Mills Quarterly, Winter 2017

R AT I N G T H E VA L U E O F C O L L E G E  R E U N I O N C L A S S P H O T O S  A L U M N A E O F C O L O R C E L E B R AT E

Mills Quarterly Winter 2017

As a student, Mills was my home for years: it was a place of growth, challenge, change, and community. I know that funding my education would not have been possible without the generosity of alumnae who came before me. I give to the annual fund to help future generations of students, all of whom will make Mills better.

Aisha Gonzalez ’13

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 life long 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, visiting alumnae.mills.edu/give, or returning the enclosed envelope.

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Mills Quarterly

CONTENTS 4

Winter 2017 Missing measures by Dawn Cunningham ’85 College rating systems once evaluated academic standing and selectivity alone.

Now, graduates’ salaries are a major factor in ranking schemes. Should other outcomes be considered in determining a school’s value?

8 Reaching higher ground by Sarah J. Stevenson, MFA ’04 Resilience and resourcefulness buoyed senior Melissa Berkay through a period of homelessness to become a top scholar—and to set an open-ocean swim record.

10 Why the world needs Mills by Beth Hillman On the event of her inauguration, the 14th president of Mills College reflects on the adaptability that has marked the College throughout its history and observes how Mills graduates make positive change in society.

13 Reunion recognitions The 2016 alumnae award winners, honored at Reunion in September, combine outstanding service to the College with extraordinary personal achievement.

Plus: Reunion class photos.

24 Singing the praises of multicultural Mills For 25 years, the Alumnae of Color Committee has built sisterhood and solidarity among Mills graduates, students, and faculty.

Departments 2

Mills Matters

14 Class Notes 23 In Memoriam

On the cover: These faces of Mills were among the many who enjoyed friends and fun at Reunion this year. Photos by Allisun Novak and Teresa Tam. At right: Alumnae of Color Committee co-chairs Myila Granberry ’05 and Toni McElroy ’83, MA ’05, EDD ’13, were joined by past chairs Peggy Woodruff ’58, Sharon Tatai, ’80, and Estrellita Hudson Redus ’65, MA ’75, at the AoCC 25th anniversary event. Past chairs Diane Chinn ’85, Sheryl Wooldridge ’77, Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63, and Cynthia Guevara ’04 were also recognized during the celebration.

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Mills Matters Budget & fundraising highlights 2015–16

Recent graduates join Mills trustees

Annual budget

$81.3 million

Tess Filbeck Bates ’15, MBA ’16, has

$171.0 million

been named recent graduate trustee.

Endowment value (June 30, 2016)

As a student, she was class historian

Giving to Mills (2015–16)

$11.1 million

and a member of the Student Athlete

Trustee gifts

$1.2 million

Advisory Committee and Peer Health

Alumnae gifts

$2.0 million

Exchange. The Livermore resident

Gifts from parents, friends, and others

$0.6 million

Foundation and corporate gifts

$3.8 million

Estate gifts

$3.5 million

Mills College Annual Fund gifts (includes gifts from several categories above)

$5.8 million

To graduate students

Light Studios and area manager for Amazon.

Simon Pyle, MFA ’13, received his undergraduate degree in urban studies and studio art from Stanford University in 2006. He is a working artist whose

Financial aid provided (2016–17) To undergraduates

works as a senior producer with Direct

volunteer experience includes secretary

$19.7 million

to the board at Pumping Station: One, a

$5.1 million

non-profit hackerspace/makerspace, and tax preparer for the Center for Economic Progress. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Calendar Volume CV Number 2  Winter 2017 President: Elizabeth L. Hillman 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: Dawn Cunningham ’85, Sarah J. Stevenson, MFA ’04 Editorial Assistance: 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 © 2016, 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.

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M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Mills Music Now Concerts January 21  Kyle Bruckman and composers from the Center for Contemporary Music February 4  Janet Schmalfeldt plays Domenico Scarlatti. The pianist/scholar presents a lecture on Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas Friday, February 3, at 7:30 pm.

March 9–12  Signal Flow Festival the annual festival of work by Mills graduate students (March 9–11 at 8:00 pm, March 12 at 4 pm).

April 1  X-Sound Festival showcasing the work of Mills undergraduates.

April 15  Lou Harrison Centenary Concert with music by Harrison, Henry Cowell, and a newly commissioned work

by Stephen Parris.

All events start at 8:00 pm in the Littlefield Concert Hall (unless otherwise noted). $15 general, $10 alumnae, seniors, and non-Mills students. See musicnow.mills. edu or contact Steed Cowart at 510.430.2334 or steed@mills.edu.

Campus kudos A selection of recent achievements by faculty, staff, and students Professor of English Diane Cady received the Siekhaus Faculty Achievement Award in recognition of excellence in teaching and support of a diverse student population. She also received a summer research fellowship at the Gladstone Library in Chester, Wales, where she conducted research on the Franciscan monk John Plano di Carpini, one of the first Western

Diane Cady, Julie Chen, Rebekah Edwards

Europeans to meet Ghengis Khan. ballet’s codes of masculinity, appeared

world. His article, “Values or Virtues,

adjunct professor of English, have been

in the monograph Network of Pointes

Nietzsche or Aristotle?,” appeared in

nominated for 2016 Pushcart Prizes. She

published by the Society of Dance

the spring 2016 issue of the journal

has fiction recently published or forth-

History Scholars this past summer.

Telos.

Two stories by Kim Magowan,

Jay Gupta, associate professor of phi-

coming in a dozen journals, including

Professor of Book Arts Kathleen

Arroyo Literary Review, Atticus Review,

losophy, organized Ethics, Politics, and

Walkup received a Quigley summer

Bird’s Thumb, and Squalorly.

the Critique of Modernity, a conference

grant to research the Cuala Press, an

“Wry Subversion,” an essay by

at the Telos Paul Piccone Institute in

Irish private press set up in 1908 by

Assistant Professor of Dance Ann

New York City, which attracted schol-

Elizabeth Yeats. She conducted her

Murphy on Mark Morris’ rewriting of

ars and researchers from all over the

research at Trinity College, Dublin; the National Library of Ireland; and Boston College; and she delivered papers on this subject at the American

Kirill Medvedev

Contemporary Writers Series March 7  Kirill Medvedev Medvedev has been called “the most exciting phenomenon in Russian poetry at the beginning of the new century.” Whether opposing state oppression and cultural bureaucracy or protesting outside a Pussy Riot trial, his work is fearless, loud, and incantatory.

March 28  Farid Matuk The prizewinning poet, translator, and editor— born to a Syrian mother and a Peruvian father— is the author of This Isa Nice Neighborhood, My Daughter La Chola, Farid Matuk and numerous essays.

