r e i m a g i n i n g
l i b e r a l
a r t s
c o l l e g e s
t h e
b e s t
o f
r e u n i o n
Mills Quarterly Winter 2015
The amazing women I met at Mills continually inspire me to be the best person I can be. Forging these extraordinary connections wouldn’t have been possible without financial aid, which allowed me to attend the College. I give to Mills so current and future students can experience what I did. Truly, few things in life are as special as Mills sisterhood!
Jill Kunishima ’03
behind every gift there is a story
Each gift to the College has a story—about a life-path discovered at Mills and followed into the world, about lifelong friendships and inspiring mentors, about a voice found or strengthened. These are the stories you make possible for future generations when you give to Mills. Each gift really does count: college assessors, including U.S. News & World
Report, consider graduates’ giving an important measure of a learning community’s excellence. Your gifts to Mills are a vote of confidence in the College’s future.
Give to the Mills College Annual Fund by calling 510.430.2366, picking up the phone when a student calls you, visiting alumnae.mills.edu/give, or returning the enclosed envelope.
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10
28
Mills Quarterly
contents Winter 2015 3
Planning for change
Flexibility and adaptability are hallmarks of a strong liberal-arts education. Mills is looking ahead to keep pace with the needs of today’s—and tomorrow’s—students.
6
Majoring in the 21st century by Dan Ryan
As traditional institutions of higher education face new competitors and financial challenges, how do we forge a curriculum that will prepare students for the century ahead? Ryan, an associate professor of sociology, proposes that the entire structure of the College is ripe for innovation.
10
Learning by doing by Whitney Phaneuf, MFA ’07
Students in the Master of Public Policy Program show how internships provide a valuable complement to classroom learning and a beneficial bridge to professional work.
14
Honoring their achievements by Vanessa Marlin ’06
Disparate in their career and volunteer accomplishments, this year’s alumnae award winners are united in their lifelong connection to the Mills community. Plus: Reunion class photos.
28
Top 10 things we love about Reunion
In a weekend full of fun and special moments, here are a few of our favorites.
Departments 2
Calendar
4
Mills Matters
19
Class Notes
26
In Memoriam
On the cover: Public policy students Sepi Aghdaee and Sonia Manrique-Stromberg at Oakland’s City Hall, where both have completed internships in the office of City Councilmember—and now Mayor—Libby Schaaf. Photo by Dana Davis.
Calendar
Letters to the Editor I don’t usually speak out, but I was so
and concluded, ‘Trans inclusiveness rep-
heartened and proud to read of the
resents not an erasure but an updating of
College’s stand of unconditionally wel-
this mission.’”
coming transgender students (“Men of
Dance February 6 Ebb + Flow Alumni Dance Concert 8:00 pm, Lisser Hall, with a post-event reception at Reinhardt Alumnae House. $10 general, free to Mills students and alumnae. For information, contact millsdancealum@gmail.com.
Keep it up, Mills!
Wellesley: Can women’s colleges survive
—Jan Miller White ’65
the transgender movement?” The New
Newcastle, California
York Times Magazine, October 19, 2014). I have always valued my Mills expe-
My
experiences
at
Mills
completely
rience, but to have Mills College men-
altered the trajectory of my life; it is
tioned alongside Wellesley, Smith, and
not an exaggeration to say that I would
Mt. Holyoke within this complicated dis-
not be the person I am today if I hadn’t
cussion only doubled my loyalty.
attended Mills. With that said, it’s obvi-
A sample quote from the article: “In
ous that I have immense pride in Mills
March 6 Undergrad Underground 4:00 pm and 6:30 pm, Studio 1, Haas Pavilion. For information, contact dance@mills.edu.
May, Mills College became the first wom-
and in being a Mills alum. I didn’t think
en’s college to broaden its admissions
it was possible for me to be more proud
policy to include self-identified trans
of Mills, but then the College Board of
Mills Music Now February 7 Morton Subotnick February 14 Marc-André Hamelin,
women, even those who haven’t legally
Trustees Enrollment and Financial Aid
or medically transitioned and even if
Committee approved the new admissions
their
recommendation
policy related to admitting transgender
letters refer to them as male. The new
students. I was absolutely elated when
policy, which begins by affirming Mills’s
I read the news of that decision! Finally
commitment to remaining a women’s col-
Mills has solidified in policy what has
lege, also welcomes biological females
been a part of the fabric of Mills for so
who identify anywhere on the gender
long. Kudos to all involved in making this
spectrum, as long as they haven’t become
policy a reality, and I look forward to see-
legally male. The change grew out of two
ing how it is implemented and the ways
years of study by a committee of faculty
that the College grows and improves in
and staff, which noted that Mills has
the future.
Dewing Piano Recital March 5–8 Signal Flow Festival (various times and locations) March 21 Eyvind Kang and Fast Forward 8:00 pm (unless otherwise noted) in the Littlefield Concert Hall. $15 general, $10 senior and non-Mills students, free to alumnae with AAMC card. See musicnow. mills.edu or contact Steed Cowart at 510.430.2334 or steed@mills.edu.
Songlines Series February 23 PFL Traject March 16 Carl Ludwig Huebsch
transcripts
or
always fought gender-based oppression
—Amy Kalivas ’02 San Diego, California
7:30 pm in the Ensemble Room. Admission is free. For information see musicnow.mills.edu or contact John Bischoff at 510.430.2332 or jbischoff@mills.edu.
Center for Socially Responsible Business March 13 Multi-Sector Partnerships: Catalyzing Social Value This year’s spring conference examines how nonprofits, philanthropic firms, civil society organizations, and the private sector can work together to add social value, bring about community well-being, realize fair profits, and demonstrate environmental stewardship. For details, see csrbmills.org or contact 510.430.3248 or csrb@mills.edu.
Mills College Art Museum January 21–March 15 Bill Owens This exhibition features 33 photographs of women and girls by Bill Owens, who is internationally recognized for his depictions of Northern California suburban life in the 1970s. For more information, see mcam.mills.edu or contact 510.430.2164 or museum@mills.edu. The museum is open 11:00 am–4:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 am–7:30 pm Wednesday, and is closed Monday. Admission is free. 2
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Volume CIII Number 2 Winter 2015 President: Alecia A. DeCoudreaux Chief of Staff and Vice President for Communications and External Relations: Renée Jadushlever Editor: Linda Schmidt Design and Art Direction: Nancy Siller Wilson Contributing Writers: Vanessa Marlin ’06; Whitney Phaneuf, MFA ’07 Editorial Assistance: Lisa Dewees ’16; Russell Schoch The Mills Quarterly (USPS 349-900) is published quarterly by Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, California, and at additional mailing office(s). Postmaster: Send address changes to the Office of Institutional Advancement, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Copyright © 2014, Mills College Address correspondence to Mills Quarterly, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Email: quarterly@mills.edu Phone: 510.430.3312 Printed on recycled paper containing 10 percent post-consumer waste.
(Please use outline)
A Message from the President of Mills College
Planning for change By Alecia A. DeCoudreaux At Mills and other liberal arts colleges,
today are experiencing a curricu-
students acquire the flexible skills that
lum and learning environment, with
allow them to adapt to the unexpected
opportunities for internships and
opportunities and challenges that life
community engagement, that they
presents to them. Through their deep
can build on as graduates.
engagement in society, our graduates tell
And yet, as Associate Professor
us and show us that we’ve been doing a
of Sociology Dan Ryan notes in his
very good job of preparing them for suc-
article on page 6, we are chasing
cess as scholars, in the workplace, as fam-
an elusive goal, for “[a] liberal arts
ily members, and as citizens.
education is a transformative expe-
However, even as we celebrate the
rience that makes sense of life in a
achievements of our alumnae/i, we con-
world that … has not yet happened.”
tinually re-examine the College’s role in
How true this is. As the future will
preparing today’s and tomorrow’s stu-
always be unknowable, our best
dents for their very different futures.
plans, core curricula, and learning
As part of our strategic plan for prepar-
environments will only be the best
ing students for the 21st century, our
until our world changes again and
Curriculum Transformation Taskforce is
requires us to re-think our priorities
re-evaluating our core curriculum and
and our teaching methods.
proposing changes to be implemented starting in fall 2016.
