Mills Quarterly, Winter 2015

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Mills Quarterly Winter 2015

The amazing women I met at Mills continually inspire me to be the best person I can be.

Forging these extraordinary connections wouldn’t have been possible without financial aid, which allowed me to attend the College. I give to Mills so current and future students can experience what I did. Truly, few things in life are as special as Mills sisterhood!

Jill Kunishima ’03

behind every gift there is a story

Each gift to the College has a story—about a life-path discovered at Mills and followed into the world, about lifelong friendships and inspiring mentors, about a voice found or strengthened. These are the stories you make possible for future generations when you give to Mills. Each gift really does count: college assessors, including U.S. News & World

Report, consider graduates’ giving an important measure of a learning community’s excellence. Your gifts to Mills are a vote of confidence in the College’s future.

Give to the Mills College Annual Fund by calling 510.430.2366, picking up the phone when a student calls you, visiting alumnae.mills.edu/give, or returning the enclosed envelope.

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Mills Quarterly

contents Winter 2015 3

Planning for change

Flexibility and adaptability are hallmarks of a strong liberal-arts education. Mills is looking ahead to keep pace with the needs of today’s—and tomorrow’s—students.

6

Majoring in the 21st century by Dan Ryan

As traditional institutions of higher education face new competitors and financial challenges, how do we forge a curriculum that will prepare students for the century ahead? Ryan, an associate professor of sociology, proposes that the entire structure of the College is ripe for innovation.

10

Learning by doing by Whitney Phaneuf, MFA ’07

Students in the Master of Public Policy Program show how internships provide a valuable complement to classroom learning and a beneficial bridge to professional work.

14

Honoring their achievements by Vanessa Marlin ’06

Disparate in their career and volunteer accomplishments, this year’s alumnae award winners are united in their lifelong connection to the Mills community.

Plus: Reunion class photos.

28

Top 10 things we love about Reunion

In a weekend full of fun and special moments, here are a few of our favorites.

Departments 2

Calendar

4

Mills Matters

19

Class Notes

26

In Memoriam

On the cover: Public policy students Sepi Aghdaee and Sonia Manrique-Stromberg at Oakland’s City Hall, where both have completed internships in the office of City Councilmember—and now Mayor—Libby Schaaf. Photo by Dana Davis.

Calendar

Letters to the Editor I don’t usually speak out, but I was so

and concluded, ‘Trans inclusiveness rep-

heartened and proud to read of the

resents not an erasure but an updating of

College’s stand of unconditionally wel-

this mission.’”

coming transgender students (“Men of

Dance February 6  Ebb + Flow Alumni Dance Concert 8:00 pm, Lisser Hall, with a post-event reception at Reinhardt Alumnae House. $10 general, free to Mills students and alumnae. For information, contact millsdancealum@gmail.com.

Keep it up, Mills!

Wellesley: Can women’s colleges survive

—Jan Miller White ’65

the transgender movement?” The New

Newcastle, California

York Times Magazine, October 19, 2014).

I have always valued my Mills expe-

My

experiences

at

Mills

completely

rience, but to have Mills College men-

altered the trajectory of my life; it is

tioned alongside Wellesley, Smith, and

not an exaggeration to say that I would

Mt. Holyoke within this complicated dis-

not be the person I am today if I hadn’t

cussion only doubled my loyalty.

attended Mills. With that said, it’s obvi-

A sample quote from the article: “In

ous that I have immense pride in Mills

March 6  Undergrad Underground 4:00 pm and 6:30 pm, Studio 1, Haas Pavilion.

For information, contact dance@mills.edu.

May, Mills College became the first wom-

and in being a Mills alum. I didn’t think

en’s college to broaden its admissions

it was possible for me to be more proud

policy to include self-identified trans

of Mills, but then the College Board of

Mills Music Now February 7  Morton Subotnick February 14  Marc-André Hamelin,

women, even those who haven’t legally

Trustees Enrollment and Financial Aid

or medically transitioned and even if

Committee approved the new admissions

their

recommendation

policy related to admitting transgender

letters refer to them as male. The new

students. I was absolutely elated when

policy, which begins by affirming Mills’s

I read the news of that decision! Finally

commitment to remaining a women’s col-

Mills has solidified in policy what has

lege, also welcomes biological females

been a part of the fabric of Mills for so

who identify anywhere on the gender

long. Kudos to all involved in making this

spectrum, as long as they haven’t become

policy a reality, and I look forward to see-

legally male. The change grew out of two

ing how it is implemented and the ways

years of study by a committee of faculty

that the College grows and improves in

and staff, which noted that Mills has

the future.

Dewing Piano Recital March 5–8  Signal Flow Festival (various times and locations) March 21  Eyvind Kang and Fast Forward 8:00 pm (unless otherwise noted) in the Littlefield Concert Hall. $15 general, $10 senior and non-Mills students, free to alumnae with AAMC card. See musicnow. mills.edu or contact Steed Cowart at 510.430.2334 or steed@mills.edu.

Songlines Series February 23  PFL Traject March 16  Carl Ludwig Huebsch

transcripts

or

always fought gender-based oppression

—Amy Kalivas ’02 San Diego, California

7:30 pm in the Ensemble Room. Admission is free. For information see musicnow.mills.edu or contact John Bischoff at 510.430.2332 or jbischoff@mills.edu.

Center for Socially Responsible Business March 13  Multi-Sector Partnerships: Catalyzing Social Value This year’s spring conference examines how nonprofits, philanthropic firms, civil society organizations, and the private sector can work together to add social value, bring about community well-being, realize fair profits, and demonstrate environmental stewardship.

For details, see csrbmills.org or contact 510.430.3248 or csrb@mills.edu.

Mills College Art Museum January 21–March 15  Bill Owens This exhibition features 33 photographs of women and girls by Bill Owens, who is internationally recognized for his depictions of Northern California suburban life in the 1970s.

For more information, see mcam.mills.edu or contact 510.430.2164 or museum@mills.edu.

The museum is open 11:00 am–4:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 am–7:30 pm Wednesday, and is closed Monday. Admission is free.

2

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Volume CIII Number 2  Winter 2015 President: Alecia A. DeCoudreaux Chief of Staff and Vice President for Communications and External Relations: Renée Jadushlever Editor: Linda Schmidt Design and Art Direction: Nancy Siller Wilson Contributing Writers: Vanessa Marlin ’06; Whitney Phaneuf, MFA ’07 Editorial Assistance: Lisa Dewees ’16; Russell Schoch The Mills Quarterly (USPS 349-900) is published quarterly by Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, California, and at additional mailing office(s). Postmaster: Send address changes to the Office of Institutional Advancement, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613.

Copyright © 2014, Mills College Address correspondence to Mills Quarterly, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613.

Email: quarterly@mills.edu  Phone: 510.430.3312 Printed on recycled paper containing 10 percent post-consumer waste.

(Please use outline)

A Message from the President of Mills College

Planning for change

By Alecia A. DeCoudreaux At Mills and other liberal arts colleges,

today are experiencing a curricu-

students acquire the flexible skills that

lum and learning environment, with

allow them to adapt to the unexpected

opportunities for internships and

opportunities and challenges that life

community engagement, that they

presents to them. Through their deep

can build on as graduates.

engagement in society, our graduates tell

And yet, as Associate Professor

us and show us that we’ve been doing a

of Sociology Dan Ryan notes in his

very good job of preparing them for suc-

article on page 6, we are chasing

cess as scholars, in the workplace, as fam-

an elusive goal, for “[a] liberal arts

ily members, and as citizens.

education is a transformative expe-

However, even as we celebrate the

rience that makes sense of life in a

achievements of our alumnae/i, we con-

world that … has not yet happened.”

tinually re-examine the College’s role in

How true this is. As the future will

preparing today’s and tomorrow’s stu-

always be unknowable, our best

dents for their very different futures.

plans, core curricula, and learning

As part of our strategic plan for prepar-

environments will only be the best

ing students for the 21st century, our

until our world changes again and

Curriculum Transformation Taskforce is

requires us to re-think our priorities

re-evaluating our core curriculum and

and our teaching methods.

proposing changes to be implemented starting in fall 2016.

