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Dartmouth College

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History

The Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, a Congregational minister from Connecticut, founded Dartmouth College in 1769. He had earlier established Moor’s Charity School in Lebanon, Connecticut, principally for the education of Native Americans. In seeking to expand his school into a college, Wheelock relocated his educational enterprise to Hanover, in the Royal Province of New Hampshire. Samson Occom, a Mohegan Indian and one of Wheelock’s first students, was instrumental in raising substantial funds for the College. The Royal Governor of New Hampshire, John Wentworth, provided the land upon which Dartmouth would be built and on December 13, 1769, conveyed the charter from King George III establishing the College. That chartercreated a college “for the education and instruction of Youth of the Indian Tribes in this Land … and also of English Youth and any others.” Named for William Legge, the Second Earl of Dartmouth – an important supporter of Eleazar Wheelock’s efforts – Dartmouth is the nation’s ninth oldest college.

The Supreme Court decision in the famous “Dartmouth College Case” of 1819, argued by Daniel Webster (Class of 1801), is considered to be one of the most important and formative documents in United States constitutional history, strengthening the contract clause of the Constitution and thereby paving the way for all American private institutions to conduct their affairs in accordance with their charters and without interference from the state.

In over two centuries of evolution, Dartmouth has developed from its roots on the colonial frontier into a college that has a special character and a unique place in private higher education: a superb undergraduate residential college with the intellectual character of a university, featuring thriving research and first-rate graduate and professional programs. The quality of the undergraduate experience is enhanced by close student-faculty interaction, opportunities for independent research, a broad range of off-campus programs, and a diverse student body. Dartmouth was named by the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton as one of the world’s “most enduring institutions” in 2004.

An Ivy League institution, Dartmouth College enrolls approximately 4,100 undergraduates in the liberal arts and 1,700 graduate students. In addition to 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences, it is home to the nation’s fourth oldest medical school: the Dartmouth Medical School, founded in 1797; the nation’s first professional school of engineering: the Thayer School of Engineering, founded in 1867; and the first graduate school of management in the world: the Tuck School of Business, established in 1900.

Mission

OUR MISSION

Dartmouth College educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership, through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge.

OUR CORE VALUES

Dartmouth expects academic excellence and encourages independence of thought within a culture of collaboration.File:Dartmouth College campus 2007-06-23 Dartmouth Hall 02.JPG

Dartmouth faculty are passionate about teaching our students and are at the forefront of their scholarly or creative work.

Dartmouth embraces diversity with the knowledge that it significantly enhances the quality of a Dartmouth education.

Dartmouth recruits and admits outstanding students from all backgrounds, regardless of their financial means.

Dartmouth fosters lasting bonds among faculty, staff, and students, which encourage a culture of integrity, self-reliance, and collegiality and instill a sense of responsibility for each other and for the broader world.

Dartmouth supports the vigorous and open debate of ideas within a community marked by mutual respect.

OUR LEGACY

Since its founding in 1769 to educate Native students, English youth, and others, Dartmouth has provided an intimate and inspirational setting where talented faculty, students, and staff – diverse in background but united in purpose – contribute to the strength of an exciting academic community that cuts easily across disciplines.

Dartmouth is committed to providing the best undergraduate liberal arts experience and to providing outstanding graduate programs in the Dartmouth Medical School (founded 1797), the Thayer School of Engineering (1867), the Tuck School of Business (1900), and the graduate programs in the Arts and Sciences. Together they constitute an exceptional and rich learning environment. Dartmouth faculty and student research contributes substantially to the expansion of human understanding.

The College provides a comprehensive out-of-classroom experience, including service opportunities, engagement in the arts, and competitive athletic, recreational, and outdoor programs. Pioneering programs in computation and international education are hallmarks of the College. Dartmouth graduates are marked by an understanding of the importance of teamwork, a capacity for leadership, and their keen enjoyment of a vibrant community. Their loyalty to Dartmouth and to each other is legendary and is a sustaining quality of the College.

Dartmouth at a Glance

Mission: “Dartmouth College educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership, through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge.”

