Updates on Northeastern Merger and Mills Institute

Merging two institutions that carry more than a century of history apiece is no small task. At Mills, Vice President for Strategic Communications and Operations Renee Jadushlever is overseeing the project.

Alongside her Northeastern counterpart, Senior Vice Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Mary Ludden, Jadushlever has assembled teams into 10 distinct “workstreams” that will collaborate across campuses to tackle the many questions, large and small, that arise as Mills and Northeastern come together.

• Teaching & Learning • Student Life • People • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion • Accreditation & Compliance • Enrollment Management • Campus Planning • Administrative • Information Technology • Marketing

• Research • Advancement • B2B (Corporate Engagement)

The workstreams and strategy integration teams began meeting virtually this past fall. Most workstreams consist of 12 members, with equitable representation from both schools and a variety of departments and disciplines. Each is overseen by both Mills and Northeastern area leaders, with designees to assist the leads. Northeastern is also providing five project managers to keep the work moving.

“I consider this one of the most critical roles I have been tasked with during my time at Mills. This is a consequential time for the College,” Jadushlever says. “I encourage everyone to be curious and engaged, to think boldly, and to remain focused on the work ahead of us, including centering equity and antiracism.”

There are more than 100 members of the Mills faculty and staff who are engaged with the transition, with expansion likely as the spring semester gets underway.

Since the September 14 announcement of the planned merger between the two institutions, Northeastern officials have praised the College’s history of social justice activism and advocacy, and in announcing the establishment of Leading Social Change, that legacy was brought to the fore.

“Mills has a long history of programs that focus on social change, equity, and justice and we were excited to build a program that will allow students to learn from leaders in the Mills community, and in the broader Oakland community as well,” said Chris Gallagher, Northeastern’s vice chancellor for global learning opportunities and an English professor, in Northeastern’s announcement about the program.

“The Mills Leadership Scholars will enjoy robust engagement and dialogue around racial, gender, and social justice topics with the Mills community of learners and teachers within the classroom and campus,” added Pat Hardaway, the Mills interim provost and vice president of academic affairs.

While the merger between Mills and Northeastern University won’t be complete until later this year, a new academic program at the College this spring will get the ball rolling.

Leading Social Change will commence on the Mills campus during the 2022 spring semester, bringing 20–25 current Northeastern undergraduate students from Boston to Oakland to learn from Mills faculty members on advocacy surrounding any number of issues. The core of the program is a four-credit course called Leadership for Change, with 15 additional courses available that cover everything from sociology and business to criminal justice and race and ethnic relations.

Participants will also have the opportunity to attend existing justice-based events at Mills, including Tech Intersections: Womxn of Color in Computing (scheduled for January 29; see page 10) and Unfinished: Actualizing an Intersectional Antiracist Future (dates TBA), hosted by the Center for Transformative Action. The students who take part in the program will be dubbed Mills Leadership Scholars, and Mills undergraduates will be able to take advantage of these courses and conferences as well.

By Ajuan Mance and Marilyn R. Schuster ’65

In the weeks and months following President Hillman’s March announcement that Mills College would transition into a non-degree-granting institute, this question was asked many times. Sometimes incredulously, sometimes rhetorically, and sometimes with guarded optimism. However it was expressed, though, the meaning was clear: Members of the Mills community, neighbors, allies, and friends wondered how an institute could replace the Mills we have known and loved.

Of course, much has happened since then. The merger with Northeastern University that was announced in September 2021 will allow the Mills campus to continue as a degreegranting educational hub, serving undergraduates and graduate students. Mills at Northeastern will be able to serve its Oakland neighbors more effectively, offering educational programs and supporting BIPOC and women-owned businesses. Northeastern University will provide significant start-up funds to launch the Mills Institute from a position of strength.

In April, President Hillman asked us to take the lead in listening to different groups in the Mills community to find out what they would like a Mills Institute to be, to define a vision from the ground up that would carry forward the legacy of Mills College.

