and Carlisle
Working Together for a Better Community
Dickinson makes cents* Just because Dickinson College is a not-for-profit higher education institution doesn’t mean that Carlisle and Cumberland County don’t profit from being its community partners. Contributions by the college and its employees to the economic vitality of the community include: • More than $150 million annually pumped into the economy of Cumberland County, including $92.9 million in the Carlisle area • 6 8.9 percent of employees’ income spent in and around the Carlisle borough
Dickinson College increases economic resources for all residents of the Carlisle/Cumberland County region.
50,000 in annual payments made voluntarily by • $ the college to Carlisle to offset costs for providing infrastructure and safety services
•
• N early $350,000 paid annually in real-estate taxes for property (nonacademic related) owned by the college but kept on the tax rolls—a college commitment since 1986
• When
College employees earn living wages. the college and its
employees make local
• A n additional $50,000 per year provided to support new downtown improvement initiatives
purchases, income is
• More than 36,000 hours of community service given annually by students in the Carlisle area
and their employees.
• More than $18 million per year spent (based on a three-year period) on local construction.
* Based in part on the study “The Economic Impact of Dickinson College on Carlisle and Cumberland County 2010.”
provided to businesses
Sustaining the community Dickinson is a national leader in academia for its sustainability efforts and green practices. With an entire department dedicated to sustainability, the college manages a USDA-certified organic farm, houses a biodiesel-production facility and features several LEED gold-certified buildings. Produce from the Dickinson College Farm in Boiling Springs, Pa., nourishes students but also: • F eeds more than 120 families through the College Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program • Is sold at Carlisle’s farmers’ market (Farmers on the Square) • I s donated along with thousands of pounds of fresh food annually to Project S.H.A.R.E., a local food bank, founded and led by a Dickinson graduate. The college’s biodiesel operation recycles waste oil from local restaurants. Annually, students organize U-Turn, a huge yard sale that raises money for the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County by selling unwanted items collected from student residence halls. Other green initiatives include investing in renewable energy, composting, recycling, a bike-borrowing program for students, hybrid vehicles in the college fleet and the planting of native meadows.
Open invitation Dickinson College encourages community members to join in a wide array of educational, cultural and recreational activities on campus. While not all resources are open to the public, we invite you to explore the following options:
Athletics and Fitness Biddle Field Complex* • Outdoor track is available for walking and running. • Tennis courts are available to the community.
Dickinson Park • T he walking/jogging trail is open to the public. Please note: No dogs are permitted on the trail.
Sporting Events • A ll sporting events are free and open to the community. Please note: There is a nominal fee for football games. For a schedule of athletic events, visit
www.dickinson.edu/athletics. * When intercollegiate athletes or gym-class participants are using the complex, we ask that the public refrain from using those parts of the facility.
Campus Lectures, Arts Events, Performances Many of Dickinson’s cultural events are free and open to the public, including gallery exhibitions, musical and theatrical performances, lectures and panel discussions. Visit www.dickinson.edu to learn about current cultural and educational events.
Continuing Education Dickinson offers continuing-education opportunities for nontraditional students wishing to pursue college courses for personal enrichment. To apply for permission to take a course, contact the Registrar’s Office at reg@dickinson.edu or 717-245-1315.
Waidner-Spahr Library To borrow books from the library, community members must either purchase a library card ($40 per year) or donate to the Friends of the Library. Please note: Community members may not borrow DVDs, videocassette recordings or CDs.
Partners with the community • T he Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM), a project of the environmentalstudies department, partners with Pennsylvania communities, including Carlisle, to preserve clean water. • T hrough the Dickinson Community Garden program, community members may lease a plot in an organic garden on three-quarters acre of land in Carlisle. • N amed for the I-shape formed by High Street, West Street and Hanover Street, the High I project is a large-scale initiative to revitalize the sector between the college campus and the town’s center square. • A Dickinson student is a nonvoting member of Carlisle’s Borough Council, acting as a liaison between the two communities.
Students’ community engagement Dickinson students gain valuable experience and contribute to the local community through communitybased research, coursework, volunteerism and internships.
• T he Service Learning/Community-Based Research Program develops courses that align with the needs of community organizations. Students gain realworld perspectives from their community-based work. • L ocal internship sites recruit exceptional students who are pursuing meaningful career-related experiences. • M ontgomery Service Leaders is an intensive leadership-development program that integrates academic work with local service placements. • C ommunity-service groups are supported and run by students to meet local needs through teaching, tutoring, mentoring, preparing and packing meals, cleaning, organizing, construction and language assistance.
P. O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 www.dickinson.edu
300PC 8/12