Established in 1769 and a member of the Ivy League, Dartmouth is a superb undergraduate residential college with the intellectual character of a university, featuring thriving research and first-rate graduate and professional programs. The quality of the undergraduate experience is enhanced by close student-faculty interaction, opportunities for independent research, a broad range of off-campus programs, and a diverse student body. Graduate programs include Dartmouth Medical School,graduate programs in the Arts and Sciences, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business.

The Basics

  • Founded: 1769
  • Type: Four-year private, liberal arts
  • Affiliation: Ivy League
  • Students: Approximately 4,100 undergraduate, 1,700 graduate
  • Divisions: Undergraduate college with more than 40 departments and programs; graduate schools of arts and sciences, medicine, engineering, and business
  • Motto: Vox clamantis in deserto (“a voice crying out in the wilderness”)
  • Color: Dartmouth Green
  • Nickname: Big Green
  • Academic calendar: Year-round, four-term

Enrollment, Admissions, Financial Aid

ENROLLMENT (FALL 2009)
  • Undergraduate: 4,196 (2,119 men, 2,077 women)
  • Graduate/professional: 1,791 (1,049 men, 742 women)
  • Total enrollment head count: 5,987
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS

For the Class of 2013:

  • 18,132 applications
  • 1,094 students enrolled
  • Admission to the College is need-blind
TUITION AND FEES, 2010-11
  • Undergraduate: tuition $39,978; room, board, and mandatory fees $12,297; total $52,275
  • Graduate Arts and Sciences: $39,978
  • Dartmouth Medical School: $45,075
  • Thayer School of Engineering: $39,978
  • Tuck School of Business: $50,700
FINANCIAL AID
  • Undergraduate financial aid expenditures, FY 2009: $62,868,640 (scholarships only)
  • Average three-term scholarship: approximately $33,000
  • Nearly 60 percent of undergraduates receive scholarships from Dartmouth

The Campus

Dartmouth’s 269-acre main campus, located in Hanover, NH, features a central Green with academic buildings clustered on three sides. Residence halls and administrative buildings, including the Office of Admissions, are located within walking distance of the Green. Dartmouth also has nine libraries, including the main Baker-Berry Library, which is located at the north edge of the Green, as well as other notable facilities including the Hood Museum of Art, the Hopkins Center for the Arts, and athletic facilities at the south edge.

Our Location

Dartmouth College is located in Hanover, a town of 11,000 in western New Hampshire bordering Vermont on the Connecticut River. Dartmouth’s local region is known as the “Upper Valley,” consisting of 46 towns straddling the Connecticut River roughly from Bradford, Vt., to the north and Claremont, N.H., to the south. Learn more about Hanover and our neighboring communities by clicking the links below.

Dartmouth Athletics

About Dartmouth Athletics

A mecca for the highly motivated student-athlete, Dartmouth College is the nation’s ninth oldest university and a member of the Ivy League. Featuring a comprehensive athletic menu, Dartmouth offers 34 varsity sports – 16 for men, 16 for women and two coeducational programs in sailing and equestrian. In addition, there are 34 club and 24 intramural sports as three-quarters of Dartmouth undergraduates participate in some form of athletics.

Nicknamed “The Big Green,” Dartmouth’s varsity athletic teams compete in NCAA Division 1 as well as in the eight-member Ivy League conference and the ECAC (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference). Throughout the years, Dartmouth athletes have competed at the very highest level, excelling in NCAA championships ranging from track and field to basketball, cross country to soccer, as well as skiing, golf, lacrosse and diving.

The College has demonstrated a total commitment to athletics and recreation with about $85 million in facility improvements since 2000, including: Boss Tennis Center and Gordon Pavilion, Scully-Fahey Field (featuring AstroTurf), Blackman Football Practice Fields, McLane Skiway Lodge, Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse; comprehensive renovations to Leverone Fieldhouse, Hanover Country Club, Berry Center squash courts, Alumni Gymnasium (featuring a new 14,000 square foot recreational fitness center), and Memorial Field (including FieldTurf playing surface and Tartan track); Floren Varsity House (featuring a 10,000 square foot varsity strength training center); Burnham Soccer Field and Sports Pavilion; an AstroTurf field for field hockey and recreational sports; and a new baseball facility — Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park.

