Letters to the Editor I enjoyed the winter Quarterly and the
wide impact on students, families, edu-
variety of subjects addressed.
cators, and leaders to nurture a healthy
There is a small factual error in “Full
educational ecosystem.
Circle,’’ Sarah J. Stevenson’s article on
We were grateful for those among our
the Mills Longitudinal Study: Beth Cobb
community who trusted us to hear their
O’Neill was Mills’ first dean of admis-
concerns and provide me another oppor-
sions, and she actively pursued students
tunity to recast my thoughts about the
of color who had not previously consid-
redesigned program. We celebrate the
Volume CXI, Number 1 (USPS 349-900) Fall 2021
ered Mills. Because of its independent
program’s innovation through accessibil-
status, Mills was not hamstrung by the
ity and relevance while acknowledging
President Elizabeth L. Hillman
requirements of the UC system that could
the viewpoints of ECE, Teacher Education,
shut the door to some students. It gave
and Educational Leadership alumnae/i
us freedom to select resumers, as well as
work across various professional contexts
others whose academic potential was not
to improve the lives and experiences of
always reflected in numbers.
countless infants, children, adolescents,
Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement Nikole Hilgeman Adams Managing Editor Allison Rost Design and Art Direction Nancy Siller Wilson Editorial Assistant Lila Goehring ’21
As Mills faces another crisis, I maintain faith in what she is, has been, and will represent in the future. –Bette Spagel ’63, Monte Rio, California A statement I made for “COVID and the
Contributors Kate Robinson Beckwith, MFA ’13 Sarah J. Stevenson, MFA ’04
Urban Classroom” in the spring Quarterly
Editorial Advisory Committee Angela Bacca, MBA ’12 Sheryl Bizé-Boutté ’73 Melissa Bender Henley ’99 Sarah Lehman ’86 Mira Mason-Reader ’15 Mari Matoba ’03 Livi Perez ’14, MA ’17 Mason Stockstill, MFA ’09
aimed to highlight how the recently
has been a source of concern among alumnae/i and educators. The article restructured Educators for Liberation, Justice, and Joy teaching credential program is meeting the needs of a changing landscape of teacher and student needs as well as addressing important social and political developments, bringing the Mills School of Education (SOE) in alignment
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.
with the current reckoning with racial
Copyright © 2021, Mills College
leagues retired around the mid-2000s,
Address correspondence to Mills Quarterly, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Email: quarterly@mills.edu Phone: 510.430.3312
injustice in our nation. The following statement referencing a quote of mine raised concern among our alumnae/i: “Early childhood education used to underpin most SOE programming, he said, but once his older colthere was a shift in the school’s priorities to focus more on teachers.” While speaking about the specific focus of the teaching credential program, the statement was meant to highlight how the program is embedded within a constellation of academic programming (e.g., Early Childhood, Child Life, Teacher Education, and Educational Leadership) at the SOE and continues a long-held conviction that early childhood seeds the developmental arc of human development with
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M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY
and adults. –Professor of Education Tomás Galguera, Oakland I graduated in 1969 after four good years at Mills. I studied for finals as tanks rolled into Berkeley and teargas and bullets were directed at protesting students. Many of us joined in. However, I am dismayed at the vehemence, rancor, and lack of civility with which the changes to Mills proposed by President Hillman are being met. If Mills is to succeed at its stated goals of educating the underserved, it must have the financial stability to do so. From reading the Quarterly, I have sensed a drift away from the school I knew toward very practical training for social action. Just as the protests I experienced were a product of the era, so are these changes. This shift in focus is a sign of our times, and one that has clearly produced effective leaders. Now Mills must face another, more dramatic change. I was heartened by the letter in the summer Quarterly from Dean of the Lokey School of Business Kate Karniouchina about her meeting with representatives from Northeastern. I encourage all who are so adamantly opposed to a partnership with another institution to carefully read it. Mills must become solvent. My thanks to President Hillman for her leadership and to the team she has assembled to address this incredibly difficult task. –Susan Bell ’69, Santa Fe
