President’s Message

By Elizabeth L. Hillman

It’s been a tumultuous fall across the country, yet a relatively quiet one at Mills College. The now-accelerating global pandemic and economic crisis—alongside mounting pressure to realize, at long last, an inclusive and antiracist community—has been the backdrop for an election season more contentious and difficult to predict than any the United States has experienced in some time. Yet the virtual Mills community has thrived, as has a small student, staff, and faculty population on campus. President Hillman (bottom row, far right) at the Jill Barrett Symposium, held this year on Zoom

Academic, civic, and strategic conversations about the College’s future have shifted to the many platforms that now science graduates into their careers with connect us across space and time. One both the very best of academic preparasuch platform was created in October tion and a network of support. 2020 by Christie’s, the auction house This fall, Mills launched a COVID-19 that set a new world record price for any dashboard to share information online, work of literature with the sale of Mills especially for the small community College’s First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays, that has continued to work and live on one of the most important collections of campus. The College has also provided literature in the world. When Brooklyn housing to about 180 students, and book dealer and antiquarian Stephan even welcomed Starr King School for Loewentheil’s nearly $10-million bid the Ministry, the graduate theological ended a six-minute competition among school and seminary formerly located three telephone bidders, Mills realized a in Berkeley, to its new home in the Vera much needed—if bittersweet—boost to its Long Building. So far, the campus manfinances. Mills had held the Folio, first Mills College’s own virtual events dates for masking and social distancing published in 1623, since 1977, when have also been setting records, attract- and the shift to mostly remote instrucalumna and trustee Mary Louise O’Brien ing more participants and reaching a tion and work have proved successful ’34—together with her husband James— broader audience than the in-person in limiting the spread of infection on quietly gave the Folio to Mills to honor versions that preceded the pandemic. campus. This is also thanks to the supher father, Professor Elian Olas James, a Last year, the Jill Barrett Symposium port and resilience of our frontline staff, Shakespeare scholar and beloved English in Biology took place in the beautifully to whom Mills recently paid modest and professor who inspired students at Mills renovated Lisser Hall, but this fall, the much-deserved bonuses for their heroic College for 35 years. Mills College was symposium was moved onto Zoom and work early in the crisis, when we underfortunate to hold the Folio for these past drew a crowd of some 150 attendees. It stood far less about the coronavirus than decades; it was treasured by the students, showcased not only a new logo (above), we do now. Yet COVID-19 has affected faculty, staff, and scholars who studied but also the research of 11 student schol- all of us, and the Mills community in and preserved it. At a time when cash flow ars who, with support from Mills’ extraor- Oakland and across the world continues and budget deficits are bedeviling the dinary biology professors, adapted their to shudder under its weight. I look formost creative and resilient institutions research plans to flourish even during a ward to learning more from our virtual of higher education, both the O’Briens’ pandemic that slowed field and laboratory community in the months ahead as we gift and those who cherished the Folio at studies across the world. I’m grateful to continue to fight the virus and embrace Mills have sustained the College through Associate Professor of Biology Jenn Smith the possibilities of learning, planning, a critical time. for leading the College’s efforts to send its and growing online.