A Message from the AAMC President and Board of Governors

Hello amazing alums,

As we conclude the first year of Mills College at Northeastern, I’m reflecting on the AAMC’s unprecedented journey as we governors maneuvered through this time of change, exploration, and transition. And everyone— from students to staff and faculty—followed a similar journey. First to be congratulated in this extraordinary year is the legacy Mills graduating Class of 2023. These 150 undergraduate and graduate students entered Mills College with a fairly predictable future that was upended by a two-year pandemic and a merger. Through it all, they matured and triumphed. Their accomplishments were celebrated at Commencement on April 30, and the AAMC wholeheartedly welcomes our newest alums. We look forward to their contributions for years to come.

Next, kudos and gratitude are in order for you, our 25,000 alums throughout the world, many of whom have shared journeys with our governors and voiced opinions during our two fall forums. Thank you for your continued patience and support of the AAMC as the Board of Governors has sought to find answers for many of the questions that surfaced through these outreach efforts.

I thank and commend the Board of Governors for their dedication, for their willingness to tackle the many unforeseen issues that surfaced, and for the forward-thinking that has prevailed. To the governors who have just completed their terms, your contributions have been invaluable. Thanks and best wishes to Vice President Pam Roper ’92; Treasurer Christina Hannan ’91; Debra Connick ’85; Catherine Ladnier ’70; Ellen Hines ’74; Mitra Lobrasb ’90; and Ariadne Wolf, MFA ’19. We will welcome new and returning governors at our orientation in August. But before we look forward to the new term, here is a quick summary of the activities and directions of 2022-23 term:

August-October 2022: A hybrid orientation was held where the BOG began to tackle the future of the AAMC. BOG procedures, expectations, and committee chairs were subsequently approved. The BOG hired Interim Executive Director Pam Herman. In following meetings, we formulated the options chart to gather input regarding the AAMC’s direction, which was previewed during Reunion and posted online for alumnae consideration. Two Zoom forums were held for additional feedback. Simultaneously, we planned events for Mills students and hosted monthly CommuniTea socials.

November-December: Upon reviewing data from the comment period, our focus turned to the prevailing issues, particularly the retention of Reinhardt Alumnae House. To work towards this, our leadership team established communication with key Northeastern administrators. The BOG engaged Mill Law Center to validate the 2022 BOG slate and to begin review of the 2013 AAMC bylaws. The BOG promoted Lila Goehring ’21 to operations manager and welcomed Winnie Aldaz ’22 as administrative assistant and accounting clerk. We hosted the Winter Celebration for mid-year graduates, and celebrated a strong holiday merchandise season with healthy year-end donations.

January-February: AAMC officers met with key Northeastern leaders, including Senior Vice President for Global Network and Strategic Initiatives Mary Ludden, Senior Vice President for University Advancement Diane MacGillivray, and Mills Institute Executive Director Nicole Guidotti-Hernández. We shared with them how important it is that the AAMC continues to have a presence in Reinhardt Alumnae House. They all look forward to Mills alums participating and mentoring women entrepreneurs. In particular, Nicole Guidotti-Hernández is committed to preserving the legacy of Mills and its signature support of women and underserved populations. She welcomes alumnae involvement.

March-June: A musical fundraiser was held at Reinhardt, and branch activities continued, as did AAMC website improvements. Following a presentation held by the LAMCA on Mills history, an ad hoc historical preservation committee formed to investigate how to designate El Campanil as a National Trust historical landmark. Our leadership team met with Interim Dean Beth Kochly to learn about the projected academic plans of Mills College at Northeastern. Additionally, reactivation of the Fires of Wisdom oral history project is underway, with plans to present at Reunion. The BOG working group continued to define the bylaws revision process. As of this writing, the first ever all-virtual zoom Annual Meeting was scheduled for June 24, which will involve the selection of seven dynamic new governors for three-year terms, the election of a new Nominating Committee for the next term, and the presentation of financial and committee reports.

As of press time, the BOG continues to define realistic predictions and expectations before an options vote will be brought to the membership before the end of this year.

As the term comes to a close, the AAMC acknowledges the progress made during this transitional year and the hard work that still needs to be done. Please stay involved and in communication with me and your BOG, and have a great summer!

