“If liberal arts colleges intend to survive, changes are coming. Why not get out in front as Colby College is doing? Mix bold ideas into the core, and prove the relevance.”
—Jon Reed, Leading Technology Writer
Dare Northward
has turned the national spotlight on us.
Accolades were never the goal, but success reminds us of our obligations.
New Model for the Liberal Arts
“Our focus has been making the liberal arts more deeply engaged with and connected to the broader world and its complexities.
That means constantly evolving to make programs as relevant as they can be, and always being able to make sure our teaching and research is expanding to meet these new intellectual domains.”
—President David A. Greene
What They’re Saying About Colby
Waterville Revitalization
“A moral obligation” —New York Times
“Beyond plantings and sidewalk beautification” —Boston Globe
“Jumpstarting an economic revival” —Forbes
“Transforming the city” —Travel + Leisure
Artificial Intelligence
“A democratization of AI” —Boston Globe
“Among the first liberal arts colleges” —NPR Marketplace Tech
“AI needs the liberal arts” —Fortune
DavisConnects/Post-Graduate Success
“Colby College turned heads” —Forbes
“Working overtime for the class of 2020” —Wall Street Journal
“Something extraordinary” —CNBC’s Power Lunch
Navigating Covid-19 on Campus
“An ambitious and comprehensive plan” —PBS NewsHour
“One school keeping cases down” —USA Today
“A maximalist position” —Washington Post
“One of the more ambitious testing protocols” —Wall Street Journal
Access and Affordability
Exceptional opportunity for the world’s most talented students
“Three colleges explained how they raised enrollments of low-income students: Colby now spends $52 million a year on financial aid, nearly double what it was spending in 2013-14. Over roughly the same period, the college’s proportion of Pell-eligible students has doubled, to about 16 percent.”
What They’re Saying About Colby
“Colby has also doubled its financial-aid budget over the past five years and simplified its messaging around scholarships” —Wall Street Journal
“College acceptance rates are tiny at these 9 selective schools” —Fast Company
“Hardest colleges to get into in the U.S. in 2021” —CBS News
Athletics and Recreation
The vision for wellness, fitness, and athletic excellence was unrivaled. The success has been astonishing.
“While some schools are getting crushed by the pandemic, a tiny northeastern liberal arts college is unveiling ‘Disney World for athletes.’” —Forbes
What They’re Saying About Colby
“How D-III Colby College Built a $200-Million Athletics Center During a Pandemic” —Sportico
“Colby College's multisport venue puts emphasis on sustainability” —Sports Business Journal
Destination for the Arts
A Must-See Moment in Arts Convergence
“Colby is not just adding a 500-acre island campus to its 700 acres in Waterville; it is also playing an instrumental role in carrying forward the complex Wyeth legacy.” —New York Times
What They’re Saying About Colby
Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
“In addition to the multimedia and interactive technology assets of the building, what sets the Gordon Center apart from other academic arts centers is its highly collaborative and multidisciplinary nature.” —Art Daily
Greene Block + Studios
“The idea is to fling the doors open and tell people, ‘This is available to you. Please come in.’ That is essential to what Waterville and Colby are trying to create together, a sense of community and welcomeness and where the arts are at the central pillar.” —Portland Press Herald
Colby Museum Lichtenstein Exhibit
“The average Lichtenstein fan would be confounded by practically all of the canvases included in an extraordinary early Lichtenstein retrospective currently on view at the Colby College Museum of Art.” —Forbes
“One of the many good reasons to see the exhibition of Roy Lichtenstein’s pre-Pop-art work, Roy Lichtenstein: History in the Making, 1948–1960—which originated at the Colby College Museum of Art […]—is that it reminds us of something we tend to lose sight of […] which is that Pop art is funny.” —The New Yorker
Colby Museum Thompson Exhibit
“Bob Thompson: This House Is Mine is a captivating show at the Colby Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine.” —Washington Post
“A survey of the painter’s work at the Colby College Museum of Art is a colorful exploration of his singular creativity.” —Wall Street Journal
Colby Museum Wyeth Exhibit
“At Colby College Museum of Art, the artist’s sketches and paintings explore ‘Life and Death’” — Boston Globe
Five incomparable years.
2017
Dare Northward Campaign Launch
2018
Linde Packman Lab for Biosciences Innovation
Bill & Joan Alfond Commons
Civic Engagement Expansion
Fair Shot Fund
2019
Jahrling-Forese Writer in Residence
Pulver Scholars Program
O’Hanian-Szostak Fellows for Civic Leadership
McVey Data Science Initiative
Peak Performance
Schmaltz Family Effective Communication Initiative
Dare Northward campaign hits the $500-million mark
2020
Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center
Recreation Program
McFadden Fund for Humanistic Inquiry
Pay It Northward
2021
Davis Institute for AI
Greene Block + Studios
Child Care Center
Haynesville Project
Outdoor Competition Center
Bixler and Runnals Walks
Front / Main
2022
Island Campus
Lockwood Hotel
Paul J. Schupf Art Center
Johnson Pond Houses
Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship
Weiland Welcome Grants
Lyons Arts Lab
Dare Northward campaign crossed $680-million threshold with more than 26,000 donors
2023
Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts