The Tuck Difference Campaign Visits the Hood Museum

The event was one of a series of campaign stops in the U.S. and London to rally the Tuck community around a historic fundraising effort that has garnered $151.4 million to date.

The gathering included Tuck faculty, students, alumni, staff, and friends. After enjoying hors d'oeuvres and touring the museum, the guests gave their attention to Charlie Plimpton T’77 for the opening remarks. He reflected on his time as a Tuck student, and how Tuck takes a distinctive approach to business education.  

“As my mind gravitated back to two wonderful years here in the Upper Valley, an interesting question took shape,” said Plimpton, who is board secretary at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and former director of Citigroup’s Global Markets.  “Why did I choose our alma mater over competing business schools? What distinguished Tuck grads for me was their commitment to problem solving as a team. If we stay true to our unique culture, we know we can make a difference.  Therefore, we should all ask ourselves the question: What will our Tuck difference be?”

Dean Matthew J. Slaughter then addressed the audience briefly and introduced Associate Professor Emily Blanchard, who gave an engrossing talk on the state of globalization in our current political climate and the importance of higher education to economic prosperity.  

“Tuck’s mission is to produce thoughtful 21st-century leaders, with the skills, training, and temperament to be effective and wise,” Blanchard said. “Wisdom means leaning into the uncomfortable tensions—those difficult places where business interests don’t always align with free and transparent markets, which in turn don’t necessarily align with our individual values or social contract. It’s having the courage to strive for wisdom and the mettle to grapple with the hard questions. To me, the courage and wisdom to take on the bigger harder questions—that’s the Tuck difference.”

Renee Hirschberg, Tuck’s director of alumni engagement, was thrilled with the turnout. “I cannot imagine a better way to bring The Tuck Difference to life than through the words of Dean Slaughter, Professor Blanchard, and Charlie,” she said. “Location has been so important to all of the Tuck Difference events around the world, and Hanover is so integral to the Tuck experience. The Hood was another perfect setting, bringing together Dartmouth’s rich history with all the innovation that was involved in the renovation of the museum—it’s much like the history and innovation we experience at Tuck.”

Alumni who want to catch up with Dean Slaughter and The Tuck Difference team have one more chance to do so on March 27 in Palo Alto, where Associate Professor Steven Kahl D’91 and Daniella Reichstetter T'07, the faculty director and executive director, respectively, of the Center for Entrepreneurship, will present. Contact Renee.I.Hirschberg@tuck.dartmouth.edu for more information or sign up here.