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#4. No entity within the entire organization of the college community takes to heart the needs and social concerns of the local region. The breadth and depth of help provided by the voluntary activities of literally hundreds of students assisting hundreds of Upper Valley families and/or communities. It is one feature best exemplified by the interactions with elderly, preschool, handicapped, religious leaders, at risk youth, prisoners, to mention bit a few in the spectrum of care for the less fortunate. These extensive quiet unheralded efforts build a solid bond between Dartmouth and the citizens of the region.

#3. No activity with such expansive commitments and demanding logistics goes about its work with such modesty. Public notoriety is generally viewed as an embarrassment by those who are helped as well as by the helpers. Quiet effectiveness marks the great majority of undertakings, whether it be a spring break project in Costa Rica or Jamaica, a fellowship on an Indian reservation or an urban site, a group endeavor in South Carolina with spiritual foundations or aiding persons in a tiny community in Asia, Africa or Latin America. The reward is in the doing.

#2. No activity requires as much continuous commitment and unselfish dedication than the student-sponsored, student-organized, student-operated and student funded projects and programs. The leadership rests on the volunteers, and the talents and skills of undergraduates are tested by the unexpected challenges and great responsibility of the activities. The personal impact of campus ministries, community service programs, or challenging off-campus internships results in a depth of experience that translates to a lifelong concern for social issues. Often, the meaning of giving and unselfish devotion to causes greater than self is not fully discovered until long after one graduates.

#1. No other campus organization can savor the independence allotted to the Tucker Foundation. The structural bedrock of student volunteers, the projects they choose, the delivery of services, the new initiatives, intimate relationships, and lifelong learning derive from an independence, one that must be continually reviewed, revised and revitalized. To achieve the objectives of the Tucker mission, independence requires responsibility. The educational lessons of acts of conscience are a proper compliment to the academic life of Dartmouth.

Fifty years ago President Dickey urged that the mission be carried forth in "all ways and all places" and the 21st century is the time to break new paths, initiate new venues, reach out across campus to attract students to the power of conscience and heart. President Wright states, "To stay on the leading edge, the College has always adapted to meet the changing nature of education and society." The immediate task of the Tucker Foundation is to integrate fresh ideas and activities into our unique position in the Dartmouth community.