September 24, 2025
Shonda Rhimes is making Dartmouth history with her building renaming coming in 2028.
Shonda Rhimes will make history at Dartmouth as the first woman and Black alum to have a dorm named in her honor.
On Sept. 22, Dartmouth announced Rhimes’ $15 million pledge for a new undergraduate residence hall that will bear her name, marking the first building at the college named for a woman and for a Black alum.
“Dartmouth wasn’t made in my image, but it is possible to remake it to include my image,” Rhimes said in a statement. “There has been a continual making and remaking of who Dartmouth is for and who belongs here.”
The pledge and naming highlight Rhimes’ ongoing support for her alma mater since graduating in 1991. An Emmy-winning producer, showrunner, screenwriter, and author, she gained widespread attention with her 2014 commencement address and continues to serve on Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees, including supporting the reopening of the Hopkins Center for the Arts, where she performed and directed as a student.
“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 of the gift. “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.”
The five-story Shonda Rhimes Hall is set to break ground early next year and open in 2028 for the Class of 2032. The building will house 123 upper-level students in apartment-style suites with intentional gathering spaces.
Rhimes will aid in the design to ensure it includes a wellness studio, soundproof creative rooms, and a grand piano in the common area for students to find connection, creativity, and balance. Rhimes Hall is part of Dartmouth’s $500 million housing initiative, which aims to accommodate over 90% of undergraduates on campus.
“This extraordinary gift is pivotal for Dartmouth at this time,” said Dartmouth President Beilock. “It will directly enhance the student experience while reimagining a key part of campus. I’m grateful to Shonda, who has made a career of creating inclusive worlds where any one of us can be the protagonist of the story. We are honored that her name will grace this building and be a beacon of welcome to the generations of Dartmouth students who will write their own stories here with that same expansive sense of possibility.”
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