The gift enhances the existing endowment of the Susan Dangel ’86 and Evan Dangel ’86 Healthy Colby Fund while also creating the Susan Dangel ’86 and Evan Dangel ’86 Healthy Colby Expendable Fund.

The physical well-being and mental health of students are top priorities for the College. Services are offered to help students maintain the balance of energy and peace of mind they need to build strong habits for a healthy life. At the core of well-being at the College is Healthy Colby, which creates a safe and positive environment for students so they can optimize their potential and establish lifelong habits to foster future success. 

“Susan and Evan Dangel are visionaries in their recognition of the impact of wellness in the lives of Colby students. To date, their investment has supported wellness-themed housing, critical resources for the transition to college, and innovative group counseling experiences. The Dangels’ ongoing partnership significantly enhances the reach of these and other important initiatives as Healthy Colby becomes a way of life,” says Katie Barlow, Healthy Colby co-coordinator and assistant director of counseling services.  

After witnessing the incredible amount of wellness support services available at the college one of their daughters was attending, the Dangels realized Colby could grow in that area. 

“The initial goal was to create awareness that there was a need, and then we had to satisfy that need with a solution,” Evan Dangel said. “The near-term need included hiring staff to provide students with the necessary support, but we also have to have a legacy for this. This is going to have to be a program that’s part of the culture of Colby for decades. And in order to do that, we have to endow it. So that’s why we have this bifurcated gift, and we’re encouraging other people that want to support this cause to do the same thing.”

Due to increased demand and the resources that were initially supported by the Susan Dangel ’86 and Evan Dangel ’86 Healthy Colby Funds in 2019, what started as the Healthy Colby program has now transformed into the idea that Colby is wellness—wellness in all forms, including intellectual inquiry, physical wellness and well-being, emotional wellness and well-being, relationships and community citizenship.

“Watching that growth happen has been terrific for us. A lot of parents who often give to college during their child’s stay are keenly interested in supporting something like Healthy Colby because it’s a direct support to their child,” Susan Dangel said. “It’s beyond all of our expectations and we’re just thrilled with what Colby has been able to achieve in such a short time.”

This in-development program aims for students to be holistically well from the time they enter college and to be able to develop lifelong healthy habits. First-year students currently embark on the Colby Trail, a comprehensive experience that allows them to develop skills, mindsets, and habits that will allow them to maximize their success throughout their Colby experience. The goal is to move toward an expansive four-year, developmentally appropriate residential experience that includes multiple wellness components.

With this gift, Healthy Colby will be infused throughout the College experience. It will positively change the culture and shift mindsets for the better by building connections, developing good behaviors, and strengthening resilience.

“We would like Healthy Colby to be woven into the culture of the College, and everyone is accepting of it; they understand it,” Evan Dangel said. “And whether you need services or not, it is just part of what Colby is and wants to be. If the students are healthy, and they feel good about themselves, they’re going to be able to achieve all that they can, and that’s good for everybody.”

“We’re in the day and age where it’s no longer taboo to talk about the fact that you’re struggling,” Susan Dangel said. “I think all that stigma seems to be a nonevent now, which is wonderful.”

Generations of Susan Dangel’s family members have attended Colby, and her father, David Roberts ’55, served as the former director of planned giving at the College. Witnessing firsthand the passion people had around giving to Colby inspired Susan to give back. 

“I think that everybody wants to be part of something they’re proud of,” Evan Dangel said. “And Susan and I are both very proud of Colby and proud of being Colby graduates. There are those milestones in your life where you want to give back to the things that have shaped you and made a difference in your lives. And Susan and I have something additional above and beyond just having a great experience at Colby—we met each other and got married shortly after we graduated. Colby holds a very special place in our hearts for lots of reasons, so giving back to Colby was the easy part.”

To make your own gift to Healthy Colby, click here.