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Making HERstory

admin — Thu, 05 May 2022 14:47:00 +0000

The SECRET

Some secrets are just harder to keep than others. And every time Vice President for External Relations Suzy Mink ’74 shared it with someone, they started crying.

There is no perfect way to share the news that an alumna has honored her alma mater with a gift of $75 million in cash almost immediately from a single donor. But each conversation inevitably began with a simple question: “Are you sitting down, because I have some wonderful news to share.”

“There’s no easy way to break the news that Hollins is receiving $75 million, in cash, almost immediately, from a single donor,” Mink said. “It’s almost too much to take in.”

The donor, a passionate alumna of, and believer in, Hollins, shared her intention to give $75 million to Hollins with Mink. Like most who meet President Mary Dana Hinton in person, the donor told Mink she saw something compelling in her attitude and vision for Hollins University. This gift wouldn’t come in her will or in due time, but rather in cash, in three equal installments over the next three years.

Together, she and Mink called Hinton to share the news. “To say it was an emotional and overwhelming call is a vast understatement,” Hinton said. “Because I know Suzy and the donor, I knew they wouldn’t joke about such a matter, but the enormity of the gift and the moment was unbelievable.

“My heart literally leapt with joy for Hollins and for this alumna. Her heart and her love for Hollins are as big as this gift, and I know what this meant to her. I still weep recalling the call; it was amazing.”

For those unfamiliar with fundraising, one does not simply hand over cash at those levels without working out a complex web of details, and until those issues could be finalized, the circle of those who knew remained small; as in Mink, Hinton, and the donor. Quickly, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Kerry Edmonds and Board Chair Alexandra Trower ’86 were pulled in.

All four readily acknowledged shedding tears at the news. And then more tears later, as the enormity of the moment and gift fully settled in.

This $75 million gift is the largest in Hollins’ history, and the largest donation ever received by a women’s college. In addition, it represents one of the largest single donations ever given to a college or university solely by a female donor, as well as one of the largest ever to a small liberal arts college.

Can Women’s Colleges Turn the Corner?

Women’s colleges are an endangered concept. The decline in the number of women’s colleges has been severe and relatively swift. Almost nine in every 10 women’s colleges that existed at their peak of roughly 281 (according to The New York Times) in the mid-1960s have closed, transitioned to a coeducational mission, or merged into other institutions. In 2021, only 31 women’s colleges remained in America, and that number is expected to drop further in the coming decades. That’s roughly 50 women’s colleges closing every decade.

“Years of underfunding for the sector has collided with the devastation stemming from the pandemic on women’s education, families, and jobs. This reality makes an already tough situation at women’s colleges unsustainable,” said Emerald Archer, executive director of the Women’s College Coalition. “Given the backdrop of the global pandemic, it has become even more clear to me that financial aid is a woman’s issue. Even though women are the majority when it comes to those seeking higher education, they are the ones bearing the greatest burden when it comes to financial hardship. Hollins’ gift will, in part, be used to alleviate these hardships for traditionally underserved students. To say that this is a game changer for students is not an exaggeration.”

The donor believed it was time to set Hollins apart by ensuring its return to a stable financial footing and to provide the long-term financial structure for supporting need-based aid for generations to come.

“I don’t want a sticker price, ranking system, or anything else to get in the way of a student successfully pursuing an education,” Hinton was quoted as saying in The Washington Post’s coverage of the gift announcement. “This gift will impact generations of students on the Hollins campus. It is truly transformational.”

Gifts at this level, at a school of Hollins’ size, have outsized impact on issues of accessibility for traditionally underserved and limited-income students. “The need for an educated citizenry and women’s leadership development is greater now than ever, yet higher education access is more challenging than ever,” Hinton continued.

Financial security and long-term stability are critically important issues for women’s colleges like Hollins. The alumna donor, in her official statement about the gift, clearly agreed: “Hollins’ mission and the value of its enduring presence and direction as a progressive institution were the catalyst for my gift and the urgency of making the funds available immediately. It ensures Hollins can move forward, with confidence, as an institution committed to women and the liberal arts.”

Presently, Hollins invests $21 million annually in financial aid. The undergraduate student body at the start of the 2021-22 academic year was 36% low income, 32% first generation, and 30% students of color.

“This gift signals for me that I, and all of us on campus, must work even harder to thrive,” Hinton said. “We cannot view this gift as a stopping point. Rather, it has crafted a runway for us to actively and aggressively plan for a life into the future. It calls on each of us to ask what we can do to bring that future—our mission—into fruition. So, to me, it is a call to action.”

It is a call Hinton hopes inspires not only future donors to Hollins, but women’s colleges across the country. Archer echoed that hope.

“From uniquely preparing women to lead in a global society and closing the gap in male-dominated fields, to being epicenters of inclusive excellence and creating a community that promotes lifelong learning and connection beyond graduation—women’s colleges have more relevancy today than they ever have before,” Archer added.

You cannot rush a miracle

As anyone who has worked in the non-profit fundraising world knows all too well, receiving a gift of this size out of the blue rarely happens. This $75 million gift, while shocking due to its enormity, was not entirely unexpected. Rather, it was the surprise ending of one chapter in a very long story. That story is about this alumna’s relationships with key individuals at Hollins, her abiding faith in the institution, and the excitement she felt when hearing of Hinton’s vision for the future.

The journey from initial conversations about a significant, possibly record-breaking gift to the actual announcement in December was in fact a long and winding one, taking years and hundreds of hours of conversation.

“One of the great gifts of my work is having the opportunity to get to know many alumnae/i and friends and what matters to them about Hollins,” Mink said. “Building relationships and trust is so very important as they consider the many ways they can help Hollins, and it is that close connection that allows important and significant conversations about philanthropy to take place.”

Almost every gift begins, continues, and ends with connection. That connection begins as a student—to the institution, to their classmates, to their faculty and staff mentors. It continues after graduation, often through sustained friendships made and through outreach efforts from the advancement and alumnae relations teams. And the connection, as it pertains to major gifts, concludes with deliberate conversations between the donor, Mink or another advancement representative, and the president.

What has sprouted into a record-breaking gift began as a seed planted as a student, was watered with contact and given sunlight through updates on campus and academic life, and grew over time. And Mink stresses that institutions require a diverse garden to be healthy. Every flower that grows by staying connected to Hollins has a vital place in the ecosystem, whether it gives back a single dollar, 75 million of them, or can’t even afford to donate but just hopes to one day. No healthy nonprofit ecosystem can thrive on the redwoods of major giving alone.

Most importantly, this gift to the endowment was about strengthening the institution’s foundation and stabilizing financial operations for the long term, and to do so in a way that would not require Hollins to pull back from the generous investment in financial support it has been offering students but instead to lean in. It is only the beginning of a new chapter.

Read a selection of messages of gratitude received from alumnae.

In the Loop: Winter 2021

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 00:06:59 +0000

Despite Pandemic Challenges, Student Energy, Spirit Persevered This Fall��

By Julia Polk ’21, Student Government Association President

Photo: Billy Faires

When leaving campus back in March of last year, we had no way of knowing if or when we would come back, and what things would look like when we did return. Nothing about that situation was “normal,” and nothing about this fall appeared to be “normal” on the surface, either.��

With the new Culture of Care guidelines, the opportunities we typically expect to have to spend time with our friends and attend campus events were much more limited. With more online and hybrid classes, and many of our peers completing the semester remotely, our academic experience changed drastically as well. The most notable difference that seemed to have the greatest impact on students was the lack of celebrating our traditions, and the modifications that were made to the few we did have. There was a general sense of uncertainty going into this semester; just like everyone else in the world, none of us had any idea what to expect.��

However, despite the challenges and changes facing us, one thing did remain “normal” this semester—the energy and spirit of the Hollins community that was brought back to campus with our return last fall. Even though students were no longer able to visit other residence halls or gather in large groups, we still found ways to connect safely. More students spent time outside, taking their meals from Moody and having picnics with friends or hosting social events for their club or organization on Front Quad. Professors met the challenges of teaching during this time and found new ways to keep students engaged and learning, even with their students spread out across campus and the world. Most importantly, we found ways to celebrate our favorite traditions, even if they looked a little different than normal. For example, in place of the typical Tinker Day festivities, a “Prelude to Tinker Day” was organized in which students were encouraged to wear their best Tinker Day costume to class, doughnuts were still served at breakfast, and the traditional Tinker Day lunch was prepared, which a friend and I enjoyed by “climbing’’ up the hill by the soccer field and eating together. The entire Hollins community—students, faculty, and staff—all worked together to make the most out of a scary and overwhelming situation.��

A specific moment that I always think of when asked about how our community has shown resilience and strength in the face of this crisis is First Step. Being the first major tradition we celebrate in the fall term, I’ve always felt as though it sets the tone for the rest of the year. This was absolutely true for last fall’s event, and I’d argue it was more important this year than ever. First Step looked very different from how it normally does. With limitations on how many individuals can be on Front Quad at a time, and the requirement to have six feet of physical distance between each person, it was a challenge to organize. Nevertheless, our incredible Senior Class President Emma McAnirlin and her cabinet (Megan Bull, Molly Sullivan, and Andi Brown) worked together to plan a very memorable event.��

Rather than having every senior on Front Quad at once, they organized the event so that 50 seniors at a time could sign up for one of four sessions to take their First Step. Students could thus take part in this important moment with their friends while also ensuring everyone’s safety. Small rubber dots (which have become vitally important parts of event planning these days) were used to space students out and show them where to stand around Front Quad. Other students were asked not to attend to ensure that seniors could safely enjoy this moment on their own, but underclassmen still found fun ways to be involved. Students living in the East residence hall sat on their porch, looking out on Front Quad to see the fun, and my own roommates and I organized our own mini passing of sparkling cider bottles outside of our apartment before First Step.��

What was most impressive to me, especially as SGA president (and her best friend), was Emma McAnirlin’s dedication and attention to detail. Both she and President Hinton provided excellent leadership at each of the four First Step sessions. Emma painted seven extra bottles of sparkling cider so that both she and President Hinton would be able to pop a new bottle open at each session and take part in the fun. She also decorated a beautiful robe for President Hinton, which has become a tradition in welcoming new presidents to the university; I am sure she will continue to wear it at many First Steps down the road.��

What stood out the most, though, was the attention to detail surrounding the students who were off campus for the semester and thus could not participate in First Step. Emma and her cabinet wanted to be sure that these students still felt involved and appreciated during this important milestone in our time at Hollins. So they made little paper dolls of students who were off campus with popsicle sticks and photos of their faces that were then placed on Front Quad—taking their own First Step in place of their real-life counterparts. We made sure to spray them with a bit of cider for the full First Step experience.��

First Step may have looked different from previous years, but it felt exactly the same. Everyone still showed off their beautifully decorated robes and bottles, taking photos together and sharing memories from our years at Hollins. There was still the same excitement for the new year and our final moments as students. This event truly embodied the innovative spirit that students have shown in handling this challenging semester, and it set a tone that allowed for a wonderful and safe semester to unfold.

“Better Educators and a Stronger Institution”: How the Pandemic Brought to Hollins a New Era of Learning and Growth��

By Darla Schumm, John P. Wheeler Chair and Professor of Religious Studies and Chair of the Faculty��

Darla Schumm

Last March, the now seemingly easy, lazy days of wandering into a classroom, perusing the library stacks, disappearing for hours into the art studio or science laboratory, or debating the pressing issues of the day around a table in Moody vanished. The standard ways of learning, as familiar to us as that favorite old comfy sweater, were snatched away, literally overnight.��

COVID-19 catapulted us into a dizzyingly disorienting period of education and learning. The transition was hard, and it was exhausting. We grieved the disappearance of our campus routine. Yet, amidst the loss and sadness, there have also been glimmers of hope, and even joy. Whether we wanted it or not, COVID-19 ushered in a time of new learning and growth that is making us better educators and a stronger institution in the process.��

Prior to COVID-19, I was an online learning skeptic. I was so steeped in the benefits of face-to-face instruction that I was unable to ascertain the value of an online educational experience. COVID-19 forced my faculty colleagues and me to explore the vast array of technological resources now available to educators. While Zoom, Google Classroom, and Moodle (the Hollins Learning Management System) became our primary modes of interacting with students, we were also introduced to many other innovative teaching and learning technologies.��

For example, Hypothesis is an open-access annotation tool that enables students to read web-based and electronic texts and insert marginalia, thus creating a virtual discussion of a text. This type of flexibility for exchanging ideas about course readings allows students in vastly different time zones to engage intellectually with one another (and the wider public), even if they are in separate parts of the world.��

Kaltura, another resource introduced to us during COVID-19, is a tool for recording and uploading video content for students to access at their convenience. Some faculty use Kaltura for recording lectures for their asynchronous or flipped courses. Students also use Kaltura for class presentations and other course assignments.��

Another tool, Flipgrid, is a website that functions like a message board where professors can pose questions to the class and students can respond with a video, an image, or text. All responses to prompts appear on a grid, and the instructor can create as many grids for a class as desired. Professors experimented with these technological resources and many more to discover what worked best for their specific classes. There was a lot of trial and error, but many of us discovered tools that we will continue to integrate into our courses even after the pandemic.��

Photo: Billy Faires

COVID-19 also underscored educational values and commitments that we often discuss but that can be difficult to capture in concrete terms. We talk about being innovative, creative, and flexible, and our pivot from face-to-face instruction to remote learning last spring demonstrated these qualities in bold relief. With little to no warning or preparation, faculty members adjusted course plans, expectations, and assignments to fit a new way of teaching, learning, and being together. This shift was unthinkable even two weeks before we did it. And though our pivot may not have been perfect, faculty certainly demonstrated their dedication to both their students and academic excellence. Together we modeled for our students adaptability, nimbleness, creativity, resiliency, and extraordinary problem-solving skills. These are characteristics that we always strive to teach our students, and COVID-19 provided the crash course. Perhaps the most significant
philosophical shift the pandemic introduced is that we now recognize some forms of online instruction are here to stay. Cynics like me were forced into unknown pedagogical frontiers, and what we discovered is that online learning can be a valuable tool for building a more inclusive educational experience. While we are eager to return to the in-person classroom, we know it will look different after COVID-19.��

Although we all wish the coronavirus crisis could have been avoided, it has been an extraordinary opportunity. It has cracked open new ways of learning and engaging one another. However, the many lessons we have learned will be especially meaningful if we incorporate them into our post-pandemic reality. These lessons are helping us ask new and different questions that will shape the future we build for Hollins. How might online teaching and learning and/or tools help us advance educational equity, inclusion, and justice? How might we incorporate an online component to existing programs or curricula such as graduate studies or the Horizon program? How can we mobilize technology to further improve on what we already do well, while also challenging us to think outside familiar pedagogical boxes? How can we take what we are learning from COVID-19 to create even more transformational educational experiences for our students? If we seek answers to these questions with serious deliberation and curiosity, we can rise to the occasion and transform the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity that will renew and strengthen our mission to provide an excellent liberal arts education for every student.��

University Chaplain Finds Creative Ways to Offer Religious and Spiritual Services During Pandemic��

After Catina G. Martin became Hollins’ new chaplain and director of religious and spiritual life last August, her mission was to figure out how to provide religious/spiritual guidance to 600-plus students of all faiths and backgrounds in the midst of one of the most challenging academic years in recent memory.��

“I felt for the students, especially the incoming first years, who were hoping to have a more typical college experience [starting] in the fall,” Martin said. “As a chaplain, my first call to service was to get to know the students along with the culture and the climate at Hollins, because when [the students] leave here, for most of them they’re going to enter the workforce. So it’s very important that I help them find all the spiritual and religious resources that they’re interested in while they’re here.”��

Martin said that her first academic chaplaincy has been “like a dream. I’m so grateful for life and to be here and to be a part of these students’ paths. I’ve learned so much already.” Previously, she worked as a grief counselor and bereavement coordinator with Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care, headquartered in North Carolina.��

Catina Martin

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has obviously limited events and activities on campus, Martin hasn’t let the pandemic get in the way (too much) of the in-person component of her mission. In fact, every Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., Martin hosts a masked and distanced interfaith “Sanctuary” time in duPont Chapel. Martin described Sanctuary as “renewal for our spirits and rest for our souls,” and said that all students, even the nonreligious, are welcome. “It doesn’t have a main religious component,” she explained, “but it is rather spiritual as we are turning inside and letting go of things that are causing us great anxiety, [and] meditating and making space for gratefulness for things we’re able to share and enjoy.”��

In addition to the Sanctuary services, Martin, along with the student group Better Together, hosted in October a socially distanced get-together called “Positive Vibes.” The event included free snacks and button making, as well as an hour for club presidents and other students to speak on the theme of positivity. Martin noted, “It was a time to put some positivity in the air for our Hollins community, for our new president, and for everything that is happening in our world.”��

As for the online portion of her chaplaincy, Martin added a virtual component to the university’s guide to religious communities in the Roanoke Valley, providing clickable links to connect students to local faith-based communities that offer virtual services and other offerings. Martin’s also been periodically hosting live “mini” Sanctuary services—10- to 15-minute refreshers or inspirers—on the Facebook page for the Hollins University Chapel and Office of Spiritual and Religious Life.��

Ordained through the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, Martin’s responsibilities as university chaplain include everything from providing religious and spiritual resources to advising a number of student-run religious organizations and clubs (such as the Muslim Student Association, the Jewish Student Association, and Better Together, an interfaith group). She said that the underlying goal is caring for students spiritually and religiously. “I especially want to help those who’ve left a specific religious community back at home that was really instrumental in their life. My job is to keep them connected to a community here on campus or by providing resources online.”��

Regarding the future of spiritual and religious life on campus post-pandemic, Martin wants to focus on inclusivity of all faiths and even nonfaiths—that includes gathering outdoors and in places that are not thought of as traditional religious spaces. “I’ve had conversations with students who profess to be atheists or agnostic just so I can get close to them and see what they think about love and life and God,” she said. “I love having those conversations because it means we can find common ground, even if we have differences.”��

Martin’s other big goal as Hollins’ chaplain will be encouraging students to embrace and appreciate those differences and diversities. This, she believes, is key to creating a loving and healthy spiritual community on campus. “My heart is for us to know that we are one big family. We have a lot of similarities, but our differences are what make us so special and valuable both to the campus and [to] the bigger world. We want our students to appreciate those differences, both in themselves and in each other.”