Sincerely,

Debby Dittman ’68, AAMC President

Pearl M Dinner

The Pearl M tradition was born in 1902, a year when 24 women graduated. Since then, it has lived on as the marker of the beginning of Commencement activities. According to a 2015 article in The Campanil by Sarah Hoenicke ’16, the Pearl M pin design was originally created by an art student and was taken to Granat Jewelry in San Francisco, where the pins were made. But getting a pin was not an easy task: “Students could only place their orders for a pin from the San Francisco jeweler, Mr. Granat of Granat Jewelry store, if they had a signed letter from then President Susan Mills confirming their status as seniors,” Hoenicke wrote. Luckily, at the time, alumnae passed their pins down to graduating seniors so a piece of them could live on through the next generation.

This spring, 121 years later, the traditional dinner carried on at Rothwell Student Center on Wednesday, April 12. As has been tradition in recent years, the AAMC and our Alumnae Student Relations (ASR) Committee co-hosted this event with the Office of Alumnae Relations and welcomed 30 graduating Mills seniors—all of whom were gifted with mugs featuring the Mills College seal in gold and “Strong, Proud, All Mills” pins. Seniors joined members of the Board of Governors and AlumnaeStudent Relations (ASR) Committee, as well as college administrators and staff, for a catered dinner with encouraging remarks from Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement Nikole Hilgeman Adams; AAMC President Debby Dittman ’68; AAMC President Emeritus Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82; Dean Beth Kochly; Associate Dean Christie Chung; Mills Institute Executive Director Nicole Guidotti-Hernández; Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Life Lillian Gonzalez ’09; and Assistant Vice President of Student Life Allie Littlefox, MA ’20, EdD ’21. AAMC members led the crowd in the singing of “Remember.” Following the dinner, attendees processed to Reinhardt Alumnae House, singing “Remember” once again as well as “Fires of Wisdom.” Desserts and refreshments were enjoyed at Reinhardt, and members of the Board of Governors and ASR Committee shared more words of encouragement and stories with the students. Conversations lingered long into the evening, and once again, the multigenerational spirit of Mills and the AAMC made its mark.

Have a story about the Pearl M tradition? We’d love to hear it! Email us at info@aamc-mills .org for a chance to be featured on our social media accounts.

LiberTEA: A Celebration of AAPI Heritage Month at Reinhardt

On May 13, the monthly CommuniTEA—which is steered by the AAMC’s Hospitality Committee—welcomed alumna and historian Catherine Ladnier ’70 at Reinhardt Alumnae House for a special event in honor of AAPI Heritage Month. With the event’s theme of LiberTEA, Ladnier gave a presentation on the Chinese and Japanese women who found refuge at Mills during times of injustice. Ladnier’s play, A Future Day of Radiant Peace, explores the experience of Japanese American students at Mills College who corresponded from internment camps with President Aurelia Henry Reinhardt during WWII.

While Ladnier was in town, she also spoke at the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park in Richmond and shared the stories of many “Rosies” she came to know through reading letters written to her father, Harry. Learn more about Catherine Ladnier by visiting deareva.org.

The event also honored Mayor Sheng Thao, Oakland’s first Hmong mayor and the most prominent Hmong American officeholder in the United States to date. Mayor Thao was a single mother when she studied on the Mills campus, moving on to graduate from UC Berkeley. We are honored to have Mayor Thao as a part of our extended family.

Alumnae Awards deadline extended to August 15!

We are still looking for award nominations for:

►Distinguished Achievement, for distinctions in professions, arts, and sciences;

►Outstanding Volunteer, for commitment in serving the AAMC; and

►Recent Graduate, for volunteer efforts that exemplify a spirit of caring and community.

To nominate candidates, please send information about their achievements to info@ aamc-mills.org or to AAMC, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613.

Nominations must be received by August 15.

Quarterly.

Alumnae are invited to share their news with classmates in the Mills College alumnae community. To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to classnotes@mills. edu.

Class Notes do not appear in the online edition of the Mills Quarterly.

Alumnae are invited to share their news with classmates in the Mills College Alumnae Community, alumnae.mills.edu. To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to classnotes@mills.edu.