In 2013, Chris Burch, Class of 1972, announced at an all-school meeting that he would be donating $1.3 million for the construction of an artificial turf field on the Hill. This gift is the largest single donation in the school's history. Before the construction of Burch Field, all outdoor sports competitions were held at the Charles E. Tilton fields in Northfield. The construction of Burch Field was completed in 2014 and dedicated on October 4 of that year. It is the first playing field contiguous to campus and the first in a series of campus developments known as "The Burch Initiative".