Information about Mills College

Mills College
Motto	una destinatio, viae diversae (One destination, many paths)
Established	Young Ladies' Seminary, 1852 Mills Seminary, 1866 Mills Seminary-College, 1877 Mills College, 1885
Type	Private
President	Janet L. Holmgren
Faculty	191
Students	1,454
Undergraduates	948
Postgraduates	506
Location	Oakland , California , USA
Endowment	$230 million (August 2007)
Website	www.mills.edu

Founded in 1852 and established in Oakland, California, in 1871, Mills College is an independent liberal arts woman's college, with graduate programs for women and men. As the first women's college west of the Rockies, Mills is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. The College was initially founded in Benicia as the Young Ladies' Seminary 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 school and moved it to Oakland. Mills received its charter in 1885 and introduced graduate degrees in 1921.

Mills holds the distinction of being the first women’s college to offer a computer science major (1974) and 4+1 MBA degree (2001), and was among the first liberal arts colleges to offer a modern dance degree (1941). Mills is also home to the Institute for Civic Leadership, the Center for Contemporary Music (which was the San Francisco Tape Music Center until 1967), and the Women’s Leadership Institute. Mills opened the first laboratory school for aspiring teachers west of the Mississippi, which was founded in 1926 and is known as the Children’s School.

Mills offers more than 40 undergraduate majors (both BA and BS degrees) and 23 graduate degree 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.

College Mission

Mills is an independent liberal arts college for women with graduate programs for women and men. The College educates students to think critically and communicate responsibly and effectively, to accept the challenges of their creative visions, and to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to effect thoughtful changes in a global, multicultural society.

Mills encourages openness to experimentation in the context of established academic disciplines. Programs are designed to reflect the importance of global issues, provide an understanding of the natural world, and enhance opportunities for women in their developing roles throughout society. The curriculum combines traditional liberal arts with new educational initiatives that recognize the value of cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity.

Inspired by a teaching philosophy that grows out of its longstanding dedication to women’s education, Mills provides a dynamic learning environment that encourages intellectual exploration. The faculty of nationally and internationally respected scholars and artists is dedicated to developing the strengths of every student, preparing them for lifelong intellectual, personal, and professional growth.

Location

Located in the foothills of Oakland, California, on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay, Mills offers students access to the diverse metropolitan centers that make up the greater Bay Area. The campus is heavily accented with Mediterranean-style buildings, many designed by architectural innovator Julia Morgan. Paths and streams wind their way through tree groves and meadows that pervade the 135-acre wooded campus.

Outside the campus gates, students have access to the Bay Area with Berkeley, San Francisco, Napa, and Silicon Valley nearby. Drawing energy from the College’s location, Mills students connect with centers of learning, business, and technology; pursue research and internship opportunities; and explore the Bay Area’s many sources of cultural, social, and recreational enrichment.

History

Founded in 1852 as the Young Ladies’ Seminary in Benicia, California, Mills College boasts a rich history as a leader in women’s education. Mills was founded the same year California was admitted to statehood and the city of Oakland was established. The University of California and Stanford had yet to exist, and miners, farmers, and merchants wanted to educate their daughters without sending them on the perilous journey to East Coast schools.

The Young Ladies’ Seminary was established by nine citizens in what was then the state capitol, and it gained a strong reputation under the direction of Oberlin College graduate Mary Atkins. With a vision of equal education and opportunity for women, missionaries Cyrus and his wife, Mount Holyoke College (then Mount Holyoke Female Seminary) graduate Susan Tolman Mills bought the Seminary in 1865 for $5,000, renamed it Mills College, and moved it to its current 135-acre oasis. At the time, Oakland was a bustling metropolis of 10,000.

The student body quickly grew, with students of diverse faiths and backgrounds enrolled from many states and countries. Beginning as one of only a half dozen institutions for the higher education of women, Mills has become the oldest women’s college west of the Rockies.

Over the decades, Mills “firsts” have been numerous: the first women's college west of the Rockies (1885), the first laboratory school west of the Mississippi for aspiring teachers (1926), and the first women’s college to offer a computer science major (1974) and a 4+1 MBA degree (2001).

Always a leader in the arts, Mills was among the first liberal arts colleges to offer a modern dance degree (1941), and it became the national center for modern dance outside New York City. The Center for Contemporary Music, dedicated in 1967, is a preeminent center for electronic music.

Many of the world’s foremost artists, politicians, and scholars have taught, lectured, and performed at Mills, including Gertrude Stein, Mark Twain, Darius Milhaud, Alfred Neumeyer, John Cage, and Isabel Allende. Mills continues to draw people interested in experimentation, leadership, social responsibility, and creativity—the hallmarks of a 21st century Mills education.

