The Great Issues
Innovation Fund
Supported by Dartmouth Classes of 1957, 1982 & 2007
Great issues Innovation activities at the Dickey Center are focused on helping students to develop an understanding of international issues.
Student-centered Innovation
In particular, activities identified by Dartmouth students as ways to instill in them a desire to make a difference in the world through their ethical involvement and leadership.
Great Issues
Activities that focus on identifying, analyzing, and solving the current and future great issues of the world.
Bridging Divides
Most recently, the Great Issues Innovation projects have ben closely aligned with the Dartmouth Dialogues and President Bielock’s mission to further difficult conversations on campus.
“We welcome and support efforts to overcome divisions and deepen dialogue with intellectual rigor, empathy, and creativity—both right here at Dartmouth and beyond. At a time of polarization, such efforts are vitally important.”
Bridging Divides
Working as counselors at a youth camp in Sri Lanka run by Seeds of Peace was a catalyst for three Dartmouth students who developed a “Bridging Divides” proposal, which offers new ideas for promoting dialogue at Dartmouth and beyond. The Bridging Divides project was a one-time initiative made possible with the support of the Great Innovations Fund.
Seeds of Peace Dialogue Fellows
The Great Issues Innovation Fund supported the inaugural training of facilitators at Dartmouth in the fall of ’25. This student-led pilot initiative seeks to extend Dartmouth Dialogues practices into interactions across the entire Dartmouth campus.
Seeds of Peace facilitators traveled from Egypt, Palestine, Israel, and India to deliver an immersive seven day long dialogue skill building program to 10 Dartmouth students. The students represented areas from across campus and following completion of the program students are now being tasked with figuring out how to share and to lead a entirely student led dialogue program here at Dartmouth.
Simulations
Previously, the fund supported activities like the Outbreak 2040: Pandemic Simulation led by Rick Johnson and co from the Naval War College. Student teams worked together in a race against time to make policy decision and engage in dialogue with other reps from nations to save as many lives as possible.
Going Global
During the summer of 2024, we sent Ben Joel ’27 around the world as our Going Global digital storyteller. His internship would involve visiting and documenting our Dickey Center interns in the field.