Billion-dollar drive: Colby sets its fundraising goal even higher

File Photo / Jim Neuger David Greene, president of Colby College, at the opening of the Paul J. Schupf Art Center in Waterville, which was supported by the Dare Northward campaign.

Write a Comment

By Alexis Wells

Colby College is raising the target for its Dare Northward fundraising campaign to $1 billion, after exceeding its original goal of $750 million.

The Waterville school announced the revised goal after reaching the $780 million mark, and called the effort “one of the most ambitious fundraising initiatives in the United States by a liberal arts college.”

The campaign, which began in 2016 and was formally announced the next year, was scheduled to finish at the end of 2023. Now the school expects it to continue through 2027.

“Dare Northward has elevated Colby’s academic programs, provided unprecedented support and opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff, dramatically expanded and improved our facilities, and catalyzed a historic revitalization of our hometown, Waterville,” said David Greene, Colby's president.

Over the next four years, the top priorities for this money will include support for the college’s science research and technology programs, expanding financial aid, and upgrading the student’s residential experience and facilities.

The Dare Northward program has also supported several arts programs and facilities at the college, including the newly opened Gordon Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, the Lunder Institute for American Art, the Greene Block + Studios and the Paul J. Schupf Art Center.

The Dare Northward program has also helped in the revitalization of downtown Waterville.

“The world is changing at a rapid pace and it’s imperative that the liberal arts are always at the leading edge of these important changes,” Greene said. “That means constantly evolving to ensure our programs are deeply relevant, supporting our faculty so they can shape new intellectual fields and approaches to education, and keeping our commitment that Colby graduates will be prepared to lead across enterprises that require nimbleness of mind and rigorous approaches to addressing the most vexing challenges.”

Established in 1813, Colby College is the 12th-oldest liberal arts college in the United States and has an enrollment of 2,300 undergraduates. The school tied for No. 25 in U.S. News & World Report's 2023 rankings of the country's best colleges.