In 2017 we launched Dare Northward, a daring campaign with an ambitious goal of raising $750 million to transform Colby and Waterville. We have surpassed that original goal thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our community. In six short years, the Dare Northward campaign has catalyzed transformational progress on an unprecedented scale. Elevating existing academic programs and striking out to explore new horizons, Colby has emerged as a global leader in liberal arts education, foregrounding opportunities for students, faculty, and staff and taking a proactive role in the revitalization of our hometown of Waterville, Maine. Through Dare Northward, Colby has reached staggering heights—but our work does not end here.
We set out on a formidable road, but we’re not at it alone.
individual donors
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Explore how the Colby community has supported and created new opportunities through the Dare Northward campaign.
We’ve added 53 new faculty members, 10 new majors, and five new minors. And, we’ve enhanced research and teaching through the development of industry-leading, innovative programs, including the first cross-disciplinary institute for artificial intelligence at a liberal arts college.
We’ve created opportunities for our students to engage in internship, research, and global experiences regardless of their personal networks or backgrounds through the development of nearly 2,300 partnerships with individuals and organizations and by providing approximately $8 million of funding for our students to have access to meaningful academic and life experiences.
We’ve developed an arts ecosystem within the Colby and Waterville communities by continuing to invest in the finest college art museum in the country. With the ongoing expansion of the Colby Museum of Art collection, launching of the Lunder Institute for American Art, and development of more than 125,000 gross square feet of arts facilities—including the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, the most advanced and innovative performing arts facility in New England—Colby and Waterville have become a destination for the creative and performing arts.
We’ve created a civic environment in which our students and community are engaged. Colby has catalyzed growth in Waterville and beyond during the Dare Northward campaign. With the 2018 opening of the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons, a cornerstone of Colby’s civic engagement with Waterville, we now have 200 Colby students living downtown. And through more than 75 partnerships across the state, our students have engaged in more than 10,000 community service hours, helping us support the goal of a city alive with activity in which history is honored and reimagined spaces are revitalized not just for use by the Colby community but our neighbors in Waterville and central Maine.
We’ve developed the programs and facilities for students to engage in an active, healthy lifestyle. With the opening of the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, establishment of the Peak Performance Program, and creation of fitness, recreation, and expanded club sports programs, Colby encourages lifelong healthy habits across the entire campus community.
We’ve doubled our financial aid budget to become a national leader in access and affordability. From a leading admissions outreach program to new, innovative financial aid programs, Colby is attracting the most talented and broadly diverse student populations in its history.
The most advanced, comprehensive, and sustainable Division III college athletics facility in the country extends the College’s mission to develop and educate students holistically and to make an active and healthy lifestyle a critical part of the student experience at Colby.
Investing in arts and culture has played a foundational role in establishing Waterville as a thriving community where people want to live, work, and visit. The opening of the Paul J. Schupf Art Center in December 2022 symbolized a pivotal moment in Waterville’s development. A partnership between Waterville Creates and Colby, Schupf Arts is a lively, distinctive hub for visual and performing arts, film, and arts education, bringing catalytic cultural nourishment to the heart of downtown Waterville.
Combines a commitment to universal access and the pursuit of knowledge with a set of global, research, and internship experiences to equip students for postgraduate success regardless of their personal connections or financial circumstances.
An initiative of the Colby College Museum of Art that supports innovative research and artistic production that expands the boundaries of American art, with significant ties to the College and its multidisciplinary curricula and a focus on collaborative, community-grounded work.
The Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons offers attractive and highly sought living and learning opportunities for Colby students. The ability to engage daily within the Waterville community while living independently combines student interests to form a unique and meaningful experience. A perfect symbol of the dynamic working relationship between the College and the city, the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons is the central hub for students engaged in community initiatives, stimulating the economy and continuing to build community partnerships.
Facilitating interdisciplinary, human-centered scholarship using rich datasets with real-world consequences and preparing students for a future where AI is transforming industries, careers, and modes of discovery, creativity, and scholarship.
Allen Island and Benner Island, two historic islands off the coast of Maine where renowned American artist Andrew Wyeth painted some of his greatest works—inspired and influenced by the landscape and architecture that were curated by Betsy Wyeth, now creates academic opportunities across disciplines for today’s students.
A critical component of the efforts to revitalize Waterville and to make the arts a more central aspect of life at Colby and in the community by providing a flexible performance and exhibition space to support students and community members; enlivening Main Street; providing a new space for the production, exhibition, and performance of various artforms; and contributing to an interconnected network of arts facilities and organizations throughout the city.
The $95-million, 74,000-square-foot building is one of the most advanced and innovative performing arts facilities in New England and the new home for the departments of Music, Cinema Studies, and Performance, Theater, and Dance.
Colby’s Outdoor Competition Center includes an athletics green and a tailgating space—all of which offer one of the finest competition and spectator experiences in the NESCAC.
The scale and size of the Johnson Pond Houses are designed to promote socially dynamic and culturally rich living environments that encourage casual interactions and promote relationship building among first- and second-year students.
Values are our north star. We are continuing to take an integrated, values-led approach to this campaign to reflect the realities of the world we’re trying to better. With intellectual culture and inclusivity at the center, we will continue to enhance the lives of our students, faculty, and staff through partnership, innovation, and support.
Continuing to open the Colby doors wider for the most talented, hard-working students through an exceptional financial aid program will continue the successful trajectory of enrolling and graduating a diverse and academically competitive student population.
Developing sector-leading science and technology programs that are solutions based and human centered will play an important role in cementing Colby’s position as one of the top science colleges in a liberal arts setting.
Creating a more vibrant and interconnected residential experience that builds community, supports Colby’s academic mission, fosters increasing independence and personal growth, and meets the needs of our diverse student body will continue to be an important focus.
Building upon the College’s distinctive assets and identity drives us to create nationally recognized centers of excellence in areas where the College already excels and has a leadership position—from the arts and the Colby Museum to artificial intelligence, climate change, and sustainability.