The Curriculum Transformation Taskforce is not the only explora-
This task of developing a curriculum
tion launched through our strategic
now for a future we can barely discern is
plan. Other initiatives include creat-
not unique to Mills. Technological, demo-
ing more flexible ways to obtain a
graphic, and economic changes in our
Mills education, strengthening our
society at large are raising fundamental
commitment to inclusion and social jus-
structured, and how they will interact
questions about the traditional model of
tice, and developing new community and
with the surrounding community.
higher education. For example, technol-
education partnerships. And, of course,
I am proud that, as an institution, Mills
ogy has greatly increased the opportuni-
we are also re-examining our budget
continually enacts precisely the quali-
ties for learning outside the classroom
model so that we can sustain and grow
ties that we hope to foster in our gradu-
while, at the same time, fewer college-
the work of the College. Avoiding struc-
ates: a realistic assessment of goals and
bound students can afford to be full-time
tural deficits, refining our outreach to
achievements, a willingness to listen to
students for four years. Similarly, the
potential students, and adhering to best
new voices, a flexible approach to meth-
work our graduates will do will require
financial practices are all vital to the suc-
ods, and a steadfast commitment to val-
a greater ability to collaborate across dis-
cessful operation of the College. They are
ues and relationships. We may not be
ciplines than ever before, and a greater
also, not incidentally, deeply woven into
able to see clearly the future our students
respect for the different perspectives of a
our other initiatives. New fiscal best prac-
will inhabit—and, indeed, will take part in
diverse workforce.
tices can only be developed hand in hand
creating—but together we can create an
We are deeply engaged in the thought-
with a forward-looking model of who our
inclusive framework for imagining it, for
ful and iterative process we outlined in our
21st-century students will be, how their
preparing for it, and for learning from it
strategic plan for 2013–18. Our students
experience of higher education will be
as it happens. winter 2015
3
Mills Matters By the numbers: an overview of the 2014–15 student body Total Enrollment
1,548
Financial Aid
Undergraduates 922
Full-time undergraduate tuition
First-year students
188
for the 2014–15 academic year is
Transfer students
109
$41,618. Approximately 95 percent
Resumers 16%
of undergraduate students receive
Students of color
54%
financial aid; 92 percent receive
Living on campus
58%
some portion of their aid directly
Graduate students 626 Entering 291 Continuing 333 Women 78% Men 22% Students of color 41%
Faculty
full time part time
Total number
107
90
Female faculty
68%
72%
Faculty of color
31%
28%
Terminal degree
93%
62%
Student: Faculty ratio
11:1
Average class size
16
Budget & fundraising highlights Annual budget Endowment value (June 30, 2014) Giving to Mills
$81.4 million $189.3 million
$9.1 million
(2013–14)
from Mills. The average award is $39,482. This year, $34.5 million in total aid will be awarded to undergraduates, of which $18.4 million is funded by Mills. Graduate tuition begins at $30,906. Ninety-four percent of graduate students received financial aid totaling $17.4 million. Mills funded $5.5 million of that amount.
More numbers: Mills places high on several college
ranking lists
U.S. News & World Report 2015 Best Colleges guide
Fiske Guide to Colleges
#6 among colleges and universities
four-year colleges and universities are
in the West that offer a full range
included on this list authored by former
of undergraduate and master’s
New York Times education editor Edward
programs. Mills appears on this list
B. Fiske and regarded as an unbiased
for the seventh consecutive year
source of information; this is the ninth
and ranks high in offering students
consecutive year that Mills has been selected as one of them.
Trustee gifts
$1.8 million
Alumnae gifts
$2.5 million
a great value. The guide notes that
Gifts from parents, friends, and others
$1.2 million
75 percent of classes at Mills had 20
Foundation and Estate gifts
the 21 percent average giving rate of
The Princeton Review’s The Best 379 Colleges
Mills alumnae is among the top for
For the 10th consecutive year, Mills was
western schools.
among the top 123 regional colleges,
or fewer students in 2013 and that $2.0 million
corporate gifts $1.6 million
ranking 11th in best health services,
Washington Monthly’s annual College Guide
13th for its high levels of race/class
#8 out of the 100 top-ranked mas-
liberal. In addition, Mills earned a “green
ter’s degree–granting universities,
rating” of 98 out of a possible 99 from
maintaining its position in the top
The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green
10. This publication rates schools
Colleges.
based on their contribution to the public good. 4
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Only 15 percent of the country’s best
interaction, and 15th-most politically
Campus kudos A selection of recent achievements by faculty, staff, and students Professor of Public Policy Carol Chetkovich has been honored with the Leslie A. Whittington Excellence in Teaching Award by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration in recognition of her long record of outstanding contribution to public service education. Chetkovich has been the director of the Public Policy Program at Mills since 2005. Oxford University Press has pub-
Nalini Ghuman, Dave Donahue, Elmaz Abinader
lished Resonances of the Raj: India in the English Musical Imagination, 1897– 1947 by Associate Professor of Music
on India,” revealing that “England was
appears in Talking Through the Door:
Nalini Ghuman. In this work, Ghuman
both deeply aware of and profoundly
An Anthology of Contemporary Middle
refutes the conventional history that
influenced by India musically during
Eastern American Writing (Syracuse
depicts a “one-way influence of Britain
the Indian-British colonial encounter.”
University Press) and in the summer
Ghuman has compiled a list of musical
2014 issue of Sukhoon magazine.
recordings to accompany the book, and
Grateful Graduates Index #29 on the list of the 50 Top
Associate professor of dance Sonya
she presented a special book launch
Delwaide was commissioned to cho-
concert at Mills in September.
reograph a production of The Tempest
Distinguished Visiting Writer Achy
at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
“Return on Investment” Colleges
Obejas has been named a United States
in Ashland, Oregon, as well as a new
2014 published by Forbes.com.
Artists Fellow for 2014.
work for the Oakland Ballet Company.
The index is determined by research
Dave Donahue, associate provost
Shinichi Iova-Koga, visiting artist
analyzing 10 years of private gifts
and professor of education, is co-author
in dance, received $40,000 from the
to private, not-for-profit institutions
of Art-Centered Learning Across the
Creative Work Fund towards the cre-
offering four-year degrees.
Curriculum: Integrating Contemporary
ation of a new work honoring Anna
Art in the Secondary School Classroom,
Halprin, to premiere in 2015.
The Daily Meal
published by Teachers College Press.
This website rates Mills #14 in
The book makes a clear and compelling
DeCoudreaux has joined the board
the country in providing fresh,
argument for how contemporary art
of directors of The William and Flora
nutritious meals to students.
supports student learning and con-
Hewlett Foundation, which supports
cludes with a chapter on an integrated,
activities in education, the envi-
Business as UNusual: The Social and Environmental Impact Guide to Graduate Programs
inquiry-based curriculum inspired by
ronment, global development and
contemporary art, including guidelines
population, performing arts, and phi-
for developing art projects teachers can
lanthropy. In addition, DeCoudreaux
adapt to student interests and needs.
was recognized by the Friends of
The Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School
Professor of Spanish and Spanish
the Commission on the Status of
College President Alecia A.
of Business is rated 10th in social
American Studies Carlota Caulfield has
Women with its CEDAW Award for
impact and in the top 25 in envi-
released her latest book of poetry, JJ/CC
Education. CEDAW, the Convention
ronmental sustainability. The guide,
(Ediciones La Mirada).
on the Elimination of All Forms of
published by Net Impact, is based
This House, My Bones, a new book of
Discrimination Against Women, is
on ratings provided by more than
poetry by Professor of English Elmaz
an international bill of rights for all
3,300 MBA students nationwide.
Abinader, was published in October
women that has been ratified by 186
by Willow Books. Abinader’s work also
countries—but not the United States.
winter 2015
5
Majoring in the
21st century
How can today’s educators create a curriculum that will best equip students for the world of tomorrow? By Dan Ryan
E
very August, Beloit College in
(though the president of Mills College,
Wisconsin publishes a “mind-
Aurelia Henry Reinhardt, had served for
set list” that purports to char-
four years in that role before being able
acterize
to). What might have been on the mind-
students
entering
college that fall. Last year’s
The Beloit list is fun, but it rankles, too,
gems from the 2014 list, describing the
not least because it feeds a bad habit:
world they know:
mocking the young for not knowing
• Their formal education began with
about the world before they were born,
planes crashing into the World Trade
and thinking that our task as teachers is to
Center.
familiarize them with all that came before.
• Wire-rimmed glasses evoke Harry Potter, not John Lennon. • Hong Kong has always been a part of the People’s Republic of China. • Both men and women have always played professional basketball. • US quarters have always had individual state themes on the back.
This line of thinking is especially common when professors, administrators, trustees, and alumnae/i start talking about liberal arts, general education, and curriculum reform. We look back to the good old days at Columbia, Chicago, Williams, or Mills and say, “you know, that curriculum served me well. It’s
The lists are by turns provocative, snarky,
exactly what young people today need.”
and funny. Some people find them con-
Our college memories can turn even the
descending; for others they are a useful
most progressive among us into legacy-
conversation starter. Beloit’s 2002 list, for
defending reactionaries.
example, noted that for that year’s enter-
6
set list when you started school?
