When Dartmouth eliminated undergraduate student loans in 2022, the decision to dramatically expand financial aid was informed, in part, by the Moosilauke Forum, a standing research panel of roughly 1,500 Dartmouth alumni whose job is simple: tell the College, honestly, what they think.
"Moosilauke Forum insights showed that 75% of alumni supported—or were willing to support—financial aid," said Cornelia Purcell, executive director of development for financial aid and student affairs. "Armed with that information, we amplified this powerful sentiment, which inspired a growing number of alumni to establish their own endowed financial aid funds. All of it further strengthened Dartmouth's best-in-class aid program."
The financial aid research survey undertaken by the Moosilauke Forum was one of several ways it has helped shape institutional decisions since its founding in 2014—and this year, Dartmouth is opening recruitment for new members.
A Direct Line to Dartmouth's Decision-Makers
The Moosilauke Forum exists to provide Dartmouth's leadership a clear, ongoing read on alumni sentiment—one that's more representative and more reliable than the feedback that trickles in through class notes, reunion conversations, or the occasional email to the alumni office.
Members are invited from across all class years, clubs, and backgrounds so the group's collective response reflects the broader alumni population. Their answers to a rotating slate of surveys are aggregated, analyzed, and delivered directly to senior leaders in Advancement, the Office of Communications, and, often, the President's Office—people who use those insights to prioritize initiatives, inform decisions, and shape how Dartmouth engages with its graduates.
The financial aid campaign is one visible example of that pipeline at work, but the Forum's influence extends across the institution—from how Dartmouth supports graduates to how it communicates with alumni about College priorities to understanding alumni connection over time.
What Membership Looks Like
Joining the Forum is low-commitment, asking very little of members' time: generally short, monthly surveys on topics ranging from how alumni prefer to stay connected with Dartmouth to philanthropy and institutional priorities. A quarterly “pulse survey” checks in more broadly on how alumni are feeling about the College and where it's headed.
Based on feedback from current members, this year's Forum is adapting to keep members better connected through shorter and more frequent surveys and regular updates—not only on the results of their survey responses, but on the institutional decisions those results helped inform.
Recruitment for this year's Moosilauke Forum has just begun. If you'd like to join this influential group of alumni helping to shape Dartmouth's direction, click the button below and fill out the form with your details. The sign-up form takes less than a minute to complete.