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.

Dickinson College

increases economic

resources for all

residents of the

Carlisle/Cumberland

County region.

• College employees

earn living wages.

• When the college and its

employees make local

purchases, income is

provided to businesses

and their employees.

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

• 68.9 percent of employees’ income spent in and

around the Carlisle borough

• $50,000 in annual payments made voluntarily by

the college to Carlisle to offset costs for providing

infrastructure and safety services

• Nearly $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

• An additional $50,000 per year provided to support

new downtown improvement initiatives

• More than 36,000 hours of community service given

annually by students in the Carlisle area

• 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.”

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:

• Feeds more than 120 families through the College Farm’s

Community Supported Agriculture program

• Is sold at Carlisle’s farmers’ market (Farmers on the Square)

• Is 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.

Athletics and Fitness

Biddle Field Complex*

• Outdoor track is available for walking and running.

• Tennis courts are available to the community.

Dickinson Park

• The walking/jogging trail is open to the public.

Please note: No dogs are permitted on the trail.

Sporting Events

• All 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.

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:

* 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• The Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM), a project of the environmental-

studies department, partners with Pennsylvania communities, including Carlisle, to preserve

clean water.

• Through the Dickinson Community Garden program, community members may lease a

plot in an organic garden on three-quarters acre of land in Carlisle.

• Named 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

• The Service Learning/Community-Based Research

Program develops courses that align with the needs

of community organizations. Students gain real-

world perspectives from their community-based

work.

• Local internship sites recruit exceptional students

who are pursuing meaningful career-related

experiences.

• Montgomery Service Leaders is an intensive

leadership-development program that integrates

academic work with local service placements.

• Community-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.

Dickinson students

gain valuable

experience and

contribute to the

local community

through community-

based research,

coursework,

volunteerism and

internships.

P. O. Box 1773

Carlisle, PA 17013

www.dickinson.edu

300PC 8/12