The Curriculum Transformation Taskforce is not the only explora-

This task of developing a curriculum

tion launched through our strategic

now for a future we can barely discern is

plan. Other initiatives include creat-

not unique to Mills. Technological, demo-

ing more flexible ways to obtain a

graphic, and economic changes in our

Mills education, strengthening our

society at large are raising fundamental

commitment to inclusion and social jus-

structured, and how they will interact

questions about the traditional model of

tice, and developing new community and

with the surrounding community.

higher education. For example, technol-

education partnerships. And, of course,

I am proud that, as an institution, Mills

ogy has greatly increased the opportuni-

we are also re-examining our budget

continually enacts precisely the quali-

ties for learning outside the classroom

model so that we can sustain and grow

ties that we hope to foster in our gradu-

while, at the same time, fewer college-

the work of the College. Avoiding struc-

ates: a realistic assessment of goals and

bound students can afford to be full-time

tural deficits, refining our outreach to

achievements, a willingness to listen to

students for four years. Similarly, the

potential students, and adhering to best

new voices, a flexible approach to meth-

work our graduates will do will require

financial practices are all vital to the suc-

ods, and a steadfast commitment to val-

a greater ability to collaborate across dis-

cessful operation of the College. They are

ues and relationships. We may not be

ciplines than ever before, and a greater

also, not incidentally, deeply woven into

able to see clearly the future our students

respect for the different perspectives of a

our other initiatives. New fiscal best prac-

will inhabit—and, indeed, will take part in

diverse workforce.

tices can only be developed hand in hand

creating—but together we can create an

We are deeply engaged in the thought-

with a forward-looking model of who our

inclusive framework for imagining it, for

ful and iterative process we outlined in our

21st-century students will be, how their

preparing for it, and for learning from it

strategic plan for 2013–18. Our students

experience of higher education will be

as it happens. winter 2015

3

Mills Matters By the numbers: an overview of the 2014–15 student body Total Enrollment

1,548

Financial Aid

Undergraduates 922

Full-time undergraduate tuition

First-year students

188

for the 2014–15 academic year is

Transfer students

109

$41,618. Approximately 95 percent

Resumers 16%

of undergraduate students receive

Students of color

54%

financial aid; 92 percent receive

Living on campus

58%

some portion of their aid directly

Graduate students 626 Entering 291 Continuing 333 Women 78% Men 22% Students of color 41%

Faculty

full time part time

Total number

107

90

Female faculty

68%

72%

Faculty of color

31%

28%

Terminal degree

93%

62%

Student: Faculty ratio

11:1

Average class size

16

Budget & fundraising highlights Annual budget Endowment value (June 30, 2014) Giving to Mills

$81.4 million $189.3 million

$9.1 million

(2013–14)

from Mills. The average award is $39,482. This year, $34.5 million in total aid will be awarded to undergraduates, of which $18.4 million is funded by Mills.

Graduate tuition begins at $30,906. Ninety-four percent of graduate students received financial aid totaling $17.4 million. Mills funded $5.5 million of that amount.

More numbers: Mills places high on several college

ranking lists

U.S. News & World Report 2015 Best Colleges guide

Fiske Guide to Colleges

#6 among colleges and universities

four-year colleges and universities are

in the West that offer a full range

included on this list authored by former

of undergraduate and master’s

New York Times education editor Edward

programs. Mills appears on this list

B. Fiske and regarded as an unbiased

for the seventh consecutive year

source of information; this is the ninth

and ranks high in offering students

consecutive year that Mills has been selected as one of them.

Trustee gifts

$1.8 million

Alumnae gifts

$2.5 million

a great value. The guide notes that

Gifts from parents, friends, and others

$1.2 million

75 percent of classes at Mills had 20

Foundation and Estate gifts

the 21 percent average giving rate of

The Princeton Review’s The Best 379 Colleges

Mills alumnae is among the top for

For the 10th consecutive year, Mills was

western schools.

among the top 123 regional colleges,

or fewer students in 2013 and that $2.0 million

corporate gifts $1.6 million

ranking 11th in best health services,

Washington Monthly’s annual College Guide

13th for its high levels of race/class

#8 out of the 100 top-ranked mas-

liberal. In addition, Mills earned a “green

ter’s degree–granting universities,

rating” of 98 out of a possible 99 from

maintaining its position in the top

The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green

10. This publication rates schools

Colleges.

based on their contribution to the public good.

4

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Only 15 percent of the country’s best

interaction, and 15th-most politically

Campus kudos A selection of recent achievements by faculty, staff, and students Professor of Public Policy Carol Chetkovich has been honored with the Leslie A. Whittington Excellence in Teaching Award by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration in recognition of her long record of outstanding contribution to public service education. Chetkovich has been the director of the Public Policy Program at Mills since 2005.

Oxford University Press has pub-

Nalini Ghuman, Dave Donahue, Elmaz Abinader

lished Resonances of the Raj: India in the English Musical Imagination, 1897– 1947 by Associate Professor of Music

on India,” revealing that “England was

appears in Talking Through the Door:

Nalini Ghuman. In this work, Ghuman

both deeply aware of and profoundly

An Anthology of Contemporary Middle

refutes the conventional history that

influenced by India musically during

Eastern American Writing (Syracuse

depicts a “one-way influence of Britain

the Indian-British colonial encounter.”

University Press) and in the summer

Ghuman has compiled a list of musical

2014 issue of Sukhoon magazine.

recordings to accompany the book, and

Grateful Graduates Index #29 on the list of the 50 Top

Associate professor of dance Sonya

she presented a special book launch

Delwaide was commissioned to cho-

concert at Mills in September.

reograph a production of The Tempest

Distinguished Visiting Writer Achy

at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

“Return on Investment” Colleges

Obejas has been named a United States

in Ashland, Oregon, as well as a new

2014 published by Forbes.com.

Artists Fellow for 2014.

work for the Oakland Ballet Company.

The index is determined by research

Dave Donahue, associate provost

Shinichi Iova-Koga, visiting artist

analyzing 10 years of private gifts

and professor of education, is co-author

in dance, received $40,000 from the

to private, not-for-profit institutions

of Art-Centered Learning Across the

Creative Work Fund towards the cre-

offering four-year degrees.

Curriculum: Integrating Contemporary

ation of a new work honoring Anna

Art in the Secondary School Classroom,

Halprin, to premiere in 2015.

The Daily Meal

published by Teachers College Press.

This website rates Mills #14 in

The book makes a clear and compelling

DeCoudreaux has joined the board

the country in providing fresh,

argument for how contemporary art

of directors of The William and Flora

nutritious meals to students.

supports student learning and con-

Hewlett Foundation, which supports

cludes with a chapter on an integrated,

activities in education, the envi-

Business as UNusual: The Social and Environmental Impact Guide to Graduate Programs

inquiry-based curriculum inspired by

ronment, global development and

contemporary art, including guidelines

population, performing arts, and phi-

for developing art projects teachers can

lanthropy. In addition, DeCoudreaux

adapt to student interests and needs.

was recognized by the Friends of

The Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School

Professor of Spanish and Spanish

the Commission on the Status of

College President Alecia A.

of Business is rated 10th in social

American Studies Carlota Caulfield has

Women with its CEDAW Award for

impact and in the top 25 in envi-

released her latest book of poetry, JJ/CC

Education. CEDAW, the Convention

ronmental sustainability. The guide,

(Ediciones La Mirada).

on the Elimination of All Forms of

published by Net Impact, is based

This House, My Bones, a new book of

Discrimination Against Women, is

on ratings provided by more than

poetry by Professor of English Elmaz

an international bill of rights for all

3,300 MBA students nationwide.

Abinader, was published in October

women that has been ratified by 186

by Willow Books. Abinader’s work also

countries—but not the United States.

winter 2015

5

Majoring in the

21st century

How can today’s educators create a curriculum that will best equip students for the world of tomorrow? By Dan Ryan

E

very August, Beloit College in

(though the president of Mills College,

Wisconsin publishes a “mind-

Aurelia Henry Reinhardt, had served for

set list” that purports to char-

four years in that role before being able

acterize

to). What might have been on the mind-

students

entering

college that fall. Last year’s

The Beloit list is fun, but it rankles, too,

gems from the 2014 list, describing the

not least because it feeds a bad habit:

world they know:

mocking the young for not knowing

• Their formal education began with

about the world before they were born,

planes crashing into the World Trade

and thinking that our task as teachers is to

Center.

familiarize them with all that came before.

• Wire-rimmed glasses evoke Harry Potter, not John Lennon.

• Hong Kong has always been a part of the People’s Republic of China.

• Both men and women have always played professional basketball.

• US quarters have always had individual state themes on the back.

This line of thinking is especially common when professors, administrators, trustees, and alumnae/i start talking about liberal arts, general education, and curriculum reform. We look back to the good old days at Columbia, Chicago, Williams, or Mills and say, “you know, that curriculum served me well. It’s

The lists are by turns provocative, snarky,

exactly what young people today need.”

and funny. Some people find them con-

Our college memories can turn even the

descending; for others they are a useful

most progressive among us into legacy-

conversation starter. Beloit’s 2002 list, for

defending reactionaries.

example, noted that for that year’s enter-

6

set list when you started school?

18-year-olds were born in 1996. A few

ing class The Tonight Show had always

Why did it work for me?

been hosted by Jay Leno, and they had

But stop and think. Why did that educa-

no idea when or why Jordache jeans

tion work so well for us? What about it

had ever been cool. Had the list been

was really essential and timeless?

published for the Mills Class of ’43, it

Let’s imagine for a second that we are

might have said that commercial radio

in the class of 1963, people who spent

had always existed (though their teach-

our twenties in the ’60s. Our mindset list

ers could remember when there were no

might provoke one of our professors to

“airwaves”) and women could always vote

remind us that our grandparents made

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Dan Ryan, associate professor of sociology at Mills since 2006, focuses on the intersections of information, technology, and innovation. This essay is a revision of a talk originally presented at Reunion 2013.

do without modern materials like Nylon and Teflon, which didn’t exist before we were born.

Contrast that bit of pedagogy with the advice given at a Los Angeles pool party in the film of the novel The Graduate (published in 1963): “one word, Benjamin: plastics.”

In the movie, the phrase stands for the corrupt values of Benjamin’s parents’ generation; but, ironically, it also represents precisely the opposite pedagogical impulse from that of our imaginary professor. It’s about the world in which Benjamin will live, not the one that existed before he was born.

If graduates of 50 years ago say today that their liberal arts education was “worth it,” what they mean is that was a good preparation for life in the second half of the 20th century. They had teachers who gave them a strong grounding in 5,000 years of history and thought, but also assigned contemporary best sellers such as The Feminine Mystique, Silent Spring, and The Fire Next Time. Books like these pointed toward a world that was about to happen: a world in which the status of women changes profoundly; a world in which an environmental movement emerges and transforms both the

Whether by plan or by chance, their

Looking forward

popular consciousness and public policy;

teachers led those students to major in

This will not be easy. There have been

and a world where generational shifts

the 20th century.

better times than 2014 for being in

around civil rights and racism are under-

And that, I suggest, is the “secret” of a

the small, liberal arts college business.

way. They had teachers who taught math

liberal arts education: it is a transforma-

Almost every factor that supported the

and science in a way that prepared them

tive experience that makes sense for life

expansion of higher education during the

to work in a computer industry that did

in a world that those who design and

20th century points in the opposite direc-

not yet exist. Their teachers did not know

deliver it will not see much of, an edu-

tion today. There is broader demand for

what the future would be, but they man-

cation that makes sense for a world that

access, but less economic mobility to sup-

aged to forge a curriculum that turned

has not yet happened. That is the legacy

port it. Federal and state governments are

out to be the right preparation for the

we should be preserving. At Mills today,

financially squeezed, and legislators are

decades ahead.

our challenge is to figure out what it will

ill-disposed toward state support of edu-

mean to major in the 21st century.

cation. Philanthropy that once supported

The phrase “it turned out” is key.

PHOTOS BY DANA DAV IS

winter 2015

7

expansion

and

experimentation

now

remake higher education to serve their

capture levels of achievement? What

interests and philosophies. Alternatively,

parts of teaching can be mediated? When

Tuition-driven institutions—those, like

those of us who recognize the durable

are large lectures effective? What tools

Mills, whose operating budgets depend on

and enduring value of the small liberal

developed for MOOCs (massive open

the tuition paid by current students—are

arts college education can rethink and

online courses) can be adapted to make

coming to recognize that although there

redesign it so that tomorrow’s students

teaching easier? How can professors shift

are more students than ever who want

can, indeed, major in the 21st century.

efforts to activities with the most impact?

focuses on accountability and efficiency.

and need their degrees, there simply are

What really makes a difference?

not enough families that can afford even

Restructuring our foundations

steeply discounted tuitions, a fact that no

The pedagogical infrastructure of higher

inertia, self-interest, and imitation that

amount of philanthropy or re-branding or

education—all

taken-for-granted

traditionally inhibit innovation in higher

changes in government aid will change.

rules, practices, structures, and tools we

education. Teachers need to stand on a

As if the economic and political chal-

use that make teaching and learning pos-

pedagogical infrastructure that permits

lenges were not enough, colleges and

sible—includes things like dividing the

them to teach more students more effec-

universities have lost their monopoly on

academic calendar into semesters, terms,

tively with less effort. This will not be

being society’s source of ideas and learn-

and modules; providing information ser-

achieved by mere exhortation and it will

ing to an Internet full of free lessons and

vices, from libraries to email; determining

not be achieved by just “speeding up the

courses on every subject. Technology

how teaching and learning are counted

assembly line” by packing more students

makes coming to campus optional, and

and proficiency measured; deciding how

into each class and pushing them through

digital tools make it easy to unbundle

to deploy faculty in teams and depart-

a reduced and standardized curriculum.

education from its traditional format,

ments; conceptualizing the connections

Real innovation is rocket science.

allowing independent learners to focus

between courses; and developing the

on just the parts they select.

techniques we use in the classroom.

the

Our redesign needs to transcend the

Reconceptualizing curriculum

And on these choppy seas, a whole

Too much of the contemporary dis-

One of the most vexing questions for an

flotilla of highly motivated entrepre-

cussion about such systems is limited to

18-year-old is, “What should I study?”

neurs, and the venture capitalists who

debates about online vs. on-campus learn-

Much of the college menu—structured by

back them, are taking aim, eager to make

ing, or dominated by self-promoting talk-

majors, minors, and general education—is

education the next in a line of indus-

ing heads reciting misguided mantras like

the product of compromise, complacency,

tries—travel, music, bookselling, jour-

“the lecture is dead” or “seat time is over.”

and nostalgia. In the face of rampant

nalism—that have been transformed by

To design and build a liberal arts edu-

careerism and other social trends, some of

cation for the 21st century, we need to

us are even proud of the fact that, with the

The details of the so-called crisis in

reframe this conversation. We need to

exception of a few hybrids and a handful

higher education are debatable, but

think like a startup and treat all of the

of new fields, the list of college majors in

whether we characterize it as problem to

elements of pedagogical infrastructure

2014 looks pretty much like that of a half

be solved or opportunity to be seized, the

as our repertoire for innovation. Our goal

century ago. When asked about innova-

economics, demographics, and politics of

must be a rethinking and remixing that

tion, we point out that we allow particu-

higher education and the rapidly chang-

will allow us to produce more and better

larly motivated students to “design their

disruptive innovation.

own major.” But when it comes to experi-

We need to transcend the distraction of what employers want this year and the seduction of protecting tradition, and focus on challenges the planet and its inhabitants will face during the rest of the century.

mentation, that‘s about it: most liberal arts colleges outsource curricular R&D to a few enterprising sophomores.

As the adults in the room, we need to recognize that if our students are to major in the 21st century, we have to lead the way. Very few of our students will go on to become scholars or practitioners in the fields we are trained in, but all of

ing world around it suggest that majoring

learning than ever before at a lower cost.

them will live in a world we will not see

in the 21st century will be substantially

Rethinking our pedagogical infrastruc-

much of. We need to transcend the dis-

different from majoring in the 20th.

ture means looking past our assump-

traction of what employers want this year

What is to be done? The higher edu-

tions and asking fundamental questions,

and the seduction of protecting tradition,

cation space is awash in ideologues, bil-

including: Is the semester the right length

and focus on challenges the planet and

lionaires, and entrepreneurs who think

of time for all courses? Are written exams

its inhabitants will face during the rest of

they know. They are ready—and eager—to

effective? Do averages of test scores really

the century.

8

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Twenty-first century problems will

century dystopian fiction appear naive.

student will live in a world without Europe

repertoires

And we need to help our students extend

and the United States at its center, where

that to us will appear eclectic and stocks

ethical thinking into the realm of algo-

she knows what it means that “everyone

of knowledge from which remixes and

rithms and literacy into the realm of com-

is an outsider almost everywhere.” She

mashups can be generated for situations

puter code.

will need a cosmopolitan world view that

likely

require

intellectual

we can barely conjure. It will no longer

Finally, we need to reinvent cosmo-

equips her not just to tolerate unfamil-

suffice to be an expert in single areas:

politanism, a concept that comes from

iar styles of thinking, but to grapple with

the politician will require knowledge

the Greek words meaning “a citizen of

them, understand them, compete with them, and collaborate with them.

The student who majors in the 21st century will... need a cosmopolitan world view that equips her not just to tolerate unfamiliar styles of thinking, but to grapple with them, understand them, compete with them, and collaborate with them.

Commencement Redesigning the liberal arts college for the 21st century won’t be done in a single semester or a single year. It is a long-term and ongoing process, but we owe it to our students to begin.