He serves as poetry editor for Fence and teaches creative writing at the University of Arizona.

All events are at 5:30 pm, Mills Hall Living Room, free. For program details and speaker bios, see http://www.mills.edu/ english; for more information, contact 510.430.2204 or grad_eng@mills.edu.

Conference of Irish Studies and at the annual conference of the American Printing History Association. She also presented at the biennial conference of College Book Art Association.

Reading the Object: Three Decades of Books by Julie Chen catalogs the work of Professor of Book Art Julie Chen, MA ’89. The book, designed

by Chen herself, includes essays by Kathleen Walkup and Sandra Kroupa, rare books curator at the University of Washington.

Rebekah Edwards, adjunct professor of English, published “ ‘This is Not a Girl’: Trans* Archival Reading” in Transgender Studies Quarterly. She also

Center for Socially Responsible Business

received a National Endowment for

March 10  Confronting the Equity Gap: What’s Working and What’s Next?

CSRB’s ninth annual conference presents speakers, panelists, and workshops that focus on what actions have already been taken to confront disparities in educational and economic opportunity, while sharing exemplary practices and policies and looking at ways to build on success.

the Humanities fellowship to attend

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

UCLA last fall.

Accessible Futures, a two-day intensive training of accessibility strategies for digital pedagogies and digital media at

WINTER 2017

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MISSING MEASURES What’s the most important “return on investment” for a college degree?

BY DAWN CUNNINGHAM ’85 IF YOU KEEP AN EYE ON THE NATIONAL REPUTATION

get in return,” says Linda Cohen Turner ’68, a Mills trustee who

of Mills or any other college—perhaps because you’re curious

counsels high school students on selecting a college through

about the value your alma mater’s name adds to your resume,

her company, The College Choice. “The economic downturn

or because you have a college-bound child—you know that

eight years ago—coupled with news about college grads hav-

the college rankings game has been

ing a hard time finding good jobs—had

dominated for decades by one pub-

a lasting effect on their decision-mak-

lication: U.S. News & World Report.

Each September, U.S. News publishes its “Best Colleges” rankings, in which institutions are scored on such measures as academic reputation, class

US News & World Report ranks Mills as the

#1 “Best Value” school in the West

ing. Parents, especially, want college to prepare their kids for well-paying careers.”

A

college

education

can

boost

earning power substantially. The US

size, selectivity, and alumni giving.

Department of Education reports: “On

Mills invariably places near the top of

average, college graduates earn $1 mil-

its category in the Western region.

lion more over their lifetimes than high

But in recent years, the U.S. News

school graduates.” But there’s a great

methodology has drawn criticism for

deal of variation in the cost of tuition

failing to look beyond admission and

and in graduates’ earnings, leading to

campus statistics and factor in the

demand for rankings that account for

outcomes of a college education. Its

return on investment (ROI).

rankings don’t reflect, for instance, whether a college’s graduates earn good salaries, repay their student loans on time, or move up the economic ladder. They also don’t consider more qualitative effects, such as whether alumni make a positive

The Princeton Review rates Mills

one of the top green colleges for environmental policies and practices

Since the 2008 recession, several new scoring systems have arisen that give considerable weight to alumni incomes.

Payscale’s

Among “College

the

first

Salary

were

Report”

and “College ROI Report.” The latter ranks colleges based on the difference

impact on society or find satisfaction

between the 20-year median earnings

in their work.

of the college’s bachelor-degree gradu-

“College is an enormous cost, and

ates and the 24-year median earn-

families want to know what they will

ings of high school graduates, minus

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M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Meaning over money

the total cost of the college degree.

(PayScale’s earnings data come from its

Saleha Ahmed ’16 welcomes the

national survey of US workers; the sur-

increased focus on alumni incomes.

vey’s data set on Mills graduates, how-

“Financial success and security are

ever, is too small for Mills to appear in

big concerns for me and other mil-

the ROI report.)

lennials. We face immense amounts

In September 2015, the Department of

Education

unveiled

its

College

Scorecard website, describing it as “the most comprehensive, reliable data ever published on student outcomes.” The Scorecard does not offer rankings, but

of debt,” she says. “My priority right

Niche.com includes Mills on its list of

now has to be making enough

20 Best Women’s Colleges

economics and international rela-

for her family’s food business while

and other federal data systems to show

seeking a job in financial analysis.

how a college performs on a number of

Yet she also sees the limitations

measures compared to national averearnings of alumni who received federal financial aid as students and the percentage who are paying down their federal student loans; Mills scores

The Princeton Review gives Mills high marks for being a

LGBTQ-friendly campus

above average on both measures.

shouldn’t be the only way to measure what makes Mills valuable.

You need to look at the impact Mills graduates are making in the world.”

ences and outcomes show, she says,

among the colleges it deems worth the

that “our students’ goals are to have

investment. Forbes says of its method-

a meaningful life and to help oth-

ology: “We’re not interested in what

ers.” This holds true even among

gets a student into college.... Our sights

Institution, and Niche (a website that rates schools) have also

ratings:

assess students’ educational experi-

Scorecard and PayScale. Mills is listed

Times Higher Education, Georgetown University, the Brookings

earnings-based

the College, agrees. Her surveys to

in part on earnings data from both the

lege?” The Economist, Washington Monthly, Wall Street Journal/

such

“Quantitative metrics like income

director of institutional research at

lished in July by Forbes, bases rankings

are set directly on ROI: What are students getting out of col-

of

Alice Knudsen, MA ’05, EdD ’07,

“America’s Top Colleges 2016,” pub-

published rankings that incorporate Scorecard data.

tions major, Ahmed is managing investor relations and marketing

instead draws data from IRS records

ages. For example, it reports the median

money to pay off student loans.” An

MBA students. Ilana Golin, who has been involved in admission strategy and career development at Mills’ Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy, says: “We ask new students to write down their personal definition of success. Few mention money. Most talk about impact or career fulfillment.”

Knudsen adds, “Many Mills alumnae work for nonprofit

“Quantitative metrics like income shouldn’t be the only way to measure what makes Mills valuable.

You need to look at the impact Mills graduates are making in the world.”

—Saleha Ahmed ‘16

organizations or schools that don’t pay as well as corporations.

Others work in creative fields where careers take a while to come to fruition. If your concept of ROI is based solely on salary, you’ll miss what Mills is all about.”

In September, a National Public Radio report on college rankings observed, “The earnings method is inherently biased against colleges that educate a lot of future teachers, social workers, and artists, while favoring tech- and engineeringheavy schools.” In fact, about half of the top 25 colleges in PayScale’s ROI report are known primarily for such programs.

