MAJOR GIFT DONATION
Once in a while a classmate does something exceptional. Over the years we
have seen many gifts from generous ’57s. We now have our first $1m donor –
classmate and friend, Robert (Bob) Porter.
The purpose of the Porter gift is “to extend Dartmouth's prominence in
environmental research and education and elevate the leadership capacity of its
students and faculty.” It will provide faculty and students with support of research
and programmatic innovation directed towards understanding the health of the
planet and developing effective and sustainable global environmental practices.
Dartmouth will be able to (1) increase the capacity of its faculty and students to
take on global environmental challenges and sustainability, and (2) apply new
instructional strategies to train a generation of effective environmental leaders to
shape the national research and teaching agenda on sustainable practices and
bring change across the full reach of society.
The College has identified four ways to use the support for current use funding
and endowment.
“Current use ($800,000):
(1) Porter Foundation Challenge Grants: a five-year program of competitive
awards given out to support faculty research to assess the health of the planet.
(2) Porter Foundation Symposia or Visiting Lecture Series on the Health of the
Planet: support for up to two conferences to be held on this topic at Dartmouth
over the next five years.
(3) Porter Foundation Initiative for Programmatic Development in Sustainability
Science: support for curriculum development in sustainability or environmental
science with a preference for courses that support the establishment of a minor
(or a major) in Sustainability Science and Ecosystem Health.
Endowment ($200,000):
(4) Porter Foundation Endowment for Student Research in Sustainability
Science: support for student internships, research pilot programs and summer
fellowships to support faculty research projects with a preference for projects that
are directly related to sustainability science.”
Thanks, Bob, on behalf of the class, for a truly wonderful gift that will have impact
for years to come!
We have also learned that Bob’s grandson, Vincent (Vin) Dowling III ’11, is a
current student.