Consider the class of 2022, who will come to Mills less than five years from

of African history and Indian history

now. They will be the first class born in

and Asian history; a designer will need

this century, a phrase that harkens back

to understand chemistry and market

to lines from a speech delivered by John

research; the business person will need to

F. Kennedy a half century ago:

grasp the cultural history of a region and

The torch has been passed to a new

the politics of economic development.

generation of Americans—born in this

Our pedagogy will not meet this need

century, tempered by war, disciplined

to be able to speak and think fluently

by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our

across fields of expertise if we restrict our-

ancient heritage—and unwilling to wit-

selves to changes in individual required

ness or permit the slow undoing of those

courses or even entire majors. We need

human rights to which this Nation has

to look deep inside our disciplines to

always been committed, and to which

identify clusters of knowledge and skills

we are committed today at home and

that will be indispensable additions to the

around the world.

toolboxes of 21st-century innovators and

How should we recruit this new genera-

problem solvers.

tion and what can we promise them? We can be modest and offer them employable

21st-century conversations

skills, flexible degree paths, a curriculum based on tradition, and values based on

We, of course, will not be any better at predicting the particulars of the future

the world.” In the 20th century it might

today’s politics—or we can build an infra-

than our predecessors were, but we have

have sufficed to learn, say, Italian, study

structure and design a curriculum so

the same duty to extrapolate beyond

some art history, and have something to

that the women of this new generation

established

say about the space race, the arms race,

will say at their 50th reunion—in 2072!—

and current theater.

“We majored in the 21st century and this

expertise

and

rigorously

anticipate the public conversations that will dominate their lives. We need to

The student who majors in the 21st

prepared us to thrive in it and make its

lay the groundwork for debates about,

century will develop a new kind of cosmo-

history.” If we succeed, we will be able to

for example, the status of corporations

politanism based more on Wikipedia than

send the class of 2022 off into the world,

as global political actors and new rela-

Britannica, where multiple viewpoints are

confident that they will do well for them-

tions among nation-states, regions, citi-

valid and the boundary between producers

selves and, more importantly, do good

zens, and migrants. We need to point our

and consumers of knowledge is permeable.

for the world, paraphrasing at their com-

students, explicitly, to China, India, and

It won’t do just to take a year of a foreign

mencement another line from that 1961

Brazil. And Africa. We need to start con-

language, spend a semester abroad, and

speech in a manner that captures the true

versations about the effects of concentra-

fulfill distribution requirements. Where

meaning of majoring in the 21st century:

tions of wealth, information, and power.

academic literacy once sufficed, real cul-

“Ask not what a liberal arts education can

We need to instigate concern about social

tural, technological, scientific, economic,

do for you; ask what you, with a liberal

control and surveillance that make 20th-

and political literacy will be the norm. The

arts education, can do for the world.” ◆ winter 2015

9

Learning by doing

By Whitney Phaneuf, MFA ’07 • Photo by Dana Davis

Sonia Manrique-Stromberg (left) and Sepi Aghdaee at Oakland City Hall.

10

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Sepi Aghdaee had never run a press conference

Part of that accountability includes following through on

when Oakland City Councilmember and Mayor-elect Libby

projects even after the semester-long internship is technically

Schaaf asked her to do so one day last September. But by the

over. Aghdaee will continue to coordinate the Great Attendance

end of the week, she’d successfully pulled together reporters and

Pizza Challenge with principals of the four participating ele-

officials to address the topic of chronic absenteeism in Oakland

mentary schools until the end of the school year.

schools. As an intern in Schaaf’s office, such challenges are part

A high level of accountability and responsibility was also true

of the daily routine for Aghdaee, who is pursuing a joint master’s

for Aghdaee’s work on Measure DD, which passed easily in the

degree in public policy and business administration (MPP/MBA)

election on November 4. The measure reforms the process by

at Mills.

which the city draws its district boundaries every 10 years, based

While Aghdaee’s “intern” title is accurate, her duties are a far

on US census data, to ensure that each district has roughly the

cry from the low-level tasks typically associated with such posi-

same amount of people represented in local elections, including

tions. Prior to the internship, Aghdaee had limited exposure to

city council and school board seats. Historically, the redistricting

the development of policy within a government office but, since

has been determined by politicians.

starting her internship last spring, she has written a new piece of

“The lawmakers who run for the seats draw their own lines,

legislation that was on the November ballot. As she continues in

and Council members Schaaf and Dan Kalb said this is a conflict

Schaaf’s office this fall, she is assisting with items that come to

of interest,” says Aghdaee, who began to work on the measure

the city’s Community and Economic Development Committee.

last February. “It’s very important that districts are fair and don’t

Along with Sonia Manrique-Stromberg, a 2015 master of pub-

break up communities.”

lic policy candidate, and Lillian Cuny ’11, MPP ’12, Aghdaee

As the first and primary project of her spring internship,

found that her internship with Schaaf moved her from writing

Aghdaee had to determine how to bring fairness and transpar-

policy papers to shaping actual public policy, and gained her

ency to the redistricting process and make it “reflective of the

advantages in both the classroom and job hunt.

geographic, racial, ethnic, and economic diversity” in Oakland.

No ordinary internship

And, as she learned during her interview for the position, she would be responsible for gathering all public input, researching

Being tasked with organizing a press conference was not the first

similar legislation, and ultimately drafting the proposed measure.

time Aghdaee had plunged into uncharted waters, with a little

“Libby’s chief of staff, Shereda Nosakhare, told me that I would

push from Schaaf. That day she became knowledgeable about

figure it out,” Aghdaee recalls.

chronic absenteeism in Oakland elementary schools, a problem

Aghdaee started by identifying and meeting with local indi-

Schaaf countered with an initiative to reward classes that have

viduals and organizations to gather expert input, and examined

the best attendance with a pizza party three times a year.

other approaches to solving the problem from across the coun-

“What’s interesting about Libby’s office is that, from the get-

try. In between classes at Mills, Aghdaee spent her days at City

go, it was expected that I would do it,” Aghdaee recalls. “Her

Hall and her nights at home drafting the measure. Her work

motto is ‘You are capable and that’s why you are here.’ It pushes

continued through the summer as Schaaf, Kalb, and the city

you to be accountable and get the job done.”

attorney reviewed and revised the legislation.

As interns in an Oakland City Councilmember’s office, Mills students help shape the city’s future—and their own winter 2015

11

Gaining an edge Mills students in many academic disciplines are securing pivotal experience and postgraduation jobs thanks to internships. For computer science major Amelia Parmidge ’14, two summer internships at Google not only led to her current position as a software engineer at the tech giant, but also changed her entire academic direction.

Parmidge entered Mills as a biochemistry and molecular biology major, to which she added an engineering practicum. That’s how she met Ellen Spertus (at left), a professor of computer science at Mills and research scientist at Google who has spent decades working to bring more women into computing fields. Spertus encouraged Parmidge to apply for a Google internship during the summer between her sophomore and junior years. “Before I went to Mills, I didn’t have a background in CS,” Parmidge says. “But at Google, I had a chance to see what working at a software company was like, and it helped me become a programmer.” By her junior year, Parmidge changed her major and returned to intern at Google the following summer. She was hired upon graduation. “An internship is kind of like having a 12–14 week interview,” Parmidge says.

Parmidge’s experience reflects a national trend. According to an Internships.com survey—which was conducted in December 2012 and polled students, recent graduates, and human resources professionals—graduates have a seven in 10 chance of being hired by a company they interned with. In 2012, 69 percent of companies with 100 or more employees offered full-time positions to previous interns. The survey also polled employers on the factors that most influenced hiring decisions, and two-thirds said they placed relevant work experience and interview performance above academic performance. Mills’ emphasis on internships, in tandem with academics, is keeping graduates competitive in a job market where a degree often isn’t enough.

They settled on a plan closely modeled after the California

“Mills has sent me the most capable, competent, dedicated,

Citizens Redistricting Commission, which determines the district

passionate workers that I ever could have dreamed of,” says

maps for congressional, state assembly, state senate, and Board of

Schaaf.

Equalization districts, and the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in Austin, Texas, which voters passed in 2012.

Schaaf held multiple internships as an undergraduate and as a law student, and those experiences inform how she manages

Measure DD will go into effect following the 2020 census,

students working in her own office today. While the internship

at which time any Oakland resident without political conflicts

is unpaid, she wants students to have something to show to pro-

of interest can apply to serve on the 13-person Independent

spective employers at the end of it.

Redistricting Commission. Schaaf, whose district encompasses

“Internships should not only be about grunt work,” Schaaf

the middle slice of the city and runs just north of Mills College,

says. “You want to empower interns not just to explore things,

says there was some debate about who should screen applicants

but to have ownership and to produce a real product to show at

and choose members of the commission, and that Aghdaee’s

the end of their experience.”

influence affected the legislation in an unexpected way.

Aghdaee admits that, at some points, it has been tough to bal-

“As part of the redistricting process, a screening panel is

ance working for Schaaf and being in school, but believes the

formed to select a pool of the best qualified residents,” Schaaf

practical experience has given her an academic advantage. “I’m

explains. “Initial suggestions included a judge and a law student,

currently taking one of the toughest classes in the program and

but they changed law student to graduate student because they

was very happy with my grade on the first assignment,” Aghdaee

thought Sepi was so impressive. They had her in mind as the

says. “I’m a more confident writer as a result of putting together

type of person they would want to make decisions.”