Students’ earning potential often has more to do with the majors they choose than with the school they attend.

The earnings method is also biased against women’s colleges.

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As a group, graduates of women’s colleges tend to have lower

ings, retention, and other data from the College Scorecard to

median earnings than coed school graduates (which include

highlight the schools that have been most successful in pro-

substantial numbers of men), because women tend to be paid

viding students with social mobility.

less than men for equal work and are more likely to take time

Mills is one of 13 private colleges cited as exemplary in this

off from full-time employment to care for children. In October,

effort. Notably, four other women’s colleges also appear on this

New York Times writer James Stewart pointed out how much

list: Agnes Scott, Converse, Salem, and Spelman. These colleges

earnings-based rankings hurt women’s colleges with this stark

enroll a high percentage of students who receive Pell Grants,

example: “U.S. News ranks Wellesley College, Hillary Clinton’s

federal financial aid for low-income students; at Mills, Pell

alma mater, No. 3 among national liberal arts colleges. It falls

Grant recipients make up 50 percent of undergraduate students.

to No. 30 on The Wall Street Journal’s rankings, and to No. 201

Pell Grant recipients at these colleges defy the odds, making it

on PayScale.”

through to graduation at the same rate as other students. As

PayScale’s research, furthermore, shows that college gradu-

alumnae, they see their degrees pay off with a strong ROI.

ates who came from low-income households as students earn

“All of us in higher education should be part of a problem-

less, on average, than other alumni. Yet its rankings don’t adjust

solving process to ensure that low-income, underrepresented,

for this fact, so colleges with a large proportion of low-income

and first-generation students can avail themselves of post-

students are likely to score lower than those with wealthier

secondary opportunities,” says Mills Trustee Judith James ’74.

students. Low-income students also are more likely to drop

Her own story attests to the value of college as a gateway to

out—often because they lack the financial resources to stay in

social mobility. She first came to Mills during high school with

school—so the same colleges may also be demoted in U.S. News

Upward Bound, a college-prep program for students from low-

and other rankings that factor in student retention rates.

income families and those whose parents don’t hold college degrees. James met both criteria. After high school, she entered

Low-income, high performing

Mills with a full scholarship.

Although colleges that do a good job of educating low-

She had a rough start. “I came with the fear that I would

income students are seldom recognized in the rankings, the

not be able to perform at the level of Caucasian women from

Department of Education wants to encourage more colleges

wealthy families,” recalls James, who is black. In addition, she

to enroll and graduate such students. In March, it released

was her mother’s defender against an abusive husband. “During

“Fulfilling the Promise, Serving the Need: Advancing College

my freshman year, I was at Mills but not totally emotionally

Opportunity for Low-Income Students,” a report that uses earn-

present. Who would protect my mother while I was in class?”

WHO CHOOSES MILLS?

The 2016–17 Mills student body has

1,345 students representing 43 states and 14 countries

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M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Undergraduates ......................................... 821 First-year students........................................169 Transfer students............................................. 96 Resumers.............................................................14% First-generation............................................ 36% Students of color...........................................54% Living on campus........................................60% Full-time tuition....................................$44,322 Average award.....................................$42,096 Graduate students..................................... 524 Women.................................................................79% Men.......................................................................... 21% Students of color...........................................47% Full-time tuition from ..................... $32,504

92% of undergraduates and

88% of graduate students receive financial aid

which indicate a level of fulfillment that you don’t get at when

“A college education should give you the mindset to be nimble and flexible and adapt to enormous change, to develop new skills for careers that don’t exist today.”

–Linda Cohen Turner ‘68

you only talk about salary.”

Mills graduates report high marks in these categories. For instance, 77 percent of undergraduate alumnae are satisfied or very satisfied with their careers, 85 percent say Mills prepared them well for the job market, and 97 percent say Mills prepared them well for further education.

Purdue University, in partnership with Gallup, has also surveyed graduates about life satisfaction and found strong correlations to the quality of learning experiences in college.

“If you are a graduate who was emotionally supported during college, it more than doubles your odds of being engaged in work and triples your odds of thriving,” says Brandon Busteed

After her mother finally left her husband, she and James shared

of Gallup.

an apartment off campus, which allowed James to concentrate

At Mills’ Lokey School, Golin says: “The educational expe-

on her studies. Meanwhile, she found encouragement from

rience is tremendously important. Do you actually learn the

people on campus, especially from her “zipper” (an upperclass

material? Do you feel like a member of a community? Such

peer-mentor), Micheline Beam ’72, and student support ser-

matters haven’t been part of the rankings conversation.” Yet

vices. “Eventually I got the wind beneath my wings, and I was

these are questions that Mills and other colleges study in detail,

soaring. I felt like I had an equal chance,” she says. She gradu-

both because the organizations that accredit them demand it

ated a semester early and went on to earn master’s and doctoral

and because such assessment provides data that schools use to

degrees in education administration.

improve the curriculum and student life.

James has dedicated her career to making higher education available to underrepresented, first-generation students and

A circuitous tale

those from low-income backgrounds—many of whom face the

Sometimes a college’s success with student learning and career

same obstacles to success that she did. Among other roles, she’s

outcomes can be demonstrated more powerfully with personal

been a vice chancellor for student services at a community col-

stories, like that of Judith James, than with quantitative data.

lege, executive director of a county board of education, and

Turner says: “When clients ask me how I got to do what I’m

a consultant to the Department of Education. These positions

doing, I tell my circuitous story. I moved from one kind of

enabled her to improve life opportunities for thousands of stu-

opportunity to another, gathering skills and knowledge and

dents—but her earnings haven’t always reflected the scale of

translating them into the next situation. I ended up doing work

her impact.

that I didn’t know existed when I was in college. I explain that

“When looking at college outcomes, the focus should also

a college education should give you the mindset to be nimble

be on what alumnae do with their degrees, not disproportion-

and flexible and adapt to enormous change, to develop new

ately on the salaries they make,” says James. “It should be on

skills for careers that don’t exist today. To know whether a par-

whether underrepresented students are prepared for careers

ticular college can provide this, you need to look at how the

that give them the opportunity to contribute to society.”

college’s graduates have adapted to change over the long term.

The happiness quotient

Mills alumnae can all tell stories about this. They can say, ‘Yes, I’ve done all these things.’”

Mills Trustee Turner agrees: “It’s important for schools like

Ahmed recalls how alumnae stories impressed her when she

Mills that serve a very diverse population to demonstrate that

worked as a student caller for Mills’ telephone outreach pro-

the outcomes for our students are not only their incomes, but

gram. “Alumnae would tell me how they got to where they are,”

the ability to change their lives, to feel fulfilled, to contribute

she says. “They’d talk about how important Mills was to them

to the community.”

and how they used their education in their career fields. This

Leah Ozeroff works with Knudsen in Mills’ Office of

really motivated me to make the most of my time in college.”

Institutional Research to gather data demonstrating these out-

She did so, and now tells her own story about what she got out

comes. “We survey alumnae on typical measures, like salaries,”

of Mills: “I studied abroad at Oxford University for a year and

she says. “But we also ask how well their education prepared

I served as vice president of my class for two years,” she says.

them for a career or a graduate program. We ask about job sat-

“I gained leadership and interviewing skills and the ability to

isfaction, a measure that’s severely lacking in most of the rank-

clearly present an argument. My whole college experience was

ings. And we ask about leadership awards and volunteer work,

transformative.” ◆

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Reaching higher ground Even when she was living on the street, this star student athlete never lost sight of her goals—or her sense of self-worth

W

Melissa Berkay

By Sarah J. Stevenson, MFA ’04

In 2009, she was headed for a promising college athletic career on the East Coast. Her stellar high school swim performance in San Diego had earned her a scholarship to Rider University in New Jersey, an NCAA Division I school. But she soon was strug-

When Melissa Berkay’s hand touched solid ground after nearly

gling to stay afloat: when Berkay came out as queer, she was

13 hours in the open ocean last August, she set a world record

shocked by a hostile response from friends and family. A series

with her marathon swim across the Catalina Channel. What’s

of other troubling personal events followed until, ultimately, it

even more remarkable is that, just a few years earlier, the Mills

was unfeasible for her to continue at Rider.

junior was adrift—camped out behind a San Diego area thrift store, homeless and living in poverty.

It was a difficult time, but the inner strength, resilience, and

“I left school because I had a breakdown and needed time to recover,” she says frankly. “I also needed time to transition into being comfortable with my identity.”

resourcefulness she relied on during those harrowing months

She and her new partner moved to upstate New York and

are the same traits that enabled her to complete a swim most

then to Michigan, where she juggled multiple jobs, including a

people would consider impossible.

sales position that didn’t meet her career goals or her ethical

She had a greater goal, too: she was swimming for a cause.

principles. It was not the life Berkay wanted to be living. So, two

Berkay, an athletic, sun-streaked blonde with a ready smile,

years after leaving for college, she set a new goal to return to

raised well over $4,000 from donors to benefit God’s Extended

San Diego with her partner and their dog, find new jobs, and

Hand Mission, Plymouth Congregational Church, and Rachel’s

reestablish their lives.

Women’s Center in San Diego, as well as Jazzie’s Place in San

But their return didn’t go as anticipated: Berkay’s parents

Francisco, the nation’s first emergency shelter for LGBTQ

were unable to provide housing. Most of her high school

adults. All four organizations help people who are suffering

friends had moved away, and those who remained were

poverty and homelessness.

uncomfortable with her same-sex relationship. The couple

Berkay herself once needed that kind of help.

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M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

couldn’t find an apartment or shelter that would accept their PHOTOS BY DOUG OAK LE Y

dog—a pit bull type. Suddenly, they had no place to stay, no

the Catalina Channel in southern California using only the

safety net, and few resources. But, Berkay says, “We wanted to

butterfly stroke. Inspired by a conversation with International

stick together as a family.”

Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductee Anne Cleveland,

That was the beginning of an eight-month period of living

whom she met during a summer internship at Swimming World

homeless behind a thrift store. The store manager had agreed to

magazine, Berkay felt this was a challenge where she herself

let the couple—and their dog—stay in the back parking lot. Over

could set the terms, instead of life dictating them.

time, they built a small community, sharing food and supplies

Her goal was straightforward. “I wanted to make it to the other side,” she says—adding with a laugh: “I didn’t want to

with two other couples.

Without a computer or permanent address, Berkay needed to be resourceful. “I would just physically go in to places and

breathe in fumes from my guide boat. I didn’t want to get stung by jellyfish.”

hand in my resume,” she says. She worked as much as possible

To prepare for the marathon swim, she trained 20 hours a week,

to make do, and continued to expand her support network,

including non-stop open water swims for as long as 10 hours,

enlisting the knowledge of food bank workers, church repre-

often in the dark. Her actual swim, which began at midnight

sentatives, and other service providers to help her find clothing

on August 11, lasted 12 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds—two

and other assistance. She framed her situation positively—as a

hours ahead of Canadian swimmer Vicki Keith’s 1989 record.

tough transition period rather than a reason to give up—and maintained her belief in honesty and her own worth.

“Being homeless can be uncomfortable, but I knew I was the same person; I was still smart, I was still capable,” she says.

Her record-breaking accomplishment was “unexpected,” Berkay says. Not only was she battling waves, darkness, nausea, and exhaustion, she had to push aside the doubts and trepidation expressed by friends and family.

“The hardest thing was dealing with the way people would

Now, having met—and exceeded—her athletic and fundrais-

treat me on a daily basis. Employers would conduct interviews

ing goals last summer, she’s already looking forward to her

and, once learning I didn’t have a home address, not hire me.

end-of-semester piano recital (a Mendelssohn piece), next

Passersby would ignore me.”

year’s swim season, and the opportunity to continue making a

Still, she knew it could be worse. “My father’s from Turkey

tangible impact, both on and off campus.

and my mother’s from Chile; my knowledge of those countries

Her time at Mills, she says, has helped her put her passions

helped me remember that, as American citizens, we have many

into action, empowering her to be more vocal about the changes

more resources than other people across the world.” And she

she wants to see in the world. She came to realize that she could

credits her athletic discipline as one factor that helped her

use her swimming to help fight for social justice on behalf of

persevere. “My swim coaches had really pushed me beyond my limits,” she says.

Ultimately, back on her feet with a fulltime job, Berkay determined that she wanted to return to competitive swimming—and to college. She came to Mills.

“Mills swimmers had the highest GPA of all NCAA programs in the country, so that was very attractive,” she says. Excelling both in the classroom and in the pool, she contributes seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm to writing for the cam-

“Being homeless can be uncomfortable, but I knew I was the same person; I was still smart, I was still capable.”

pus newspaper, El Campanil; leading student orientation activities; and founding a Mills chapter of

those who don’t have the resources to fight for themselves, and

the National Society for Leadership and Success, which helps

use that opportunity to give back to the organizations that had

students set and achieve their personal, academic, and profes-

helped her.

sional goals. Last year, she qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships and was named to the Scholar AllAmerican Team.

“I hope to do more than just fundraise when I graduate. Who knows what kind of opportunity will come then?”

