TV mogul Shonda Rhimes donates $15M to Dartmouth College
What's the story
Shonda Rhimes, the Emmy-winning producer and creator of popular shows like Grey's Anatomy and Bridgerton, has donated $15 million to her alma mater, Dartmouth College. The donation will be used for a new undergraduate residence hall, which will be named Shonda Rhimes Hall. This five-story building is set to open in 2028 and will be the first Dartmouth building named after a woman or person of color.
Philanthropy
'Really beautiful to be able to place some legacy...'
Rhimes, who graduated from Dartmouth with a bachelor's degree in English in 1991, said the donation is a way to publicly acknowledge the impact of her college education. "It's also really beautiful to be able to place some legacy on the building, to give back what was given to me, and leave something behind," she said. The Shonda Rhimes Hall will accommodate 123 upper-level students and include wellness studios, soundproof creative rooms, and a grand piano in its common area.
Housing initiative
The new residence hall is part of Dartmouth's larger initiative
The new residence hall is part of Dartmouth's larger $500 million housing initiative, which aims to provide on-campus housing for over 90% of undergraduates. The construction of Shonda Rhimes Hall will begin early next year, and it will be located next to the planned Class of 1989 Hall, creating a new West Wheelock Street community for 400 students. This donation brings Dartmouth's total raised for housing in the past 12 months to $82.5 million.
Career path
More on Rhimes and her career
After graduating from Dartmouth, Rhimes worked in advertising and studied screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. In 2005, she created her first television hit with Grey's Anatomy and later created the political thriller Scandal. She is now the executive producer of Netflix's Bridgerton series. Rhimes also heads Shondaland, a television production company she founded in 2005, which reportedly generated $2.4 billion in revenue between 2020 and 2024.