MISSION
"to foster to foster civic-minded student leaders and to promote service and activism in New Haven and around the world"

DESCRIPTION
Dwight Hall is the Center for Public Service and Social Justice at Yale. It is an independent, nonprofit umbrella organization that provides support to and fosters communication between over 60 student-run Member Organizations whose primary purposes fall within Dwight Hall’s mission. Dwight Hall itself sponsors a number of Institutional Programs, Projects, and Networks that help Dwight Hall achieve its mission, and Dwight Hall also lends assistance to a variety of Community and Associate Organizations.

HISTORY
Dwight Hall was founded in 1881 as the Young Men’s Christian Association at Yale, and has gradually evolved to become an inclusive place for students of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to connect with the community. While Dwight Hall has changed significantly since its beginnings at the end of the 19th century, the fundamental concerns for public service and social justice, which brought the Hall into existence, continue today.

PEOPLE
Dwight Hall is governed by the Student Cabinet, which meets on a monthly basis and consists of the coordinators of each Dwight Hall member organization. The ten elected officers of the Student Cabinet – two co-coordinators, one public relations coordinator, one financial coordinator, one provisional member group coordinator, one member group services coordinator, a social justice network liaison, a faculty outreach coordinator, and two members-at-large – constitute the Executive Committee, which meets weekly and facilitates the work of Dwight Hall, determining policy and program priorities. Dwight Hall is also supported by Staff Members, who manage the day-to-day operations of Dwight Hall and provide the institutional memory for Dwight Hall as a nonprofit organization with a student leadership that changes annually. Finally, Dwight Hall is overseen by a Board of Directors, which is ultimately responsible for the fiscal and long-term operation of Dwight Hall, and a Board of Trustees, which is responsible for managing the assets of the Dwight Hall at Yale endowment.

BY THE NUMBERS
Over 3,000 Yale undergraduates are involved in Dwight Hall sponsored public service or social justice activities during a given academic year, with over 80% of Yale College students participating in at least one such activity before graduation.

CONTACT
Dwight Hall is located at 67 High Street in New Haven, Connecticut.