Being part of a close-knit campus community has also helped

“The first time I met Melissa, I was struck by her joyfulness

her accept herself for who she is after her long years of strug-

and resilience,” says Themy Adachi, director of athletics, physi-

gling to maintain faith in herself, particularly in the face of

cal education, and recreation. “I have never seen anyone more

disapproval from those she cares about most.

inspiring and committed to her goals and causes. She doesn’t worry about failure; she just goes for it.”

Berkay decided to “go for it” again when she decided to cross

“I’ve learned to take other peoples’ opinions with a grain of salt,” Berkay says. “At the end of the day, I am faced with my own goals and whether I achieved them.” ◆ WINTER 2017

9

Why the world 5 needs Mills The world needs Mills because Mills has evolved, adapting to the changing world around us.

There have been many iterations of Mills College. We’ve adapted to meet the demands of each moment in our history. Far from being a constant, Mills has been a variable.

Mills has literally turned things around more than once. Lisser Hall, built as a Greek Revival building, was converted to Spanish colonial style by architect Walter Ratcliff and reversed—so it now faces the opposite direction from its original design, which was oriented toward Wetmore Gate, the College’s primary entrance at the time.

Other Mills buildings have also been inverted: The Vera M. Long Building for the Social Sciences used to face not toward the center of our current campus, but backward, evident in the gorgeous, tiled entrance that is now a little-traveled back door.

The Mills College Art Museum was also turned around because of our changing cityscape and campus, as the Oakland streetcar that once dropped patrons at the door stopped running and our campus grew behind the former back of the museum.

Growth as well as turnarounds have characterized Mills, which at its start awarded

only a handful of high school—not college—diplomas each year. Over the past 12

months alone, more than 500 students earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Mills. In 1852, when the seminary that became Mills was first established, there were fewer than 93,000 Californians, perhaps 1,500 of whom lived in Oakland—a far cry from the thriving, complicated state of 39 million and city of 400,000 that surrounds us today.

When Mills Seminary was officially incorporated as Mills College in 1885, we reported, among other assets: 4,000 volumes in the library, 22 pianos, three of them grand, 400 framed pictures and 600 unframed pictures, and five horses and 10 cows.

Today, we have more than 262,000 volumes in our library; 54 pianos, 23 of them

Alumnae, faculty, students, and friends of the College, including representatives from 34 other universities, gathered for Convocation on September 23 to witness the inauguration of Beth Hillman, above, as the 14th president of Mills College.

This article is adapted from her address that day.

grand; a collection of more than 11,000 works of art; and no horses and no cows.

Mills’ people have changed just as dramatically as its materiel. No students of color—that is, no African American, American Indian, Asian, Latinx, Native Alaskan or Pacific Islander, or bi- or multi-racial students—that we know of graduated from Mills until 1900; no African American or black student graduated from Mills until 1947.

Today, more than half our students are persons of color, our faculty nearly onethird. In terms of racial and ethnic diversity, Mills today looks a lot like California.

We fit right into a state and region that have led the way in recognizing civil rights and human dignity by being a place where our students—nearly half of whom identify as LGBTQ or other when asked about their sexual orientation and gender identity—can be, and find, themselves.

It’s not only the color and number of Mills students that have changed. It’s also their ways of life. In 1885, Mills’ summer vacation was only nine weeks long, just enough “to allow all the pupils to return to their homes.” Those early Mills students were

By Beth Hillman 5 photos by Teresa Tam 10

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Students celebrate Convocation

young, unmarried, and childless. They

business—is affordable and accessible to

texts. And all of our faculty seek to teach

were well-versed in Greek and Latin clas-

an inclusive community of thinkers, art-

in ways that meet the intense engage-

sics prior to admission, attended to their

ists, and innovators.

ment that Mills students bring to their

studies full-time, and did not expect to

studies, whether in studio arts or public

expect to work for pay after graduation,

Second, the world needs us because our students change themselves, and then the world.

they work during their years at Mills,

All of the students who have come to

egorization. I cannot do justice to the rich

both to cover their expenses and to build

Mills, now and in the past, grow and

tapestry of the many thousands of Mills

bridges to rewarding careers. Last sum-

learn and change, often profoundly.

alumnae and alumni, but I can share the

mer, Mills itself employed 138 students

Mills is not a place for those satisfied

stories of three—separated by years, but

who worked an average of eleven weeks

with who they are and what they know.

unified by this College—to give you a

each; many others spent the entire sum-

Those who want to find a new path or a

sense of their achievements and impact:

mer working in paid and unpaid positions.

more fully realized self are the students

Emma Wixon, who graduated in the

undertake paid work.

Today, most of our students not only

In 1885, Mills had eight endowed

policy or psychology.

Mills students and graduates have forged remarkable lives that defy easy cat-

class of 1876, was sent to Mills by her

who belong at Mills.

scholarships to help “worthy pupils”

Our students change through their

father, a doctor whose fortune was made

with limited means. Today, we serve the

interaction with our faculty, who them-

and lost mining in the Nevada territory,

same goal with more than 200 active,

selves set the bar high for adaptability

after her mother had died. A musical

endowed scholarship funds.

to a changing world. Mills faculty in the

prodigy who had entertained miners

And today, Mills has won top hon-

natural sciences have found new proj-

with her singing as a child, Emma’s talent

ors as a best-value college in a crowded

ects, and developed new areas of exper-

and charisma captured the attention of

landscape of higher education options

tise, to pursue research alongside their

Susan Mills, co-founder and fourth presi-

in the United States. We’ve become a

students.

department

dent of Mills College, who arranged for

place where an extraordinary educa-

includes scholars whose work in the

Emma to study in Europe. Known world-

tion—whether in modern dance or data

digital humanities applies the newest of

wide as “Emma Nevada,” she sang before

science, biology or music, sociology or

data analysis methods to well-traveled

kings and queens, eventually returning

Mills’

English

WINTER 2017

11

in 1902 to perform before a packed house

lence, infectious disease, and religious

our selves and our world, is the reason

in the just-opened Lisser Hall.

intolerance.

that I belong at Mills. I’ve been lucky

Born and raised in Beijing, Patsy Chen

We also need better education to deal

enough to change many times. I’ve

Peng ’51, MA ’53, endured the hardships

with a more concrete, specific problem

been an orbital analyst and a saxophone

of World War II in China, where her bold-

that’s close to home for Mills and others

player, an air force officer and a history

ness and language facility won her a posi-

institutions committed to gender jus-

professor, an advocate and expert wit-

tion as an English secretary to a Chinese

tice. At a college dedicated to women-

ness for ending discrimination based on

general supporting the United States’

centered education and supported by

sexual orientation and gender identity—

14th Air Force. Soon after, Patsy accepted

the contributions of so many women,

and an academic administrator. I find

a US presidential scholarship to Mills,

the unequal pay of women and men is

transformation in self and surroundings

where she found her reading assignments

especially troubling.

