Women Honor Alumnae with Residence Hall and Riverfront Park
The $27 million raised to date will improve West Wheelock Street gateway to the Dartmouth campus.
Alumnae leaders have banded together to raise funds for a new residence hall and park, the latest philanthropic achievement led by Dartmouth women and a historic investment that will enhance the western entrance to campus.
The new residence hall—to be named Alumnae Hall—is another milestone in Dartmouth’s 10-year commitment to transform student housing. Alumnae Hall will connect to the recently announced Shonda Rhimes Hall and will be the first residence hall people see as they enter Hanover from Ledyard Bridge and begin driving up West Wheelock Street. Riverfront Park, featuring four acres of landscaped green space and a granite sign welcoming all to Dartmouth, will connect the new residence hall and the rest of campus to the Connecticut River.
Board of Trustees Chair Liz Cahill Lempres ’83 TH’84 announced the initiative before an alumni audience in Hanover this past Thursday, stating the desire to honor the more than 35,000 alumnae “in recognition of their leadership around the world and their devoted service to Dartmouth.” Development of the residence hall and park is funded through the generosity of 27 alumnae to date who have each committed $1 million. Though the goal has been achieved, the initiative remains open to additional support should other alumnae wish to participate in the project.
Trustee Susie Huang ’84, one of the alumnae who initiated the idea for the residence hall, says rallying support for student housing funded by women was a natural next step to build on the alumnae-led giving successes of recent years. Providing students with high-quality housing is foundational to their Dartmouth experience, she says, helping create a positive campus climate, improving health and wellness, and encouraging more students to live on campus.
Putting the name Alumnae Hall on the building has the added benefit of providing a visible statement of alumnae support for Dartmouth, Huang says.
“We should be looking for what will inspire future generations of leaders to make positive change in their environments. What example can we give?” she says, noting that the alumnae who gave to the residence hall will be recognized in the building. “I want young women and men at Dartmouth to say, ‘Look at how these alumnae made this building possible. I can be someone who gives back, too.’ These kinds of examples work because they are visible.”
Alumnae Hall is the fourth West Wheelock Street residence hall to be announced in the past 14 months. Russo Hall, made possible by a gift from Thomas A. Russo ’77 and Gina T. Russo ’77, is on schedule to open for the 2026–27 academic year. Construction of the Class of 1989 Hall, Shonda Rhimes Hall, and Alumnae Hall will begin in early 2026; all three are scheduled for completion before the start of the 2028–29 academic year.
The four residence halls are part of Dartmouth’s $500 million housing initiative—with $165 million to be secured through philanthropy—unveiled by President Beilock in her inaugural address. The ambitious undertaking will provide at least 1,000 new beds for students, faculty, and staff and nurture a deeper sense of community for undergraduates, which is important for students’ mental health and wellness. Members of the Dartmouth community have given more than $110 million to date. Through new construction and renovations, Dartmouth is on track to have 783 new beds available by the fall of 2028.
The housing initiative complements Dartmouth’s goal of having zero carbon emissions by 2050 by utilizing high-performance construction techniques that produce energy-efficient buildings.
Alumnae Hall will contain three- and four-student apartment-style residences featuring kitchens, living rooms, and private bedrooms. Providing housing for 95 juniors and seniors, the residence hall will have a spacious community kitchen with a patio for student gatherings and a “treehouse reading room” offering views of the Connecticut River.
Building on historic achievements
Dartmouth alumnae are at the vanguard of women’s philanthropy and established a new national standard for alumnae giving during The Call to Lead campaign, highlighted by three achievements:
The Centennial Circle of Dartmouth Alumnae honors alumnae who have committed $100,000 or more to any of the Dartmouth school annual funds. Established in 2013, the circle now has 368 members, and their generosity provided approximately $10 million in financial aid during the past fiscal year.
Renovation of Dartmouth Hall was made possible by an alumnae-led campaign that recognized donors at any gift level. Through this initiative, 3,212 alumnae representing every Dartmouth class (including some before coeducation) raised $26 million.
One hundred fifteen women supported a variety of priorities in Dartmouth’s last campaign with gifts of $1 million or more, up from four women in Dartmouth’s previous campaign. Their giving totaled $435 million, plus another $64.5 million in bequest commitments, introducing a new generation of major donors to the university.
This past spring, four women sitting on the Board of Trustees envisioned the next chapter of alumnae-led philanthropy at Dartmouth. Huang, Lempres, Ellie Mahoney Loughlin ’89, and Jane Pfaff Novak ’92 established a goal of securing $1 million commitments from 15 alumnae to name a new residence hall before an approaching construction deadline. In June, the four started reaching out to alumnae groups on an individual level and hosted Zoom informational meetings to discuss the proposed project.
With alumnae from four decades committing to the project, the scope of the initiative was expanded to include the creation of Riverfront Park. The park will express Dartmouth’s sense of place with an inviting greenway, accessible waterfront, landscaped lawns, and pathways connecting the riverfront to Alumnae Hall and the rest of campus. Designs are in development and will be introduced in 2026.
“Alumnae Hall will be a terrific place to live. It’s going to foster a great social life and community life,” says Huang. “Once you’ve come across the river, the first things you will see are the new Dartmouth sign and then Alumnae Hall—and I love that.”