18-year-olds were born in 1996. A few
ing class The Tonight Show had always
Why did it work for me?
been hosted by Jay Leno, and they had
But stop and think. Why did that educa-
no idea when or why Jordache jeans
tion work so well for us? What about it
had ever been cool. Had the list been
was really essential and timeless?
published for the Mills Class of ’43, it
Let’s imagine for a second that we are
might have said that commercial radio
in the class of 1963, people who spent
had always existed (though their teach-
our twenties in the ’60s. Our mindset list
ers could remember when there were no
might provoke one of our professors to
“airwaves”) and women could always vote
remind us that our grandparents made
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Dan Ryan, associate professor of sociology at Mills since 2006, focuses on the intersections of information, technology, and innovation. This essay is a revision of a talk originally presented at Reunion 2013.
do without modern materials like Nylon and Teflon, which didn’t exist before we were born. Contrast that bit of pedagogy with the advice given at a Los Angeles pool party in the film of the novel The Graduate (published in 1963): “one word, Benjamin: plastics.” In the movie, the phrase stands for the corrupt values of Benjamin’s parents’ generation; but, ironically, it also represents precisely the opposite pedagogical impulse from that of our imaginary professor. It’s about the world in which Benjamin will live, not the one that existed before he was born. If graduates of 50 years ago say today that their liberal arts education was “worth it,” what they mean is that was a good preparation for life in the second half of the 20th century. They had teachers who gave them a strong grounding in 5,000 years of history and thought, but also assigned contemporary best sellers such as The Feminine Mystique, Silent Spring, and The Fire Next Time. Books like these pointed toward a world that was about to happen: a world in which the status of women changes profoundly; a world in which an environmental movement emerges and transforms both the
Whether by plan or by chance, their
Looking forward
popular consciousness and public policy;
teachers led those students to major in
This will not be easy. There have been
and a world where generational shifts
the 20th century.
better times than 2014 for being in
around civil rights and racism are under-
And that, I suggest, is the “secret” of a
the small, liberal arts college business.
way. They had teachers who taught math
liberal arts education: it is a transforma-
Almost every factor that supported the
and science in a way that prepared them
tive experience that makes sense for life
expansion of higher education during the
to work in a computer industry that did
in a world that those who design and
20th century points in the opposite direc-
not yet exist. Their teachers did not know
deliver it will not see much of, an edu-
tion today. There is broader demand for
what the future would be, but they man-
cation that makes sense for a world that
access, but less economic mobility to sup-
aged to forge a curriculum that turned
has not yet happened. That is the legacy
port it. Federal and state governments are
out to be the right preparation for the
we should be preserving. At Mills today,
financially squeezed, and legislators are
decades ahead.
our challenge is to figure out what it will
ill-disposed toward state support of edu-
mean to major in the 21st century.
cation. Philanthropy that once supported
The phrase “it turned out” is key.
PHOTOS BY DANA DAV IS
winter 2015
7
expansion
and
experimentation
now
remake higher education to serve their
capture levels of achievement? What
interests and philosophies. Alternatively,
parts of teaching can be mediated? When
Tuition-driven institutions—those, like
those of us who recognize the durable
are large lectures effective? What tools
Mills, whose operating budgets depend on
and enduring value of the small liberal
developed for MOOCs (massive open
the tuition paid by current students—are
arts college education can rethink and
online courses) can be adapted to make
coming to recognize that although there
redesign it so that tomorrow’s students
teaching easier? How can professors shift
are more students than ever who want
can, indeed, major in the 21st century.
efforts to activities with the most impact?
focuses on accountability and efficiency.
and need their degrees, there simply are
What really makes a difference?
not enough families that can afford even
Restructuring our foundations
steeply discounted tuitions, a fact that no
The pedagogical infrastructure of higher
inertia, self-interest, and imitation that
amount of philanthropy or re-branding or
education—all
taken-for-granted
traditionally inhibit innovation in higher
changes in government aid will change.
rules, practices, structures, and tools we
education. Teachers need to stand on a
As if the economic and political chal-
use that make teaching and learning pos-
pedagogical infrastructure that permits
lenges were not enough, colleges and
sible—includes things like dividing the
them to teach more students more effec-
universities have lost their monopoly on
academic calendar into semesters, terms,
tively with less effort. This will not be
being society’s source of ideas and learn-
and modules; providing information ser-
achieved by mere exhortation and it will
ing to an Internet full of free lessons and
vices, from libraries to email; determining
not be achieved by just “speeding up the
courses on every subject. Technology
how teaching and learning are counted
assembly line” by packing more students
makes coming to campus optional, and
and proficiency measured; deciding how
into each class and pushing them through
digital tools make it easy to unbundle
to deploy faculty in teams and depart-
a reduced and standardized curriculum.
education from its traditional format,
ments; conceptualizing the connections
Real innovation is rocket science.
allowing independent learners to focus
between courses; and developing the
on just the parts they select.
techniques we use in the classroom.
the
Our redesign needs to transcend the
Reconceptualizing curriculum
And on these choppy seas, a whole
Too much of the contemporary dis-
One of the most vexing questions for an
flotilla of highly motivated entrepre-
cussion about such systems is limited to
18-year-old is, “What should I study?”
neurs, and the venture capitalists who
debates about online vs. on-campus learn-
Much of the college menu—structured by
back them, are taking aim, eager to make
ing, or dominated by self-promoting talk-
majors, minors, and general education—is
education the next in a line of indus-
ing heads reciting misguided mantras like
the product of compromise, complacency,
tries—travel, music, bookselling, jour-
“the lecture is dead” or “seat time is over.”
and nostalgia. In the face of rampant
nalism—that have been transformed by
To design and build a liberal arts edu-
careerism and other social trends, some of
cation for the 21st century, we need to
us are even proud of the fact that, with the
The details of the so-called crisis in
reframe this conversation. We need to
exception of a few hybrids and a handful
higher education are debatable, but
think like a startup and treat all of the
of new fields, the list of college majors in
whether we characterize it as problem to
elements of pedagogical infrastructure
2014 looks pretty much like that of a half
be solved or opportunity to be seized, the
as our repertoire for innovation. Our goal
century ago. When asked about innova-
economics, demographics, and politics of
must be a rethinking and remixing that
tion, we point out that we allow particu-
higher education and the rapidly chang-
will allow us to produce more and better
larly motivated students to “design their
disruptive innovation.
own major.” But when it comes to experi-
We need to transcend the distraction of what employers want this year and the seduction of protecting tradition, and focus on challenges the planet and its inhabitants will face during the rest of the century.
mentation, that‘s about it: most liberal arts colleges outsource curricular R&D to a few enterprising sophomores. As the adults in the room, we need to recognize that if our students are to major in the 21st century, we have to lead the way. Very few of our students will go on to become scholars or practitioners in the fields we are trained in, but all of
ing world around it suggest that majoring
learning than ever before at a lower cost.
them will live in a world we will not see
in the 21st century will be substantially
Rethinking our pedagogical infrastruc-
much of. We need to transcend the dis-
different from majoring in the 20th.
ture means looking past our assump-
traction of what employers want this year
What is to be done? The higher edu-
tions and asking fundamental questions,
and the seduction of protecting tradition,
cation space is awash in ideologues, bil-
including: Is the semester the right length
and focus on challenges the planet and
lionaires, and entrepreneurs who think
of time for all courses? Are written exams
its inhabitants will face during the rest of
they know. They are ready—and eager—to
effective? Do averages of test scores really
the century.
8
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Twenty-first century problems will
century dystopian fiction appear naive.
student will live in a world without Europe
repertoires
And we need to help our students extend
and the United States at its center, where
that to us will appear eclectic and stocks
ethical thinking into the realm of algo-
she knows what it means that “everyone
of knowledge from which remixes and
rithms and literacy into the realm of com-
is an outsider almost everywhere.” She
mashups can be generated for situations
puter code.
will need a cosmopolitan world view that
likely
require
intellectual
we can barely conjure. It will no longer
Finally, we need to reinvent cosmo-
equips her not just to tolerate unfamil-
suffice to be an expert in single areas:
politanism, a concept that comes from
iar styles of thinking, but to grapple with
the politician will require knowledge
the Greek words meaning “a citizen of
them, understand them, compete with them, and collaborate with them.
The student who majors in the 21st century will... need a cosmopolitan world view that equips her not just to tolerate unfamiliar styles of thinking, but to grapple with them, understand them, compete with them, and collaborate with them.
Commencement Redesigning the liberal arts college for the 21st century won’t be done in a single semester or a single year. It is a long-term and ongoing process, but we owe it to our students to begin. Consider the class of 2022, who will come to Mills less than five years from
of African history and Indian history
now. They will be the first class born in
and Asian history; a designer will need
this century, a phrase that harkens back
to understand chemistry and market
to lines from a speech delivered by John
research; the business person will need to
F. Kennedy a half century ago:
grasp the cultural history of a region and
The torch has been passed to a new
the politics of economic development.
generation of Americans—born in this
Our pedagogy will not meet this need
century, tempered by war, disciplined
to be able to speak and think fluently
by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our
across fields of expertise if we restrict our-
ancient heritage—and unwilling to wit-
selves to changes in individual required
ness or permit the slow undoing of those
courses or even entire majors. We need
human rights to which this Nation has
to look deep inside our disciplines to
always been committed, and to which
identify clusters of knowledge and skills
we are committed today at home and
that will be indispensable additions to the
around the world.
toolboxes of 21st-century innovators and
How should we recruit this new genera-
problem solvers.
tion and what can we promise them? We can be modest and offer them employable
21st-century conversations
skills, flexible degree paths, a curriculum based on tradition, and values based on
We, of course, will not be any better at predicting the particulars of the future
the world.” In the 20th century it might
today’s politics—or we can build an infra-
than our predecessors were, but we have
have sufficed to learn, say, Italian, study
structure and design a curriculum so
the same duty to extrapolate beyond
some art history, and have something to
that the women of this new generation
established
say about the space race, the arms race,
will say at their 50th reunion—in 2072!—
and current theater.
“We majored in the 21st century and this
expertise
and
rigorously
anticipate the public conversations that will dominate their lives. We need to
The student who majors in the 21st
prepared us to thrive in it and make its
lay the groundwork for debates about,
century will develop a new kind of cosmo-
history.” If we succeed, we will be able to
for example, the status of corporations
politanism based more on Wikipedia than
send the class of 2022 off into the world,
as global political actors and new rela-
Britannica, where multiple viewpoints are
confident that they will do well for them-
tions among nation-states, regions, citi-
valid and the boundary between producers
selves and, more importantly, do good
zens, and migrants. We need to point our
and consumers of knowledge is permeable.
for the world, paraphrasing at their com-
students, explicitly, to China, India, and
It won’t do just to take a year of a foreign
mencement another line from that 1961
Brazil. And Africa. We need to start con-
language, spend a semester abroad, and
speech in a manner that captures the true
versations about the effects of concentra-
fulfill distribution requirements. Where
meaning of majoring in the 21st century:
tions of wealth, information, and power.
academic literacy once sufficed, real cul-
“Ask not what a liberal arts education can
We need to instigate concern about social
tural, technological, scientific, economic,
do for you; ask what you, with a liberal
control and surveillance that make 20th-
and political literacy will be the norm. The
arts education, can do for the world.” ◆ winter 2015
9
Learning by doing By Whitney Phaneuf, MFA ’07 • Photo by Dana Davis
Sonia Manrique-Stromberg (left) and Sepi Aghdaee at Oakland City Hall. 10
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Sepi Aghdaee had never run a press conference
Part of that accountability includes following through on
when Oakland City Councilmember and Mayor-elect Libby
projects even after the semester-long internship is technically
Schaaf asked her to do so one day last September. But by the
over. Aghdaee will continue to coordinate the Great Attendance
end of the week, she’d successfully pulled together reporters and
Pizza Challenge with principals of the four participating ele-
officials to address the topic of chronic absenteeism in Oakland
mentary schools until the end of the school year.
schools. As an intern in Schaaf’s office, such challenges are part
A high level of accountability and responsibility was also true
of the daily routine for Aghdaee, who is pursuing a joint master’s
for Aghdaee’s work on Measure DD, which passed easily in the
degree in public policy and business administration (MPP/MBA)
election on November 4. The measure reforms the process by
at Mills.
which the city draws its district boundaries every 10 years, based
While Aghdaee’s “intern” title is accurate, her duties are a far
on US census data, to ensure that each district has roughly the
cry from the low-level tasks typically associated with such posi-
same amount of people represented in local elections, including
tions. Prior to the internship, Aghdaee had limited exposure to
city council and school board seats. Historically, the redistricting
the development of policy within a government office but, since
has been determined by politicians.
starting her internship last spring, she has written a new piece of
“The lawmakers who run for the seats draw their own lines,
legislation that was on the November ballot. As she continues in
and Council members Schaaf and Dan Kalb said this is a conflict
Schaaf’s office this fall, she is assisting with items that come to
of interest,” says Aghdaee, who began to work on the measure
the city’s Community and Economic Development Committee.
last February. “It’s very important that districts are fair and don’t
Along with Sonia Manrique-Stromberg, a 2015 master of pub-
break up communities.”
lic policy candidate, and Lillian Cuny ’11, MPP ’12, Aghdaee
As the first and primary project of her spring internship,
found that her internship with Schaaf moved her from writing
Aghdaee had to determine how to bring fairness and transpar-
policy papers to shaping actual public policy, and gained her
ency to the redistricting process and make it “reflective of the
advantages in both the classroom and job hunt.
geographic, racial, ethnic, and economic diversity” in Oakland.
No ordinary internship
And, as she learned during her interview for the position, she would be responsible for gathering all public input, researching
Being tasked with organizing a press conference was not the first
similar legislation, and ultimately drafting the proposed measure.
time Aghdaee had plunged into uncharted waters, with a little
“Libby’s chief of staff, Shereda Nosakhare, told me that I would
push from Schaaf. That day she became knowledgeable about
figure it out,” Aghdaee recalls.
chronic absenteeism in Oakland elementary schools, a problem
Aghdaee started by identifying and meeting with local indi-
Schaaf countered with an initiative to reward classes that have
viduals and organizations to gather expert input, and examined
the best attendance with a pizza party three times a year.
other approaches to solving the problem from across the coun-
“What’s interesting about Libby’s office is that, from the get-
try. In between classes at Mills, Aghdaee spent her days at City
go, it was expected that I would do it,” Aghdaee recalls. “Her
Hall and her nights at home drafting the measure. Her work
motto is ‘You are capable and that’s why you are here.’ It pushes
continued through the summer as Schaaf, Kalb, and the city
you to be accountable and get the job done.”
attorney reviewed and revised the legislation.
As interns in an Oakland City Councilmember’s office, Mills students help shape the city’s future—and their own winter 2015
11
Gaining an edge Mills students in many academic disciplines are securing pivotal experience and postgraduation jobs thanks to internships. For computer science major Amelia Parmidge ’14, two summer internships at Google not only led to her current position as a software engineer at the tech giant, but also changed her entire academic direction. Parmidge entered Mills as a biochemistry and molecular biology major, to which she added an engineering practicum. That’s how she met Ellen Spertus (at left), a professor of computer science at Mills and research scientist at Google who has spent decades working to bring more women into computing fields. Spertus encouraged Parmidge to apply for a Google internship during the summer between her sophomore and junior years. “Before I went to Mills, I didn’t have a background in CS,” Parmidge says. “But at Google, I had a chance to see what working at a software company was like, and it helped me become a programmer.” By her junior year, Parmidge changed her major and returned to intern at Google the following summer. She was hired upon graduation. “An internship is kind of like having a 12–14 week interview,” Parmidge says. Parmidge’s experience reflects a national trend. According to an Internships.com survey—which was conducted in December 2012 and polled students, recent graduates, and human resources professionals—graduates have a seven in 10 chance of being hired by a company they interned with. In 2012, 69 percent of companies with 100 or more employees offered full-time positions to previous interns. The survey also polled employers on the factors that most influenced hiring decisions, and two-thirds said they placed relevant work experience and interview performance above academic performance. Mills’ emphasis on internships, in tandem with academics, is keeping graduates competitive in a job market where a degree often isn’t enough.
They settled on a plan closely modeled after the California
“Mills has sent me the most capable, competent, dedicated,
Citizens Redistricting Commission, which determines the district
passionate workers that I ever could have dreamed of,” says
maps for congressional, state assembly, state senate, and Board of
Schaaf.
Equalization districts, and the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in Austin, Texas, which voters passed in 2012.
Schaaf held multiple internships as an undergraduate and as a law student, and those experiences inform how she manages
Measure DD will go into effect following the 2020 census,
students working in her own office today. While the internship
at which time any Oakland resident without political conflicts
is unpaid, she wants students to have something to show to pro-
of interest can apply to serve on the 13-person Independent
spective employers at the end of it.
Redistricting Commission. Schaaf, whose district encompasses
“Internships should not only be about grunt work,” Schaaf
the middle slice of the city and runs just north of Mills College,
says. “You want to empower interns not just to explore things,
says there was some debate about who should screen applicants
but to have ownership and to produce a real product to show at
and choose members of the commission, and that Aghdaee’s
the end of their experience.”
influence affected the legislation in an unexpected way.
Aghdaee admits that, at some points, it has been tough to bal-
“As part of the redistricting process, a screening panel is
ance working for Schaaf and being in school, but believes the
formed to select a pool of the best qualified residents,” Schaaf
practical experience has given her an academic advantage. “I’m
explains. “Initial suggestions included a judge and a law student,
currently taking one of the toughest classes in the program and
but they changed law student to graduate student because they
was very happy with my grade on the first assignment,” Aghdaee
thought Sepi was so impressive. They had her in mind as the
says. “I’m a more confident writer as a result of putting together
type of person they would want to make decisions.”