both exciting and inevitable.

nearly too much to bear at first. With the

It is widely known that women are

Yet many aspects of me have stayed the

help of a supportive dean of

same. I’m still a twin, and

students, she reduced her

my sister Jean Marie still

course load and persevered,

pushes me and keeps me

earning bachelor’s and mas-

honest. I’m still a younger

ter’s degrees in education

sister to my brothers, still

and child development that

a mother, and still in love

were a springboard to her

with my brave, generous,

later work as a teacher, fund-

powerful wife, Trish.

raiser, organizer, artist—and

Likewise, notwithstand-

benefactor of the current

ing all the change I’ve

Chinese language program

trumpeted, some things

at Mills.

have stayed the same at

And finally, Bonnie Hill

Mills. Despite its origins

’75 studied education and

as a seminary, Mills was

went on to a dazzling career as an executive in busi-

always an “undenomina-

Alumnae, faculty, and friends at inauguration

tional” institution, unwilling to limit its community

ness and government. A graduate of McClymonds High School

paid less than men doing similar work,

to one set of Christian beliefs at the

in Oakland, she worked full time while

and this is true across virtually every

start, and now open to persons of any, or

studying at Mills and caring for her

demographic. Even when we control for

no, tradition of faith. Mary Atkins, who

husband and young daughter. After

variables like region, work experience,

taught and served as principal at Mills

graduating, she was appointed assistant

race, occupation, and industry, the fact

during the 1850s and ’60s, hoped her

dean of student services and interim

that workers are women correlates to

students would be “useful, progressive,

director of ethnic studies at Mills. She

lower pay.

[and] intelligent,” a hope that many of

later became the first African American

Women in the United States who

us here today share. For all the change

woman to direct the federal Office of

work full time are paid 79 cents for

in Mills’ physical space, Helen Lefkowitz

Consumer Affairs, vice president of the

every dollar paid to men who work full

Horowitz, a historian of women’s col-

Times Mirror company and CEO of the

time. For Latinas, the figure is 55 cents.

leges, described the design of Mills as

Times Mirror foundation, dean of the

For African American women, 60. The

governed by “hope rather than fear.”

school of commerce at the University of

income of transgender women falls by

That expansiveness, that hope, remains

Virginia, and board member of several

an average of one-third after they tran-

today.

Fortune 500 companies.

sition. Lesbians earn less than men;

Aurelia Henry Reinhardt, a transfor-

young women earn less than young

mative president of Mills, spoke in Palo

men; older women earn less than older

Alto in 1941 about the future of women

men. When large numbers of women

in the university. She said that we “must

move into a field previously occupied by

cease to apologize for the possession of

men, wages drop.

intellect or talent” and opt instead to

Finally, the world needs Mills because our world could benefit from some change.

Education is one of the answers to virtually every imaginable problem. We need

What helps? Education. It changes

“come of age … unself-consciously.” Mills

more education, and more transforma-

the score. It rebalances the scales. What

will always be coming of age, and so will

tion in our educational institutions, to

we do at Mills helps every one of those

our students. I look forward to seeing that

deal with issues as tough and complex

demographic groups. My faith in Mills,

happen, unapologetically and with tre-

as climate change, racial and gender vio-

and in the power of education to remake

mendous hope for the future. ◆

12

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Reunion recognitions

The 2016 Alumnae Awards, presented by the Alumnae Association of Mills College The Recent Graduate Award

The Outstanding Volunteer Award

Courtney Long ’01, who double majored in English and Political Legal and Economic Analysis, is an alumnae admission representative, served on her Reunion planning committee, and is president of the Orange County Mills College Alumnae Club, which holds an annual fall fundraiser, holiday tea, student send-off event, and monthly alumnae gatherings. She is a member of the Aurelia Henry Reinhardt Society and El Campanil Club.

Anna Henderson ’82 has been involved with the Palo Alto Mills College Club for over 15 years; in that time, she has served as president and been instrumental in continuing such club traditions as the summer potluck and holiday tea. A member of the Cyrus and Susan Mills Giving Society, and a member of the El Campanil Club, she completed a computer science degree at Mills and a teaching credential at Santa Clara University.

Top photo: President Beth Hillman, Anna Henderson, Corky Mott-Smith Sablinsky, Courtney Long, and AAMC President Viji Nakka-Cammauf.

At left: President Hillman accepts a check for $1.4 million, representing Reunion giving for all classes, from Bea Jordan Crumbine ’66 and Ellen Dyer Thornton ’66.

PHOTOS BY ALLISUN NOVAK

The Distinguished Achievement Award Content “Corky” Mott-Smith Sablinsky ’56, MA ’59, studied piano and composition with Darius Milhaud and other notable Mills professors. She went on to win multiple music competitions and has performed as a concert pianist with the New Orleans Philharmonic Symphony and the Charlottesville Symphony; she continues to perform with The Wild Geese Baroque Ensemble in Virginia and Washington, D.C. She also has an impressive teaching career spanning more the 50 years, with positions from the Katherine Burke School in San Francisco to the University of Virginia, Loyola, Tulane, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Through her work in many professional organizations, Corky has served to promote the interests of music teachers, performers, and young artists.

WINTER 2017

13

Class photos Reunion 2016

Photos by Bruce Cook and Dana Davis

1951 Top row: Joan Thompson Armstrong, Edith Mori Young, Nancy Kenealy Soper Second row: Janice Webb Akin, Virginia Ong Gee, MA ’52, Jane Brewer Tronoff, Leah Hardcastle Mac Neil, MA ’51, Rita Weber Brevet Front row: Amy Clever Crawford, Georgian Simmonds Bahlke, Patsy Chen Peng, MA ’53

1956 Top row: Caroline Houser, Sharon Bramkamp Hohmann, Catherine McCormack McGilvray, Barbara Parsons Sheldon, Deicy Baker Stockwell, Laura Howard Second row: Barbara Thornton Frey, Nikki Tenneson King, Olivann Rumph Hobbie, Nancy Gilbert Lindburg, Henrietta Chandler Ratcliff, Kay Powers Obering Front row: Patricia Plunkett Aikman, Patricia Sun Gotuaco, Barbara Johnson Lewis, Content “Corky” Mott-Smith Sablinsky, MA ’59, Sarah Johnson Stewart, Linda Denny Knox, Jane Worthington Nelson, Sharon Heaton Kinney

