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Mills College

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Founded in 1852 and established in Oakland, California, in 1871, Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college, with graduate programs for women and men. As the first women's college west of the Rockies, Mills is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. The College was initially founded in Benicia as the Young Ladies' Seminary under the leadership of Mary Atkins, a graduate of Oberlin College. In 1866, Susan Tolman Mills, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (then Mount Holyoke Female Seminary) and her husband Cyrus Mills bought the school and moved it to Oakland. Mills received its charter in 1885 and introduced graduate degrees in 1921.

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

Mills offers more than 40 undergraduate majors (both BA and BS degrees) and 23 graduate degree and certificate programs. Mills women compete in six intercollegiate sports—cross country, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball—as members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III.

History

Mills College was initially founded as the Young Ladies Seminary at Benicia in 1852. It was under the leadership of Mary Atkins, a graduate of Oberlin College.

In 1866, Susan Tolman Mills, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (then Mount Holyoke Female Seminary), and her husband Cyrus Mills bought the Young Ladies Seminary renaming it Mills Seminary.

In 1871 the school was moved to Oakland, California and the school was incorporated in 1877. The school became Mills College in 1885. In 1890, after serving for decades as principal (under two presidents as well), Susan, herself, finally became the president of the college and held the position for 19 years. Beginning in 1906 the seminary classes were progressively eliminated. In 1921, Mills granted its first master's degrees.

Coeducation

See main: Question of women's colleges and coeducation: 20th century
On May 3, 1990, the Trustees announced that they had voted to admit male students. This decision led to a two-week student and staff strike, accompanied by numerous displays of non-violent protests by the students. , At one point, nearly 300 students blockaded the administrative offices and boycotted classes. On May 18, the Trustees met again to reconsider the decision, leading finally to a reversal of the vote.

Enrollment and academics

In 2006–07, Mills enrolled a total of 1,410 students, 66 percent of whom are undergraduates. More than 80 percent of students are from California, and more than half of undergraduate students live on campus. Thirty-six states are represented, and international students enrolled from 18 different countries.

Undergraduate

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

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

Students can also choose to create their own major, working with three faculty advisers to plan an individual program that draws courses from across the curriculum and creates an integrated and unique educational experience.

Dual-Degree

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

Graduate

Graduate programs at Mills were established in 1921, and today the College typically enrolls about 500 graduate men and women each year. Areas of study include art (MFA), business (MBA), interdisciplinary computer science (MA and post-bac), creative writing (MFA), dance (MA and MFA), education (MA, EdD, and credentials), English (MA), infant mental health (MA), music (MA and MFA), pre-med (post-bac), and public policy (MPP).

Rankings

Mills has received the following recognitions and rankings:

Campus

The 135-acre campus is located in the foothills of Oakland on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay.

Julia Morgan buildings

In 1904, Mills president Susan Mills became interested in architect Julia Morgan because she wished to further the career of a female architect and because Morgan, just beginning her career, charged less than her male counterparts. Morgan designed six buildings for the Mills campus:

  • El Campanil, believed to be the first bell tower on a United States college campus and the first reinforced concrete structure on the west coast. Morgan's reputation grew when the tower was unscathed by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The bells in the tower "were cast for the Chicago Exposition of 1893 and given to Mills by a trustee".
  • The Margaret Carnegie Library (1906), named after Andrew Carnegie's daughter.
  • The Ming Quong Home for Chinese girls, built in 1924 and purchased by Mills in 1936, which was renamed Alderwood Hall and now houses the the Julia Morgan School for Girls (independent of the College).
  • The Student Union (1916)
  • Kapiolani Cottage, which has served as an infirmary, faculty housing, and administration offices.
  • Mills' original gymnasium and pool, which have been replaced by the Tea Shop and Suzanne Adams Plaza.

Mills Hall

Designed in 1869 by S.C. Bugbee & Sons, Mills Hall became the College's new home when it moved from Benicia to Oakland in 1871. Mills Hall is "a long, four-story building with a high central observatory. The mansarded structure, which provided homes for faculty and students as well as classrooms and dining halls, long was considered the most beautiful educational building in the state". Mills Hall is a California Historical Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Music

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

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

Art Museum

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

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

Natural Sciences Building

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

Children’s School

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

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

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

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

Campus Community

With 10 different on-campus living options, including traditional residence halls, a housing cooperative, family housing, and apartment living, students at Mills have a wide range of housing to choose from. In the Mediterranean-inspired residence halls, students enjoy single rooms, the occasional California sleeping porch, and common areas outfitted with antique furniture and grand pianos.

There are more than 40 organizations and clubs for students to join, such as Mujeres Unidas, the Black Women’s Collective, Philosophy Club, Book Arts and Zine Club, and the Native American Sisterhood Alliance. Some groups meet to share a hobby or interest, while others are motivated to inspire change. If students can’t find a club that appeals to them, they can simply start their own.

Throughout the academic year, there are many events to attend on campus, many of which are open to the public. Events range from art exhibitions, concerts, and dance performances to swim meets, readings, forums, lectures, and conferences. With the College’s intimate size and setting, students have opportunities to help arrange events and meet guest speakers.

As a place of ideas and expression, the College attracts speakers from around the world. Adding to the legacy of such notable past speakers as Ansel Adams and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., recent visitors to Mills have included Senator Barbara Boxer, Isabel Allende, Sally Ride, Gloria Steinem, and Marian Wright Edelman.

Athletics

Mills students compete in seven intercollegiate sports — cross country, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball — as members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and the California Pacific Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Mills College mascot is the Cyclone and the school colors are blue, gold, and white. The Director of Athletics is Themy Adachi.

Presidents

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

Notable faculty, past and present

Notable alumnae and alumni

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

See also

References

Footnotes

External links



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