Mills College

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Mills College
Motto:	Una destinatio, viae diversae
Motto in English:	One destination, many paths
Established:	1885
Type:	Private
Endowment:	$230 million
President:	Janet L. Holmgren
Faculty:	191
Students:	1,454[1]
Undergraduates:	948[1]
Postgraduates:	506[1]
Location:	Oakland, California, U.S.
Mascot:	Cyclones[2]
Website:	www.mills.edu

Mills College is an independent liberal arts college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded in 1852 in Benicia as a young ladies' seminary. In 1865, Susan Tolman Mills and her husband Cyrus Mills bought the school, renamed it Mills College, and then moved it to Oakland a year later. Mills received its charter in 1885 and introduced graduate degrees in 1921.^[3]

Mills offers more than 40 undergraduate and 23 graduate degrees and certificate programs. Mills women compete in six intercollegiate sports—cross country, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball—as members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. Mills claims 20,058 alumni.^[4]

[edit] History

Built in 1871, Mills Hall originally housed the entire College.

Mills College was initially founded as the Young Ladies Seminary at Benicia in 1852. It was under the leadership of Mary Atkins, a graduate of Oberlin College. In 1866, Susan Tolman Mills, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (then Mount Holyoke Female Seminary), and her husband Cyrus Mills bought the Young Ladies Seminary renaming it Mills Seminary. In 1871 the school was moved to Oakland, California and the school was incorporated in 1877. The school became Mills College in 1885. In 1890, after serving for decades as principal (under two presidents as well), Susan, herself, finally became the president of the college and held the position for 19 years.^[5] Beginning in 1906 the seminary classes were progressively eliminated. In 1921, Mills granted its first master's degrees.

On May 3, 1990, the Trustees announced that they had voted to admit male students.^[6] This decision led to a two-week student and staff strike, accompanied by numerous displays of non-violent protests by the students.^[7][8] At one point, nearly 300 students blockaded the administrative offices and boycotted classes.^[9] On May 18, the Trustees met again to reconsider the decision, leading finally to a reversal of the vote.^[10][11]

[edit] Academics

In 2006–07, Mills enrolled a total of 1,410 students, 66 percent of whom are undergraduates. More than 80 percent of students are from California, and more than half of undergraduate students live on campus. Thirty-six states are represented, and international students enrolled from 18 different countries.^{[citation needed]}

Mills offers several undergraduate courses of study, and even allows students create their own major, working with three faculty advisers to plan an individual program that draws courses from across the curriculum and creates an integrated and unique educational experience. Mills also provides the first two years of courses leading to a bachelor of science in nursing degree from Samuel Merritt College.^[12]

Undergraduate students also may participate in one of six dual-degree programs. These five-year programs include BA/MBA, BA/MPP, BA/MA Infant Mental Health Program, BA/MA Interdisciplinary Computer Science Program, BA/BS Engineering Program, and BA/MA Mathematics.

The College also enrolls approximately 500 graduate students each year. Areas of study include art (MFA), business (MBA), interdisciplinary computer science (MA and post-bac), creative writing (MFA), dance (MA and MFA), education (MA, EdD, and credentials), English (MA), infant mental health (MA), music (MA and MFA), pre-med (post-bac), and public policy (MPP).^[13]

[edit] Rankings and admissions

In 2008, The Princeton Review rated Mills as one of the Best 366 Colleges and one of the 123 Best Western Colleges.^[14] The same source also puts it at #6 among Master's Universities (i.e., institutions which provide a full range of undergraduate and master's programs but offer few, if any, doctoral programs) in the West.^[15] More broadly, a 2006 Washington Monthly report ranks the college #36 among liberal arts colleges.^[16] The institution is also a top producer of Fulbright Scholars, with 3 awards in 2007-2008.^[17]

[edit] Campus

Richards Road.

The 135-acre campus is located in the foothills of Oakland on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay.^[1]

[edit] Julia Morgan buildings

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In 1904, Mills president Susan Mills became interested in architect Julia Morgan because she wished to further the career of a female architect and because Morgan, just beginning her career, charged less than her male counterparts.^[18] Morgan designed six buildings for the Mills campus:

• El Campanil, believed to be the first bell tower on a United States college campus^[18] and the first reinforced concrete structure on the west coast.^[19] Morgan's reputation grew when the tower was unscathed by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.^[18] The bells in the tower "were cast for the Chicago Exposition of 1893 and given to Mills by a trustee".^[19]
• The Margaret Carnegie Library (1906), named after Andrew Carnegie's daughter.^[18]
• The Ming Quong Home for Chinese girls, built in 1924 and purchased by Mills in 1936, which was renamed Alderwood Hall^[19] and now houses the Julia Morgan School for Girls^[18] (independent of the College).
• The Student Union (1916)^[18]
• Kapiolani Cottage, which has served as an infirmary, faculty housing, and administration offices.^[18][19]
• Mills' original gymnasium and pool, which have been replaced by the Tea Shop and Suzanne Adams Plaza.^[18]

[edit] Mills Hall

Designed in 1869 by S.C. Bugbee & Sons^[20], Mills Hall became the College's new home when it moved from Benicia to Oakland in 1871. Mills Hall is "a long, four-story building with a high central observatory. The mansarded structure, which provided homes for faculty and students as well as classrooms and dining halls, long was considered the most beautiful educational building in the state".^[21] Mills Hall is a California Historical Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.^[21]

[edit] Campus Community

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Toyon Meadow

With 10 different on-campus living options, including traditional residence halls, a housing cooperative, family housing, and apartment living, students at Mills have a wide range of housing to choose from. In the Mediterranean-inspired residence halls, students enjoy single rooms, the occasional California sleeping porch, and common areas outfitted with antique furniture and grand pianos.

There are more than 40 organizations and clubs for students to join, such as Mujeres Unidas, the Black Women’s Collective, Philosophy Club, Book Arts and Zine Club, and the Native American Sisterhood Alliance. Some groups meet to share a hobby or interest, while others are motivated to inspire change. If students can’t find a club that appeals to them, they can simply start their own.

Throughout the academic year, there are many events to attend on campus, many of which are open to the public. Events range from art exhibitions, concerts, and dance performances to swim meets, readings, forums, lectures, and conferences. With the College’s intimate size and setting, students have opportunities to help arrange events and meet guest speakers.

As a place of ideas and expression, the College attracts speakers from around the world. Adding to the legacy of such notable past speakers as Ansel Adams and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., recent visitors to Mills have included Senator Barbara Boxer, Isabel Allende, Sally Ride, Gloria Steinem, and Marian Wright Edelman.

[edit] Athletics

Mills students compete in seven intercollegiate sports — cross country, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball^[2] — as members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III^[22] and the California Pacific Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)^[2]. The Mills College mascot is the Cyclone and the school colors are blue, gold, and white.^[2] The Director of Athletics is Themy Adachi.^[2]

[edit] Notable alumni

Main article: List of Mills College people

[edit] See also

• Mills College Honorary Degree Recipients
• William Joseph McInnes Botanic Garden and Campus Arboretum
• Women's colleges in the United States#20th century history

[edit] References

• Mills College Mission & History
• Horowitz, Helen Lefkowitz. Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1993 (2nd edition).

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Mills College official website
• Virtual tour of Mills College
• Mills College student newspaper
• Historic American Buildings Survey, January 1993. Mills Hall. Photographs, description, history

Coordinates: 37°46′50″N 122°10′59″W / 37.78056, -122.18306