Shonda Rhimes

On West Wheelock Street in Hanover, New Hampshire, a new residence hall will break ground this year on Dartmouth College’s campus, thanks to a legendary alumna.

The forthcoming building is Shonda Rhimes Hall, named after Dartmouth trustee and Emmy Award-winning television showrunner and producer known for iconic hit shows like “Bridgerton,” “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Rhimes, whose net worth is an estimated $240 million, made a donation of $15 million last year to underwrite the first campus building to be named after a woman and Black alumna.

Shonda Rhimes Hall is part of Dartmouth’s $500 million commitment to expand undergraduate student housing. The residence, which will house upperclassmen, is part of Dartmouth’s efforts to add more than 1,000 beds over the next decade. It is the institution’s hope that additional housing will make it possible for 90% of undergraduate students to live on campus and help with the affordability of the campus’ surrounding communities.

In a statement about her donation, Rhimes said, “It’s an opportunity to show how formative my college experience was for me. It’s also really beautiful to be able to place some legacy on the building — to give back what was given to me and to leave something behind.” Rhimes said. “And at a time when it feels like people are questioning the value of higher education, it feels important to put my money back into higher education.”

A broader movement in Black alumni giving

Rhimes’ donation is part of a growing pattern of Black alumni using major gifts to exert intentional influence over the ways institutions invest resources, support students, and tell their histories.

In 2020 at Princeton University, Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments and a member of the class of 1991, provided the university with an undisclosed gift for Hobson College — a residential college that replaced the former Woodrow Wilson College. Wilson, the former U.S. and Princeton president, barred Black students from attending the university during his tenure. Hobson College is expected to be complete by spring 2027.

In a video statement about her donation Hobson said, “When I was approached last year about this opportunity, I was most compelled by the symbolism of a Black woman replacing the name of someone who would have not supported my admission three decades ago.”

Hobson’s gift and the subsequent renaming of the college is a symbolic reckoning with institutional history.

At Cornell University, billionaire investor Robert F. Smith purchased a 9,000-square-foot building to house the brothers of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and their leadership institute in 2023. He donated the building to the fraternity’s nonprofit social impact fund, Alpha Light Fund, with an additional $9 million gift for renovations along with donations from other donors and brothers. The building opened last Oct. 18 and serves as a student residence and the organization’s leadership institute.

Smith uses his wealth to “preserve the Black American experience,” with his foundation, Fund II Foundation. Fund II has pledged to eliminate student loan debt for 2019 graduates of Morehouse College. The fund has also contributed millions to Cornell University’s engineering departments creating scholarships, fellowships, programming support and the naming rights to Cornell’s chemical engineering school.

Strategic giving beyond headline donations Back at Dartmouth, Black alumni giving extends far beyond capital projects. Dr. Maria Cole, president of Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association (BADA), said some alumni focus on targeted, sustained investments that directly affect the student experience.

One example is the African and African American Studies (AAAS) Enrichment Fund started by the class of 1982. The enrichment fund supports campus programming that fosters intellectual engagement and community building for Black students and faculty on campus. Alumni donations to the fund help finance lecture series, professional networking events and visits from scholars whose work centers Black history, culture and lived experience.

Cole mentioned that other alumni contributions are directed toward emergency funds designed to support students facing unexpected financial hardship. These flexible resources can cover costs ranging from travel emergencies to academic materials, providing immediate relief that can be crucial for student success.

The E.E. Just Program, named for Dartmouth’s first Black valedictorian, is another source of enrichment for Black students and faculty on campus. The program supports opportunities for research related to equity and excellence in the sciences. Alumni support helps fund fellowships, collaborative research and programming that connects Dartmouth scholars with national and international experts.

The June 2023 SCOTUS decision ending race-based affirmative action in college admissions and the Trump administration’s 2025 executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in both public and private sectors was the canary in the coal mine for Cole. She wasn’t deterred, however.

“When the SCOTUS decision first came out, I actually was not afraid of it.” Cole said, “We will either find a way or make one.

And I feel like that SCOTUS decision gave us an opportunity to do things differently.”

She looked at traditional giving models like donor restricted funds, which are gifts given to organizations with conditions on how, when and where the money can be allocated. According to Cole, restricted funds ensure a democratic, long-term and community building model for BADA members and the wider Dartmouth community. The AAAS Enrichment Fund and the E. E. Just Program are examples of this mode of giving. The enrichment fund has a published statement of understanding between the institution and the class of 1982 with explicit instructions and guidelines.

“We’ve only been doing this for five years, really — when you think about colleges having a vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and all of these things that we’re attempting to do to dismantle systemic racism,” said Cole.

“And in that time, every attempt has been made for our erasure. And [we are thinking about] what are the things that we can do to preserve and protect, and to celebrate and amplify this magnificent contribution that we’ve made to all of these campuses. And that’s why our focus is where it is.”

Student leaders navigating a shifting climate

On campus, students are keenly aware that today’s institutional climate will shape tomorrow’s alumni engagement.

Dominique Quiñonez, a sophomore and president of Dartmouth’s Women of Color Collective and member of the school’s Black Congress, said students want to see universities invest consistently in their well-being — not just during moments of national reckoning, but over time.

Quiñonez said improving relationships between students and administrators requires transparency, responsiveness, and a willingness to address concerns around campus climate, curriculum and representation. Those efforts, she said, play a significant role in whether students feel connected enough to give back as alumni.

Dartmouth has recently navigated national scrutiny of higher education institutions, including federal investigations related to antisemitism. Under President Sian Beilock, the college was the only Ivy League school not cited by the federal government — a distinction administrators attribute to proactive engagement and community-based programming like the Dartmouth Dialogues, which “facilitates conversations and skills bridging political and personal divides.”

Student leaders say similar intentionality is needed to strengthen trust with Black students, particularly as colleges nationwide roll back or reevaluate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Rhimes, whose legacy is built on the value of diversity and inclusion, has said, “Dartmouth wasn’t made in my image, but it is possible to remake it to include my image. There has been a continual making and remaking of who Dartmouth is for and who belongs here. I think philanthropy can set an example and open doors for other people to see what’s possible.”

Quiñonez shared Rhimes’ sentiment about philanthropy being an inspiration for others. “I think it does inspire me. I always make the joke a half-serious joke, though. ‘I’m gonna donate money, and I’m gonna change that library name to my library,’” she said.

“A lot of people have that language, like, when I get a lot of money, I’m gonna donate to the school and put my mark on it. So that people know that I came here, and I did something and I deserve to be here.”