Class Note 1957
Issue
May-June 2023
Last December I promiseda future column comparing our class of 1957 with the incoming class today. The data requested from Hanover has been received and it’s not just remarkable, it’s overwhelming. Our two classes are simply incomparable. Dartmouth proudly proclaims, “The class of 2026 is the most diverse class in its 253-year history.” Read and rejoice.
The class of 2026 numbers 1,126 students selected from more than 28,000 applications.
Every one of our 50 states is represented, as are the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands, and 64 other nations.
Sixty-six different languages and more than 20 religions are represented.
Fifty-six percent are international or from the southern or western regions of the United States.
Sixty percent attended public high schools.
Among U.S. citizens, 44 percent are students of color.
Seventeen percent are among the first generation of their families to apply to college.
Among 1,106 of the students, there is an equal balance of male and female students, with another 20 students who identify as trans or gender fluid.
We were a class of 744, all male, mostly American and nearly all white. What I find fascinating is we too were heralded as Dartmouth’s most diverse class. The wonderful truth is Dartmouth is finding ways to become more diverse every year. Remember we have just celebrated the 50th anniversaries of coeducation and Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association, and Dartmouth’s need-blind admissions policy has been expanded to include all applicants, regardless of citizenship.
Remarkable changes have taken place in the understanding and importance of diversity. I am reminded of President Dickey telling us, “There is not a trouble in this world that cannot be fixed by better people.” Clearly, Dartmouth is building better people through diversity. I’m also remembering a previous column about our class ancestry: Bob Slaughter’s amazement at “the widely multicultural backgrounds of our relatively small class” and Jay Greene’s wise reply: “We’re all cousins, baby”—noting the importance of diversity while understanding we are just one family.
A hearty welcome and heartfelt congratulations to the great, diverse class of 2026! May we all thrive in the warmth and excitement of our new Dartmouth family.
—John W. Cusick, 105 Island Plantation Terrace, Vero Beach, FL 32963; (772) 231-1248; johnwcusick @aol.com
The class of 2026 numbers 1,126 students selected from more than 28,000 applications.
Every one of our 50 states is represented, as are the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands, and 64 other nations.
Sixty-six different languages and more than 20 religions are represented.
Fifty-six percent are international or from the southern or western regions of the United States.
Sixty percent attended public high schools.
Among U.S. citizens, 44 percent are students of color.
Seventeen percent are among the first generation of their families to apply to college.
Among 1,106 of the students, there is an equal balance of male and female students, with another 20 students who identify as trans or gender fluid.
We were a class of 744, all male, mostly American and nearly all white. What I find fascinating is we too were heralded as Dartmouth’s most diverse class. The wonderful truth is Dartmouth is finding ways to become more diverse every year. Remember we have just celebrated the 50th anniversaries of coeducation and Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association, and Dartmouth’s need-blind admissions policy has been expanded to include all applicants, regardless of citizenship.
Remarkable changes have taken place in the understanding and importance of diversity. I am reminded of President Dickey telling us, “There is not a trouble in this world that cannot be fixed by better people.” Clearly, Dartmouth is building better people through diversity. I’m also remembering a previous column about our class ancestry: Bob Slaughter’s amazement at “the widely multicultural backgrounds of our relatively small class” and Jay Greene’s wise reply: “We’re all cousins, baby”—noting the importance of diversity while understanding we are just one family.
A hearty welcome and heartfelt congratulations to the great, diverse class of 2026! May we all thrive in the warmth and excitement of our new Dartmouth family.
—John W. Cusick, 105 Island Plantation Terrace, Vero Beach, FL 32963; (772) 231-1248; johnwcusick @aol.com