About the Shield

The School of Arts and Sciences is an integral part of Dartmouth College, and this new shield draws upon that interconnectedness. The first indication of this is 1769, the year Dartmouth was founded with education in "all liberal arts and sciences" part of its charter. We have been here from the start.

The Lone Pine, one of Dartmouth's most enduring symbols, represents the growth and grounding of our undergraduate education. Just as the pine stays green, students at Dartmouth develop as lifelong learners, an approach to the world that never fades.

The lines come from the pathways of the Green—a central gathering place at the heart of our campus and our community—symbolizing the many avenues faculty and staff open for students through teaching and the creation of knowledge. The lines intentionally run off the edges of the shield, as students take that experience here and carry it with them beyond their time on campus.

The water is a nod to the Connecticut River which runs through the heart of the region, as well serving as a unifying symbol found on the shields of Guarini, Thayer, Tuck and Geisel. When seen together, it is a clear representation of the resources at Dartmouth that are available to all undergraduates.

Together, these symbols represent how our sense of place is a dialogue between student advancement and nature, our commitment to developing lifelong learners inside and outside of the classroom, and our dedication to education and scholarship.

How is a shield used?

Like the shields already in use by Dartmouth's other schools, it is designed to bring visual clarity to how A&S shows up across the institution, while remaining fully consistent with Dartmouth's broader brand identity.

Most of the locations where you will encounter the shield will be internal usage: campus event posters, email signatures, web pages. It is the visual marker that A&S is part of a particular item, whether as a sponsor, an organizer, a driver or as the permanent home. It will help lend visual clarity to navigation on the dartmouth.edu, just as it is used by the other schools.

Options exist for different use cases (horizontal vs vertical needs), and we’ve tested to be sure it works with even very long-named departments.

You also will encounter it together with the shields of the other schools, a cohesive visual identity for Dartmouth and all its schools.

Rollout timeline

April–May 2026: Internal awareness-building

• Ensuring awareness with core internal audiences of faculty, staff and students
• Beginning to lay the framework for implementation in the fall term (especially considering the work timelines of departments)
• Build awareness before the community (faculty, staff and students) disperse in the summer.

Early June 2026: Community launch

• Integration into email footers
• VOX announcement
• Web page live for information and questions

July 2026: Training

• Lunch and Learn and Department Meetings available
• Present guidance, walk through use case examples, support integration and implementation

Early August 2026: Full toolkit available

September 2026: Implementation

Feedback? Questions?

You can submit any question — about the shield's meaning, how to use it, what it means for your work — and it will be reviewed and incorporated into our ongoing FAQ.