Although the Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships, admission is need-blind, and more than half of the Dartmouth student body receives financial assistance.

A private, four-year, liberal arts, coeducational college, Dartmouth’s focus is on undergraduate education, but the College is considered a small university with graduate schools of business, engineering and medicine as well as 16 graduate programs in the arts and sciences.

Alumni Gym

When Alumni Gymnasium was built in 1909, it was thought to be one of the most complete in the Eastern states. The Alumni Gymnasium contains two swimming pools, including the modern Karl Michael championship pool with bleachers for a thousand spectators, intramural basketball courts, a weight room, squash courts, 1/13 of a mile jogging track, two sauna baths, fencing lanes, and a rowing room complete with training tanks within its 129,000 square feet.

A $12 million renovation to Alumni Gymnasium, the 95-year-old centerpiece of Dartmouth’s athletic complex, was completed in 2005. Included in the renovation was the creation of a 14,000-square foot recreational fitness center, eight new multi-use fitness spaces, comprising about 10,000-square feet, infrastructure improvements to Karl Michael Pool, handicap accessibility, and an elevator serving the gym’s three levels.

Berry Sports Center

Built in 1986, the 88,400 square foot Berry Sports Center contains varsity basketball and volleyball facilities and national and international squash and racquetball courts. The open atrium and skylights provide natural lighting throughout the facility.

LEEDE ARENA

The Berry Sports Center was dedicated on May 22, 1987 in honor of John W. Berry ’44 whose $5 million gift was the largest ever made to Dartmouth athletics until the recent gift of $10 million by Douglas C. Floren ’63 and his family for the new varsity house that opened in November 2007. Another gift by Mr. Berry enabled construction to begin in 1985. The basketball arena in the Berry Center is named in honor of Edward Leede ’49 and his family. Mr. Leede is among Dartmouth’s all-time leading scorers and was captain of the 1948-49 team. The Berry Center includes Leede Arena, a 2,100-seat basketball pavilion; two additional regulation basketball courts; a 4,500-square foot strength training and conditioning facility; four varsity locker rooms; squash and racquetball courts, and the athletic ticket office. At the right is the scene in sold-out Leede Arena for the North Carolina game in 1998. Another capacity crowd packed Leede in 2000 to see the Big Green host Virginia. Large crowds are the norm for Ivy League games, especially when Penn and Princeton come to town.

Racquetball & Squash Courts

The Berry Center racquetball and squash court area consists of 10 international squash courts (1 of which is a glass enclosed exhibition court), 2 North American squash courts, and 3 racquetball courts. The squash courts are home to the Dartmouth Men’s and Women’s Squash teams. The courts were dedicated in November of 1987. The Racquet Center features the Herrick Court, one of only three permanent exhibition courts in North America with three glass walls. The building’s architecture is one of its most striking features, as a large skylight brightens the interior and gives the building and court area an expansive feel.

Since its opening as one of the premier squash facilities in the country, Dartmouth has hosted the men’s and women’s Intercollegiate Squash Association Championships four times – in 1988, 1991, 1997, and 2005 – as well as the national junior championships three times, most recently in 1996. Men’s and women’s professional tournaments and several exhibitions and clinics have also been held in the Berry Center

Karl Michael & Spaulding Pools

Dartmouth swimmers and divers have the advantage of exceptional pool and weight-training facilities. The Big Green swimming complex features two pools with a total of 15 25-yard lanes as well as two 50-meter lanes.

The cornerstone is the Karl Michael Pool, which features eight racing lanes and seating for 1,200 spectators. Built in 1962 and designed by former Dartmouth swim captain R. Jackson Smith ’36, the Michael Pool was host to the 1968 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship. In 1970, it was formally named in honor of the legendary Big Green swim coach, who headed the Dartmouth program from 1939-1970. The Michael Pool’s diving are features one- and three-meter boards with Durafirm and Maxiflex equipment and a water well 12 to 14-1/2 feet deep.

Adjacent is Spaulding Pool, a 30-by-75-foot pool constructed in 1919. The walls surrounding Spaulding still feature the beautiful mosaic tile installed during the original construction phase 85 years ago

Davis Varsity House

Built in 1927, Davis Varsity House is a 17,200 square foot red brick building housing the men’s and women’s ice hockey offices, the field hockey office, the equipment room, locker rooms, and the athletic training room. In addition, a multi-purpose room is located on the third floor. The second floor lounge is used to entertain visiting dignitaries and alumni.

Memorial Field

Originally built in 1893 and completed as it stands today in 1923, Memorial Field consists of a 30,000 square foot stadium, a football field and a track.

The stadium facilities include concession areas, restrooms, and a pressbox. The stadium is a brick and concrete structure and features black wrought iron fencing that encloses its West Stands.

State-of-the-art FieldTurf surface was installed on Memorial Field in 2006. The newest generation FieldTurf surface features reinforced spine monofilament, silica sand, and cryogenic rubber infill that simulates natural grass. In conjunction with construction of Floren Varisty House, the upper tiers (about two-thirds of the 9,500 seats in the East Stands) were removed. The remaining seats in the East Stands have been extended to match the 7,100-seat West Stands. Including temporary end-zone seating, Memorial Field has a seating capacity for about 15,000 spectators.

The Floren Varsity House
Take a Photographic Tour of the Facilities
Here

The Floren Varsity House is the latest addition among new and renovated facilities that serve hundreds of student-athletes who represent Dartmouth on 34 varsity athletic teams as well as the many hundreds more who participate in club sports, recreation fitness and intramural activities.

The $19.5 million Floren Varsity House has been made possible through the leadership gift of Douglas C. Floren ’63 and his family, as well as the support of many other members of the Dartmouth family whose generosity has made possible a facility that is second to none in the Ivy League and beyond.

Attached to the renovated East Stands of Memorial Field, Floren Varsity House features a 10,000-square foot strength training center; 130-seat “smart classroom,” meeting rooms and study lounges for all varsity teams; football locker faclities; and offices for the football, baseball, softball and women’s lacrosse teams.

Floren Strength Training Center

The Big Green will utilize a state-of-the-art varsity weight room in the recently completed Floren Varsity House. This versatile new building was made possible by a $10 million leadership gift from Olivia and Doug Floren ’63 of Greenwich, Conn. and their family. The new 10,000-square foot strength center in the Floren Varsity House will allow students to undergo effective strength, power, plyometric, agility, flexibility and conditioning programs under the supervision of head strength coach Bob Miller. New equipment in the strength center will benefit all 34 of Dartmouth’s varsity programs. Equipment in the Floren Varsity House weight room includes:

20 platforms & racks
3 belt squat machines
3 sets of iron dumbbells

4 cable lat pulldowns
4 Russian boxes
Assorted hammer machines

8 glute and hamstring machines
12 cardio machines
6 adjustable cable columns

 

Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park

A $5.2 million gift from Mike, Class of 1979, and Cindy Ginn Biondi, Class of 1980, is enabling major renovations to Red Rolfe Field and a new ballpark.  The new playing surface will be ready for practice in fall 2008, and renovations to the entire park will be finished in time for opening day in spring 2009.
The Michael J. 1979 and Cynthia Ginn 1980 Biondi Ballpark — also known as Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park — will fulfill a vision Mike had several years ago. He covered first base for varsity baseball at Dartmouth in the late 1970s. A self-described baseball fanatic who loved nothing more than to play the game with his four sons, Mike died tragically of sudden cardiac arrest last November 12. The conceptual plans for the new ballpark were finalized just before he passed away.
“This gift has special meaning for all of us who have had the privilege to work closely with Cindy and Mike Biondi,” said Dartmouth President James Wright. “Always concerned with the welfare of current students, always ready to lend their time and expertise, they have led by example. There was no bigger Dartmouth baseball fan-and, of course, Mets fan-than Mike. We’re grateful that this gift will have a lasting impact on our student-athletes, the game of baseball at Dartmouth, and the wider community.”
Mike Biondi was the Co-Chairman of Investment Banking and a managing director at Lazard, and considered one of the nation’s top mergers and acquisition bankers. After Dartmouth, he earned an MBA and JD in the joint-degree program at the University of Pennsylvania. Mike was a former member of the President’s Leadership Council, vice-chair of the Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience, and co-chair of the Dartmouth College Fund Committee.
Cindy Biondi earned an MBA from Wharton after graduating from Dartmouth, and worked as a management consultant in New York. She is a member of the President’s Leadership Council at Dartmouth and a vice chair of the Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience. She was formerly a co-chair of the Dartmouth College Fund Committee, co-chair of the Class of 1980 20th Reunion Giving Committee, and an alumni fund volunteer. She is a director for the Breast Cancer Alliance and the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich.
The Biondis’ philanthropy to Dartmouth includes the Cynthia and Michael Biondi 1979 Family Fund for Scholarship and generous gifts to the Dartmouth College Fund, Athletic Sponsor Program, and Friends of Baseball.

Renovations will include construction of a new synthetic FieldTurf surface, permanent seating for 650 spectators with the ability to add more than 1,000 temporary seats along the first- and third-baselines, dugouts, batting cages, bullpens, a new scoreboard, press box, and landscaping.
“This ballpark will satisfy our programmatic needs, and allow a sport with a storied history at Dartmouth to be as successful as it can be,” said Josie Harper, director of athletics and recreation. “At the northernmost Ivy League school, the weather isn’t always so kind to spring sports. The artificial playing surface will greatly enhance our ability to practice and compete on the field.”
Robert “Red” Rolfe, Dartmouth Class of 1931, played ten seasons with the New York Yankees and was his alma mater’s athletic director from 1954 to 1967.

Leverone Field House

Leverone Field House was designed by Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi, whose distinctive sports palaces for the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome earned him the laudatory title, “Poet in Concrete.” Leverone is situated between the southeast corner of the football field and South Park Street. Under two acres of high, arching roof, this 91,800 square foot building contains indoor track facilities, a weight room, and an indoor practice area for football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, golf, and rugby. Leverone Field House was completed in 1965.

The facility underwent a recent major renovation and now features better lighting, mechanical curtains, and an advanced sound system. Among the upgrades are structural changes to the roof, an improved ventilation system, and a resurfaced floor. In addition, more natural light streams into the facility and some doors were removed, making it an exceptional training facility.

Thompson Arena

Rupert Thompson Arena, home of the Dartmouth men’s and women’s hockey teams, is one of the nation’s finest collegiate hockey facilities and is considered one of the premier rinks in the East. Construction began in 1973 and the first hockey game took place in November, 1975, when the Dartmouth men and the United States Olympic Team skated to a 3-3 tie.

Crowds of more than 4,000 attend Dartmouth men’s hockey games, and the atmosphere can be electric on weekends when the Big Green is hosting an Ivy or ECACHL rival.

Pier Luigi Nervi, the Italian architect-engineer who also drew the complex for the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, designed Thompson Arena. The Arena has 3,500 individually-backed seats plus room for 1,000 standees, all encircling an ice sheet 200 feet long by 85 feet wide.

There are several unique features to Thompson Arena, which was dug into the ground and involved the use of 9,500 yards of pre-cast and cast-in-place concrete and 600 tons of reinforced steel. The vaulted ceiling includes 1,024 triangular sections, each weighing one ton. Buttresses extending over the bleachers hold up the press box, on the south side of the ice while additional buttresses suspend the Arena itself on the outside. At the east end of the Arena, the various championship banners fly, symbolizing titles won by both the men’s and women’s programs.

The Arena also includes five spacious, carpeted dressing rooms, plus two complete training rooms. There is also a storage room and skate-sharpening area, as well as the William Smoyer ’67 Lounge, where postgame receptions are held after all men’s contests. In the Smoyer Lounge, one can find numerous individual and team photos displaying the hallowed history of both the Dartmouth men’s and women’s hockey programs.

Alexis Boss Tennis Center and Alan Gordon Pavilion earn Court of the Year Honors

“Normally, it’s the attention to details that make a structure stand out. But sometimes it’s the attention to the lack of details.”

“There is not a lot of high-end detailing in this building, which is generally the case on large athletic buildings,” says Jim Pulver of Bread Loaf Corp., a full-service provider of planning, architecture and building in Middlebury, Vt. “So the design quality is a result of using big ideas concerning the layout of the spaces and adjacencies on each level.”

And in this regard, the center – named for the late Alexis Boss, a former member of the Dartmouth tennis team – succeeds beautifully. ” Click here for the rest of the article from Tennis Industry magazine, March/April 2002 issue.

Dartmouth College’s Allie Boss Tennis Center and Alan Gordon Pavilion

On Monday, September 18, 2000, a new era of tennis began at Dartmouth as the Alexis Boss Tennis Center and Alan D. Gordon Pavilion officially opened.

The six-court facility is the home for the Dartmouth men’s and women’s tennis teams and features a lounge, two public locker rooms, two tennis team locker rooms, mezzanine seating and a team meeting room.

Dartmouth’s newest athletic gem honors Alexis Boss ’93, who won All-Ivy recognition in singles and doubles five times before losing a gallant battle to brain cancer in 1995.

The pavilion also recognizes Alan D. Gordon ’77, captain of the men’s squash team in 1976-77 and also a varsity tennis player.

View looking from court 6 toward court 1. Spectator viewing can be seen to the left.

“I absolutely loved the Boss Tennis Center when I first saw it on my recruiting trip. Playing here is unreal. It’s so well designed. We get to play on such beautiful courts, accompanied by practice music over an incredible sound system. I can’t emphasize enough how nice it is to have such an awesome place to practice and hold matches. We all always talk about how good it feels to come back to Boss after being at an away match.” Jayme Ahmed ’06

View looking from court 1 toward court 6.

We’re very fortunate to have a facility like this on our campus. It’s allowed us to have a first-class place in which to practice and play and has been a great addition for the local community.” Men’s Head Coach Chuck Kinyon

It’s a great advantage for our program to be able to play and practice in one of the finest facilities in the country. It makes everything we’re trying to do that much better. The Boss Center is a great place to practice and play in. It gives our program a large advantage as we continue to develop our players to their ultimate potential. Women’s Head Coach Bob Dallis

SCULLY-FAHEY FIELD

Home of Dartmouth Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse

When it debuted on Feb. 1, 2000, Scully-Fahey’s AstroTurf field allowed the Big Green to get outside on, what was at the time, the premier surface of the day. With technology changing Dartmouth has changed as well, pulling out the once-favored AstroTurf and installing a new infill FieldTurf surface that is kinder on legs and handles the ball in a more grass-like fashion. The new surface was part of Dartmouth’s overhaul of many athletic facilities over the past few seasons and the new Scully-Fahey Field saw its first game action in the spring of 2009.
Scully-Fahey Field is named in honor of Donald Scully ’49 and Peter Fahey ’68 and their families. Measuring 86,400 square feet, it features spectator seating, fencing, a press box and a scoreboard. It is situated within the Chase Field complex near Rupert Thompson Arena and was constructed at a cost of $4.4 million. Scully-Fahey Field includes seating for 1,600 fans and lights for evening contests.
Scully was a member of Dartmouth’s lacrosse and soccer teams as an undergraduate. He played for legendary coach Tom Dent, who is honored — at the request of the Scully family — with a special plaque at the new facility. Scully was a midfielder and two-time All-America on the Big Green lacrosse teams that rolled up a 31-7 record from 1947-49. He scored 107 goals, a career record that stood for 30 years.
Fahey, who is also a 1970 graduate of the Thayer School of Engineering, was a member of the varsity basketball and track teams. A former member of the College’s board of trustees, Fahey is the father of four Dartmouth graduates — Kimberly ’92, Peter ’94 and Michael ’97 and Katie ’06, who played lacrosse for the Big Green in 2004-05. Both sons played Dartmouth lacrosse. The Big Green women’s lacrosse team played the first official game on the surface on March 5, 2000, defeating New Hampshire, 18-6.



THE SPORTS PAVILION AT BURNHAM FIELD



The Sports Pavilion at Burnham Field will be serving both the men’s and women’s soccer and lacrosse teams as the most recent addition to the sports-oriented east end of campus.

Situated on Lessing Plaza, the pavilion is a distinctive structure with a sweeping roofline that evokes the arc of a ball in flight. The 4,200 square-foot building houses two locker rooms for Dartmouth’s lacrosse teams and two public rest rooms

Burnham Field

In 2006, Dartmouth broke ground on a new intercollegiate soccer facility for its nationally competitive men’s and women’s teams after a $4.5 million commitment from Stanley Smoyer ’34. Smoyer’s gift ensured that the facility would be named in honor of Alden “Whitey” Burnham, a coach and administrator at Dartmouth from 1960-1989, who led the Big Green to its first Ivy League soccer champioship in 1964. Smoyer’s sons were soccer standouts on Burnham’s teams in the 1960s. The facility features a top-quality natural-grass pitch, permanent spectator seating for 1,600, a press box, field lighting, scoreboard and a facility for locker rooms and restrooms.


Whitey Burnham

Artist Rendering of Burnham Facility

Burnham Field

Chase AstroTurf Field

Chase Field #3, to the immediate south of the new Burnham Soccer Field, has been converted from natural grass to a new AstroTurf™ synthetic surface, to serve as the home of Big Green varsity field hockey and to accommodate a variety of recreational sports. Since 2000, Dartmouth’s field hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have shared an AstroTurf™ surface in Scully-Fahey Field, but with wear and tear necessitating replacement, the College recently installed a FieldTurf™ “infill” field – now the preferred playing surface for lacrosse – in that facility, with the intention of converting a separate field to AstroTurf™, a smoother surface considered ideal for field hockey.
The synthetic surface installed on Chase Field #3 will be AstroTurf™ 12, a knitted nylon product installed over an elastic layer and a deep sub-base to facilitate excellent drainage and to provide shock absorbency and adequate protection from New Hampshire’s frost heaves. The facility will also comprise seating for 600 spectators, a new scoreboard, fencing, portable scorer’s table, and built-in watering system. It also includes environmentally-friendly water reclamation features to reduce water usage and to minimize flow into the public storm water system.
Simultaneously, the southernmost portion of Chase Field, known as Field #4, is being reconstructed into a high-quality natural grass field, for use primarily as a practice field for the Big Green men’s and women’s varsity soccer teams. The new field will be sodded, sand-based, and irrigated, similar to nearby Burnham and Blackman Fields. The playing surface is being widened to meet NCAA soccer guidelines and the project will also include a deep sub-base for superior drainage.
“The construction of a new AstroTurf™ field, coupled with the installation of FieldTurf™ in Scully-Fahey Field, ensure that our varsity field hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse programs all have ideal playing surfaces for their respective sports, and expand recreational opportunities as well,” said Josie Harper, director of athletics and recreation. “In addition, the creation of a high-quality grass practice field, combined with beautiful new Burnham Field, creates a first-class competition and training environment for our men’s and women’s varsity soccer teams.”
Both new fields are expected to be ready for the fall 2008 athletic season.
These field upgrades are the latest in a comprehensive series of athletic facility improvements totaling well over $80 million since James Wright became Dartmouth’s 16th president in 1998. The projects have included construction of Boss Tennis Center and Gordon Pavilion, Scully-Fahey Field, Blackman Football Practice Fields, McLane Lodge at Dartmouth Skiway, Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse and Fields, Burnham Field, the Sports Pavilion, and Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park, along with major renovations to Leverone Fieldhouse, Hanover Country Club, Berry Squash Courts, Alumni Gymnasium (including a new Fitness Center), Memorial Field, and Floren Varsity House.

Blackman Fields

Blackman Fields #1, #2 and Chase #7 are all lighted practice grass fields utilized by the Dartmouth Football team. The Dartmouth Junior Varsity Football games are also played on the Blackman Fields. The Blackman Fields are located in the Chase Athletic Field complex.

Source: Dartmouth