Health Care, Globalization Each Get a $10 Million Gift

Dartmouth has announced two landmark gifts that will engage faculty and students in tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges and ultimately aim to improve the lives of people across the globe.

Richard “Dick” Levy ’60 has committed $10 million to support a faculty team in health care delivery science—part of Dartmouth’s effort to transform health care in the U.S. by developing strategies to curb costs while ensuring high-quality care and access.

A second $10 million gift, from an anonymous alumnus, will establish a faculty team focused on globalization and human well-being in societies around the world.

These “academic clusters” are central to President Phil Hanlon’s institution-wide initiative to build on Dartmouth’s areas of distinction. The cluster initiative recruits leading scholars to Dartmouth to conduct research and to teach as part of interdisciplinary teams focused on major global challenges. In partnership with peers and students across the campus and beyond, the new faculty will address global challenges in an interdisciplinary framework, enriching the experience of Dartmouth students, and further attracting top faculty and students to Dartmouth.

In early 2014, the College received a $100 million gift from an anonymous donor, and half of that gift is being used as a match toward the creation of academic clusters. Consequently, the two $10 million gifts announced today will be matched with a further investment of $5 million.

“Through the generosity and visionary leadership of two alumni donors, these academic clusters will help position Dartmouth as a worldwide leader in addressing two of the most important challenges of our time,” says President Hanlon.

“Globalization is one of the great forces of this century, and we need to understand how it can drive positive change. And in the area of health care, we need leading thinkers to explore how we can control costs while ensuring delivery of outstanding care. Dartmouth can have a significant impact addressing both of these issues.”

Levy’s gift will support three faculty with expertise in health care implementation science—part of Dartmouth’s larger strategy to lead a national transformation of health care. These faculty will marshal forces from across the College—including The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI), the Geisel School of Medicine, and Thayer School of Engineering—to develop better strategies for understanding and improving health care delivery. Their research will develop and spread new models of care that control costs, empower patients, and deliver quality and value to both patients and providers.