This summer, Dartmouth will welcome three cohorts of high-achieving high school students from around the country and the world to experience an immersive academic community.
The inaugural Dartmouth Summer Scholars program will give students in grades 10 through 12 a taste of life on Dartmouth’s distinctive campus. The pilot will bring approximately 200 students to campus for each of three two-week sessions, beginning June 30.
The sessions will include courses taught by Dartmouth instructors, including faculty and staff, and workshops on topics such as entrepreneurship and the college application process.
The students will have a custom selection of cross-disciplinary, noncredit courses, as well as access to Dartmouth’s public events and resources. Out-of-the-classroom activities that take advantage of everything a summer in Hanover has to offer will also be part of the experience.
The pilot program is part of an ongoing effort to find creative ways to build on Dartmouth’s strengths and to expand the institution’s reach in the world—a top priority for President Sian Leah Beilock.
“Dartmouth’s Summer Scholars pilot is part of our exploration of innovative ways to extend Dartmouth’s impact in the world and share its distinctive intellectual community to a wider audience,” President Beilock says.
The pilot program of course offerings for high school students is a cross-campus collaboration led by the Transformation Office.
Chief Transformation Officer LaMar Bunts says the idea for Dartmouth Summer Scholars has received an enthusiastic reception from faculty and staff from many different areas of campus.
“This is a great example of breaking down barriers around campus and bringing people together in pursuit of a shared vision,” Bunts says. “It is exciting how many people have raised their hands and said they want to participate in a program that will benefit high school students.”
During the summer months, several programs for high-school-age students already take place on campus, including summer athletics camps and the Center for Social Impact’s SEAD program, which serves high-potential students from under-resourced communities in the Upper Valley. Dartmouth Summer Scholars offers a new opportunity for a select population of precollege students to experience academic and campus life at Dartmouth.
Dartmouth has a vibrant undergraduate population on campus for Sophomore Summer, as well as graduate and professional students doing research or attending classes. Summer Scholars will eat their meals in Dartmouth dining halls and live in residence halls that will be dedicated to precollege students for the duration of the program while they are not needed to house current undergraduates.
Dartmouth, in its commitment to increasing its impact and serving a dynamic population of students, is also exploring opportunities to partner with community-based organizations that support high-achieving students who face financial barriers or lack familiarity with summer program opportunities.
The effect for the Dartmouth community will be a livelier campus during the summer, Bunts says. “The Summer Scholars will be visible, but we are taking care to coordinate schedules so as not to impact the core Dartmouth student experience.”
In the future, Bunts envisions online, or hybrid, opportunities, to extend Dartmouth’s reach in the world. Dartmouth alumni have a wealth of expertise on a broad range of topics that Bunts is also eager to engage.
“We’re also exploring partnerships where we might go to where people are,” Bunts adds. “We have alumni across 120 countries and other audiences who may not be able to come to Hanover.”
Additional information about the Dartmouth Summer Scholars program can be found on the DSS website, which will be updated regularly with course offerings and instructions about the application process.
