When Christie Harner took the helm of Dartmouth’s Fellowships Office in December 2020, she brought an unexpected perspective to the role: the lens of a Victorian literature scholar who thinks deeply about how stories are constructed.
“Fellowship applications are creative nonfiction,” says Harner, whose background in narrative theory informs her approach to advising. “How we present ourselves to different people varies depending on context and what story we’re trying to tell.”
In her role as associate dean of undergraduate education for fellowships and scholars programs, Harner brings a deep commitment to helping students navigate the fellowship process as a journey of self-discovery, not just a means to an end.
This student-centered approach, paired with strategic expansion of the office’s resources and reach, has driven extraordinary success. Applications have surged 153% over four years, from 146 in 2020-21 to 370 in 2024-25. Last year alone, Dartmouth counted 62 national fellowship winners (47 current undergraduate students, 62 total including alumni and graduate students). This year’s cohort of 32 Fulbright recipients set a new Dartmouth record by a substantial margin, while the College achieved a perfect five-for-five success rate with Goldwater Scholarship nominations over the past two years (as well as in 2022).
Gavin Fry ’25 exemplified this momentum by winning both the prestigious Truman and Goldwater Scholarships, an unusual double achievement that underscores the caliber of Dartmouth’s candidates.
Most recently, Esmeralda Abreu Jerez ’25 and Noah da Silva ’25 were named Rhodes Scholars, continuing Dartmouth’s impressive legacy of more than 80 alumni who have earned this prestigious honor.
The Fellowships Office’s success reflects both strategic growth and a fundamental shift in campus culture, one that positions fellowships not as distant possibilities but as natural extensions of students’ academic journeys. That momentum has now attracted significant philanthropic support.
A remarkable vote of confidence
Tom and Gina Russo, both members of the Class of 1977, have made a $5 million gift to endow Harner’s position, which will be named the Thomas A. 1977 and Georgina T. Russo 1977 Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education for Fellowships and Scholars Programs.
The endowment will provide permanent resources for the office's expanding work, ensuring more students and alumni can access intensive advising support and sustaining initiatives already underway.
Tom Russo recalls how his and Gina’s involvement with fellowship opportunities at Dartmouth dates back to an event held several years ago at which “Christie Harner’s bright and enormously inspiring teams of Dartmouth candidates each described their field of investigation.”
A board member of the Churchill Foundation, Tom Russo had long understood the transformative impact of fellowship awards. But that event revealed the extraordinary work of Dartmouth’s fellowships office and the caliber of students it supports. The experience left the Russos determined to endow permanent funding for this vital resource, ensuring future generations of students could benefit from the same level of support.
Gina and Tom Russo, members of the Class of 1977 (Photo by Katie Lenhart)
“Christie has worked tirelessly to ensure that students who have the interest, drive, and ability to apply for fellowships are given important resources through Dartmouth to make sure that their applications are as strong as possible,” he says. “Moreover, President Beilock and the administration have successfully expanded applicants’ access to vital research opportunities, leading to the sorts of irresistible academic accomplishments which Christie’s candidates have showcased. Gina and I could not have been more thrilled with the opportunity to support the enthusiasm offered by Christie and her team.”
Tom Russo also expresses gratitude to former Dartmouth President Philip J. Hanlon ’77, who initiated a vastly expanded internship and fellowship program designed to give undergraduate students access to fellowship-worthy projects early in their academic careers.
“Tom and Gina Russo understand how fellowships set our students up for a meaningful life and vocation, and also further the important research that allows our society to continue to evolve,” says School of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean Nina Pavcnik. “Their endowed gift represents a remarkable vote of confidence as it secures necessary funds to support Christie and her team in this important work.”
A new model of fellowship support
In recent years, Harner and her team have worked to integrate fellowships into students’ undergraduate trajectories from day one, rather than treating them as a senior-year afterthought.
The team has developed specialized programming for different student populations and fellowship categories, from language study opportunities for first-years to Goldwater Scholarships for STEM research and Knight-Hennessy Scholarships for graduates with work experience, among many other prestigious awards.