Measure DD, and the experience from my internship gave me

Confidence in the classroom

insights into the coursework.”

Her Mills education has also served her well at Schaaf’s office.

Schaaf, whose aunt went to Mills, has been a guest speaker in

“Mills students know how to work in teams,” Aghdaee says. “It

several public policy classes, addressing how to run a political

was great to see how that works in the real world.” Aghdaee adds

campaign as a mother with young children and other issues fac-

that Schaaf sets that tone in her approach: “Libby embodies the

ing women in government office. Visiting professor Anne Moses

Mills spirit in that she wants women to succeed. The way she

suggested Schaaf take on department students as interns, and so

collaborates with people is similar to what I love about Mills—it’s

far she’s had three from Mills.

not competitive.”

12

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

For Manrique-Stromberg, who interned with Schaaf during

sentatives from the East Bay SPCA, the Marin County SPCA, and

the summer after her first year in the MPP program, her Mills

the Oakland Zoo, among others—including the major circuses

training helped with duties like summarizing staff reports and

such as Ringling Bros. and UniverSoul.

talking to constituents and nonprofits. “I had already done a lot

“We didn’t want to spit in anyone’s eye, and we had to keep in

of writing and researching at Mills, and I felt much more pre-

mind that a lot of people like the circus. I can’t let my personal

pared,” Manrique-Stromberg says.

passion blind me to good policy,” Cuny says. “I really wanted to

Manrique-Stromberg researched topics such as Measure FF, the hotly debated—but ultimately successful—ballot measure

do a good job. It was absolutely my dream assignment, which was awesome, but totally scary.”

which raises Oakland’s minimum wage to $12.25, and prepared

Cuny’s hard work paid off—long before she finished her proj-

briefings for Schaff and her staff. “It’s pretty overwhelming to

ect—when Schaaf’s policy analyst found out she was having

take in all the information surrounding these issues and figure

twins and had to start her maternity leave ahead of schedule.

out your stance,” Manrique-Stromberg says. “But it’s also exhila-

Based on Cuny’s performance as an intern over the previous

rating. Libby and her staff wanted me to learn as much as pos-

three months, Schaaf hired her to be her interim policy analyst,

sible. I felt instantly welcome and part of the team.”

a paid position that lasted about a year.

Manrique-Stromberg also spent a lot of time at City Hall sit-

In that time, Cuny successfully amended Oakland’s special

ting in on council meetings. “It was perfect for me as a general

event permit to include greater scrutiny of the treatment of ani-

introduction to local government,” Manrique-Stromberg says.

mals and to give the city authority to do site inspections. The

“It’s been a real advantage in school and has helped me in my

new ordinance, which Cuny wrote, required changing the city’s

Local Policymaking, Planning, and Management class because

municipal code, and took about twenty revisions before it went

now I have a first-hand sense of the advocacy process.”

to the city attorney and was voted on twice by the city council

The new interview

in late 2013.

“Because of Lili, animals that come to Oakland have much

Lili Cuny, who was Schaaf’s first intern from Mills, says that she

better care than they did before,” Schaaf says. “And I will bet

hadn’t imagined how powerful the internship experience could

that Oakland will adopt a full-on ban on the use of bull hooks

be. “I didn’t really understand the importance of doing intern-

based on the policy report she wrote to educate the council on

ships while in school,” Cuny says. “I just kind of figured that

this issue.”

school would give me access to different jobs and that people

Today, Cuny is applying her skills to national health care

would be impressed with my academic experience.” Luckily,

programs in the US Department of Housing and Urban

Cuny’s Mills professors were impressed enough to personally

Development in Washington DC. She was selected from among

recommend her to Schaaf, who helped her transition from part-

15,000 applicants to serve as Presidential Management Fellow,

time, post-graduation jobs to a full-fledged career.

a prestigious two-year program that allows recent graduates

Cuny was known around Mills for her love of animals and

with advanced degrees to work with a government agency at

her vegan baked goods, which she shared with her classmates

a civil service rank—a first step towards becoming a permanent

on test days; Schaaf had been searching for an intern to work

employee. Working for Schaaf didn’t just boost her resume, she

on a possible animal rights ordinance. “Lili could not have been

says, it gave her the confidence to apply.

more perfect,” Schaaf recalls. Schaaf had met with animal rights

“Working with Libby for a year, tackling so many different

activists who were concerned about the treatment of perform-

issues, and feeling proud of what I was doing was a big benefit,”

ing circus, and other event-related, animals being brought into

Cuny says.

Oakland. With Cuny on board, they found there were no regu-

As for Manrique-Stromberg, who plans to work in regional and

lations on circuses or any other animal performing acts to take

state clean energy policy after she graduates in 2015, she’s cer-

extra precautions.

tain that her internship experience in Schaaf’s office will help her

“A circus would get the same special event permit as a travel-

in the job market. “It’s a testament to Mills. I don’t think every

ing flower show, but there’s a lot more inherent danger for the

school encourages internships like we do here and the College

animals,” Cuny says. “It’s an accident waiting to happen if you

has built a really strong connection with local government,”

have no oversight. There could be property damage, people get-

Manrique-Stromberg says. Though she doesn’t graduate until

ting hurt, and we were also concerned with how the animals

2016, Aghdaee says she feels like she has a head start thanks to

were being treated and trained, and what their quality of life

Mills and Schaaf: “It was very important that wherever I went to

was like.”

school had real-world contacts. Libby has been very generous in

Cuny’s initial research included reading decades’ worth of

introducing me to people.”

US Department of Agriculture reports, and finding that some of

Schaaf, who was voted in as Oakland’s new mayor in

these circus animals had been subjected to abuse many times

November’s election, is unequivocal about the benefits of part-

throughout the years. “It was so sad, but what I tried to remem-

nering with the College. “Without a doubt,” she says, “as I con-

ber was that we were making a change,” Cuny recalls.

tinue in politics, my work will certainly include interns from

Cuny interviewed the animal rights group Schaaf had met

Mills.” ◆

with, the former director of Oakland Animal Services, and reprewinter 2015

13

Honoring their achievements Cynthia Guevara ’04, Calia Brencsons- Van Dyk ’90, AAMC President Lucy Do ’75, President Alecia DeCoudreaux and Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63.

Meet this year’s alumnae award winners

By Vanessa Marlin ’06

N

early 200 women gathered with their classmates

said that returning to the Mills campus is like coming home.

for lunch on the grassy lawn behind Mills Hall, enjoy-

“Home is the thing that connects us,” she told the crowd.

ing the perfect September afternoon during this year’s

Although honored to receive her award, she was quick to express

Reunion. Some of these women were freshly minted alumnae

that all Mills women are distinguished, whether they choose to be

from the class of 2014, a few had graduated more than 70 years

stay-at-home moms or high-powered lawyers. “We all know what

ago, but they were all there for the same reason: to honor this

it is to be a Mills woman,” she said. “Remember who you are and

year’s Alumnae Association of Mills College award recipients.

what you represent.”

Calia Brencsons-Van Dyk ’90, honored that day with the

AAMC President Lucy Do ’75 served as emcee for the cer-

Distinguished Achievement Award for her work in media and

emony, which also recognized Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63 as

entertainment, expressed a deeply shared sentiment when she

Outstanding Volunteer and Cynthia Guevara ’04 with the Recent Graduate Award. All three winners spoke of their pride in being a Mills woman, their gratitude for a Mills education, and their lifelong connection to the Mills community.

Calia Brencsons-Van Dyk ’90 Distinguished Achievement An Emmy and James Beard Award-winning producer who has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years, Brencsons-Van Dyk began her theater career at Mills, where she minored in the subject and earned the Marion Stebbins Long Award for most promising student in the performing arts. A year after graduating, Professor of Dramatic Arts Jim Wright gave Brencsons-Van Dyk her professional push when he hired her 14

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Mills women of all ages, shown here and below left, enjoyed the alumnae awards luncheon at Reunion.

to direct the female version of The Odd Couple in Lisser Hall.

and alumnae. “So many of these women continue to be role

Shortly thereafter, she moved to New York to act at the American

models for me; I met students who energized me and made me

Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA).

hopeful about this world,” she commented. “I have often said to

She held several positions in the New York theater industry

anyone who would listen, that the world would be in much bet-

before joining the team at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

ter shape in the hands of the capable and compassionate leader-

nine years ago. Since then, she rose from production coordinator

ship of Mills graduates.”

to acting executive-in-charge of production and worked for mul-

A teacher for 35 years, she was challenged and nourished by

tiple seasons on the Emmy Award-winning Martha Stewart Show.

students at Mills College, San Francisco University High School,

She also has contributed to several other series in the Martha

and Oakland High School, where she retired as an assistant prin-

Stewart empire as well as managing production of primetime

cipal. She is currently enjoying life with family, friends, and her

television specials, ad campaigns, and programs such as Emeril’s

new husband, Karl, whom she originally met through a Mills

Table and the live finale of the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off.

classmate in her sophomore year.