Coeducation

See main:Question of women's colleges and coeducation: 20th century

On May 3, 1990, the Trustees announced that they had voted to admit male students. ^[1] This decision led to a two-week student and staff strike, accompanied by numerous displays of non-violent protests by the students. ^[2], ^[3] At one point, nearly 300 students blockaded the administrative offices and boycotted classes. ^[4] On May 18, the Trustees met again to reconsider the decision, ^[5] leading finally to a reversal of the vote. ^[6]

Enrollment and 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.

Undergraduate

For undergraduates, Mills offers the bachelor of arts (BA) degree in American studies; anthropology and sociology; art (history and studio); biochemistry and molecular biology; biology; biopsychology; business economics; chemistry; child development; comparative literature; computer science; dance; economics; English (literature and creative writing); environmental science; environmental studies; ethnic studies; French and Francophone studies; government; history; intermedia arts; international relations; Latin American studies; literary and cultural studies; mathematics; music; philosophy; political, legal, and economic analysis;psychology; public policy; sociology; Spanish and Spanish American studies; and women’s studies.

Mills offers the bachelor of science (BS) degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, biopsychology, chemistry, and environmental science. Mills also provides the first two years of courses leading to a bachelor of science in nursing degree from Samuel Merritt College.

Students can also choose to 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.

Dual-Degree

Mills offers six dual-degree programs that enable undergraduates with clear career goals in certain fields to streamline their college and graduate school programs. These include the 4+1 BA/MBA Business Administration Program, the 4+1 BA/MPP Public Policy Program, the 4+1 BA/MA Infant Mental Health Program, the 4+1 BA/MA Interdisciplinary Computer Science Program, the 3+2 BA/BS Engineering Program, and the integrated 4+1 BA/MA Mathematics Program.

Graduate

Mills awarded its first master’s degrees in 1921, and today typically enrolls about 500 graduate men and women 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).

Rankings

In 2006-07, Mills received the following recognitions:

• Named one of the top three California colleges to consider by the New York Times
• Ranked sixth of 58 Universities–Master's in the West by U.S. News & World Report
• Ranked sixth in the West by U.S. News & World Report in "Great Schools, Great Prices," for high academic quality relative to the net cost of tuition
• Named one of the Best 366 Colleges by the Princeton Review
• Named one of the 123 "Best Western Colleges" by the Princeton Review
• Ranked 31 among colleges for African Americans by Black Enterprise magazine
• Ranked 49 among 201 top liberal arts colleges by Washington Monthly
• Named one of the top producers of Fulbright Awards for 2006–07 by the Chronicle of Higher Education, one of only 31 bachelor's institutions

Campus

The campus, which is a compact 135 acres in the Oakland foothills, also includes the historic Campanile (1904), designed by Julia Morgan of Hearst Castle fame, and is the first concrete reinforced structure west of the Mississippi. Architects of the time laughed at Morgan and told her it would not last the next Bay Area earthquake, but it stood tall through the 1906 and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes without a crack or scratch. The only thing that has been repaired on the clock tower is the clock mechanism itself.

Music

The Music Program at Mills is noted for being at the forefront of experimental music study and composition. Well-known composer Luciano Berio was on the music faculty of Mills in 1962-1964, and in 1966 Pauline Oliveros became the first director of the Tape Music Center (later the Center for Contemporary Music), where she composed her electronic works Alien Bog and Beautiful Soop. Morton Subotnick, later a member of the faculty, received his master's degree from Mills, studying composition with Leon Kirchner and Darius Milhaud. Laurie Anderson, Dave Brubeck, Phil Lesh, and Steve Reich attended the program, as well as the famous synthesizer designer Donald Buchla. Terry Riley taught at Mills starting in the early 1970s. Avant-garde jazz pioneer Anthony Braxton has taught at Mills on an intermittent basis since the 1970s. Lou Harrison, Pandit Pran Nath, Iannis Xenakis, Alvin Curran, Anthony Braxton, Gordon Mumma, Frederic Rzewski, Fred Frith, and many others have all taught music at Mills.

For more than 40 years, the Center for Contemporary Music (CCM) has been at the forefront of developments emphasizing experimental methods in contemporary music and its allied arts and sciences. CCM maintains a variety of electronic equipment, instruments and studios, provides instruction and technical assistance, and archives audio recordings. The Center also performs a wide variety of community services in the arts, including public concerts and lecture series, informational and technical assistance, and artist residencies. Maggi Payne and Chris Brown are presently co-directors of CCM. Payne is a composer, performer, interdisciplinary artist, and recording engineer. Brown is an instrument builder, a pianist, and a composer.

