In Pursuit of Excellence 

Dartmouth College Recognizes with Deep Appreciation the Extraordinary Achievements of the

CLASS OF 1988

2016 Class of the Year
26 Years Out and Older

The Class of 1988 has created a class culture where hard work and having fun go hand in hand. The Class sets high standards of achievement, works diligently to meet its goals, and does not forget to weave fun into all its activities.

The Class takes teamwork to its highest level. President Catherine Craighead Briggs coaches an outstanding group organized under teams including Leadership, Communications, Community and Service that engage many classmates in a broad spectrum of activities. Thoughtful and strategic, class leadership has defined short- and long-term goals that reflect the class mission:

“To capture, renew, and build the spirit of kinship that has united us as a class since our days at Dartmouth by engaging all of our members, embracing our differences, and generously supporting each other, the Class, and the College.”

In 2015, the Class scored a 97.5 out of 100 on its class activity report (CAR) but did not rest and can boast a score of 99 in 2016, the highest CAR score of any non-reunion class this year. Other statistics demonstrate the class’s focus and execution: 97 percent mailing and 87 percent email addressability; dues participation of 40 percent – a class record; 55 percent Dartmouth College Fund participation, a participation record for classes 28 years out.

To the Class of ’88, numbers and statistics are important, but connections between one another other are what matter most. Classmates are, as the class website states, its “core.” The Class has identified a special class officer – the Steward – whose role is to strengthen engagement across the entire class through personal, customized outreach. In 2016, the Class reached out to 71 classmates with handwritten, personal notes and sent personalized birthday videos to each ’88 turning 50. The Class has taken great steps to update and complete memorial pages and tributes, inviting classmates to pay tribute to friends it has lost.

While working hard, the Class remembers to have fun in light, creative and ingenious ways. Visitors to the class’s newly revamped website will find Dartmouth College Fund Dance Party and Crazy Classmate dance videos, eNewsletters inviting participation in an NCAA basketball tournament pool (and even an Oscar pool), a limerick for the end of the fiscal year, and newsletters featuring pets and 88th day of the year activities. The class’s Facebook group and LinkedIn site are busy with interactions, postings, and sharing of news, information, and updates.

Through all of its activities, the priorities for the Class of 1988 are clear: inclusiveness of all classmates in its community; creativity and innovation of events and activities across all areas; and engagement of classmates. The Class of ’88 walks the talk and dances along the way.

Dartmouth’s Class Officers Association Executive Board is honored to recognize the Class of 1988 as the 2016 Class of the Year.