For the past five years, the Class of ’85 has supported two Class Projects (Dartmouth Partners in Community Service; Bridges to Health Care) with an average of more than $15,000 per year from class dues and donations.
As we approach our 40th Reunion, it is time to get feedback from the Class about what projects we want to continue to support and/or add new Class Projects to our efforts to give back to the College. Therefore, we are soliciting input from our classmates. We also are looking to form an ongoing committee to increase our impact (More on that at the end of this post!). We ask for your feedback by May 1st so that we may present our plans to the Class at the Reunion in June.
What are Class Projects? Class Projects are intended to fulfill identified needs of the College while helping to unite a class and, in many cases, to unite a class with students. Class Project funds are given to Dartmouth with money collected by a class earmarked for that purpose or from the general class treasury. [A Class Gift is funded by direct solicitation to individuals with guidance from the Development Office. A Class Gift is a significant legacy contribution to the College, while Class Projects are funded by smaller contributions and are usually disbursed to the College on an annual basis.] Class Projects are a collective gifts made to Dartmouth by the class as a whole, with the intention to impact students today. Projects must be connected with an existing Dartmouth office for implementation, and any new projects must be approved by the College.
What has our Class supported recently?
The Class of ’85 is one of eighteen classes that supports Dartmouth Partners in Community Service (DPCS), coordinated by the Center for Social Impact (students.dartmouth.edu/social-impact). DPCS has supported over 800 Dartmouth undergraduates in alumni mentored internships in nonprofits across the U.S. and engaged over 400 alumni mentors from 57 Dartmouth alumni classes, including ’85s! Through DPCS, students receive up to $6,500 in funding during a leave term, to pursue community-based service internships with nonprofit agencies. Funding provides the support students need when seeking an unpaid, but transformative, internship with a non-profit organization. We have supported one student each year through this project.
The Class of ’85 also created our own class project – Class of 1985 Pre-Health Access Fund (Bridges to Healthcare). Since, 2022, we have provided funds to assist low-income students preparing for medical school. This project was inspired by the recognition during the pandemic of the lack of health professionals in low income and marginalized communities. This program is administered by the Dartmouth Health Professions Program (hpp.dartmouth.edu). In dialogue with the HPP staff, we realized that because the of the high stakes of the MCAT exam, quality test preparation is critical and costs of test preparation are a sizable barrier to a low-income student. In addition to test preparation courses and materials (which can run from $1200-$3000), students also must pay for the test itself ($385) and application fees (~$800 for applications to five schools). Our project is currently providing up to $1500 for seven low-income students each year.
We have supported 26 students through this program. As of February 2026, seven are in medical school, 2 more have been admitted for this fall, and 8 are current undergraduates. A number are taking a ‘gap year’ as they study and apply, which is not uncommon. You can read about some of the students we have supported on our class webpage (Dartmouth85.com). One such student is Adrien J, who sends this thank you note to our class:
Dear Class of ’85,
If I could, I would travel to every individual who contributed to the Bridges to Health Professions Grant and give them my sincerest gratitude. It is with the deepest appreciation that I write this thank you note to acknowledge my awarding of this grant.
My love and passions for healthcare and research are strongly rooted, but often threatened by the reality of affordability. Although I remain steadfast in my mission to become a physician-scientist, regardless of the challenge, it is comforting and affirming to know the Dartmouth community stands behind me.
You all have helped cross this financial barrier, so that I might focus my passions on service and discovery. For that, I am truly grateful.
Many Thanks
Adrien J.
What options do we have for the future? We are asking for your input on which projects we should support for the next five years. DPCS and Bridges to Healthcare continue to be an option. We have selected three other projects identified by the College for your consideration.
Cross-Cultural Programming
Student Life and the Office of Pluralism and Leadership offer a range of opportunities to promote and build cross-cultural understanding through student organizations, educational programs, and social activities. Contributions to this fund will support educational workshops, community dinners, history month programs, social and cultural activities, and other community-building initiatives. Gifts to this fund will be used at the discretion of the Dean of the College to address program needs and priorities.
Dartmouth Dialogues Support
This class project would provide ongoing funding to support the Dartmouth Dialogues’ mission, vision, and programming. Dartmouth Dialogues trains future leaders to engage meaningfully across political and personal differences. It hosts skill-building workshops for students, faculty, and staff as well as speakers with diverse viewpoints who model constructive disagreement. Dartmouth faculty conduct research on topics like polarization and how dialogue affects our brains so we can understand what works—all in the spirit of advancing a culture of inquiry and respect. An annual report from 2024-2025 can be found on the website (dialogues.dartmouth.edu).
First Year Student Enrichment Program – FYSEP
This year’s first-generation student FYSEP cohort is the largest in the history of the program. Gifts to this fund will be used at the Director’s discretion to support a variety of FYSEP activities, including FYSEP peer mentoring, community-building programs, field trips, group meals, and events between terms when many are unable to return home. This program is housed in the First-Generation Office (students.dartmouth.edu/fgo).
How can I share my input?
We ask you to vote and/or comment by May 1st. Input will be shared with class officers and the chosen projects will be announced at our Reunion in June.
I am interested in getting more involved. What can I do?
We are actively seeking classmates to help chair or serve on the Class Projects committee, raise awareness, and connect with students that we support, depending on the projects selected. There is the opportunity for mentoring through DPCS. We are looking for classmates in medical fields to offer shadowing experiences or volunteer to serve on alumni panels with HPP. We also want to send notes of encouragement as students prepare for the MCAT. We could identify first-generation students in our class and share their stories with the First-Generation Office. We need committee members to touch bases with the staff in the relevant offices at the College twice a year to keep us connected. As a committee, we can decide where best to put our efforts to keep the projects visible to our classmates and support the students. Additional financial donations are NOT a requirement to serve on the committee. If you are looking for a way to get involved that doesn’t require a lot of time, please consider volunteering!
On the input form, you can respond with your inquiries and interests in helping. You can also directly email current Class Projects co-chairs Linda and Veronica with your interest.
Linda Blockus, BlockusL@gmail.com
Veronica Jenkins, JenkinsVNJ@gmail.com