Art Museum

Open to the public, the Mills College Art Museum is home to an amazing collection of more than 8,000 works of art—the largest permanent collection of any liberal arts college on the West Coast. The collection includes old masters and modern American and European prints and drawings; Asian textiles; Japanese, Ancient American, and modern ceramics; and California regionalist paintings. In 2005, Dr. William K. Ehrenfeld donated a collection of more than 800 pieces of African art, primarily from West Africa with an emphasis on art of the Yoruba.

Works from the permanent collection—including pieces by Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Winslow Homer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Henri Matisse, and Auguste Renoir—are displayed with an ever-changing series of special exhibitions that are designed to provoke, inspire, and even amuse. Students have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get involved in every aspect of the museum’s work: archival research, editing, photography, design, and installations. Undergraduates train to become curators and put together over six exhibitions with art from the collection. Every year art students also take on the management of the Senior and MFA exhibitions.

Natural Sciences Building

In spring 2007, Mills will open its new 26,000-square-foot Natural Sciences Building. The facility features four new teaching laboratories, five new classrooms, a computer room for students, and centralized science faculty offices. Up-to-date instrumentation and leading-edge computing resources will support the academic programs. The addition will become the first building on the Mills campus to meet rigorous national standards as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) “green building.?

Children’s School

Founded in 1926 on the Mills College campus, the Children's School is the oldest laboratory school west of the Mississippi River. From its inception, the School has had the dual mission of providing quality education for both children and adults. A member of the East Bay Independent Schools Association, the Children’s School is open to the children of Mills students, faculty, and staff as well as the general public.

Since 2000 the Children's School has been housed in the Education Complex of the campus. The state-of-the-art facility includes an infant/toddler program, two preschool programs offering several scheduling options, and a kindergarten through fifth grade elementary school, each with age-appropriate playgrounds and structures.

Undergraduate students majoring or minoring in child development, as well as graduate education students, have the unique opportunity of using the classroom for research and study under the guidance of master teachers with graduate degrees, professional credentials, and years of experience.

Also housed on campus are the English First International Language School, the Julia Morgan School for Girls (independent of the College), a Greek theatre, and many other attractions. Its main route of entry, Richards Road, is included in The 100 Most Beautiful Streets of America.

Campus Community

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, and Marian Wright Edelman.

Athletics

Mills students compete in seven intercollegiate sports—cross country, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball—as members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Mills College mascot is the Cyclone and the school colors are blue, gold, and white. The Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (APER) Department is housed in Haas Pavilion. The Director of Athletics is Themy Adachi. Students may also participate in physical education coursesfor credit or take advantage of the on-campus fitness facilities and off-campus activity excursions.

Presidents

• Mary Atkins - 1855–1865 (Principal of Young Ladies’ Seminary)
• Cyrus Mills - 1865–1884 (as Mills Seminary until 1877, when the College received its charter)
• Homer Sprague - 1885–87
• Charles Carroll Stratton - 1887–1890
• Susan Tolman Mills - 1890–1909
• Luella Carson - 1909–1914
• Hettie Belle Ege - 1914–16 (Dean and Acting President)
• Aurelia Henry Reinhardt - 1916–1943
• Lynn Townsend White, Jr. - 1943–1958
• C. Easton Rothwell - 1959–1967
• Robert Wert - 1967–1976
• Barbara M. White - 1976–1980
• Mary S. Metz - President Emerita; at Mills 1981–1990
• Virginia Smith - 1990–91 (Acting President)
• Janet L. Holmgren - 1991–present

Notable faculty, past and present

• Robert Ashley
• Arthur Berger
• Luciano Berio
• John Bischoff
• Chris Brown
• Dave Brubeck
• John Cage
• Alvin Curran
• Fred Frith
• Congresswoman Barbara Lee
• Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin
• Darius Milhaud
• Diana O'Hehir
• Pauline Oliveros
• Jose Palafox
• Kathleen Parlow
• Maggi Payne
• Terry Riley
• David Rosenboom
• Dean Rusk
• Diana E.H. Russell

