President's Welcome

Dear Dickinsonians:  

As a Dickinson student, you are a member of a very special community that is bound together by a rich historic legacy formed during the closing days of the American Revolution. Our founder and signer of the Declaration of Independence, Dr. Benjamin Rush, had the highest aspirations for Dickinson students—he intended for you to become the engaged citizens and leaders of your generation and, through your accomplishment and ambition, to leave the world a more just and compassionate place.     

This shared legacy directs and shapes our daily lives at Dickinson College. Our ever changing, complex global society demands an education that is nimble, flexible and, above all, useful. At Dickinson College, you will find a vibrant “community of inquiry” that supports this activist notion of education. We provide you with a liberal-arts education that is rigorous and pragmatic, rooted in reflection and study. Using this foundation, we offer you the opportunity to “cross borders”—intellectual, cultural, artistic and recreational—through your academic coursework, extracurricular activities and friendships. By becoming an active participant in not only on-campus organizations, but also those in the larger community, the region, and the world through our 12 overseas campuses, your years at Dickinson will serve as a laboratory for the life you will establish as a member of communities beyond these limestone walls.  

Each of these endeavors is marked by our strong commitment to create a campus climate that values the free exchange of dialogue, a healthy respect for divergent points of view, a concern for the well‐being of others and an acknowledgement that we must wisely use our community’s resources to ensure a sustainable future. As a member of the Dickinson community, you will undoubtedly encounter others whose ideas differ from your own and with whom you will disagree. Through spirited, respectful and civil discussion, you and your fellow students will find ways to resolve or accept these differences and shape your own community of shared values and mutual responsibilities. By so doing, you will prepare yourselves to encounter the challenging, exciting and increasingly complex global world that awaits you upon graduation with creative, pragmatic and determined leadership.  

This Student Handbook serves as a guide to your life as a Dickinson student. You will find within it much practical and useful information about academic and student life, as well as those policies and procedures that give structure to our community. The Handbook is, however, but a road map that directs you through the world of opportunity that awaits you as a Dickinson student. Use your own initiative, energy and enthusiasm to take advantage of all that this very special community has to offer and you will, I am confident, have a wonderful year. 

Sincerely,  

William G. Durden ’71
President