President Hinton, Bestselling Author Michelle Alexander Envision a Multiracial, Multiethnic Justice Movement in America��

��A decade ago, acclaimed author, civil rights lawyer, and legal advocate Michelle Alexander published her first book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Some critics at the time considered the book’s subject dubious, especially since the nation had just elected its first Black president in Barack Obama. Still, The New Jim Crow would go on to spend almost 250 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and has become so influential that it’s even been cited in some judicial decisions as well as read in countless book clubs and college classrooms across the country.��

In an event live-streamed to more than 400 members of the Hollins community, Alexander had a virtual sit-down with President Mary Dana Hinton on September 22 as part of the university’s Distinguished Speaker Series. They discussed the 10th-anniversary edition of her book as well as a host of other issues, including racial unrest in the U.S. and social activism both on and off campus.��

Michelle Alexander

“It’s hard for me to believe it’s been 10 years,” said Alexander. “When I was researching this book, Obama hadn’t been elected president yet. Trayvon Martin hadn’t been killed. I felt desperate to sound an alarm about the crisis of mass incarceration, seeing up close [through my work] the victims of racial profiling and police violence. And now 10 years later, with all of the viral videos of brutal police killings and the uprisings, it feels in many ways that the whole world hasn’t changed. The [criminal justice] system continues to function in pretty much the same way as it functioned 10 years ago—or 15 years ago—or 30 years ago.”��

However, Alexander was quick to add that she did find hope in the creation of new protest movements and increased social activism, in particular movements led by formerly incarcerated and convicted people. “There’s been an explosion of movement-building and organizing and leadership, and that’s enormously encouraging to me. Until we hear from the people who’ve been most harmed, transformational change is impossible. And as long as those voices are excluded from decision-making spaces and tables, transformational change is impossible.”��

Hinton said that liberal arts colleges and universities in particular were places where students could “rehearse what it means to have courage and have a voice and step up” before engaging politically in the bigger world off campus.��

“I don’t think it’s an overstatement that our democracy will not survive without robust liberal arts education,” Alexander responded. “That’s one of the main pillars of a successful, thriving, multiethnic, multigender, multifaith democracy. It can help us learn more about our past and present so we can respond to our present moment with wise action and with greater concern and care for our fellow citizens. Without it, we are stuck in patterns of reactivity. We can be misled by demagogues and be inspired to resort to fear-mongering.”��

Near the end of the hour-long discussion, Hinton asked The New Jim Crow author, “How are we ‘midwives to this next generation’?,” borrowing Alexander’s language. “How are we midwives as we look at the [transformational] change that’s so important?”��

“It can feel overwhelming at times,” Alexander replied. “We’re at a moment where I think our democracy literally hangs in the balance. I think what’s important is for us to pause and think: How can we use our skills and our talents to their highest use for this moment? And how do we educate ourselves about history, our racial history, about the present, about how to do democracy? What’s important is not just being aware and awake, but being willing to act with some courage. Because if we see what’s happening but lack the courage to speak up or step out, we can be as awake as we want to be, but if we act without courage, it’s all for naught.”��

Hollins Earns Accolades from U.S. News, The Princeton Review

U.S. News and World Report cites Hollins’ success in blending educational excellence with affordability, while The Princeton Review places the university among the nation’s top 10 in two categories in the latest editions of their respective annual college guides.��

U.S. News 2021 Best Colleges ranks Hollins as the #44 Best Value School and #21 in the list of Top Performers on Social Mobility among National Liberal Arts Colleges.��

“To determine which colleges and universities offer the best value for students, U.S. News and World Report factors academic quality and cost after accounting for total expenses and financial aid,” the guide notes. “The social mobility ranking is computed from the two ranking factors assessing graduation rates of students who received federal Pell Grants.” Pell Grant recipients typically come from households whose family incomes are less than $50,000 annually, though most Pell Grant money goes to students with a total family income below $20,000.��

Hollins is ranked #102 overall in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category, and is also considered an “A-plus School for B Students” by U.S. News.��

��The Princeton Review’s annual college guide, The Best 386 Colleges, ranks Hollins #6 in the category Most Politically Active Students and #8 on the Best College Theatre list.��

In the guide’s profile of the university, students surveyed by the publication say Hollins is “a great place for people who want life experience” and that the school provides “a lot of incredible opportunities for anyone willing to take them.” They call internship and study abroad opportunities “exceptional” and praise the faculty as “amazing, talented, dedicated, and compassionate.” The Princeton Review adds, “The alumni network is similarly solid, and many students land jobs and internships through previous graduates.”��

“We salute Hollins for its outstanding academics and we are truly pleased to recommend it to applicants searching for their personal best-fit college,” said Princeton Review Editor-in-Chief Robert Franek. Only about 14% of the country’s 2,800 four-year colleges are profiled in The Best 386 Colleges.��

New Partnerships with Graduate Programs in Health Sciences, Engineering��

To further help qualified students pursue advanced degrees and meaningful careers in high-demand fields, Hollins University has finalized admission agreements with Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences at Mary Baldwin University (MDCHS) and the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.��

At MDCHS, Hollins students who meet qualifications will be guaranteed the opportunity to interview for the following programs: Master of Science in physician assistant studies, Doctor of physical therapy, and Doctor of occupational therapy.��

Students who take an outlined course sequence at Hollins can gain early acceptance to Virginia Tech’s Master of Engineering in computer science program. The alliance between Hollins and VT Engineering seeks to increase the number of liberal arts students who are growing the tech talent pipeline in Virginia.��

“These new agreements, along with our existing partnerships with some of the nation’s most selective graduate and professional programs, provide our students with a wide range of opportunities to build upon a strong undergraduate liberal arts and sciences foundation,” said Alison Ridley, Hollins’ interim vice president for academic programs. “Our students are thus able to position themselves to thrive in the fast-paced and innovative world of the 21st century.”��

In addition to partnering with MDCHS and VT Engineering, Hollins has agreements in place with Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy; the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy; the Middlebury Institute for International Studies; the University of Pikeville’s School of Optometry, School of Osteopathic Medicine, and Coleman School of Business; and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.��

Hollins’ Community Garden Reopens to Students

Over the past year, more and more people have engaged in gardening as a way to keep healthy and minimize stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last fall, Hollins students had a chance to indulge their green thumb, too: The university’s community garden, a greenhouse containing 10 garden beds, reopened for the first time since March 2020.��

“It’s a great opportunity that gives students experience in gardening, and it’s also an outlet for activities that are a lot of fun,” said Associate Professor of Mathematics Steve Wassell, who helps maintain the garden. While the garden was closed over the spring and summer, Wassell and his wife took care of the garden beds, even planting a summer crop. In October, Wassell got the greenhouse ready for the university’s Community Garden Club to take over and plant a fall crop. “I provided guidance as a hands-off advisor while students decided what to plant and did most of the gardening work,” he explained.��

The Community Garden Club is a free, student-run club open to all students, with or without prior gardening experience. The club’s president, Mackenzie Sessoms ’24, said that the club currently has about 20 members, many of whom are first-year students. “Gardening in general is like a type of therapy for me,” said Sessoms. “I usually walk to the garden almost every day when I have the chance to, just to see how the plants are doing, and it’s something I’m very passionate about and something that I would love to pursue. I enjoy taking care of plant life and receiving a type of reward for all the work I put in, the reward being harvest!”��

Harvests from the garden are purchased by the university’s dining services, which pays for next harvest’s seeds and soil as well as some extra activities. Normally, the Community Garden Club would offer a couple of intern or work-study positions as well, but during fall term (because of the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced resources), all work in the greenhouse was volunteer-based. “For at least the fall, we set up a system where the students got credits for the weeding and mowing and watering and various things that needed to be done,” said Wassell. “Then with those credits, the students could have some of the produce grown.”��

“Our Profound Sense of Community will Sustain Us”: Hollins Moves Carefully Onward During Spring Term��

Guided by public health experts who advise that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to have an impact nationally well into this calendar year, Hollins is striving to ensure the well-being of the campus community with a comprehensive plan for conducting Spring Term 2021.��

Spring term classes, which are being taught in person, online, or through a hybrid mix of those forms of instruction, began on February 10.��

“Students who studied remotely last fall had the option of continuing in that mode or returning to campus for in-person or hybrid instruction,” explained President Mary Dana Hinton. “Likewise, students who lived in residence halls last fall and took in-person or hybrid courses could choose to stay at home for the spring and learn remotely.” She added that students who decided to take all of their classes remotely this spring could not live on campus during spring term.��

Because spring term started one week later than originally planned, spring break is canceled this year. Residential students are encouraged to remain on campus for the duration of spring term.��

Following winter break this year, students did not return to campus for January Short Term and residence halls remained closed. In-person, virtual, and/or hybrid seminars were not offered during this year’s session, and the J-Term academic requirement for credit was suspended for the 2020-21 academic year. Virtual internships, independent study projects, and remote theses were the only activities approved for credit during this J-Term.��

“The time away during winter break and the month of January provided a meaningful opportunity to rejuvenate from a challenging fall semester and prepare for an equally demanding spring semester,” Hinton said. “I understand how disheartening it is to anticipate disruption throughout the rest of this academic year. [But] I am confident that our profound sense of community will sustain us as we continue to make these necessary sacrifices; I know we have the character and fortitude to persevere in the weeks and months to come.”��

“Prelude to C3” Connects Students with the Green and Gold Network��

Mindful of COVID-19 protocols, Hollins alumnae/i employed a different way last fall of conveying the lifelong power of a liberal arts education to current students.��

In conjunction with Hollins Alumnae Relations and the Center for Career Development and Life Design, Hollins grads took the annual Career Connection Conference (C3) online with Prelude to C3: A Virtual Conference, September 28-October 3.��

“Students were able to hear some of our most accomplished alumnae/i share their insights on navigating life after Hollins,” said Associate Vice President for Alumnae/i Engagement and Strategic Initiatives Lauren Sells
Walker ’04. “Since most jobs don’t come from postings but through personal and professional connections, students can maximize their future opportunities by interacting throughout the week with the Green and Gold network at C3.”��

Prelude to C3 included Zoom sessions covering a wide array of topics and interests. Students could interact with professionals in health-related fields, the arts and humanities, and science and mathematics. They also received practical advice on how to successfully navigate life after Hollins; when a graduate degree is worth pursuing; how to find new business opportunities in a rapidly changing world; and what employers are seeking when researching one’s online presence and social media profiles.��

Aheri Stanford-Asiyo ’05, a software engineer at Microsoft working to create next-generation holographic computing solutions for the workplace, delivered the Prelude to C3 keynote address. The event concluded with one-on-one Zoom sessions between students and alumnae/i for the purpose of career mentoring through general networking and informational interviews.��

��

In the Loop: Summer 2020

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 17:54:45 +0000

“I want all girls to play chess”

Tien Nguyen ’22 is an ambassador for gender parity in the game she loves.

Tien Nguyen ’22 and Chanmolis Mout ’23 with the trophies they earned at the 2019-20 Virginia Scholastic and College Chess Championships.

For the second year in a row, Tien Nguyen ’22 was ranked as the top female chess player in the commonwealth at the 2019-20 Virginia Scholastic and College Chess Championships, held March 6 and 7 in Alexandria. She and Chanmolis Mout ’23 combined to win second place in the College Section’s Blitz team competition, while Nguyen took third in the Blitz individual category. Nguyen also tied for third place in the tournament’s Standard competition.

“Tien is very smart and talented, and she deserves all of this,” said Mout. “This was my first tournament, and she supported me throughout the event. She is a really good coach.”

As a five-year-old growing up in Vietnam, Nguyen received a present from her father that would not only have a profound impact on their relationship, but also spark a passion that would take her throughout the world and foster a dedication to inspire other women and girls.

That gift was a chessboard, and the initial benefit was giving Nguyen quality time with her dad. “He coached me to become a chess player and I was very happy because I could play chess with him,” she recalled.

Nguyen quickly developed into an exceptional player, and in the ensuing years, her talent took her to competitions in Vietnam and beyond. To date, she has played in 10 countries, including India, Indonesia, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Russia, Thailand (three times), Turkey, and the United States.

In this country, the United States Chess Federation (USCF) ranks Nguyen 67th out of 10,389 female chess players, or in the 99th percentile. Among players of all ages and genders, the USCF places her in the 98th percentile. The organization has awarded Nguyen the title of Candidate Master (given to players who achieve five performance-based “norms” in competition) for life, and has named her a U.S. Chess Expert, recognizing that she is among the top five percent of all USCF tournament chess players.

“I really want all girls to play chess,” Nguyen said, “to learn about it and enjoy it.” Competing in the Virginia Scholastic and College Chess Championships, she was struck by the fact that “I was the only girl—they all looked at me like I was a museum exhibit! Some of the male players were upset when they lost a game against me. I got used to it.” Nguyen said one of her proudest moments in serving as a role model for girls and women in the game occurred this year when the 2019 National Chess Congress Standings for her U.S. Chess Expert section were released, and she learned she was cochampion with three male players.

Training young artists of the future

Raymond Rodriguez M.F.A. ’18 named director of Joffrey Academy of Dance

Early last October, Raymond Rodriguez received good news: He was named director of the Joffrey Academy of Dance in Chicago. In this new role, he explained, “I work as a thought leader and direct strategic planning for the academy, which is the official school of the Joffrey Ballet. I represent the academy internally and externally in areas of dance training, program partnerships, philanthropic outreach, and arts advocacy.”

That’s a long list—but one for which Rodriguez has been training most of his life. A dancer since the age of six, starting in his native New York City, he attended the High School of the Performing Arts in Manhattan and trained at the American Ballet Theatre School on a full scholarship. In 1981, he joined the Cleveland Ballet as a principal dancer, and proceeded to work his way through several roles—as a dancer and then administrator—including those of associate artistic director and managing director. In 2016, he joined the Joffrey Ballet as the head of the studio company and trainee program.

As a principal dancer, Rodriguez had roles that included Albrecht in Giselle; Romeo in Romeo and Juliet; the Peruvian in Léonide Massine’s Gâité Parisienne; the Profiteer in Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table; Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake; principal roles in George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Tarantella, Serenade, Agon, The Four Temperaments, Rubies, and Theme and Variations; the Champion Roper in Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo; Don Jose in Roland Petit’s Carmen; and many other roles created for him. He shared the stage on international tours with such legends as Rudolf Nureyev and Cynthia Gregory.

Rodriguez was drawn to Hollins’ program in dance, he said, “through a desire to continue my education. Hollins opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities that are in front of me, giving me the tools to communicate the knowledge I possess to the young artists of tomorrow.”

Growing into a leadership role

Kayla Surles ’22 sets the pace for HU basketball

Some game-changers can affect more than the outcome on a scoreboard. Some can change the trajectory of a season or even a program. That person for Hollins? Kayla Surles ’22.

A dedicated student in only her second year at Hollins, Surles served as the point guard for a basketball team that came within a few buckets of tying a Hollins record for team victories. The team settled for a second-best-ever 11 wins. In the last two years of ODAC competition play, Surles has led Hollins basketball in wins against multiple top-five teams, including the number-one team in the league each year.

Not only did Surles lead her team in both points per game (16.6) and assists (4.4), but she ranked second in the ODAC in points and first in assists. For her efforts this past season, she was selected as Second Team All-ODAC—the only sophomore selected on first or second team.

“Having the league’s best point guard walking onto the court for us every game gave us so much confidence this year,” said Emilee Dunton, Hollins’ head coach. “We knew she would and could put this team on her back as a great floor general.”

Surles and her sister Keenan (who is two minutes younger, Kayla would like you to know) are part of a trifecta of small college athlete triplets. The third, Emma, plays volleyball for Meredith College in Raleigh, which is where the family calls home.

“Being away from home was a real challenge, especially that first year, because I’m really a homebody at heart,” Surles said. “But getting to see my family at the games last year and this year has been great and helped a lot.”

The team has already begun its strength and conditioning program to prepare for next season, during which Surles expects them to make a run for—and break—that 12-win record. Dunton isn’t quite sure what the team will look like in the winter of 2021 but is optimistic; they lose only one senior from this year’s roster and return their starting five.

“Kayla has brought renown to our campus. She is a high-character student-athlete who represents Hollins with class on and off the court,” Dunton said.

When asked what her personal goals are for the second half of her college career, Surles didn’t mention awards or personal honors. “I just want to continue to be a good leader on and off the floor. I’m young, and being a leader hasn’t always come easy to me, because maybe I’m not as assertive as I could or should be. But some of the courses I’ve taken here at Hollins have been helpful for me in that way and are helping me feel more confident in speaking up and taking on that leadership role. I’m growing into it.”

Jon Rou

The work of two U.S. poets laureate, Joy Harjo and Natasha Trethewey M.A. ’91, was celebrated on campus last spring. Harjo, a poet, musician, and playwright, has written many works, including a memoir, Crazy Brave, which was the common reading for last fall’s incoming class. She is the first Native American poet laureate in the history of the position. In March, Trethewey came to Hollins for a theatrical reading of Native Guard, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2007. Trethewey served as the 19th poet laureate from 2012 to 2014.

Karen Kuehn

Hollins Welcomes Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence for 2021-22

A public health expert from Kenya with particular expertise in parasitic diseases will be spending a full academic year at Hollins as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (S-I-R).

Isabell Kingori, who teaches in the School of Public Health at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, is coming to Hollins for the 2021-22 academic session to further infuse a global perspective into the university’s public health curriculum.

In January, the Fulbright S-I-R program, which supports international academic exchange between the United States and more than 160 countries around the world, approved a joint proposal by Hollins and Virginia Tech to bring an S-I-R to their respective campuses, with the individual spending 80 percent of their time at Hollins. The S-I-R will provide an international point of view to the undergraduate public health programs launched at both universities during the 2019-20 academic year.

Elizabeth Gleim ’06, an assistant professor of biology and environmental studies at Hollins, co-authored the proposal with Gillian Eastwood, an assistant professor of entomology at Virginia Tech.

“The Fulbright program requires applicants to select two specific countries from a particular continent from which to draw potential candidates for the Scholar position,” Gleim explained. “Gillian and I narrowed our choices to Kenya and South Africa. Africa has so many fascinating disease systems, and in those two countries, scientists are conducting some very interesting research. Because diseases don’t recognize borders or boundaries, it’s important that our public health students have an understanding of these different health care settings around the globe.”

Gleim noted that the existence of an endowed fund created specifically to bring international faculty members to campus was instrumental in gaining approval from the Fulbright program. “Hollins’ financial support of the S-I-R via the Jack and Tifi W. Bierley International Professorship significantly enhanced our proposal.”

Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program is funded by an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Its goal is to increase mutual understanding and support between the people of the United States and other countries while transforming lives, bridging geographic and cultural boundaries, and promoting a more peaceful and prosperous world.

Faculty, Staff Members Earn Distinguished Service Awards

Four Hollins employees have each been recognized with the Distinguished Service Award, honoring “meritorious or superior contributions” to the university.

Ayers

Electrician Lee Ayers, former University Chaplain Jenny Call, Manager of Instructional Technology Brad Oechslin, and Assistant Professor of Education Teri Wagner were cited by Interim President Nancy Oliver Gray for having “gone above and beyond to continue supporting their coworkers and our students.”

Faculty and staff were invited to nominate colleagues for their efforts on behalf of the campus community throughout the 2019-20 academic year and particularly this spring during Hollins’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Distinguished Service Award Committee then forwarded their recommendations to Gray.

“The committee had an especially challenging job this year, given so many strong nominations,” Gray said.

A university employee for more than 20 years, Ayers was called “one of Hollins’ hardest-working and most dedicated and reliable employees. He loves his job and the people here. When Lee drives through the front gate in the morning, his mind is on doing the best job he can, or who he can help that day. If someone needs him, it doesn’t matter if it’s five minutes before he punches in in the morning or halfway through his lunch break—Lee will be there.”

Call

Call was described as bringing “light and love to our campus for a long time. She is always offering kindness, compassion, and understanding. She is truly selfless. Her wisdom and peace flow so effortlessly to those around her. She intentionally walks alongside all of our students and provides religious and spiritual spaces for them. She works so hard to make Hollins home to so many, and has helped our community get through difficult times. She is a blessing to everyone.”

Oechslin

Oechslin and Wagner were both acknowledged for their work on behalf of the faculty during the university’s shift to remote instruction beginning in March. “He is a remarkable member of the Hollins community, providing technological support for teaching with lightning speed and good humor,” Oechslin’s nomination stated. “But with the pandemic, Brad has been a superhero to every member of our faculty. The faculty’s transition to Zoom and other online learning tools could not have gone forward without him.”

Wagner

Wagner “volunteered her time and energy to develop a series of training sessions and tools. She generously shared of her time and knowledge of technologies and strategies. Teri’s blend of enthusiasm, warmth, and patience was found to be an incredible asset. She has been essential in training faculty on the ins and outs of remote teaching. Her work to prepare our faculty for teaching online and on incredibly short notice has been impressive.”

Now in its 26th year, the Distinguished Service Award is an endowed award made possible by a generous gift from an anonymous donor.

Answering the Call During the Pandemic

Hollins Employees Responded Rapidly and Effectively to Support the Campus Community.

As fears over the spread of COVID-19 were beginning to grip the country in early March of this year, Hollins University Interim President Nancy Oliver Gray sought to reassure students, faculty, and staff.

“We can take great comfort in knowing that the Hollins community is strong. We support one another,” she stated in a campus-wide email. “I have no doubt that the strength of our community will sustain us in the days ahead.”

That unwavering belief manifested itself in the coming weeks and months as, time and again, the university came together to assist students as the pandemic unfolded.

“An incredible group effort to get it right.”

Among the measures Hollins took at the outset to protect the campus and reduce the risk of contagion was to begin Spring Recess early on March 13 and continue the break through March 29, followed by two weeks of online classes. Initially, it was hoped that students could return to campus in mid-April. But, as the pandemic’s threat persisted, the university announced it would close residence halls for the remainder of Spring Term and classes would be conducted remotely through a combination of Zoom, a video conferencing platform, and Moodle, the university’s course management system.

“Learning how to teach remotely so quickly was a challenge for the faculty, and what I saw was an incredible group effort to get it right,” said Elizabeth Poliner, associate professor of English and director of the Jackson Center for Creative Writing. “The amount of coordination on a very short timeline to prepare the faculty, who came to this moment with such a range of experience—and, frankly, inexperience—with technology, was inspiring.”

Dean of Academic Success Michael Gettings added, “I saw so many people step up to help, support one another, and genuinely express the spirit I have seen over my two decades on campus. This was true of students, staff, and faculty.”

Both Gettings and Poliner acknowledged that outcomes varied across classes, teachers, and subjects. They also noted that few would claim the remote classrooms matched in-person learning in terms of overall quality. That, however, did not dull their admiration for the collective effort to do the best possible job under restricted circumstances.

“It warmed our hearts to see the outpouring of love and concern.”

As students departed for Spring Recess, Hollins transported 12 international students to Dulles International Airport to fly home. Unfortunately, these students were forced to return to Hollins when their flights were canceled. Out of an abundance of caution, the Virginia Department of Health requested that the students self-isolate for two weeks. Housing and Residence Life (HRL) staff led efforts to quickly prepare accommodations at the university-owned Williamson Road Apartments, located across the street from the main campus.

To ensure these students were cared for and supported, Dan Derringer, interim vice president for academic affairs; Alison Ridley, interim vice president for academic programs; and Jeri Suarez, associate dean of cultural and community engagement, invited Hollins employees to get involved. Volunteers were needed to prepare meals for the students in self-isolation and provide activities to keep them engaged. Help was also requested to put together care packages for the 16 students still residing on the main part of campus.

According to Ridley, 37 faculty, staff, and administrators participated in the effort. “The meals were incredible, ranging from homemade soups to complete Indian feasts. Faculty members prepared a virtual workout competition for the students to keep them moving, and others gave coloring books, puzzles, and games to ward off boredom and loneliness. Many also wrote notes to the students. Employees stopped by the administration building every day with treats for the care packages. We were able to prepare two care packages for each student during Spring Recess.”

Ridley applauded Meriwether Godsey (MG), Hollins’ food service provider, for “dropping everything to help. As soon as we found out about the students returning from Dulles, MG gathered everything they could and packaged items into separate containers for the six apartments we needed to use. Even though MG was not supposed to be serving meals during Spring Recess, they made two hot lunches for the students in the apartments during the week.”

Hollins’ facilities staff, she noted, “were equally wonderful, working long hours to get the apartments ready and equipping them with essentials.” Once the students moved into the apartments, Cultural and Community Engagement stayed connected by holding activities via Zoom.

“It warmed our hearts to see the outpouring of love and concern,” Ridley said.

In mid-May, Suarez coordinated a meal plan for 28 domestic and international students who, because of extenuating circumstances, were unable to go home for the summer and would be residing in the Williamson Road Apartments for 12 weeks. The cancellation of summer camps and the transition of summer graduate programs to remote instruction meant dining services would not be available.

The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges gave each student a supermarket gift card to cover the cost of breakfasts and lunches. But 12 weeks of dinners still had to be provided.

“We reached out to see if faculty, staff, and alumnae would be willing to ‘adopt’ an apartment for a week of dinners during the summer,” Suarez said.

Seventy-six community members, a third of whom gave assistance over multiple weeks, met students’ needs in a number of ways. “They could prepare hot meals each day of the week they selected. Or they could precook the meals, freeze them, and drop them off at the beginning of the week,” Suarez explained. “They could also give supermarket or restaurant gift cards, or do a combination of all of these options.”

Suarez arranged for food donations through Feeding America Southwest Virginia and Keystone Community Center, while the university’s community garden offered fresh produce on a weekly basis.

“I was buoyed by the strength and resilience of our student body.”

While faculty sought to maximize the effectiveness of their virtual classrooms, others worked throughout the rest of Spring Term to minimize the impact of separation.

The Hollins Activity Board organized game nights, movie nights, and even online scavenger hunts. Student leaders worked behind the scenes to boost their own spirits, and those of their classmates, and many student organizations continued to meet virtually. University Chaplain Jenny Call offered online “Sanctuary Today” moments for those wishing to join in meditation, and her messages regularly received hundreds of�� Facebook views.

“I was buoyed many times by the strength and resilience of our student body,” said Gettings.

Many students who departed campus for Spring Recess in March expected to return the following month. As a result, a number of them left behind possessions. With guidance provided by the Virginia Governor’s office, HRL offered students four options from late May through mid-June to gather their belongings: return to campus themselves during specific appointment times while using face coverings and observing proper physical distancing protocols; designate a friend or family member who would follow the same guidelines; have a university-selected moving company and/or Hollins employees store their possessions; or have the items shipped to them.

Suarez stressed that the success of all these initiatives was due to the compassion of Hollins employees. “We could not have provided the care for our students, to the level that we did, without the collective efforts of many individuals and departments. Our students were overwhelmed by the community’s generosity. It made me incredibly proud.”

Hollins’ 178th Commencement Exercises in May were initially rescheduled for September and then moved to Memorial Day weekend of 2021. Impressively, Gray recorded over 200 personalized video messages for graduating seniors and group messages for those earning their graduate degrees. Alumnae/i gathered online to toast the class of 2020 virtually via Zoom.

“Carefully Onward.”

In June, Hollins announced initial plans to resume in-person instruction and residence hall living in the fall under the theme “Carefully Onward.” The plans include beginning fall term two days early, removing Fall Break, and closing the campus entirely the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The university will shift to remote learning for the final week of the term and for fall term examinations.

Gray praised a campus community that would “continue to work diligently to address additional details and complexities” during the summer and prepare for what promises to be an unpredictable fall.

“The last few months have been an exceptionally challenging time as the pandemic changed our world in unimaginable ways,” she said. “I have been especially grateful for your resilience, flexibility, and partnership. It has been an honor to lead and serve alongside you.”

Updated information about Hollins’ reopening plans can be found at ��Ĵ�ý.edu/onward.

“With a deep sense of honor for the Hollins mission and community…”

As spring moved into summer and communities throughout the U.S. wrestled with the challenges of minimizing the damaging consequences of COVID-19, a series of tragic deaths in the Black community sent the country into a season of protest and public unrest unlike anything seen since the Civil Rights Era. National surveys estimate between 15 and 26 million Americans actively participated in protests in June 2020, often risking their health to do so.

On May 30, the Hollins cabinet and other key administrators issued a statement noting the school’s mission “reminds us that our calling is to nurture civility, integrity, and concern for others, and to encourage and value diversity and social justice… For this reason, it is imperative that we lift up our voices in solidarity to say ‘Enough!’”

“…We must be accountable for equity.”

On June 19, then-President-elect Mary Dana Hinton shared a message with the extended Hollins community noting that the moment demanded a time of mission-based soul-searching within the institution, and vowing to lead the school down the difficult road of learning and then, of taking necessary action toward building “a shared, aspirational, and inclusive future.”

As individuals and collectively, she noted, an institution of learning had an obligation to grapple with these difficult and uncomfortable issues.

“As school leaders in this moment, we are called to respond to systemic racism and injustice in our world and, most importantly, on our campuses,” Hinton noted. “Making the choice not to respond would still be a response in its own right, an intentional and damaging response of silence to expressed feelings of anger, frustration, and pain.”

By the time she officially took office on August 1, Hinton had met remotely and heard from a dozen different individuals and groups within the campus, and she vowed to create “a public timeline and accountability structure,” with updates coming in the fall around direction and action steps.

La vie est belle

Edwina “Ed” Spodark, professor of French, retired at the end of the academic year.
By Nancy Healy, professor emerita of computer science

Effective teaching is really helping students learn. Since 1982, Edwina “Ed” Spodark has been doing just that. Her former colleague, Professor Emerita of French Jean Fallon, recalled her first meeting with Ed when the department was interviewing candidates for a position at Hollins:

Dreading the anxiety that interviews produce, I was prepared for a stressful encounter. To my surprise and relief, I was struck by how down-to-earth, funny, and personable she was. Through the years, I witnessed Ed’s ability to teach her students in the same happy manner. Ed took genuine pleasure in teaching, particularly the introductory courses, and her students responded happily and enthusiastically to her calm and cheerful demeanor.

Professor of French Annette Sampon-Nicolas added:

Ed and I have had 35 years of daily morning chats, as we were always the first ones in Turner and had offices across from each other. The only time we did not was when she was on sabbatical, and then third-floor Turner was unbelievably empty. Every morning, when we did not have students, we covered almost every subject imaginable and exchanged many pedagogical ideas. For 35 years I practiced shooting baskets into her wastepaper basket across the room. I shall miss her as a colleague and friend and wish her the happiest of retirements.

Always looking for new and effective ways to teach, Ed was an early fan of teaching with technology. She mastered computer skills with ease and shared her knowledge with students and faculty at Hollins and throughout the country. She developed several online offerings at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Together, we made many presentations demonstrating teaching with technology. She was a diligent (and delightful) presenter, always promoting Hollins in the process. Our running joke was that we played the “Rainbow Room.”

Ed taught more than 30 courses at Hollins. She has published over 40 articles, made over 65 conference and panel presentations, received numerous grants, and been selected for and elected to many prestigious professional organizations. Her resume is long and impressive. In fact, when you are looking at a journal in the Wyndham Robertson Library, the height of the windows is just about the length of her printed resume.

Ed has served on more than her share of Hollins committees. She has also served as acting dean of graduate studies and international programs and as department chair numerous times. Her service has extended to the community, too. She volunteers as a poll official during elections and served for many years as an officer of elections in Botetourt County.

Ed is also a generous colleague. After a bad fall when I broke my shoulder and foot, I wasn’t able to teach my spring semester class. Since Ed and I had taught it together in the past, I asked her if she might add this class to her regular teaching load. Without hesitation, she said yes.

Another way to measure effectiveness is how long the learning continues after the classroom experience is over. Several years after graduating from Hollins, a student called Ed and asked for confirmation on the spelling she was using for her tattoo. Ed chuckled and told her she was correct. The quote the student used? “La vie est belle.”

Thanks, Ed, for sharing your life with us. We wish you a continuation of “life is beautiful.”

From the Board Chair

My Dear Hollins Community,

I send you a warm Hollins greeting and hope that this letter finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe.

Throughout the spring and early summer, Interim President Nancy Oliver Gray, working in close partnership with then-President-elect Mary Dana Hinton and the exceptional Hollins cabinet, worked tirelessly on plans for reopening the campus for fall term. With the full support of the board, this work has been guided by one principle—ensuring the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff.

As of this writing, we have planned various forms of instruction which will include in person, online, and a hybrid of both. However, like every other institution, we are subject to change due to so many uncertainties brought on by the trajectory of the coronavirus.

The board would like to express its deep gratitude to Nancy, Mary, the cabinet, faculty, and staff of Hollins for carrying the university through what will long be viewed as one of the biggest challenges in our history. Under normal circumstances, the group keeps things running seamlessly every day, but their ability to pivot so quickly—and to reimagine how to move forward in a new online environment—deserves to be honored. We also salute our students, who showed the best of Hollins through their remarkable resilience, grit, and flexibility.

Every member of the Hollins family, past and present, owes a huge debt to Nancy Gray (and her husband David Maxson) for so graciously stepping into the role of interim president last summer. Nancy brought an immediate sense of calm and confidence to the entire campus. She led us deftly through a presidential transition and steered us expertly through the enormous challenges brought on by a worldwide pandemic and its many collateral consequences. Of Nancy’s many gifts to Hollins, this was perhaps her greatest.

At the same time, it is our great good fortune to welcome Mary Dana Hinton as the 13th president of Hollins. Mary officially began her tenure as our president this summer but worked closely with Nancy throughout the spring to ensure a smooth transition. Mary is deeply thoughtful, mission-minded, empathetic, and carries incredible quiet confidence. She is a seasoned leader who understands and values the power and potential of women’s colleges and the complexities of running a small but multifaceted private university. We are fortunate to have her at the helm as she leads Hollins through a time of difficult, thorough, and necessary introspection, and as we continue the work to be a place that best champions every member of our community. The board is confident that as more of you get to know Mary and see the extraordinary breadth of strengths and assets she brings to this campus, her legion of admirers will only grow.

Two critically important areas of institutional health are: 1) ensuring we generate enough financial support to cover a significant portion of our annual costs, and 2) making certain we continue to attract and retain high-talent students who will most benefit from what Hollins can offer.

Given the nationwide economic disruptions caused by COVID-19, we were braced for significant consequences to our fundraising efforts.

Thanks to Vice President for External Relations Suzy Mink and her outstanding team, and thanks most especially to you, our dedicated Hollins community, we have weathered the first stage of a storm that can be expected to impact most educational institutions in the years ahead. At the end of our fiscal year, the Hollins Fund significantly exceeded its goal and raised over $3.7 million. These funds became even more crucial as our room and board revenue was impacted significantly in the spring. We hope we can rely on your continued support.

We likewise questioned what the pandemic might do for our admission prospects. Those concerns were put to rest thanks to the high-touch and personalized work of Ashley Browning, vice president for enrollment management, and her phenomenal team. As I write this, we are on pace to start the 2020-21 school year with the largest incoming class since the fall of 2016. These are highly promising students whom we welcome with great excitement. This lays the strong groundwork and momentum for even better enrollment years to come.

Finally, as you will read in this magazine, the story of Hollins in this pandemic is one of a community and the power it can summon: the stories of faculty and staff learning and adapting to the challenges of teaching online, of students showing real resilience in far-from-ideal circumstances, and of seniors providing inspirational leadership even as the traditions they expected to celebrate together this spring were postponed or canceled.

This fall, whatever environment and challenges the school may face and overcome, Hollins will continue to lead with courage, intelligence and optimism. The Board of Trustees and I hope you, as our loyal Hollins community, will work together to ensure that we can look back on this era as a time when the connections, the intimacy, and the agility of our beloved university shone brightest.

With tremendous gratitude to you,

Alexandra C. Trower ’86
Chair, Hollins University’s Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees Welcomes Four New Members

Patricia Thrower Barmeyer ’68, Paul Hollingsworth, John Poulton, and Anne Lindblad Quanbeck ’79 have been elected to the Hollins University Board of Trustees.

A history major at Hollins, Patricia Thrower Barmeyer ’68 graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School. After clerking for a federal district court judge, she began practice with the State of Georgia Attorney General’s office, where she litigated landmark environmental issues. In 1990 she joined the firm of King & Spalding, where she has focused on the environmental permitting of controversial projects and the litigation that is often part of the process of bringing these projects to completion. She has been ranked by Chambers USA Leading Lawyers for Business as the top environmental lawyer in Georgia since 2006.

Barmeyer is currently active with the Trust for Public Land. She has also been involved with legal services organizations, including the Georgia Legal Services Foundation and the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation. She is a recipient of the Hollins Distinguished Alumnae Award.

Paul Hollingsworth has been an intelligence advisor for the international energy company BP since 2014. He previously served for 27 years in the CIA, including eight years on three overseas tours, a rotational assignment at the FBI, and two years as a special assistant for national security affairs on the NCS staff under President Barack Obama.

A 1977 graduate of Georgetown University with a B.A. in Catholic theology, Hollingsworth also holds a Ph.D. in Byzantine and Medieval Slavic Studies from the University of California—Berkeley. Married with three children, his daughter, Anna, is a member of Hollins’ class of 2022.

John Poulton serves as senior scientist at NVIDIA Corporation, where he has continued the work he began more than 30 years ago of producing chip-to-chip communications circuits for high-performance computers. As a research professor in the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill’s computer science department in the 1980s, he and his team developed techniques for computer graphics systems and image rendering that became industry standards. He has published over 40 papers, co-authored a textbook, is an inventor on some 70 patents, and is an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Fellow.

Poulton holds a B.S. from Virginia Tech, an M.S. from SUNY Stony Brook, and a Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill, all in physics. He cotaught the first course in computer programming at Hollins as an assistant professor of physics from 1968-1970. His daughter, Sarah, is a member of Hollins’ class of 2006, and his grandmother, Elizabeth Macatee Poulton, was Hollins’ director of student housing from 1929 to 1951.

Anne Lindblad Quanbeck ’79, a biostatistician with more than 38 years of experience serving both industry and government clients, is the president and CEO of Emmes, a global contract research organization. She has supported clinical research throughout her career, serving as principal investigator of projects spanning diverse disease areas, including oncology, dialysis, transplantation, ophthalmology, speech and hearing, dentistry, and neurology. She has contributed to the literature in such fields as patient-reported outcome development, central statistical monitoring as part of a risk-based monitoring plan, disease classification systems, and barriers to recruiting for clinical trials.

After completing her B.S. in statistics at Hollins, Quanbeck went on to earn an M.S. in biostatistics from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Ph.D. in statistics from George Washington University.

Barmeyer and Quanbeck began three-year terms on the board on July 1, while Hollingsworth and Poulton are filling two-year and one-year unexpired terms, respectively.

Focus on Philanthropy

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Volunteers and Challenges Spur a Strong Year for Fundraising

Despite, or perhaps due to, a volatile economic crisis brought on by the pandemic, donations for the year pushed the Hollins Fund for 2019-20 over its $3.55 million goal, almost $400,000 more than the university raised the previous year. Overall philanthropic gifts for the year totaled more than $11.7 million, again up a substantial amount compared to the previous year.

Clark Hooper Baruch ’68, who chairs the development committee, credited the commitment of volunteers for much of the success. “The volunteers were pivotal in generating and building the kind of momentum needed for this level of effort. They made a real difference, and it wasn’t just the impressive overall number of volunteers, but also the breadth of experiences and classes represented in that group that helps us engage with people beyond those who are already in the donor pool.”

She especially emphasized the promising growth in younger alumnae/i volunteering. “They’re the key to securing a healthy future for Hollins the farther we travel into this century.”

What is also clear in the rearview: Hollins alumnae/i and friends are generous in good times and bad, and they love a good challenge.

Last December, an anonymous donor offered to match every gift made in the month up to $100,000, and the challenge was met barely halfway into the month. The effort so impressed the donor that she promised to match any additional gift, up to $5,000, for the remainder of the calendar year.

Then, in June, another anonymous donor offered up $100,000 if Hollins could generate 500 donors in the month. The donor reiterated her conviction that Hollins is in a very strong place, but that “now is the time for anyone who cares about Hollins to give something, no matter what the size. There is no better time than now to show your support of Hollins.”

Once again, the challenge was not only met, but swiftly, as the goal was met on June 21. Yet another donor offered an extra $25,000 if Hollins could generate another 100 gifts in the final nine days of the fiscal year… and our donors responded with more than 350 additional gifts!

“This spring and summer have been such a roller coaster of emotions for us,” said Suzy Mink, vice president for external relations. “We have all been heartsick for the way the pandemic disrupted the campus experience for our students, faculty, and staff, and especially our graduating seniors. Further, we knew Hollins would face some unexpected financial strain from having to close the campus, and our office felt a tremendous responsibility to do what we could to minimize that strain.

“We were already impressed in the spring with how many of our alumnae/i reached out to us, or responded to our calls, with such incredible generosity, but then June kicked all of that to another level.”

The Costly Road to Reopening

In the world of “yes and” news, yes, the successes of the FY20 fundraising efforts are cause for great celebration, and the added financial challenges of responsibly operating a complex small university during an ongoing pandemic are expected to continue piling up in the summer and fall months.

As of early July, the projected additional costs for unexpected operational needs around reopening the campus were at $600,000 and expected to increase as the term progresses. The added costs run from the expensive and complicated—additional lab or photography equipment to minimize the need for sharing of items, for example—to the simple… yet still expensive. An example of the latter is the projected costs for all the disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizing gels needed to meet the needs of keeping classrooms, common spaces, and equipment and appliances clean before and after use: $30,000. “That amount does not include all of the cleaning and disinfecting supplies that the facilities staff would be using daily,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Kerry Edmonds, who said adding in those costs would more than triple the amount.

Edmonds said the ultimate challenge has been and remains preparing fiscally for the unknown.

“Hollins is in a more secure position, financially and otherwise, than most small private colleges, but we can be almost certain this fall will come with added costs, and potential revenue losses, that we can’t reasonably project with the shifting landscape of this pandemic. Nevertheless, we are committed to doing what we can to make the fall term a positive and rewarding one for our students, while respecting the public health guidelines and health concerns for our entire community.”

Student Village Update

When this issue went to press, the first three houses of Phase II of the Student Apartment Village were on course to be open and available for students by the start of fall term. The three new homes add 14 rooms and a total of 28 beds to the housing capacity. An additional three houses are planned—funding is still being secured—which will bring the entire capacity for the area to as many as 98 beds.

One key factor in the effort was the securing of a $400,000 challenge from the Cabell Foundation in May 2019. Thanks to donors helping Hollins raise $1.2 million over a single year in support of the project, the grant was provided in June.

“It’s been so great to be able to gather and welcome people, whether it’s in our kitchen, or in the common space, or on our front porch in a rocking chair. Whether it’s studying or hanging out, it’s been a great place to just be together,” said Monica Osborne ’20 as she reflected on being one of the village’s inaugural residents.

The Student Village could be especially valuable in the fall, as their outdoor gathering areas work well for socially distanced gatherings, and their kitchen and living room areas will allow for several students to gather while maintaining the minimum distance expectations and wearing face masks.

Student Village Progress

May 12, 2020

May 26, 2020

June 22, 2020

July 15, 2020

Focus on Philanthropy

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New York, New York

1842 Society members enjoyed music, museums, and more

Members of the 1842 Society met in New York last November for a weekend of arts, culture, food, and Hollins news.��Daytime activities included visits to New York museums, a reading by Natasha Trethewey M.A. ’91, a tour of Central Park, and a rehearsal of the renowned Choir of Men and Boys of Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue.��The group also enjoyed a luncheon program by voice artist Fred Newman of A Prairie Home Companion fame.��The evenings featured gatherings at the home of Julian Robertson (brother of Trustee Emerita Wyndham Robertson ’58) and the headquarters of the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust on the Upper East Side.

The weekend culminated in a celebratory dinner at the Links.��During the program, former trustee Sandra Frazier ’94 was honored with the Hollins Medal, and June Brill Myles ’64 was recognized for her generosity to Hollins with an induction into the Levavi Oculos Society. Interim President Nancy Gray provided an update on Hollins today.

The 1842 Society comprises donors of annual gifts of at least $1,842 to the Hollins Fund. The society’s weekends began more than 16 years ago, with the location of the event changing annually. Recent weekends have been held in Nashville; Washington, D.C.; and San Francisco.

Debbie Meade (Board of Trustees member), Hazel Bernard ’76, and Mary Page Evans ’59.

Sandra Kiely Kolb ’70 (Board of Trustees member), Elizabeth “Betsy” Akers Crawford ’70, and Frances Leitner ’73.

Sandra Frazier ‘94, Alexandra “Alex” Trower ’86 (chair of the Board of Trustees), Interim President Nancy Gray, and June Brill Myles ’64.

Abigail “Abby” Ross Sioussat ’81, Pierce Sioussat, and Kate Nicolaides Lyons ’81.

Miriam “Mim” Hayllar Farmakis ‘67, Tom Farmakis, and Betsy Akers Crawford ’70.

Sandra Frazier ‘94, Wyndham Robertson ‘58, and Paige Smith Jernigan ’87.

Anne Hipp Habeck and Zelime Gillespie Matthews, both class of 1968.

Sandra Kiely Kolb ’70, Elizabeth “Libby” Hall McDonnell ’62, and Leslie Dunne Ketner ’84.

In the Loop: Winter 2020

admin — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 20:06:26 +0000

“A new way to experience neighbors”

In the student village, the living is easy

In September, when we last reported on the new student village at the top of the Loop, the grass had just been planted, the cement walkways were dry, the green rockers for the porches had been delivered, and students were about to take possession. Four months later, says Jeanette Morsberger ’20, one of two community assistants, “I love��the community we have built together between the four houses. We’re like our own little neighborhood.” Kaitlyn Phillips ’21 echoes Morsberger’s comments: “It’s a new way to experience neighbors.”

From left: Kaitlyn Ellis ’21, Kaitlyn Phillips ’21, Jeanette Morsberger ’20, and Isabel Meyers ’21.

Morsberger and Phillips are two of the 40 students who live in the village. “While it is primarily full of seniors, there are quite a few juniors as well,” says Melissa Hine, assistant dean of students and director of housing and residence life. They got there through a three-night lottery process last spring, with rising seniors assigned to the first night, rising juniors the second, and rising sophomores the third. The lucky lottery winners enjoy such indoor amenities as a washer/dryer, dishwasher, and granite countertops. Phillips “loves the fact that it’s a house, so it feels a bit more like a home. And we have gotten to decorate and make it our own.”