The strategy centers on targeted outreach to diverse students, from participants in research programs to those affiliated with centers and institutes across campus.
What distinguishes Dartmouth’s approach is its commitment to sustained, individualized mentorship. The office now employs four staff members, two dedicated to guiding students through intensive one-on-one advising—support that students consistently identify as the most transformative element of their application journey.
The advising team serves not just current students but also alumni, who can return years after graduation to apply for fellowships. Many choose to apply through Dartmouth because of the strong relationships they’ve built with the advising team.
“There are students that I’ve known since they were first-years and have worked with on fellowships multiple times over the years,” Harner notes. “It’s such a lovely way of building that longstanding relationship and investment in them.”
Priyanshu Alluri ’26 exemplifies this trajectory. “My first exposure to the Fellowships Office came during my sophomore year, when I applied for, but did not receive, the Goldwater Scholarship,” he recalls. “Though the outcome was initially disappointing, that process allowed me to meet with Professor Harner and get personalized feedback on where I could improve my application and how I could better present myself.”
Later that year, he applied for the Stamps Scholars Program. “I met with the office roughly seven times just to refine my materials and application. That’s a level of support that’s unheard of anywhere else—just having the option to get quick feedback and iterate over the course of the application cycle makes a significant difference in the quality of the final application.”
When Alluri returned his junior year to reapply for the Goldwater, he came back with stronger materials and a better sense of how to frame his research, thanks to the mentorship he had already received. This time, he won.
“Now, as I apply to graduate school and post-graduate fellowships across the UK, I’ve found the process far less daunting because I’ve had the benefit of years of mentorship and training through the Fellowships Office,” he says.
The liberal arts mission in action
For Pavcnik, the work of the Fellowships Office exemplifies the School of Arts and Sciences’ educational mission beyond the classroom.
“While the external recognition is exciting, what’s really special is what happens in the application process itself,” Pavcnik says. “Every student who applies for a major fellowship gets intensive mentorship, support refining their ideas and writing, and dedicated time to reflect on their larger purpose—this is the liberal arts mission in action.”
That mission has taken on new institutional form. The creation of the School of Arts and Sciences in July formalized the new Division of Undergraduate Education, bringing together offices formerly in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences—including Scholars Programs, Undergraduate Research, Fellowships (SURFD), Academic Advising, the Guarini Institute for International Education, and the Arts and Sciences Registrar—with units from the former Division of Student Affairs, such as the Undergraduate Deans Office, Student Accessibility Services, First-Generation Office, Academic Skills Center, ROTC, and the Dartmouth Center for Career Design. This structure enables integrated planning around the full arc of student development, from academic exploration to career preparation.
“The school formalizes the ways different groups and offices within the division were already working together to think about the student experience," says Scott Pauls, interim dean of undergraduate education. “Now we can integrate fellowships, research, and other experiences into a coherent plan rather than treating them as separate tracks. Students can see fellowships as part of their academic trajectory, not isolated opportunities.”
Celebrating success, supporting growth
Each October, the Fellowships Office hosts a “deadline day celebration” timed to the Fulbright deadline—the application with the highest number of student participants. The event recognizes not just winners but all applicants for the intensive work they’ve invested in the process.
For Harner, who continues to teach courses as a senior lecturer in the Department of English and Creative Writing, including Netflix and the Victorian Serial Novel, the satisfaction comes from watching students across disciplines discover and articulate their passions.
“I love teaching and working really closely with students,” she says. "Fellowship advising allows me to work across disciplines, which means that I’m meeting so many more students than I would in the classroom and getting to know the campus and the student body and the alumni too.”
The office’s message to students remains consistent: “It’s never too early” to start thinking about fellowships. With first-year students already dropping by to ask how to prepare for opportunities three years down the line, the culture shift Harner envisioned is taking root—transforming fellowships from distant aspirations into an integral part of the Dartmouth experience.