Notable alumnae and alumni

• Laurie Anderson (performance artist and musician)
• Sheila Ballantyne (author)
• John Bischoff (musician)
• Renel Brooks-Moon (Voice of the San Francisco Giants, first African-American baseball announcer)
• Chris Brown (musician)
• Trisha Brown (choreographer)
• Dave Brubeck (musician and composer)
• Sharon Cheslow (musician and artist)
• Sofia Coppola (director)
• Kristin Erickson (musician)
• March Fong Eu (politician)
• Molissa Fenley (modern dancer)
• Guillermo Galindo (Composer)
• April Catherine Glaspie (diplomat; Fmr. United States Ambassador to Iraq during the Gulf War)
• Daisy A. Gonzales (author and activist)
• Ariel Gore (author)
• Barbara Higbie (musician and composer)
• Marcie Jones (author)
• Gretel Christine Kovach (columnist/reporter for Dallas Morning News, Newsweek, and CSM)
• Bevin Kelley (musician)
• Barbara Lee (U.S. Congresswoman for California's 9th Congressional District)
• Miya Masaoka (musician and composer)
• Silvia Matheus (composer and musician)
• Meredith May (award winning journalist)
• Elizabeth Murray (born 1940) (painter and MacArthur Fellow)
• Amy X Neuburg (musician and composer)
• Joanna Newsom (musician)
• Thoraya Ahmed Obaid (UN Under-Secretary General)
• Gema P. Ornelas (artist and author)
• Maggi Payne (musician and composer)
• Dixy Lee Ray (former Governor of Washington)
• Steve Reich (composer)
• Manuel Rocha Iturbide (composer and sound artist)
• Greg Saunier (musician)
• Dorothy Schwartz (violinist)
• Dana Vespoli (porn star)
• Jade Snow Wong (author and artist)

See also

Mills College Honorary Degree Recipients

Trivia

The mansarded structure Mills Hall, which provided homes for faculty and students as well as classrooms and dining halls is now a California Historical Landmark (#849) and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-71000132).

The college was mentioned as the choice of Gilmore Girls character Madeline Lynn before she graduated, though she transferred to New Orleans' Tulane University in a subsequent episode because she missed her friend Louise Grant.

Points of interest

• William Joseph McInnes Botanic Garden and Campus Arboretum
• Aron Art Center
• Mills Concert Hall
• F. W. Olin Library
• Art Museum
• Mills Hall
• Center for Contemporary Music
• Children’s School
• Trefethen Aquatic Center and Haas Pavilion
• Lisser Theatre

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).

Footnotes

External links

• Mills College official website
• Photo tour of Mills College
• Virtual tour of Mills College
• Mills College newsroom
• Mills College student newspaper
• "Off the Beaten Path" -- Mills College named one of three California colleges to consider by the New York Times

•  • [ e] Oakland, California Attractions
Landmarks	Tribune Tower (Oakland) Rockridge Market Hall USS Potomac (AG-25) Alameda County Courthouse Oakland – Jack London Square (Amtrak station)
Museums	Oakland Museum of California Chabot Space and Science Center Museum of Children's Art
Zoos & Parks	Oakland Zoo Knowland Park Lake Temescal Redwood Regional Park
Entertainment	Oakland Metro An Opera House Grand Lake Theater Paramount Theater (Oakland, California)
Sports	Oakland A's Oakland Raiders Golden State Warriors McAfee Coliseum Oracle Arena
Colleges	Samuel Merritt College Mills College Lincoln University (California) California College of the Arts Holy Names College Laney College Patten College
Shopping Centers	Oakland City Center Jack London Square Chinatown Rockridge, Oakland, California

•  • [ e] Current women's universities and colleges in the United States

Agnes Scott • Assumption • Alverno • Barnard • Bay Path • Bennett • Blue Mountain • Brenau • Bryn Mawr • Cedar Crest • Chatham • College of Notre Dame of Maryland • College of Saint Mary • Columbia College (Columbia, South Carolina) • Converse • Cottey • Georgian Court • Hollins • Judson • Lexington • Mary Baldwin • Meredith • Midway • Mills • Moore College of Art and Design • Mount Holyoke • Mt. Mary • Mt. St. Mary's • Peace • Pine Manor • Rosemont • Russell Sage • St. Benedict • St. Catherine • St. Elizabeth • Saint Joseph • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College • St. Mary's (Indiana) • Salem • Scripps • Simmons • Smith • Spelman • Stephens • Stern • Sweet Briar • The College of New Rochelle • Trinity Washington University • Ursuline • Wellesley • Wesleyan College • Wilson • Women's College of the University of Denver

•  • [ e] California Pacific Conference
Bethany University • CSU East Bay • CSU Maritime • Dominican University • Holy Names University • Menlo College • Mills College • Pacific Union College • Simpson University • William Jessup University

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