Thayer School Report

PRESIDENT OF THAYER SOCIETY OFENGINEERS REPORTS ON RESULTS OFSECOND YEAR OF NEW PLAN FOR FUND

THE NUMBER OF THAYER MEN—by which is meant Thayer School alumni and former students, and Thayer Society members who did not attend Thayer School—who contributed to the Dartmouth College Alumni Fund of 1939 was 343, the highest number on record. That is the bright spot in the results and the source of hope for the future. To all who contributed is due the gratitude of the Thayer School and of Dartmouth College.

The amount contributed, $5908, was $156 less than in the previous year, and $1106 less than in 1937, the last year of separately operated funds. Hope was felt that 1938 would prove to have been a decidedly off-year, but discouragingly enough the trend continued down in 1939.

In accordance with the agreed plan, $2400 has been allotted to the Thayer School, a figure about $170 more than the Fletcher Fund in 1937. Obviously it is the Alumni Fund which has suffered when the contributions of Thayer men have fallen off under the combined fund plan.

Eleven Thayer men specified the amount of their gifts which they desired allotted to the Thayer School. The amount so specified was a slightly smaller percentage of the total contributions of the eleven men than the percentage which is used in determining the Thayer School allotment from the total of contributions from all Thayer men.

Prior to 1938, the Fletcher Fund was conducted independently of the Alumni Fund. For the last two years, the two funds have been combined under the Alumni Fund, the Thayer Society participating by urging Thayer men to make contributions to the Alumni Fund in amounts at least as :large as their contributions in 1937 to both funds. There were good reasons for combining the Funds. The concurrent conduct of the campaigns was embarrassing. Many felt annoyed at the double solicitation and there was strong sentiment that two funds were unnecessary. The Fletcher Fund committees, working without adequate facilities or time, found the work an increasingly heavy burden.

COMBINATION OF FUNDS DESIRABLE

The reasons for combining the funds are so compelling that, in spite of an adverse trend, it seems desirable to give the plan of combination further trial before making any substantial changes, least of all returning to the former plan of conducting two Funds. Nevertheless, quite aside from the fact that Thayer School has lost in recent years some of her most liberal givers, the question arises whether, in the plan of combination, something—something of great value—has not been lost or impaired. Within the larger Dartmouth group, there are smaller groups which are ever stimuli and rallying points for loyalty to the College. Such groups are the class groups, the alumni associations, and the clubs, the teams and the undergraduate organizations to which the student belonged. Among these groups the Thayer School group has been singularly outstanding in the loyalty of its members to Dartmouth.

Or, to put it in the form of a questionDoes the present form of combination of the two funds make adequate appeal to the Thayer Man's pride and loyalty to Dartmouth through his group, as in the case of the class group?

And, if not, what is the remedy? No satisfying suggestion has yet been made. It would be most helpful if non-Thayer men as well as Thayer men gave some thought to that question and presented suggestions for consideration.

It might be that a perfect plan of union of the two funds will not be conceived. But whatever the plan, the Thayer Society pledges itself to support it to the best of its ability.