We used a “design thinking” approach to engage a comprehensive cross-section of the Mills community to create an Institute that would carry the Mills legacy forward. We called on the skills and experience of a veteran of IDEO, an international design and consulting firm. The process we developed was collaborative, involving broad outreach and intensive small-group discussions with Mills constituencies (faculty, students, staff, alums, and trustees), representing deep experience with the College, past and present, from diverse points of view. We found remarkable similarity in the responses of the various groups: • After expressing sadness and regret at the loss of a college that has been so important to all of us, the discussion participants were creative and enthusiastic about what the

Mills Institute could be and do; • All groups recognized that the Mills transition is part of much larger changes in American higher ed, evident for years and accelerated by the pandemic; • Many saw that the Institute could potentially have a broad impact in addressing demographic changes and educational needs, both locally and nationally; • Participants expressed a shared desire to serve teachers, researchers, students, the local community, and alums, through research and educational programs, both revenuegenerating and subsidized, for young aspiring students, and for lifelong learning. • The favorite location for the Institute is Mills Hall, with access to campus facilities such as labs and studios.

Building on the legacy of Mills College, the Mills Institute strives to meet changing educational needs in higher education and research issues related to gender and racial justice and the advancement of women, gender nonbinary individuals, and communities of color.

The Mills Institute is committed to the advancement of gender and racial justice through programs and partnerships that support transformative teaching and learning, research, and career development for women, gender nonbinary individuals, and historically marginalized racial and ethnic communities.

While there are many details that are being worked out about the impending merger of Mills College and Northeastern University, a number of core tenets are already in place:

expanded opportunities for students. Mills will benefit from an influx of resources that will enable the College to continue to excel in serving women, first-generation, and BIPOC students, while Northeastern will gain a bicoastal presence to strengthen its global campus network.

with Mills alumnae. Mills alumnae will benefit from tuition discounts offered to Northeastern graduates, reunions hosted on the Mills campus, and access to Reinhardt Alumnae House.

continuing, and funding, their degree work. This support will enable currently enrolled students to complete their degrees without increases in anticipated costs. While we want as many students as possible to remain at Mills, we have offered those who are interested in transferring to another institution the opportunity to take advantage of special transfer partnerships that Mills has developed with 14 private colleges.

The Mills Institute will support research and learning through transformational teaching for transitional moments: from high school to college, from college to career or advanced study, from career to career—lifetime learning for students of all ages.

Programs can be short or long, a week, a summer, a semester, or a year. They may yield certificates. Some will be highly subsidized so that students with limited resources can participate; some will generate revenue to assure the long-term viability of the Institute. Northeastern is prepared to provide significant start-up funds to launch the Institute from a position of strength. Here is a snapshot of potential programs: • A STEAM gap year (STEM fields and the arts) for students from Oakland high schools that are unable to offer college preparatory courses. Academic work along with mentoring by faculty and community leaders will help students become competitive for college admission. • Summer boot camps on the Mills campus for young women and nonbinary individuals to develop skills and creativity through

activities such as coding, painting, photography, or community organizing. • Intensive courses in financial literacy or in ethics and technology for all ages. • A six-week intensive program for women, nonbinary, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ individuals to advance their business careers. • Online and on-campus enrichment programs for alumnae/i to learn a new field or refresh their knowledge. • Sponsored research programs for teachers at all levels on high-impact pedagogical practices that engage students more deeply in their own learning.

This spring, the Mills Institute team looks to recruit an executive director and to form an advisory board. More information will appear in the next issue of the Quarterly! Read more about recent faculty and staff visits to the Mills and Northeastern campuses on page 36

on Mills’ legacy. Mills and Northeastern University will collaborate on the development of an Institute that will be designed to advance women’s leadership and empower BIPOC and first-generation students. Northeastern has committed seed money to launch and fund the Institute.

as an undergraduate liberal arts college. Mills and Northeastern faculty will collaborate to determine the programs and the curriculum, and seek ways to innovate to serve future students.

It is anticipated that enrollment growth on the Mills campus will require additional faculty.

University. It is anticipated that enrollment growth on the Mills campus will require additional employees.

planning and implementation for the merger. Organization-wide teams will identify operational integration opportunities and solutions. Any issues that might impact the merger agreement will be reviewed by the leadership of both institutions and by the Mills College Board of Trustees.

Mills and Northeastern are already connecting with the city, local nonprofit organizations, and educational pathway programs to begin planning for the future. Northeastern will support local, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses and launch experiential learning programs that incorporate social entrepreneurship and service learning to address local and global challenges.

tions to come. Named buildings and hallmark resources such as the F.W. Olin Library, the Mills College Art Museum, and fine arts facilities will continue to be at the core of a Mills College at Northeastern education.