Measure DD, and the experience from my internship gave me
Confidence in the classroom
insights into the coursework.” Her Mills education has also served her well at Schaaf’s office.
Schaaf, whose aunt went to Mills, has been a guest speaker in
“Mills students know how to work in teams,” Aghdaee says. “It
several public policy classes, addressing how to run a political
was great to see how that works in the real world.” Aghdaee adds
campaign as a mother with young children and other issues fac-
that Schaaf sets that tone in her approach: “Libby embodies the
ing women in government office. Visiting professor Anne Moses
Mills spirit in that she wants women to succeed. The way she
suggested Schaaf take on department students as interns, and so
collaborates with people is similar to what I love about Mills—it’s
far she’s had three from Mills.
not competitive.”
12
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
For Manrique-Stromberg, who interned with Schaaf during
sentatives from the East Bay SPCA, the Marin County SPCA, and
the summer after her first year in the MPP program, her Mills
the Oakland Zoo, among others—including the major circuses
training helped with duties like summarizing staff reports and
such as Ringling Bros. and UniverSoul.
talking to constituents and nonprofits. “I had already done a lot
“We didn’t want to spit in anyone’s eye, and we had to keep in
of writing and researching at Mills, and I felt much more pre-
mind that a lot of people like the circus. I can’t let my personal
pared,” Manrique-Stromberg says.
passion blind me to good policy,” Cuny says. “I really wanted to
Manrique-Stromberg researched topics such as Measure FF, the hotly debated—but ultimately successful—ballot measure
do a good job. It was absolutely my dream assignment, which was awesome, but totally scary.”
which raises Oakland’s minimum wage to $12.25, and prepared
Cuny’s hard work paid off—long before she finished her proj-
briefings for Schaff and her staff. “It’s pretty overwhelming to
ect—when Schaaf’s policy analyst found out she was having
take in all the information surrounding these issues and figure
twins and had to start her maternity leave ahead of schedule.
out your stance,” Manrique-Stromberg says. “But it’s also exhila-
Based on Cuny’s performance as an intern over the previous
rating. Libby and her staff wanted me to learn as much as pos-
three months, Schaaf hired her to be her interim policy analyst,
sible. I felt instantly welcome and part of the team.”
a paid position that lasted about a year.
Manrique-Stromberg also spent a lot of time at City Hall sit-
In that time, Cuny successfully amended Oakland’s special
ting in on council meetings. “It was perfect for me as a general
event permit to include greater scrutiny of the treatment of ani-
introduction to local government,” Manrique-Stromberg says.
mals and to give the city authority to do site inspections. The
“It’s been a real advantage in school and has helped me in my
new ordinance, which Cuny wrote, required changing the city’s
Local Policymaking, Planning, and Management class because
municipal code, and took about twenty revisions before it went
now I have a first-hand sense of the advocacy process.”
to the city attorney and was voted on twice by the city council
The new interview
in late 2013. “Because of Lili, animals that come to Oakland have much
Lili Cuny, who was Schaaf’s first intern from Mills, says that she
better care than they did before,” Schaaf says. “And I will bet
hadn’t imagined how powerful the internship experience could
that Oakland will adopt a full-on ban on the use of bull hooks
be. “I didn’t really understand the importance of doing intern-
based on the policy report she wrote to educate the council on
ships while in school,” Cuny says. “I just kind of figured that
this issue.”
school would give me access to different jobs and that people
Today, Cuny is applying her skills to national health care
would be impressed with my academic experience.” Luckily,
programs in the US Department of Housing and Urban
Cuny’s Mills professors were impressed enough to personally
Development in Washington DC. She was selected from among
recommend her to Schaaf, who helped her transition from part-
15,000 applicants to serve as Presidential Management Fellow,
time, post-graduation jobs to a full-fledged career.
a prestigious two-year program that allows recent graduates
Cuny was known around Mills for her love of animals and
with advanced degrees to work with a government agency at
her vegan baked goods, which she shared with her classmates
a civil service rank—a first step towards becoming a permanent
on test days; Schaaf had been searching for an intern to work
employee. Working for Schaaf didn’t just boost her resume, she
on a possible animal rights ordinance. “Lili could not have been
says, it gave her the confidence to apply.
more perfect,” Schaaf recalls. Schaaf had met with animal rights
“Working with Libby for a year, tackling so many different
activists who were concerned about the treatment of perform-
issues, and feeling proud of what I was doing was a big benefit,”
ing circus, and other event-related, animals being brought into
Cuny says.
Oakland. With Cuny on board, they found there were no regu-
As for Manrique-Stromberg, who plans to work in regional and
lations on circuses or any other animal performing acts to take
state clean energy policy after she graduates in 2015, she’s cer-
extra precautions.
tain that her internship experience in Schaaf’s office will help her
“A circus would get the same special event permit as a travel-
in the job market. “It’s a testament to Mills. I don’t think every
ing flower show, but there’s a lot more inherent danger for the
school encourages internships like we do here and the College
animals,” Cuny says. “It’s an accident waiting to happen if you
has built a really strong connection with local government,”
have no oversight. There could be property damage, people get-
Manrique-Stromberg says. Though she doesn’t graduate until
ting hurt, and we were also concerned with how the animals
2016, Aghdaee says she feels like she has a head start thanks to
were being treated and trained, and what their quality of life
Mills and Schaaf: “It was very important that wherever I went to
was like.”
school had real-world contacts. Libby has been very generous in
Cuny’s initial research included reading decades’ worth of
introducing me to people.”
US Department of Agriculture reports, and finding that some of
Schaaf, who was voted in as Oakland’s new mayor in
these circus animals had been subjected to abuse many times
November’s election, is unequivocal about the benefits of part-
throughout the years. “It was so sad, but what I tried to remem-
nering with the College. “Without a doubt,” she says, “as I con-
ber was that we were making a change,” Cuny recalls.
tinue in politics, my work will certainly include interns from
Cuny interviewed the animal rights group Schaaf had met
Mills.” ◆
with, the former director of Oakland Animal Services, and reprewinter 2015
13
Honoring their achievements Cynthia Guevara ’04, Calia Brencsons- Van Dyk ’90, AAMC President Lucy Do ’75, President Alecia DeCoudreaux and Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63.
Meet this year’s alumnae award winners By Vanessa Marlin ’06
N
early 200 women gathered with their classmates
said that returning to the Mills campus is like coming home.
for lunch on the grassy lawn behind Mills Hall, enjoy-
“Home is the thing that connects us,” she told the crowd.
ing the perfect September afternoon during this year’s
Although honored to receive her award, she was quick to express
Reunion. Some of these women were freshly minted alumnae
that all Mills women are distinguished, whether they choose to be
from the class of 2014, a few had graduated more than 70 years
stay-at-home moms or high-powered lawyers. “We all know what
ago, but they were all there for the same reason: to honor this
it is to be a Mills woman,” she said. “Remember who you are and
year’s Alumnae Association of Mills College award recipients.
what you represent.”
Calia Brencsons-Van Dyk ’90, honored that day with the
AAMC President Lucy Do ’75 served as emcee for the cer-
Distinguished Achievement Award for her work in media and
emony, which also recognized Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63 as
entertainment, expressed a deeply shared sentiment when she
Outstanding Volunteer and Cynthia Guevara ’04 with the Recent Graduate Award. All three winners spoke of their pride in being a Mills woman, their gratitude for a Mills education, and their lifelong connection to the Mills community.
Calia Brencsons-Van Dyk ’90 Distinguished Achievement An Emmy and James Beard Award-winning producer who has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years, Brencsons-Van Dyk began her theater career at Mills, where she minored in the subject and earned the Marion Stebbins Long Award for most promising student in the performing arts. A year after graduating, Professor of Dramatic Arts Jim Wright gave Brencsons-Van Dyk her professional push when he hired her 14
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Mills women of all ages, shown here and below left, enjoyed the alumnae awards luncheon at Reunion.
to direct the female version of The Odd Couple in Lisser Hall.
and alumnae. “So many of these women continue to be role
Shortly thereafter, she moved to New York to act at the American
models for me; I met students who energized me and made me
Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA).
hopeful about this world,” she commented. “I have often said to
She held several positions in the New York theater industry
anyone who would listen, that the world would be in much bet-
before joining the team at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
ter shape in the hands of the capable and compassionate leader-
nine years ago. Since then, she rose from production coordinator
ship of Mills graduates.”
to acting executive-in-charge of production and worked for mul-
A teacher for 35 years, she was challenged and nourished by
tiple seasons on the Emmy Award-winning Martha Stewart Show.
students at Mills College, San Francisco University High School,
She also has contributed to several other series in the Martha
and Oakland High School, where she retired as an assistant prin-
Stewart empire as well as managing production of primetime
cipal. She is currently enjoying life with family, friends, and her
television specials, ad campaigns, and programs such as Emeril’s
new husband, Karl, whom she originally met through a Mills
Table and the live finale of the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off.
classmate in her sophomore year.
