The "Alma Mater" is the official school song of Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...

, an Ivy League

Ivy League

The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...

 college located in Hanover, New Hampshire

Hanover, New Hampshire

Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....

, United States. Composed by Harry Wellman, class of 1907, it was officially adopted by the College in 1926. The difficult to sing "Dartmouth Undying"replaced it in the fall of 1972 but was restored as the official song in early 1973. "Richard Hovey

Richard Hovey

Richard Hovey was an American poet. Graduating from Dartmouth College in 1885, he is known in part for penning the school Alma Mater, Men of Dartmouth.-Biography:...

 of the class of 1885 wrote the original lyrics in 1894, titling the song "Men of Dartmouth". Traditionally the original second verse was only sung during time of war. On May 28, 1988, Dartmouth changed the title and words to reflect the presence of women as part of the College, since Dartmouth had become coeducational in 1972. Nicole Sakowitz, Dartmouth Glee Club President was the first person to conduct the new Alma Mater.

The 1988 transition generated significant controversy at the time from students and alumni wishing to maintain the original lyrics, attracting national attention. Although when the College's Board of Trustees adopted the new lyrics it specifically authorized alumni to continue using the original, and the new lyrics were designed to harmonize well with the original, the use of the original version by some fraternities and men's sports teams continues to fuel debate .

The Alma Mater

Dear old Dartmouth, give a rouse

For the college on the hill!

For the Lone Pine above her,

And the loyal ones who love her,

Give a rouse, give a rouse, with a will!

For the sons of old Dartmouth,

For the daughters of Dartmouth.

Though 'round the girdled earth they roam,

Her spell on them remains;

They have the still North in their hearts,

The hill-winds in their veins,

And the granite of New Hampshire

In their muscles and their brains.

And the granite of New Hampshire

In their muscles and their brains.

Dear old Dartmouth, set a watch

Lest the old traditions fail!

Stand as sister stands by brother!

Dare a deed for the old Mother!

Greet the world, from the hills, with a hail!

For the sons of old Dartmouth,

For the daughters of Dartmouth.

Around the world they keep for her

Their old undying faith;

They have the still North in their soul,

The hill-winds in their breath,

And the granite of New Hampshire

Is made part of them till death.

And the granite of New Hampshire

Is made part of them till death.

From Dartmouth College Office of Alumni Relations, "Songs of Dartmouth," also excerpted in Edward Connery Lathem and David M. Shribman, eds., Miraculously Builded in Our Hearts: A Dartmouth Reader (1999).

Hovey's original lyrics

Men of Dartmouth, give a rouse

For the College on the hill!

For the Lone Pine above her,

And the loyal sons who love her,

Give a rouse, give a rouse, with a will!

For the sons of old Dartmouth,

The sturdy sons of Dartmouth,

Tho' 'round the girdled earth they roam,

Her spell on them remains;

They have the still North in their hearts,

The hill-winds in their veins,

And the granite of New Hampshire

In their muscles and their brains;

And the granite of New Hampshire

In their muscles and their brains.

They were mighty men of old

That she nurtured at her side;

Till like Vikings they went forth

From the lone and silent North,

And they strove, and they wrought, and they died;

But the sons of old Dartmouth,

The laurelled sons of Dartmouth,

The Mother keeps them in her heart

And guides their altar flame;

The still North remembers them,

The hill-winds know their name,

And the granite of New Hampshire

Keeps the record of their fame;

And the granite of New Hampshire

Keeps the record of their fame.

Men of Dartmouth, set a watch

Lest the old traditions fail!

Stand as brother stands by brother!

Dare a deed for the old Mother!

Greet the world, from the hills, with a hail!

For the sons of old Dartmouth,

The loyal sons of Dartmouth,

Around the world they keep for her

Their old chivalric faith;

They have the still North in their soul,

The hill-winds in their breath;

And the granite of New Hampshire

Is made part of them till death;

And the granite of New Hampshire

Is made part of them till death.

From the Dartmouth Song Book (6th ed., 1950).

External links

• Songs of the Dartmouth College Marching Band
• Lost Songs of Dartmouth from the The Dartmouth Review
  The Dartmouth Review
  The Dartmouth Review is a conservative, independent, bi-weekly newspaper at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire . It was founded in 1980 by disenchanted staffers—including Gregory Fossedal, Gordon Haff, Ben Hart, and Keeney Jones—from the college's daily newspaper, The Dartmouth. It...