A member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Television Arts and Sciences, and the French American Chamber

Cynthia Guevara ’04 Recent Graduate Award

of Commerce, she has run Caliativity Communications since

Echoing a common theme of the day, Guevara spoke of the

2005, a consulting practice specializing in food and lifestyle tele-

powerful connection Mills women have to one another. When

vision development, production, and management.

she arrived at Mills, she explained, a group of young students

Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of

Brencsons-Van Dyk's latest creative endeavor is raising her

“adopted” her. It was an unlikely friendship, she thought at the

19-month-old son, Joseph, a collaborative effort with her husband,

time, since she was a transfer student and a significantly older

Joel—and both Mills men were on hand to support Calia during

resumer. But the group grew to know and support each other

the reunion from the grassy perimeter of Holmgren Meadow.

as peers. When her friends finally walked across the stage to accept their diplomas, Guevara beamed with pride. They had

Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63 Outstanding Volunteer

gone through the same experiences—classes, study sessions, and

For more than half a century, Kreplin has relished the “magi-

Mom,” Guevara recalled with a laugh. “I was so proud of them.”

cal madness of Mills,” which she defines as a lifelong posses-

Guevara’s first Mills volunteer service began when she

sion of curiosity and passion for learning. It almost wasn’t so:

was still a student: in 2002, she joined the AAMC Diversity

Kreplin initially had doubts about attending a “girls’ school,”

Committee (now Alumnae of Color Committee); the AAMC was

but was encouraged to enroll by her mother, Florence, whom

so impressed with her work that she was selected to receive a

she described as a “consummate supportive parent, resilient

Pearl M in 2004.

lunches at Tea Shop—but on graduation day she felt like a “Mills

and loving role model, and force of nature.” Fittingly, Kreplin’s

In the decade since, she has served on the AAMC Board of

mother was in the audience to see her receive the Outstanding

Governors, where she diligently worked on the Nominating,

Volunteer Award.

Finance, Resource, and Educational Outreach Committees. She

Since graduation, Kreplin’s connection to the College has run

has been particularly influential on several Reunion Planning

deep and long. She was an instructor in the Spanish Department

Committees and as chair of the Alumnae of Color Committee.

from 1970 to 1974 and was married to Mills professor of biology

In these roles, she initiated the “Mills After Dark” Reunion revel

Darl Bowers for nearly 38 years. Her volunteer roles are many.

and oversaw a number of successful events. Extending her heart

Kreplin has been class agent twice and a member of the AAMC

for volunteerism well beyond Mills, she has also contributed her

Board of Governors for three terms, serving on numerous commit-

energy and efforts to the Oakland East Bay Symphony and Meals

tees and holding the office of AAMC vice president and president,

on Wheels of San Francisco.

in which role she was a member of the College Board of Trustees.

The proud mother of two and grandmother of one, Guevara

Kreplin said that her service to the community put her in touch

recently launched Cynthia Guevara & Associates, an events and

with innumerable “talented and inspiring” students, faculty, staff,

project management venture. ◆ winter 2015

15

Class photos < Reunion 2014

Class of 1964 Top row: Niki Janus, Priscilla Taylor, Pamela Bergmark Fichtner, Joan Rainey Day, Judy DuBois Bisgard, Ann Manuel Ditlefsen, Barbara Albert, Jane Robinson Shoemaker, Rebecca Marsh Shuttleworth, Alexandra Orgel Moses, Sandy Bazyouros

Third row: Helen Peterson Brainerd, Darlene Holbrook, Linda Parker Dodge, Diana Paxson, Susan Hutchens Wisdom, Sharon Smart Neuman, Karen Wiley, Margaret Kiely Harris, Jan Lackey Knadle

Fifth row: Joan Selke Sallee, Barbara Schwartz Meixner, Barbara-Sue White, Anna Mae Patterson, Mary Wallon, Linda Triegel, Martha Stewart Stobbs, Sally Matthews Buchanan, Landon Scarlett, Elizabeth Titcomb Haskell

Second row: Ellen Krosney Shockro, Patricia Ellis Severn, Patricia Collins Gabbe, Bobby Collins Ferenstein, Selma Rusch Lachman, Marilyn Van Doren Barry, Kathleen Bennion Barrett, Linda Jones Brooks, Eleanor Sims, Hannah Jopling

Fourth row: Katherine Doerr, Joyce Listerman Martin, Sallie Krusen Riester, Marilyn Train Swanson, Cathlyn White Guerra, Denise Scott Fears, Ruth Royse, Sharon Polson Harris, Alice Eberhart-Wright, Megan Dwyer George

Front row: Anne Friend Thacher, Susan Oyama, Nan Dahl Fordyce, Nancy Symmes Whitaker, Julia Dolowitz Reagan, Mura Kievman, Carolyn King Terry, Carol Lockley Grieves, Ruby Kanne Ek, Martha Fuller ClarkÂ

16â&#x20AC;&#x192;

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

1944 (At left, bottom): Marion Ross, Anne Sherwood Copenhagen

1949 Top row: Andrea Byron Earle, Dorothy Compton Kessler, Joan Gumbrecht Andrews Front row: Kathleen Hall Porter, Carol Blundell Miller, Polly Royal Langsley, Margaret Clarke Umbreit

1954 Top row: Sondra Williams, Elizabeth Wills, Aletha Waite Silcox Front row: Berniece Fredrickson Francis, Lynda Taves Ogren, Sandra Rietz Jones

1969 Top row: Kerstin Fraser Magary, Linda Kay Schultz, Kristen Anderson, Cheryl Ezell Buck, Linell McCurry, Barbara Bond Williams, Cindy Mitchell Second row: Hallie von Ammon Strock, Laurie Leinonen, Pat King Jackson, Laurie-Sue Ptak Retts, Tricia Cooper Niederauer, Nancy Brandt Arnold, Ann Condon Barbour Front row: Gretchen Garlinghouse, Lois Henry Showalter, Linda Krigel Lieberman, Marianne Mancina, Veronica Quam Martin, Berry Ponton Crowley

1974 Top row: Velma Hawkins Hawkins, Odessa Pearson Bolton, Christine Norton-Cotts, Clarice Flippin Second row: Judith James, Adrienne McMichael Foster, Catheryn Smith, Linda Barton White, Lenore Tate Front row: Cassandra Buckingham Curry, Momi Chang, Jacki Brown, Tori Collender, Sharon Long Carroll, Benita Sheffield Harris, Doris Walker-Phelps

1979 Top row: Amrit Work Kendrick, Alison Pieters, Leslie Fried Behar, Joy Kieschke, Pamela Sisney, Kristin Philp Kramer, Ai Gek Beh, Leigh Bacon, Leslie Decker Second row: Karen Sparks, Lisa Iden Monroe, Linda Wenker, Laura Vela Austin, Kellor Mohrweiss-Smith, Madeline Clark Cahill, Gail Blackmarr, LizVarnhagen Front row: Bernadette Janet, Camille Chun-Hoon, Robin Anderson, Wendy Ng, Clare LePell, Liz Engan

winter 2015

â&#x20AC;&#x192;

17

Class photos < Reunion 2014

1984 Top row: Amy Rieger, Susan Anderson, Lisa Borden, Michelle Adams DaRosa , Wendy Barrett Dwyer, Stefani Schatz, Cathy Dugan Front row: Yvette Andrews, Carol Scott, Tracey Harpole Tillion, Carole Luna Miller, Lauren Knobel

1989 Top row: Kirsten Challman, Marla Garmire Hedlund Second row: Suzanne Newman Fricke, Annie Seaton, Dana Murguia, Michelle Good Bamrah, Noelle Bruton, Debbie Self Donley Front row: Julia Myers, Susan Parish, Louisa Spier, Corinne Meadows Efram, Ramona Moritz, Pamela Day

1994 Top row: Zora Daniels, Katy McCarthy, Emily Duval Second row: Lee Bickerstaff Nespor, Hannah Treworgy Ekwere, Suzette Lalime Davidson, Krista Gulbransen Front row: Erika Young, Jen Dempster, Heather Herrera, Julie Ehrenworth Solomon, Tracy Scott Edwards

1999 Melissa Henley, Pamela Trounstine

2004 Top row: Heather Paulson Dodge, Christine Lester, Shannon Hillier Second row: Nicole Loutsenhizer, Shayna Gelender, Stefanie Moreno, Cynthia Guevara, Doreen Hinton Front row: Mary Rose Kaczorowski, Zehra Ahsan, Emma Panui, Leanne Olsgaard

2014 Monserrat Garcia, Rose Lopez

7 To purchase prints, go to www.luzography.com/clients/mills2014 18â&#x20AC;&#x192;

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

I’m leaving a legacy to make education accessible to diverse women.