A member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Television Arts and Sciences, and the French American Chamber
Cynthia Guevara ’04 Recent Graduate Award
of Commerce, she has run Caliativity Communications since
Echoing a common theme of the day, Guevara spoke of the
2005, a consulting practice specializing in food and lifestyle tele-
powerful connection Mills women have to one another. When
vision development, production, and management.
she arrived at Mills, she explained, a group of young students
Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of
Brencsons-Van Dyk's latest creative endeavor is raising her
“adopted” her. It was an unlikely friendship, she thought at the
19-month-old son, Joseph, a collaborative effort with her husband,
time, since she was a transfer student and a significantly older
Joel—and both Mills men were on hand to support Calia during
resumer. But the group grew to know and support each other
the reunion from the grassy perimeter of Holmgren Meadow.
as peers. When her friends finally walked across the stage to accept their diplomas, Guevara beamed with pride. They had
Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63 Outstanding Volunteer
gone through the same experiences—classes, study sessions, and
For more than half a century, Kreplin has relished the “magi-
Mom,” Guevara recalled with a laugh. “I was so proud of them.”
cal madness of Mills,” which she defines as a lifelong posses-
Guevara’s first Mills volunteer service began when she
sion of curiosity and passion for learning. It almost wasn’t so:
was still a student: in 2002, she joined the AAMC Diversity
Kreplin initially had doubts about attending a “girls’ school,”
Committee (now Alumnae of Color Committee); the AAMC was
but was encouraged to enroll by her mother, Florence, whom
so impressed with her work that she was selected to receive a
she described as a “consummate supportive parent, resilient
Pearl M in 2004.
lunches at Tea Shop—but on graduation day she felt like a “Mills
and loving role model, and force of nature.” Fittingly, Kreplin’s
In the decade since, she has served on the AAMC Board of
mother was in the audience to see her receive the Outstanding
Governors, where she diligently worked on the Nominating,
Volunteer Award.
Finance, Resource, and Educational Outreach Committees. She
Since graduation, Kreplin’s connection to the College has run
has been particularly influential on several Reunion Planning
deep and long. She was an instructor in the Spanish Department
Committees and as chair of the Alumnae of Color Committee.
from 1970 to 1974 and was married to Mills professor of biology
In these roles, she initiated the “Mills After Dark” Reunion revel
Darl Bowers for nearly 38 years. Her volunteer roles are many.
and oversaw a number of successful events. Extending her heart
Kreplin has been class agent twice and a member of the AAMC
for volunteerism well beyond Mills, she has also contributed her
Board of Governors for three terms, serving on numerous commit-
energy and efforts to the Oakland East Bay Symphony and Meals
tees and holding the office of AAMC vice president and president,
on Wheels of San Francisco.
in which role she was a member of the College Board of Trustees.
The proud mother of two and grandmother of one, Guevara
Kreplin said that her service to the community put her in touch
recently launched Cynthia Guevara & Associates, an events and
with innumerable “talented and inspiring” students, faculty, staff,
project management venture. ◆ winter 2015
15
Class photos < Reunion 2014
Class of 1964 Top row: Niki Janus, Priscilla Taylor, Pamela Bergmark Fichtner, Joan Rainey Day, Judy DuBois Bisgard, Ann Manuel Ditlefsen, Barbara Albert, Jane Robinson Shoemaker, Rebecca Marsh Shuttleworth, Alexandra Orgel Moses, Sandy Bazyouros
Third row: Helen Peterson Brainerd, Darlene Holbrook, Linda Parker Dodge, Diana Paxson, Susan Hutchens Wisdom, Sharon Smart Neuman, Karen Wiley, Margaret Kiely Harris, Jan Lackey Knadle
Fifth row: Joan Selke Sallee, Barbara Schwartz Meixner, Barbara-Sue White, Anna Mae Patterson, Mary Wallon, Linda Triegel, Martha Stewart Stobbs, Sally Matthews Buchanan, Landon Scarlett, Elizabeth Titcomb Haskell
Second row: Ellen Krosney Shockro, Patricia Ellis Severn, Patricia Collins Gabbe, Bobby Collins Ferenstein, Selma Rusch Lachman, Marilyn Van Doren Barry, Kathleen Bennion Barrett, Linda Jones Brooks, Eleanor Sims, Hannah Jopling
Fourth row: Katherine Doerr, Joyce Listerman Martin, Sallie Krusen Riester, Marilyn Train Swanson, Cathlyn White Guerra, Denise Scott Fears, Ruth Royse, Sharon Polson Harris, Alice Eberhart-Wright, Megan Dwyer George
Front row: Anne Friend Thacher, Susan Oyama, Nan Dahl Fordyce, Nancy Symmes Whitaker, Julia Dolowitz Reagan, Mura Kievman, Carolyn King Terry, Carol Lockley Grieves, Ruby Kanne Ek, Martha Fuller ClarkÂ
16â&#x20AC;&#x192;
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
1944 (At left, bottom): Marion Ross, Anne Sherwood Copenhagen
1949 Top row: Andrea Byron Earle, Dorothy Compton Kessler, Joan Gumbrecht Andrews Front row: Kathleen Hall Porter, Carol Blundell Miller, Polly Royal Langsley, Margaret Clarke Umbreit
1954 Top row: Sondra Williams, Elizabeth Wills, Aletha Waite Silcox Front row: Berniece Fredrickson Francis, Lynda Taves Ogren, Sandra Rietz Jones
1969 Top row: Kerstin Fraser Magary, Linda Kay Schultz, Kristen Anderson, Cheryl Ezell Buck, Linell McCurry, Barbara Bond Williams, Cindy Mitchell Second row: Hallie von Ammon Strock, Laurie Leinonen, Pat King Jackson, Laurie-Sue Ptak Retts, Tricia Cooper Niederauer, Nancy Brandt Arnold, Ann Condon Barbour Front row: Gretchen Garlinghouse, Lois Henry Showalter, Linda Krigel Lieberman, Marianne Mancina, Veronica Quam Martin, Berry Ponton Crowley
1974 Top row: Velma Hawkins Hawkins, Odessa Pearson Bolton, Christine Norton-Cotts, Clarice Flippin Second row: Judith James, Adrienne McMichael Foster, Catheryn Smith, Linda Barton White, Lenore Tate Front row: Cassandra Buckingham Curry, Momi Chang, Jacki Brown, Tori Collender, Sharon Long Carroll, Benita Sheffield Harris, Doris Walker-Phelps
1979 Top row: Amrit Work Kendrick, Alison Pieters, Leslie Fried Behar, Joy Kieschke, Pamela Sisney, Kristin Philp Kramer, Ai Gek Beh, Leigh Bacon, Leslie Decker Second row: Karen Sparks, Lisa Iden Monroe, Linda Wenker, Laura Vela Austin, Kellor Mohrweiss-Smith, Madeline Clark Cahill, Gail Blackmarr, LizVarnhagen Front row: Bernadette Janet, Camille Chun-Hoon, Robin Anderson, Wendy Ng, Clare LePell, Liz Engan
winter 2015
â&#x20AC;&#x192;
17
Class photos < Reunion 2014
1984 Top row: Amy Rieger, Susan Anderson, Lisa Borden, Michelle Adams DaRosa , Wendy Barrett Dwyer, Stefani Schatz, Cathy Dugan Front row: Yvette Andrews, Carol Scott, Tracey Harpole Tillion, Carole Luna Miller, Lauren Knobel
1989 Top row: Kirsten Challman, Marla Garmire Hedlund Second row: Suzanne Newman Fricke, Annie Seaton, Dana Murguia, Michelle Good Bamrah, Noelle Bruton, Debbie Self Donley Front row: Julia Myers, Susan Parish, Louisa Spier, Corinne Meadows Efram, Ramona Moritz, Pamela Day
1994 Top row: Zora Daniels, Katy McCarthy, Emily Duval Second row: Lee Bickerstaff Nespor, Hannah Treworgy Ekwere, Suzette Lalime Davidson, Krista Gulbransen Front row: Erika Young, Jen Dempster, Heather Herrera, Julie Ehrenworth Solomon, Tracy Scott Edwards
1999 Melissa Henley, Pamela Trounstine
2004 Top row: Heather Paulson Dodge, Christine Lester, Shannon Hillier Second row: Nicole Loutsenhizer, Shayna Gelender, Stefanie Moreno, Cynthia Guevara, Doreen Hinton Front row: Mary Rose Kaczorowski, Zehra Ahsan, Emma Panui, Leanne Olsgaard
2014 Monserrat Garcia, Rose Lopez
7 To purchase prints, go to www.luzography.com/clients/mills2014 18â&#x20AC;&#x192;
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
I’m leaving a legacy to make education accessible to diverse women.