1961 Top row: Betsy Frederick, Ann Gordon Bigler, Dorotha Myers Bradley, Anita Rae Lavine Shapiro, Donna Riback Front row: Judi Lamont Parent-Smith, Mary Doerfler Luhring, Brenda Weisman, Kathrine Stacey Baxter

14

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

1966

5R0euntiohn

Top row: Lucy Warner Bruntjen, Sue Smeltzer Rosen, Joany Millar Lincoln, Suzanne Good, Bonnie Klocksiem Shaver, Joan Luther Young, Jane Straley Skrivan, Cindy Pierce Barley Third row: Margot Jones Mabie, Nora Nininger Kruger, Kathy Nelson Peters, Maylin Harnden-Fisher, Virginia Hall Yanoff, Cheryl Colopy, Victoria Enders Hinsley, Carol Conlee Caughey Second row: Vicki Lindblade, Mary Beth Harvey Roberts, Janet Duecy, Cristine Copsey Ponti, Lynne Scott-Drennan, Melinda Popham, Barbara Bowes Chambliss, Wynne West Dobyns Front row: Suzanne Petersen, Tanya Lazar, Ellen Dyer Thornton, Hilary Long Hullah, Bea Jordan Crumbine, Elizabeth Stephens Despol

1971 Top row: Susan Brown Penrod, Kathy Miller Hoskins, Robbie Lathrap Davis, Cristine Russell, Gretchen Henerlau Leavitt, Christine Finch Clancy, Frances Bartholomay Anderson, Valencia Harris Mitchell Front row: Sarah Wong Soong, Bev Curwen, Judith Carlsten Scarborough, Natalie Mallinckrodt, Merrily MurrayWalsh, Stephanie Lincoln

WINTER 2017

 

15

Class photos Reunion 2016

1976 Top row: Anne Griffin Baker, Pepper Bishop Kim, Susan Smith Setterholm, Michele Gloor Front row: Betsy Merritt, Nani Chang, Terry Hove, Ammie Felder-Williams

1986 Top row: Maria Sabatini, Christine Daniel, Rosalie Gann, Darlanne Hoctor Mulmat Front row: Elizabeth Kelley, Laura Lee Wilkerson, Adrienne Bronstein

To purchase your class photo www.luzography.com/clients/mills2016

16 

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

1981 Top row: Heidi Aarts Michels, Pamela Kaull, Rebecca Gebhart, Judy Jackson, Sara McClure Front row: Lauren Speeth, Ann Kasper, Sissy Rosenberg Cutchen, Elizabeth Brunckhorst ’84, Jeanette Emmarco

1991 Top row: Diane Ball Gerken, Jeannie Vance, Tricia Andres, Tracy Hansen, Christina Hannan, Lisa Kosiewicz Doran, Annie Fletcher, Melissa Stevenson Diaz, Christine Hatch Santi Front row: Arlene Quiogue, Alexa Pagonas, Kristen Kulongoski, Beth Rohrmann Schryer, Miel Corbett, Brandy Tuzon Boyd, Stacy Wood

1996 Top row: Jannel Teshera, MJ Schneider, Melissa Nunes Alvarez, Erika Davis Front row: Arabella Grayson, MA ’96, Sophia DeWitt, Shannon Wolfe, Meegan Massagli

2001 Sara Worth Masini, Courtney Long, Rebecca Murillo-Starr, Summer Brandt Stallmann, Jessee Wilson

2006 Kat Stavis, Cameron Holly

2011 Ashley Muñoz, Dalia Cuenca, Sabrina Kwist, Brianna Britton, Carol Phu, Dorothy Lawrence

2016 Iona De la Torre, Melony Ford

WINTER 2017

17

Class Notes do not appear in the online edition of Mills Quarterly.

Alumnae are invited to share their news with classmates in the Mills College alumnae community.

To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to classnotes@mills. edu.

Class Notes do not appear in the online edition of the Mills Quarterly.

Alumnae are invited to share their news with classmates in the Mills College Alumnae Community, alumnae.mills.edu. To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to classnotes@mills.edu.

In Memoriam Notices of death received before October 1, 2016

Alumnae Margaret Post Smith ’43, September 8, in Auburn, California.

Following graduation, she took a job with the Greater New York Girl Scout Council. She returned to California with her husband, John, in 1946, living and working throughout the state as he continued his job as a farm advisor. Survivors include four daughters and six grandchildren.

Rosalie Godt Torres-Rioseco ’45, February 23, in Sacramento. She was deeply involved with modern Latin American literature and was married to Arturo Torres-Rioseco, a Chilean poet, scholar, translator, historian, and diplomat who taught extensively in the United States and Latin America. After his death in 1971, she donated many of his collected books and manuscripts to Mills College.

Deborah Gates Senft ’48, March 31, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

She earned her master’s degree in physiology and, with her husband, provided medical aid in Labrador and New Guinea. Later, she conducted and published scientific research with him at Brown University. She also worked as a director of hospice volunteers in Providence and was a founding member of the Falmouth Free Clinic.

Survivors include three children and six grandchildren.

Sally Nelson Thyberg ’51, June 30, 2015, in Annapolis, Maryland.

She is survived by four children and her cousins Karen Anderson ’68 and Kristen Anderson ’69.

Nancy Winslow Parker ’52, November 27, 2015, in Lakewood, New Jersey. A prolific author and illustrator of children’s books, she published her first book, The Man with the Take-Apart Head, in 1974, after 88 rejections and following 20 years of corporate work. Much of her work was inspired by people and pets in her life, as well as by her passion for American history and technology. She was also an avid model railroader, sculptor, and painter. A longtime resident of New York City, she leaves behind many devoted friends, nieces and nephews, and other extended family members.

PHOTO BY NANC Y SILLER WIL SON

Carolyn Price Dyer, MA ’55, May 31, in Santa Cruz, California. She was an accomplished weaver and tapestry designer whose works are represented in private, public, and corporate collections. She further shared her creativity as a teacher, writer, painter, docent, exhibitor, gallery manager, and photographer.

A third-generation resident of Vashon Island, Washington, she is survived by three sons and her granddaughter, Kristin Dyer ’93 .

Charles Phillip Mckee, MFA ’61, November 21, 2015, in Boynton Beach, Florida.

Sara “Sally” Matthews Buchanan ’64, July 30, in San Antonio, Texas. She had multiple careers as a travel agent, executive director of the American Institute of Architects San Antonio Chapter, vice president of Kangaroo Court Restaurants of Texas, and, as president of the Classical Broadcasting Society, was instrumental in establishing Texas Public Radio. She was also elected director and president of the San Antonio River Authority and served as chairman of the River Road Neighborhood Association. She further contributed to her community as president of the San Antonio Conservation Society, trustee of the Witte Museum, and supporter of the San Antonio Symphony and the Cactus Pear Music Festival. An active member of numerous other civic and social groups, her survivors include two sons and five grandchildren.