Gwen discovered her core values at Mills.

As a student, I loved hearing the Campanil chime from my room in Mills Hall. I also appreciated being in an environment that supported my personal growth. I give to Mills because the College’s work aligns with my core values, including learning, friendship, and sharing. In my will, I included an unrestricted bequest of a percentage of my estate to Mills.

Just as the campus community counts on the bells of the Campanil ringing, the College can continue to count on my support.

– Gwen Jackson Foster ’67

To learn more about creating a legacy of your own at Mills

contact us toll-free at 1.877.PG.MILLS (1.877.746.4557) or planagift@mills.edu.

If you’ve recently included Mills in your estate plans, please let us know.

Including Mills in your legacy plan ensures that your values will be passed on in perpetuity. A bequest allows you flexibility: it’s up to you how much you leave, whether it’s a specific amount, a percentage, or a portion of what’s left after you’ve made bequests to loved ones. For more information, visit www.mills.edu/pg.

In Memoriam Notices of death received before September 30, 2014 To submit listings, please contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu or 510.430.2123

Alumnae Margaret Dollar Powers ’33, July 25, in Scottsdale, Arizona. A longtime resident of Fargo, North Dakota, she was 102 1/2 at the time of her death. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Powers Converse ’57, three grandchildren, and nieces Katherine Obering ’56 and Alice Pulliam ’70.

Kathryn “Kay” Heinsheimer Whiting ’36, March 26, 2013, in Chatsworth, California. She achieved the rank of sergeant while serving with the Marines during World War II, was an avid boater, and enjoyed traveling. Survivors include a daughter, and two grandsons.

Mary Beckwith Smith ’38, June 4, in Sisters, Oregon. She taught at Annie Wright Seminary in Tacoma, Washington,and was an energetic hiker, horsewoman, and vegetable gardener. In 2013, she was awarded for her 30 years of volunteer service at the Sisters Library. Survivors include her daughter and six grandchildren.

Adrienne Fisher Stenger ’39, May 25, in Portland, Oregon.

Elizabeth Agee Hancock ’40, July 25, in Long Beach, California. She was a school teacher and Girl Scout leader. She was active in Mills student recruitment and alumnae governance, and was buried in a favorite Mills t-shirt. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Hancock Hinds’67 and Kathie Hancock Gray ’71, and four grandchildren.

Frances Fohs Sohn ’40, August 8, in Roseburg, Oregon. A supporter of St. Joseph Catholic Church and St. Joseph School, where she was a volunteer librarian for 33 years, she was also a benefactor to other libraries and numerous artistic, charitable, and philanthropic endeavors. She is survived by five sons and 11 grandchildren.

Mardi Boeck Keen ’43, August 30, in Meridian, Idaho. She trained hundreds of people to lead Junior Great Books Discussion Programs in Idaho schools; served as president of the Boise Friends of the Library, Junior League Sustainers, and other organizations; and was honored as a “Distinguished Citizen” in 1978 by the Idaho Statesman. She is survived by four children and six grandchildren.

Margaret Walter Clizbe ’44, July 17, in Spokane, Washington. She volunteered with the Red Cross during World War II, as a fundraiser for LA Children’s Hospital, and with Meals on Wheels. She was also a member of the Bishop Guild at Saint John’s Cathedral and a golfer at the Spokane Country Club. She is survived by three children.

Grace Hofer Kliewer ’45, August 21, in Glendale, California. She taught piano at Mills before moving to Glendale, where she taught private voice and piano lessons through the 1970s and was associate professor of music at Glendale Community College. She is survived by two sons and two grandchildren.

Joan Campbell Callahan ’46, June 26, in Monrovia, California. She worked as a newspaper reporter, wrote humorous short creative pieces and children’s literature, and was nationally published. She was also active in PTA, Panhellenic, and the Cub Scouts and loved horse races.

She is survived by four children and five grandchildren.

Marylin Jones ’49, July 16, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was a board member for many civic and charitable groups, a founding member of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma, and received the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation Humanitarian Award. Survivors include three sons and seven grandchildren.

Marion “Muffie” Phillips Campbell ’50, August 28, in Honolulu. She served as assistant to the curator of Asian art at the Honolulu Museum of Art from 1984 to 1997. She studied Japanese language and culture, read for the blind, and attended St. Clement’s Episcopal Church.

Survivors include a son.

Charlotte Leahy D’Amico ’50, August 11, in Chico, California. She earned a master’s degree from Cal State University, Chico. Survivors include her daughter.

Patricia Mansbach Neisser ’50, in Newport Beach, California. A theater devotee, she was an early supporter of both South Coast Repertory and the Newport Harbor Art Museum. She hosted her own cable television program in the early 1970s and was a professional travel writer for 35 years. She is survived by her husband, Carl; three sons; and four grandchildren.

Sherley Mae White ’50, September 4, in Elon, North Carolina. She ran a gift shop on the Jersey Shore with her companion, Eloise Baynes; conducted fundraising for children’s camps; worked at the Elon University Library; and was a Reiki practitioner.

Elizabeth Ross Denniston ’51, June 22, in Hancock, Maine. She painted portraits and scenery and published the book, The Caregivers Guide.

She is survived by two children, three stepchildren, and seven grandchildren.

Frances Barrington Riegel ’51, May 7, in Palos Verdes Estates, California. She was a founding member of the Santa Ynez Valley Equestrian Center and regularly organized horse shows to benefit local causes. She is survived by two children and their families.

Marilyn Williams ’51, May 30, in Alpharetta, Georgia. A talented actress and singer, she earned her MS in education and was a vocational counselor for displaced women at Moraine Park Technical College. She is survived by two daughters and six grandchildren.

Joan Moore Holmes ’53, July 20, in Portland. A resident of Gresham, Oregon, for 42 years, she enjoyed golf, singing with the Claremont Choir, and was a hospice volunteer. She is survived by her husband, Jack; three children; and five grandchildren.

Eleanor Armstrong Gray ’54, July 31, in Santa Rosa, California. Living at various times in Palo Alto, Salt Lake City, and the Sonoma Valley, she was always an active volunteer in her church, hospital, and arts organizations. She served the Alumni Association of Mills College and often traveled with her Mills friends. She is survived by her husband, John; three children, including Marianne Gray Johnson ’80 and Sharon Gray Taplin ’83; and nine grandchildren.

Anne Sisson Warkomski ’54, February 6, in Litchfield Park, Arizona.

Survivors include two sons.

Betty Jo Wilson Goff ’46, August 2, 2013, in San Gabriel, California.

Sheila Flanagan Paulsen ’54, August 2, in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

She earned a master’s degree at the University of Illinois and worked as a librarian at the University of Minnesota and St. Paul Seminary. She was an avid iris gardener and member of the Ullr Ski Club. Survivors include her sister Moira Flanagan Harris ’55 and two children.

Charleen Burris Tate ’46, August 18, in Greenville, South Carolina. She was an active member of the First Christian Church, had a 22-year career as a schoolteacher, and was a charter member of Blue Grass Garden Club. She is survived by two children and two grandchildren.

Robin Hunt McCorquodale ’56, July 15, in South Carolina. A resident of Houston, Texas, she was a member of the Philosophical Society of Texas and published two novels, many short stories, and a book of poetry. Survivors include three sons and her partner, William Guest.

Mary Rink Mead ’47, August 22, in Olympia, Washington.

Nancy Franz Langert ’57, July 12, in Oakland, California. She is survived by her husband, Jules, and two children.

Jacquelyne Weitzenhoffer Branch ’48, August 13, in Dallas, Texas.

A refugee from the Nazi invasion of France, she worked at Neiman Marcus, practiced interior design for many years, and enjoyed tennis, travel, and classical music. She is survived by three children, a grandson, and two stepchildren.

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M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Laurie Keck Chamberlain ’59, July 18, in Riverside, California. She was an active hospital volunteer and hospice worker, a member of the Art Alliance in Riverside, and an avid painter. She is survived by her partner, Charles Lum; two children; and two grandchildren.

Gifts in Memory of Received June 1–August 31, 2014

Rebecca Davidson Karlson ’69 by Douglas Karlson

Frances-Ruth Armstrong ’31 by Terry Nix Cuyler ’73

C. Rodgers Kines by Diane Smith Janusch ’55

Mary “Curry” Woodin Babcock ’39 by Mary Florence LeDonne ’84, MA ’88

Mary Ann Childers Kinkead ’63 by Susan Marks Craven ’’63, Sarah Landels, Nangee Warner Morrison ’63, Patricia Yoshida Orr ’63

Nancy Van Norman Baer ’66 by Alan Baer

Jean Kwok ’54 by Virginia Ong Gee ’51, MA ’52

Timanna Bennett ’02 by Chavon Rosenthal ’08, MBA ’10, PMC ’12

Christine LaFia by Lisa Pena ’97, Tiffany Renee ’97

Darl Bowers, P ’84, by Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63, P ’84, Patricia Yoshida Orr ’63

Carmela Landes ’82 by Mary Schratter Hale ’82

Marjorie Brenn, P ’75 by Nancy Lembke Brenn ’75

Sandra Cowan Long ’61 by Judith Lamont Parent-Smith ’61

Terry Foskett Camacho ’61 by Ann Gordon Bigler ’61

Anne Wilbor Lunghino ’48 by Madeleine Ebbesen Davis ’46

Margarita Campbell, P ’70, by Nancy Meyer Neal ’70

MaryAnn “Hunter” MacEachern ’71 by Rosalie Calhoun ’71

Carol Barkstrom Carney ’53 by Cheryl Lekas

Frederick March, P ’05, by Jennifer Soloway, MFA ’05

Earl “Budd” Cheit by Joan Lewis Danforth ’53

Vivian Marshall by Toni Marshall Adams-Robinson ’68

Willa Wolcott Condon ’32 by Ann Condon Barbour ’69

Nancy Sears Montgomery ’67 by Alta Ronchetto Mowbray ’67

Kerry Datel ’73 by Emily Blanck ’73, P ’08

Paula Morgan ’57 by Patricia Peregrine Muller ’57

Anna May Leong Duncan ’43 by Jane Cudlip King ’42, P ’80, Yvonne Dechant Lorvan ’78, Laurence Weber, Betty Chu Wo ’46

Arthur and Dorotha Myers, P ’61, by Dorotha Myers Bradley ’61

George Thomas Elliott by Jane Cudlip King ’42, P ’80

Helen Pillans by Veronica Quam Martin ’69

Sally Kettering Etterbeek ’63 by Barbara Goldblatt Becker ’63, Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63, P ’84, Patricia Yoshida Orr ’63, Bette Krause Spagel ’63

Charles Larsen by Mura Kievman ’64

Winsome Nembhard, P ’90, by Lois Nembhard ’90 Elizabeth Pope by her nephew, Christopher Pope Denise Williams Robinson ’73 by Cheryl Daniels ’73

Joy Waltke Fisher ’55 by Diane Smith Janusch ’55

Joseph Rorke, P ’70, by Shawn Rorke-Davis ’70

Kristen Johnson Fluhrer ’69 by Maren Anderson Culter ’69

C. Rothwell, P ’67, by Isik Turan Ayberk ’64

Eleanor Armstrong Gray ’54, P ’80, P ’83 by Mary Atwater, Anne Howard Stolz Family and James Howard Family, Hunsucker Goodstein PC, Delores Huyler, Lynda Taves Ogren ’54, Katie Brown Sanborn ’83

Virginia Sevey by Kellor Mohrweiss Baker Smith ’79

Elizabeth Agee Hancock ’40 by Anita Unikel ’72 George Hedley by Mura Kievman ’64

Donald Spagel by Barbara Goldblatt Becker ’63, Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63, P ’84, Patricia Yoshida Orr ’63

Helen and George Hedley by Mura Kievman ’64

Genevieve Harlan Vickery ’79 by Alicia Bacon Fishel ’79

F. Warren Hellman by Terry Hinkle Fairman ’68

Charles Warren, P ’94, by Marielle Warren ’94

Anne Sherrill by Cynthia McLaughlin ’74 Elizabeth Smith by Beth Frederick Allen ’59

p=parent; For information about making a tribute gift, contact 510.430.2097 or donors@mills.edu.

Gail Howland Roach ’61, June 7, in Vacaville, California. A longtime resident of El Cerrito and an accomplished viola player, she worked at Bank of America and at Ticor Title Company. She is survived by three children and six grandchildren.

Jack Mays, MA ’62, July 18, in Ferndale, California. He was recognized for his bronze sculptures and intricate colored pencil drawings of Ferndale street scenes and inaugurated Ferndale’s annual kinetic sculpture race 45 years ago. He is survived by his wife, Donna; four children; and six grandchildren.

Phyllis Nelson Amata ’64, June 22, in Flagstaff, Arizona. She worked as a psychotherapist, English teacher, librarian, factory worker, school bus driver, and writer and poet. She devoted herself later in life to painting and music. She is survived by her daughter and by her sister, Elaine Nelson Moss ’61.

Patricia Holstein Ross ’72, in March, in New York. Survivors include her husband, Richard.

Wendy Lee Ullman ’73, August 12, in San Francisco. She was a diabetes educator, therapist, and disabled students counselor at College of Marin. She is survived by a son.

Elizabeth Holzman ’75, August 11, in Portland, Oregon. She worked as an animator, character designer, storyboard artist, writer, director, and producer in the animation industry, winning three Emmys for her work on Pinky and the Brain and Animaniacs. She spent the last decade

teaching, painting, writing, playing music, and doing freelance film and design work. She is survived by a son and a brother.

Rachel Dutton ’84, July 11, in Camino, California. Survivors include her husband, Robert Olds.

Suzanne Corson ’95, July 31, in San Leandro, California.

Spouses and Family Edward H. Collender, father of Tori Collender ’74, June 21, in San Marino, California.

Margarita Campbell, mother of Cristina Campbell ’70, July 9, in Menlo Park, California.

Gerhard Umbreit, husband of Margaret Clarke Umbreit ’49, February 14, in Prescott, Arizona.

Friends Earl F. “Budd” Cheit, August 2, in Kensington, California. Dean emeritus of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, he was founding chairman of Cal Performances, associate director of the Carnegie Council on Higher Education, and a trustee of Mills College.

He is survived by his wife, June; four children; and three grandchildren.

winter 2015

27

top 10 things we love about reunion  greeting old friends…

The “Sisters of the ’70s” gather before Convocation.

…and meeting today’s students  Current dance students fielded questions during an open rehearsal.

getting up close with art

The Class of ’64 art exhibition finds an appreciative audience.

invigorating conversations  Students and alumnae join in a lively discussion about Sonia Sotomayor’s autobiography.

revisiting old haunts…

Olney suitemates Dorothy Compton Kessler ’49 and Margaret Clarke Umbreit ’49.

…and discovering new ones 

Alumnae learn about native plant restoration on the banks of Leona Creek.

helpful husbands

Bill Reagan and Ron Fichtner amuse themselves while their better halves are otherwise occupied.

golf carts!  Julia Dolowitz Reagan ’64 enjoys a chauffeured ride.

learning mills history

Jane Cudlip King ’4 2 leads Jane’s Stroll, a Reunion tradition in its own right.

…and ensuring the future of the college 

Reunioning classes raised well over a million dollars to support Mills.

Photos by Dana Davis and Teresa Tam

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M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Nominate the next alumna trustee Make your voice heard on the Mills College Board of Trustees and the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Board of Governors. All alumnae are invited to nominate themselves or other alumnae as candidates for the position of alumna trustee for the 2015–2018 term.

Alumnae trustees serve a three-year term both on the Board of Governors of the AAMC and the College’s Board of Trustees and are expected to participate on committees on both boards. Interested candidates will find additional information on the responsibilities of the position and how to apply on the “Leadership” section of the AAMC website, aamc.mills.edu.

Submissions are due January 7, 2015

Submissions are due January 7, 2015, to AAMC Nominating Committee Chair Marina Simenstad ’68, MA ’11, marinaksi@gmail.com, or AAMC, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613.

Alumnae travel 2015 St. Petersburg July 19–27, 2015 With its jewel-like cathedrals and stunning museums, St. Petersburg is a masterpiece of design and ingenuity that rivals the great capitals of Europe.

Canadian Rockies July 23–29, 2015 Revel in the opulence, history, and graceful hospitality of the resorts at Lake Louise, Jasper, and Banff. Highlights include a gondola ride up beautiful Sulphur Mountain and a cruise on pristine Maligne Lake.

China and the Yangtze River September 2–16, 2015 The famous Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City are just a few of the wonders you’ll discover in this fascinating nation. Marvel at the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi’an and cruise the Yangtze River.

Southwest Parks Sept. 25–October 5, 2015 See the breathtaking Grand Canyon and Arches National Park, explore Lake Powell and Monument Valley, and get to know the culture and traditions of the Navajo people.

See the AAMC travel website at aamc.mills.edu for full itineraries of these and other upcoming trips. For reservations or additional information, call the Alumnae Association of Mills College at 510.430.2110 or email aamc@mills.edu.

Photos, top: Monument Valley, Banff National Park, Arches National Park; bottom left: Monument Valley

Mills Quarterly Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd.

Oakland, CA 94613-1301 510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu Address service requested Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, CA, and at additional mailing office(s)

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