“The historic purpose of Dartmouth College has been to train leaders for society. It is clear that women now will be playing an increasing role of leadership in our society and that Dartmouth can, and should, contribute to their education…”
Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees, November 21, 1971
“I was in the first class of graduating women. I never dreamed I would be so lucky as to have two daughters attend Dartmouth. Each shares my love of this truly unique College…”
Susan Gordon ’73
Women’s House at One Occom Ridge
“…there was not enough sensibility to the fact women were different from men and that the environment...would be hostile at times.”
Marysa Navarro, Professor of History and co-founder of the Women's Studies Program
Professor Navarro and Professor Deborah King, Sociology Department
“As a member of the first class of women, I learned resiliency in the face of a difficult chapter in the College’s history. This resiliency propelled me through medical school and into a fulfilling work life. For this, I am grateful.”
Brita Reed ’76 MED’82
Women’s Studies class in 2 Carpenter Hall
“There was a certain kind of thrill and excitement in being in the vanguard. It was an opening up of opportunities. That was the whole era — opportunities being widened and opened and broadened for women.”
Gabrielle Handler '70
1995 protest against Playboy
“My mother was one of the first female professors at Dartmouth and taught Classics in Dartmouth Hall. I am proud to be following in her footsteps.”
Barbara Will, A. and R. Newbury Professor of English
Elizabeth Lyding Will with Royal Nemiah, John B. Stearns, Frederic Will, and Roy Lamphear
“…women do work that should vault them beyond, and are still under-recognized. We should acknowledge always the need for safe, beautiful spaces for women (and men) to learn.”
Grace M. McGorrian ’79 MED’82
Backstage of Don Juan Comes Back From the War opening night, 2015
“Women are as capable of contribution and discussion as men are: on the Green, in the Hop, and in class.”
Moira E. Haag
Natalie Ruppertsberger; Dartmouth flag football for Circle of Sisterhood Foundation, 2012
“We knew we were a part of history in the making…and as any pioneer would find, there were times where the going was tough. We were all so grateful to be part of bringing Dartmouth into the world serving the entire population and not just half.”
Martha Beattie ’76
2017 Freedom of Choice Act Protest
“I’d be shocked if the next president of Dartmouth is not a woman. It’s time.”
Susan Dentzer '77, first woman elected to Board of Trustees
Susan Dentzer '77
Creating Change
The Power of Women at Dartmouth
“To me, Dartmouth conjures up the idea of people ascending to great heights from a small tight-knit community. And the great thing about base camp is you always come back.”
Laurel Richie ’81, former president of WNBA and first Black American chair to Board of Trustees; 2017
Undergraduate study abroad program in Hawaii, 2022
“I have realized that the life-changing magic I thought the College bestowed upon me was really its deliberate unmasking of my own power and resilience. For that I am eternally grateful.
”
Alice Reno Malone ’71a
Students from the Dartmouth-American University of Kuwait intern program, 2014
“To neglect the feminist concerns manifested in novels and essays would be to overlook essential themes, and fail to appreciate them in their entirety.”
Brenda Silver, Mary Brinsmead Wheelock Professor of English Emerita and Women’s Studies co-founder, 1975
Display of feminists at Dartmouth for a Collis Student Center exhibit, 2011
“Dartmouth inspires me to engage with life and to encourage those around me to engage also.
”
Adrienne Wilson Wagner ’99
Speakers at Women of Dartmouth Diversity Panel in NY, 2017
“Dartmouth gave me the chance to become a lawyer, serve in government, and advocate on behalf of Native Americans. Dartmouth’s charter to educate Native American students is alive today through those of us who walk through its doors.”
Hilary Tompkins ’90 H’19
Trustee Hilary Tompkins ’90 H’19 with a student
“Dartmouth shaped me to be a citizen of the world and to stand up for those who cannot advocate for themselves. I want to ensure future generations have the same opportunities.
”
Lee Merkle-Raymond '86
“My very presence here lets you know you are welcome.”
Angela McConney Scheeper '90, first POC president of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation
Naomi Widodo ’25, Ava Proctor ’24, Nyah Coredero ’24
“I am inspired and empowered by the incredible women who surrounded me at Dartmouth. They are fully engaged in the world, making an impact across a wide range of sectors—business, nonprofit, education, government!”
Dune Thorne ’98
Meeting at Foley House
“Dartmouth helped me see the kind of impact I could have on those around me simply by being my authentic self. As a girl from the projects, I can’t imagine a more precious gift.”
Hoi Ning Ngai ’00
“While at Dartmouth, I was inspired to become a physiological psychologist in the hope that I could understand TSTG [transsexualism and transgenderism].
”
Dana Bevan ’69, transgender bio-psychologist
“I love that women have come together to give back to an institution we love and to help make it accessible to all.”
Gretchen Bruggeman Rush ’92
Lasting Impact
The Legacy of Dartmouth Women
“Dartmouth College helped me to learn how to deal with seemingly impossible obstacles. I want to leave my mark on the institution that left an indelible mark on my life.”
Renita Hall ’82
“When I arrived on campus, it was probably the first time where I, like many other Asian Americans, was really exposed to the history and study of our community.”
Morna Ha ’04, alumni group’s chair of the subcommittee on Asian American studies
Organic chemistry class, 2019
“[The Cabin & Trail women] swung axes, they reveled in dirt and hard work, they were confident and energetic, and they weren’t ashamed to be seen knitting in public. They were the coolest people I had ever met, and I wanted to be just like them.
”
Heather Killebrew ’89
“I was talking to some of the girls I knew who were on the Dartmouth team, and they said, “You should come to Dartmouth to visit!” When I got here, they took me to the library and the whole team was studying together. The girls had a great community.”
Lilly Durbin ’21, received the Agnes Kurtz Award for her dedication to furthering women’s sports
Lilly Durbin ’21
“I felt that the school had to be held accountable for making campus a place that is as safe and as proactive as possible. I felt I had a responsibility to try to leave this place better than I found it, because that's what those who came before did.
”
Monik Walters ’19, first Black female Student Body President
Twins Donna and Debbie Humphrey, two of 177 women in Dartmouth’s first co-ed class, 1972
“As a student at Dartmouth, nothing provided a sense of belonging… more than knowing I had a community… Varsity Swimming, Dartmouth Women’s Rugby Club, Delta Delta Delta Sorority, Casque and Gauntlet, Palaeopitus, and the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance.”
Sarah Burgamy, DGALA Board of Advisors
Dartmouth Swimming Team
“I want to be a part of a greater legacy of women. And a few years from now, I want to know I was a part of paying that legacy forward.”
Kendall Milender ’23
Professor Faith Beasley and French class during winter term FSP in India, 2015
“For a couple of centuries the College had prided itself on making men out of boys. It certainly made a woman out of me. It also made a feminist out of me, which is to say that I subscribe to the radical belief that women are human beings.”
Regina Barreca ‘79
Winter Carnival
“The strong female friends and role models I found at Dartmouth have helped support me all along since those days we attended classes together in Dartmouth Hall.”
Trudy Muller ’96
Women walking on campus in 1972 at the start of co-education
Share your thoughts with dartmouth.hall.exhibit@dartmouth.edu