Luella Wong Mak ’86, July 18, in San Carlos, California. She earned her Mills degree after a 42-year career with the Naval Supply Center and Military Sealift Command, then worked as a substitute teacher for the San Leandro School District until she was 80. She received many recognitions and awards from the federal government and was an elder in the Chinese Presbyterian Church. She is survived by two daughters and three grandchildren.

Spouses and family Archibald King, husband of Marion Hellyer King ’54, August 19, 2015, in Spring Lake, New Jersey.

Paul Pickering, husband of Liz Pickering ’03, August 29, in Yorba Linda, California.

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Singing the pra s l l i M l a r u t l u ises of multic The Alumnae of Color Committee marks 25 years Gospel hymns rang out in the Reinhardt Alumnae House garden on September 25, the last day

Workshop, which has helped hundreds of students of color succeed at Mills. “You have

of Reunion. Powered by the voice of Raven

captained a tall ship of social justice and mul-

Rice ’18, they set a tone of celebration and

ticulturalism and changed Mills College,”

praise for the 25th anniversary brunch of

Redus told Williams.

the Alumnae of Color Committee, attended by 50 alumnae and friends.

Mills is known today for the exceptional diversity of its majority-minority student body.

This distinction is due in no small part to the committee, established by the Alumnae Association of Mills

Castille-Hall eulogized Mary Lois Hudson Sweatt ’60, MA ’62 (d. June 2016), one of the College’s first African American students to major in dance and a life-long advocate for the arts and people of color at Mills. Sister of Redus and Camellia Hudson Franklin ’73, Sweatt embodied

College in 1991 to encourage the participation of alumnae, stu-

the sense of sisterhood, solidarity, and support that has been a

dents, and faculty of color in the community.

hallmark of the Alumnae of Color Committee since its inception.

“For our anniversary,” says committee member Lynette

Committee chair Toni McElroy ’83, MA ’05, EdD ’13, and

Castille-Hall ’75, “we wanted to celebrate recent milestones

Castille-Hall announced that the committee had succeeded

and key supporters: the tenure of past President Alecia

in endowing its scholarship fund. Since the fund was seeded

DeCoudreaux and the inauguration of President Beth Hillman,

in 2011, nearly 150 donors have contributed a total of more

both of whom participated in the anniversary program; the

than $82,000, and two students have received the scholar-

retirement of a beloved professor; the life of a pioneering

ship: Sharon Robinson ’14 and Bryana Jones ’17. “Our next

alumna; and the endowment of our scholarship fund.”

goal is to raise the endowment to $100,000 so we can pro-

Daisy Gonzalez ’07 joined committee members Estrellita

vide even greater support to students of color,” says McElroy.

Hudson Redus ’65, MA ’75, and Micheline Beam ’72 in hon-

“Please visit alumnae.mills.edu/give and make a gift to the

oring her former professor, Bruce Williams, who taught soci-

Alumnae of Color Endowed Scholarship in Honor of President

ology from 1997 to 2016 and directed the Summer Academic

Alecia A. DeCoudreaux.”

—Dawn Cunningham ’85

Raven Rice sings, above.

Clockwise from left: The gathering; Daisy Gonzalez, Bruce Williams, and Estrellita Hudson Redus; scholarship recipients Sharon Robinson and Bryana Jones with Alecia DeCoudreaux (center); Lynette Castille-Hall, Toni McElroy, Beth Hillman, and Micheline Beam.

24

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

PHOTOS BY ALLISUN NOVAK

Seeking candidates for AAMC Board of Governors and alumna trustee HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD on the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Board of Governors or as alumna trustee. All alumnae are invited to nominate themselves, or other alumnae, as candidates for these positions for the 2017–20 term. Please obtain the nominee’s consent before submitting a nomination.

Members of the AAMC Board of Governors are expected to participate on board committees. The alumna trustee additionally participates in meetings and committees of the Mills College Board of Trustees. Further information on the responsibilities of the positions and how to apply is available under the “Leadership” section of the AAMC website, www.aamc.mills.edu.

Please submit nominations, including self-nominations, to AAMC Nominating NANC Y SILLER WIL SON

Committee Chair Pierre Loving ’77 at aamc@mills.edu, or mail to AAMC, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613.

m

Alumna trustee submissions are due January 13, 2017.

AAMC Board of Governor submissions are due April 7, 2017.

ALUMNAE TR AVEL 2017

Paris

Paris Immersion ■ September 8–16 Immerse yourself in the City of Light! Enjoy custom walking tours, world-class museums, and day trips to Versailles and Dijon.

Mystique of the Orient ■ October 17–29 This nine-night cruise features the scenic beauty, rich culture, and varied history of Vietnam, including three UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Historic Harbors of Canada and New England ■ October 3–13 Cruise through 400 years of national and maritime history in Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sydney, and Quebec City—all in time for glorious fall colors.

Cultural Cuba ■ November 19–27 Experience Cuban culture, history, and people in four destinations and meet with artists, dancers, and musicians to learn about their craft and their lives.

CRE ATI V E COMMONS; RODIN MUSEUM BY SSEDRO, HALIFA X BY GLENN EULOTH

Halifax

See the AAMC travel page 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.

Mills Quarterly Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd.

Oakland, CA 94613-1301 510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu

On view at the Mills College Art Museum Elena Dorfman: Syria’s Lost Generation January 18–March 13

Through portraiture and audio recordings of Syrian teenagers, Dorfman offers a humanistic perspective to the conflict which has driven 6.5 million people from their homes. These photos were produced in 2013 while on assignment with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Museum Hours: Tuesday: 11 am–4 pm Wednesday: 11 am–7:30 pm Thursday–Sunday: 11 am–4 pm Monday closed Closed December 12–January 17 Admission is free See mcam.mills.edu, call 510.430.2164 or email museum@mills.edu.

Diana Al-Hadid January 18–March 13

The highly material sculptures and paintings of Syrian-born Al-Hadid, inspired by historical forms from art and architecture, have been described as metaphorical “bridges” between the past and the present, as well as between the Middle Eastern world of Al-Hadid’s early childhood and the Western world she now inhabits.

Above: Diana Al-Hadid, Blind Bust II, 2012, bronze, painted stainless steel. Courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York. © Diana Al-Hadid. Photo by Jason Wyche.

Moments of Impact Through May 28 This student-curated exhibition examines ideas around environmental and social justice and the continued struggle for civil rights in the United States.

Elena Dorfman, Bathoul, 2013, archival ink jet print on paper.

Courtesy of Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane.