scholarships in honor of trailblazing women, Black, and Native American alumni over a 10-year period. The first two scholarships have been named in honor of Daniel Simon, Class of 1777, the first Native American to earn a degree from Dartmouth; and Laurel Richie '81, the first Black American to chair the Board of Trustees.

Expansion of the E. E. Just and First-Year Student Enrichment Programs

A generous $20 million gift is enabling Dartmouth to expand and permanently endow the E.E. Just Program, which provides mentorships and resources to underrepresented minorities pursuing degrees and careers in STEM disciplines.

In addition, Dartmouth has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting first-generation and low-income students, thanks to a significant $10 million gift to significantly expand programming and resources for the First-Year Student Enrichment Program (FYSEP).

With the arrival of Shontay Delalue, Dartmouth's inaugural SVP and senior diversity officer, in July 2021, Dartmouth elevated the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity (IDE) on campus. With increased responsibility and prominence, the Office is committed to improving campus culture and focusing on the recruitment, retention and inclusion of students, faculty and staff, particularly those from underrepresented and historically marginalized backgrounds.

IDE is charged with developing a campus-wide strategic plan for diversity, building on the strides that have been made through Moving Dartmouth Forward (MDF), Inclusive Excellence (IE), and the Campus Climate Culture Initiative (C3I).