Gwen discovered her core values at Mills. As a student, I loved hearing the Campanil chime from my room in Mills Hall. I also appreciated being in an environment that supported my personal growth. I give to Mills because the College’s work aligns with my core values, including learning, friendship, and sharing. In my will, I included an unrestricted bequest of a percentage of my estate to Mills. Just as the campus community counts on the bells of the Campanil ringing, the College can continue to count on my support. – Gwen Jackson Foster ’67
To learn more about creating a legacy of your own at Mills
contact us toll-free at 1.877.PG.MILLS (1.877.746.4557) or planagift@mills.edu. If you’ve recently included Mills in your estate plans, please let us know.
Including Mills in your legacy plan ensures that your values will be passed on in perpetuity. A bequest allows you flexibility: it’s up to you how much you leave, whether it’s a specific amount, a percentage, or a portion of what’s left after you’ve made bequests to loved ones. For more information, visit www.mills.edu/pg.
In Memoriam Notices of death received before September 30, 2014 To submit listings, please contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu or 510.430.2123
Alumnae Margaret Dollar Powers ’33, July 25, in Scottsdale, Arizona. A longtime resident of Fargo, North Dakota, she was 102 1/2 at the time of her death. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Powers Converse ’57, three grandchildren, and nieces Katherine Obering ’56 and Alice Pulliam ’70. Kathryn “Kay” Heinsheimer Whiting ’36, March 26, 2013, in Chatsworth, California. She achieved the rank of sergeant while serving with the Marines during World War II, was an avid boater, and enjoyed traveling. Survivors include a daughter, and two grandsons. Mary Beckwith Smith ’38, June 4, in Sisters, Oregon. She taught at Annie Wright Seminary in Tacoma, Washington,and was an energetic hiker, horsewoman, and vegetable gardener. In 2013, she was awarded for her 30 years of volunteer service at the Sisters Library. Survivors include her daughter and six grandchildren. Adrienne Fisher Stenger ’39, May 25, in Portland, Oregon. Elizabeth Agee Hancock ’40, July 25, in Long Beach, California. She was a school teacher and Girl Scout leader. She was active in Mills student recruitment and alumnae governance, and was buried in a favorite Mills t-shirt. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Hancock Hinds’67 and Kathie Hancock Gray ’71, and four grandchildren. Frances Fohs Sohn ’40, August 8, in Roseburg, Oregon. A supporter of St. Joseph Catholic Church and St. Joseph School, where she was a volunteer librarian for 33 years, she was also a benefactor to other libraries and numerous artistic, charitable, and philanthropic endeavors. She is survived by five sons and 11 grandchildren. Mardi Boeck Keen ’43, August 30, in Meridian, Idaho. She trained hundreds of people to lead Junior Great Books Discussion Programs in Idaho schools; served as president of the Boise Friends of the Library, Junior League Sustainers, and other organizations; and was honored as a “Distinguished Citizen” in 1978 by the Idaho Statesman. She is survived by four children and six grandchildren. Margaret Walter Clizbe ’44, July 17, in Spokane, Washington. She volunteered with the Red Cross during World War II, as a fundraiser for LA Children’s Hospital, and with Meals on Wheels. She was also a member of the Bishop Guild at Saint John’s Cathedral and a golfer at the Spokane Country Club. She is survived by three children. Grace Hofer Kliewer ’45, August 21, in Glendale, California. She taught piano at Mills before moving to Glendale, where she taught private voice and piano lessons through the 1970s and was associate professor of music at Glendale Community College. She is survived by two sons and two grandchildren. Joan Campbell Callahan ’46, June 26, in Monrovia, California. She worked as a newspaper reporter, wrote humorous short creative pieces and children’s literature, and was nationally published. She was also active in PTA, Panhellenic, and the Cub Scouts and loved horse races. She is survived by four children and five grandchildren.
Marylin Jones ’49, July 16, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was a board member for many civic and charitable groups, a founding member of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma, and received the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation Humanitarian Award. Survivors include three sons and seven grandchildren. Marion “Muffie” Phillips Campbell ’50, August 28, in Honolulu. She served as assistant to the curator of Asian art at the Honolulu Museum of Art from 1984 to 1997. She studied Japanese language and culture, read for the blind, and attended St. Clement’s Episcopal Church. Survivors include a son. Charlotte Leahy D’Amico ’50, August 11, in Chico, California. She earned a master’s degree from Cal State University, Chico. Survivors include her daughter. Patricia Mansbach Neisser ’50, in Newport Beach, California. A theater devotee, she was an early supporter of both South Coast Repertory and the Newport Harbor Art Museum. She hosted her own cable television program in the early 1970s and was a professional travel writer for 35 years. She is survived by her husband, Carl; three sons; and four grandchildren. Sherley Mae White ’50, September 4, in Elon, North Carolina. She ran a gift shop on the Jersey Shore with her companion, Eloise Baynes; conducted fundraising for children’s camps; worked at the Elon University Library; and was a Reiki practitioner. Elizabeth Ross Denniston ’51, June 22, in Hancock, Maine. She painted portraits and scenery and published the book, The Caregivers Guide. She is survived by two children, three stepchildren, and seven grandchildren. Frances Barrington Riegel ’51, May 7, in Palos Verdes Estates, California. She was a founding member of the Santa Ynez Valley Equestrian Center and regularly organized horse shows to benefit local causes. She is survived by two children and their families. Marilyn Williams ’51, May 30, in Alpharetta, Georgia. A talented actress and singer, she earned her MS in education and was a vocational counselor for displaced women at Moraine Park Technical College. She is survived by two daughters and six grandchildren. Joan Moore Holmes ’53, July 20, in Portland. A resident of Gresham, Oregon, for 42 years, she enjoyed golf, singing with the Claremont Choir, and was a hospice volunteer. She is survived by her husband, Jack; three children; and five grandchildren. Eleanor Armstrong Gray ’54, July 31, in Santa Rosa, California. Living at various times in Palo Alto, Salt Lake City, and the Sonoma Valley, she was always an active volunteer in her church, hospital, and arts organizations. She served the Alumni Association of Mills College and often traveled with her Mills friends. She is survived by her husband, John; three children, including Marianne Gray Johnson ’80 and Sharon Gray Taplin ’83; and nine grandchildren. Anne Sisson Warkomski ’54, February 6, in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Survivors include two sons.
Betty Jo Wilson Goff ’46, August 2, 2013, in San Gabriel, California.
Sheila Flanagan Paulsen ’54, August 2, in Apple Valley, Minnesota. She earned a master’s degree at the University of Illinois and worked as a librarian at the University of Minnesota and St. Paul Seminary. She was an avid iris gardener and member of the Ullr Ski Club. Survivors include her sister Moira Flanagan Harris ’55 and two children.
Charleen Burris Tate ’46, August 18, in Greenville, South Carolina. She was an active member of the First Christian Church, had a 22-year career as a schoolteacher, and was a charter member of Blue Grass Garden Club. She is survived by two children and two grandchildren.
Robin Hunt McCorquodale ’56, July 15, in South Carolina. A resident of Houston, Texas, she was a member of the Philosophical Society of Texas and published two novels, many short stories, and a book of poetry. Survivors include three sons and her partner, William Guest.
Mary Rink Mead ’47, August 22, in Olympia, Washington.
Nancy Franz Langert ’57, July 12, in Oakland, California. She is survived by her husband, Jules, and two children.
Jacquelyne Weitzenhoffer Branch ’48, August 13, in Dallas, Texas. A refugee from the Nazi invasion of France, she worked at Neiman Marcus, practiced interior design for many years, and enjoyed tennis, travel, and classical music. She is survived by three children, a grandson, and two stepchildren. 26
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Laurie Keck Chamberlain ’59, July 18, in Riverside, California. She was an active hospital volunteer and hospice worker, a member of the Art Alliance in Riverside, and an avid painter. She is survived by her partner, Charles Lum; two children; and two grandchildren.
Gifts in Memory of Received June 1–August 31, 2014
Rebecca Davidson Karlson ’69 by Douglas Karlson
Frances-Ruth Armstrong ’31 by Terry Nix Cuyler ’73
C. Rodgers Kines by Diane Smith Janusch ’55
Mary “Curry” Woodin Babcock ’39 by Mary Florence LeDonne ’84, MA ’88
Mary Ann Childers Kinkead ’63 by Susan Marks Craven ’’63, Sarah Landels, Nangee Warner Morrison ’63, Patricia Yoshida Orr ’63
Nancy Van Norman Baer ’66 by Alan Baer
Jean Kwok ’54 by Virginia Ong Gee ’51, MA ’52
Timanna Bennett ’02 by Chavon Rosenthal ’08, MBA ’10, PMC ’12
Christine LaFia by Lisa Pena ’97, Tiffany Renee ’97
Darl Bowers, P ’84, by Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63, P ’84, Patricia Yoshida Orr ’63
Carmela Landes ’82 by Mary Schratter Hale ’82
Marjorie Brenn, P ’75 by Nancy Lembke Brenn ’75
Sandra Cowan Long ’61 by Judith Lamont Parent-Smith ’61
Terry Foskett Camacho ’61 by Ann Gordon Bigler ’61
Anne Wilbor Lunghino ’48 by Madeleine Ebbesen Davis ’46
Margarita Campbell, P ’70, by Nancy Meyer Neal ’70
MaryAnn “Hunter” MacEachern ’71 by Rosalie Calhoun ’71
Carol Barkstrom Carney ’53 by Cheryl Lekas
Frederick March, P ’05, by Jennifer Soloway, MFA ’05
Earl “Budd” Cheit by Joan Lewis Danforth ’53
Vivian Marshall by Toni Marshall Adams-Robinson ’68
Willa Wolcott Condon ’32 by Ann Condon Barbour ’69
Nancy Sears Montgomery ’67 by Alta Ronchetto Mowbray ’67
Kerry Datel ’73 by Emily Blanck ’73, P ’08
Paula Morgan ’57 by Patricia Peregrine Muller ’57
Anna May Leong Duncan ’43 by Jane Cudlip King ’42, P ’80, Yvonne Dechant Lorvan ’78, Laurence Weber, Betty Chu Wo ’46
Arthur and Dorotha Myers, P ’61, by Dorotha Myers Bradley ’61
George Thomas Elliott by Jane Cudlip King ’42, P ’80
Helen Pillans by Veronica Quam Martin ’69
Sally Kettering Etterbeek ’63 by Barbara Goldblatt Becker ’63, Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63, P ’84, Patricia Yoshida Orr ’63, Bette Krause Spagel ’63
Charles Larsen by Mura Kievman ’64
Winsome Nembhard, P ’90, by Lois Nembhard ’90 Elizabeth Pope by her nephew, Christopher Pope Denise Williams Robinson ’73 by Cheryl Daniels ’73
Joy Waltke Fisher ’55 by Diane Smith Janusch ’55
Joseph Rorke, P ’70, by Shawn Rorke-Davis ’70
Kristen Johnson Fluhrer ’69 by Maren Anderson Culter ’69
C. Rothwell, P ’67, by Isik Turan Ayberk ’64
Eleanor Armstrong Gray ’54, P ’80, P ’83 by Mary Atwater, Anne Howard Stolz Family and James Howard Family, Hunsucker Goodstein PC, Delores Huyler, Lynda Taves Ogren ’54, Katie Brown Sanborn ’83
Virginia Sevey by Kellor Mohrweiss Baker Smith ’79
Elizabeth Agee Hancock ’40 by Anita Unikel ’72 George Hedley by Mura Kievman ’64
Donald Spagel by Barbara Goldblatt Becker ’63, Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63, P ’84, Patricia Yoshida Orr ’63
Helen and George Hedley by Mura Kievman ’64
Genevieve Harlan Vickery ’79 by Alicia Bacon Fishel ’79
F. Warren Hellman by Terry Hinkle Fairman ’68
Charles Warren, P ’94, by Marielle Warren ’94
Anne Sherrill by Cynthia McLaughlin ’74 Elizabeth Smith by Beth Frederick Allen ’59
p=parent; For information about making a tribute gift, contact 510.430.2097 or donors@mills.edu.
Gail Howland Roach ’61, June 7, in Vacaville, California. A longtime resident of El Cerrito and an accomplished viola player, she worked at Bank of America and at Ticor Title Company. She is survived by three children and six grandchildren. Jack Mays, MA ’62, July 18, in Ferndale, California. He was recognized for his bronze sculptures and intricate colored pencil drawings of Ferndale street scenes and inaugurated Ferndale’s annual kinetic sculpture race 45 years ago. He is survived by his wife, Donna; four children; and six grandchildren. Phyllis Nelson Amata ’64, June 22, in Flagstaff, Arizona. She worked as a psychotherapist, English teacher, librarian, factory worker, school bus driver, and writer and poet. She devoted herself later in life to painting and music. She is survived by her daughter and by her sister, Elaine Nelson Moss ’61. Patricia Holstein Ross ’72, in March, in New York. Survivors include her husband, Richard. Wendy Lee Ullman ’73, August 12, in San Francisco. She was a diabetes educator, therapist, and disabled students counselor at College of Marin. She is survived by a son. Elizabeth Holzman ’75, August 11, in Portland, Oregon. She worked as an animator, character designer, storyboard artist, writer, director, and producer in the animation industry, winning three Emmys for her work on Pinky and the Brain and Animaniacs. She spent the last decade
teaching, painting, writing, playing music, and doing freelance film and design work. She is survived by a son and a brother. Rachel Dutton ’84, July 11, in Camino, California. Survivors include her husband, Robert Olds. Suzanne Corson ’95, July 31, in San Leandro, California.
Spouses and Family Edward H. Collender, father of Tori Collender ’74, June 21, in San Marino, California. Margarita Campbell, mother of Cristina Campbell ’70, July 9, in Menlo Park, California. Gerhard Umbreit, husband of Margaret Clarke Umbreit ’49, February 14, in Prescott, Arizona.
Friends Earl F. “Budd” Cheit, August 2, in Kensington, California. Dean emeritus of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, he was founding chairman of Cal Performances, associate director of the Carnegie Council on Higher Education, and a trustee of Mills College. He is survived by his wife, June; four children; and three grandchildren.
winter 2015
27
top 10 things we love about reunion greeting old friends…
The “Sisters of the ’70s” gather before Convocation.
…and meeting today’s students Current dance students fielded questions during an open rehearsal.
getting up close with art
The Class of ’64 art exhibition finds an appreciative audience.
invigorating conversations Students and alumnae join in a lively discussion about Sonia Sotomayor’s autobiography.
revisiting old haunts…
Olney suitemates Dorothy Compton Kessler ’49 and Margaret Clarke Umbreit ’49.
…and discovering new ones
Alumnae learn about native plant restoration on the banks of Leona Creek.
helpful husbands
Bill Reagan and Ron Fichtner amuse themselves while their better halves are otherwise occupied.
golf carts! Julia Dolowitz Reagan ’64 enjoys a chauffeured ride.
learning mills history
Jane Cudlip King ’4 2 leads Jane’s Stroll, a Reunion tradition in its own right.
…and ensuring the future of the college
Reunioning classes raised well over a million dollars to support Mills.
Photos by Dana Davis and Teresa Tam
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M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Nominate the next alumna trustee Make your voice heard on the Mills College Board of Trustees and the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Board of Governors. All alumnae are invited to nominate themselves or other alumnae as candidates for the position of alumna trustee for the 2015–2018 term. Alumnae trustees serve a three-year term both on the Board of Governors of the AAMC and the College’s Board of Trustees and are expected to participate on committees on both boards. Interested candidates will find additional information on the responsibilities of the position and how to apply on the “Leadership” section of the AAMC website, aamc.mills.edu.
Submissions are due January 7, 2015
Submissions are due January 7, 2015, to AAMC Nominating Committee Chair Marina Simenstad ’68, MA ’11, marinaksi@gmail.com, or AAMC, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613.
Alumnae travel 2015 St. Petersburg July 19–27, 2015 With its jewel-like cathedrals and stunning museums, St. Petersburg is a masterpiece of design and ingenuity that rivals the great capitals of Europe.
Canadian Rockies July 23–29, 2015 Revel in the opulence, history, and graceful hospitality of the resorts at Lake Louise, Jasper, and Banff. Highlights include a gondola ride up beautiful Sulphur Mountain and a cruise on pristine Maligne Lake.
China and the Yangtze River September 2–16, 2015 The famous Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City are just a few of the wonders you’ll discover in this fascinating nation. Marvel at the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi’an and cruise the Yangtze River.
Southwest Parks Sept. 25–October 5, 2015 See the breathtaking Grand Canyon and Arches National Park, explore Lake Powell and Monument Valley, and get to know the culture and traditions of the Navajo people.
See the AAMC travel website at aamc.mills.edu for full itineraries of these and other upcoming trips. For reservations or additional information, call the Alumnae Association of Mills College at 510.430.2110 or email aamc@mills.edu. Photos, top: Monument Valley, Banff National Park, Arches National Park; bottom left: Monument Valley
Mills Quarterly Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA 94613-1301 510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu Address service requested Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, CA, and at additional mailing office(s)
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