And did we mention the view?

“Our back porch is definitely my favorite outside feature,” says Morsberger. “I love sitting out there and watching the sunset.”

To Morsberger, one of the biggest advantages to village life is that “it’s been a great trial run for post-grad life. I am learning a lot about what it means to take care of myself and an apartment.”

Photos by Amy Cavanaugh Pearman ’97

Snapshot of the class of 2023

Average GPA: 3.7on a 4.0 scale
Average SAT: 1180
Average ACT: 26
Number of states represented: 25
Number of countries represented: 13 (including U.S.)
Number of legacy students: 11
Number of Batten Scholarship winners: 4
Number of winners of The Secular Society Scholarship: 4
Percentage of incoming international students: 6%
Percentage of first-year domestic students of racial and ethnic diversity: 37%

New major and minor in public health

Recognizes growing interest and demand in the field

As an interdisciplinary endeavor that teaches students to recognize, assess, and address various issues of health on individual, community, and global levels, the study of public health is “an ideal fit for a liberal arts education,” says Associate Professor of Communication Studies Lori Joseph, who is directing the program at Hollins. “Specifically, what differentiates the public health program at Hollins from similar programs at other colleges and universities will be our emphasis on the principles of social justice while maintaining a scientific basis.”

Joseph explains that students “will be encouraged to take classes in each of our four academic divisions, creating a rich educational experience.”

Joseph adds that the program at Hollins will include internships and experiential le

arning opportunities that enable students to study diverse communities on both a macro and a micro scale and conduct significant undergraduate research.

Cynthia Morrow, M.D., M.P.H., has been named a visiting professor in the public health program. Currently a member of the teaching faculty at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, Morrow is a member of Virginia Tech’s Public Health Advisory Board and the American Public Health Association.

Model performance at Model UN

Second year of award-winning delegations

Four Hollins students received honors last fall at the 30th Annual American Model United Nations International Collegiate Conference in Chicago.

Hannah Jensen ’20 and Mollie Davis ’22 won Outstanding Delegation for the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, while Emma Jensen Babson ’23 and Bianca Vallebrignoni ’23 were named the Outstanding Delegation for General Assembly Second Committee.

This is the second year in a row Hollins has returned with two award-winning delegations from the conference, which draws more than 900 participants each year. Professor of Political Science Ed Lynch and Assistant Professor of Political Science Courtney Chenette ’09 serve as faculty sponsors.

Track and field off to a running start

New program is the university’s ninth

The new track and field team started competition during t

he 2019-20 indoor season and continues into the spring 2020 outdoor season.

“We are excited to add track to our slate of intercollegiate teams at Hollins,” said Director of Athletics Myra Sims. “We plan to focus on distance events at first, so we expect that it will enhance our ability to recruit for the cross country program as well.”

Robert Sullivan Jr., who was promoted to head coach of Hollins’ cross country team last August, has been tapped to lead the new track and field program. He is also the head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach at Lord Botetourt High School in Daleville, Virginia, and is a level-one certified coach for USA Track and Field.

Guide to the guides

How Hollins fares in some popular student sources

Princeton Review’s 2019 Guide to Green Colleges

Listed as one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges, based on a survey conducted of administrators at hundreds of four-year colleges about their institutions’ commitment to the environment and sustainability��

U.S. News and World Report: 2020 Best Colleges

National Liberal Arts Colleges category

Placed #24 among the country’s��top performers for social mobility, a new ranking in the guide that recognizes how successful colleges are at graduating students who receive federal Pell Grants
Ranked #30in the list of best-value schools
Ranked #102 overall

Fiske Guide to Colleges 2020

Cited as “one of the South’s leading women’s colleges”
Included among the nation’s small colleges and universities that are strong in art or design, dance, and film/television

Princeton Review’s Best 385 Colleges

Ranked #4 for most politically active students, #16 for most active student government, and #19 on the best college theatre list

Unwavering Commitment

Darla Schumm, John P. Wheeler Professor of religious studies, remembers Jong Ra, professor of political science, who retired last summer after more than 50 years at the university.

When Jong Ra began teaching at Hollins, the Vietnam War was raging, the Hollins library was located in what is now the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center, bell bottoms were in style (for the first time), Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States, the name of our campus was Hollins College, and there was no such thing as the internet. Many things changed on campus and beyond in the ensuing 51 years, but one constant held steady: Jong’s dedication to educating Hollins students about American government and electoral politics. It is difficult to measure the breadth of Jong’s influence over the course of his distinguished career. I can barely attend a social or public event in Roanoke without encountering one of his former students. When it comes up in conversation that I teach at Hollins, someone in the room inevitably declares: “Do you know Dr. Ra? He was my favorite professor!”

Almost a decade ago I landed in a new office across the hall from Jong. A few years later we served together on an ad hoc committee tasked with reviewing the sociology program. The result of the work of the committee was the creation of a new and experimental interdisciplinary department, global politics and societies (GPS), housing four major programs (sociology, international studies, religious studies, and political science) in addition to a minor in social justice. Over the course of a few short years, I went from occasionally crossing paths with Jong at faculty meetings to interacting with him on a regular basis as my hallmate and department colleague. I quickly understood why so many former students referred to him with such fondness. Jong welcomed me into the department and office pod with overwhelming warmth and generosity. Despite having many more years of experience, Jong always made me feel as though my opinion was valuable and worthy of consideration. It is not an exaggeration to say that Jong was one of my most supportive and encouraging senior colleagues, an experience shared by other faculty.

Among Jong’s most distinctive characteristics are his wicked sense of humor, his unwavering commitment to Hollins, and his unceasing energy. Jong often sauntered into my office to discuss the latest happenings about campus or to relay insights regarding the most recent political controversy. I usually left these conversations laughing at one of Jong’s witticisms, and also with a new nugget of knowledge about the world.

Jong’s influence stretches beyond Hollins and the Roanoke community. For many years he also taught in the political science department at Virginia Tech. More times than I can remember, I greeted him in the hall on a Monday morning inquiring about his weekend, only to be regaled with stories about his two- or three-day adventure to Korea, China, or other parts of the world. When I marveled at his ability to recover from jet lag so quickly, or to function with little to no sleep, he simply laughed and mused that he only requires four hours of sleep. Clearly, while most of us were sleeping, Jong was busy preparing to teach one of his many classes or producing scholarship for his numerous national and international connections.

A friend recently reflected that one of the greatest gifts we can give to other people is to make them feel blessed. To feel blessed is to be noticed, to be heard, to be valued. Jong’s long career certainly can be measured by the number of students he taught, by the number of colleagues with whom he worked, by the number of international trips he took, or by the number of scholarly papers he presented and published. To be sure, these numbers are laudable and should be celebrated. More impressive, however, are the number of students, faculty colleagues, administrators, and trustees whose lives he blessed. In the words of another colleague: Jong is a true “mensch.” I am grateful to have learned from him, laughed with him, and counted him as a colleague and friend.

Darla Schumm is chair of the faculty.

This is Us

This section shows some recent highlights of the Hollins experience.

The campus celebrated Tinker Day on October 10, a beautiful, bright, cool autumn day.
Photos by Sharon Meador

Fall soccer practice
Photo by Amy Cavanaugh Pearman ’97

Painting class taught by visiting professor Andrea Martens.
Photo by Amy Cavanaugh Pearman ’97

Seniors took their “First Step” on Front Quad just after the opening convocation in early September.
Photos by Sharon Meador

C3 was a two-day program for students and alumnae guest speakers and panelists.
Photos by Michael Sink

Students enjoying a Hatha yoga class in Tayloe Gymnasium.
Photo by Amy Cavanaugh Pearman ’97

Focus on Philanthropy

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New Village Opens Its Doors to Students

Phase one of the student village opened in August, to the delight of its first residents.

During the spring and summer, those who watched construction taking place on the road to the stables above Randolph and Tinker could see four houses taking shape as phase one of the new student residential village. These structures, whose design incorporates key architectural elements from campus—from the historic Front Quad buildings to the late 19^th– and early 20^th-century Hill Houses—offer spacious porches and lots of windows that open to stunning views of the campus and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Those who placed high in last spring’s housing lottery are the first residents this fall. The village is the university’s first new residential housing in 50 years.

The operating principle behind this construction is that it will bring more students to the main part of campus to strengthen the sense of community. The village is physically connected campus—close to classes, dining options, extracurricular activities, and athletic events—but with all the benefits of apartment living.

The four buildings in phase one feature eight units with 12 double rooms and 16 single rooms, accommodating a total of 40 students. Phase two, for which fundraising is underway (see chart), will consist of six buildings with 12 units, 16 double rooms, and 24 single rooms, making a total of 56 beds. The amount needed to build the second phase is $6 million.

The village replaces the university-owned student apartments, located across Williamson Road from the main campus. Those apartments closed in late July following the conclusion of the graduate programs’ summer term. Administrators are exploring options for redevelopment of the land that will support the campus as well as the surrounding community and businesses.

Photo: The new apartment village offers a variety of suite-style living options popular with today’s students. The units include single and double bedrooms, communal living spaces, kitchens, private bathrooms, laundry machines, spacious front porches, and shared outdoor areas. To view floor plans, visit ��Ĵ�ý.edu/village.

Next: Phase two of construction

Currently, fundraising is underway for phase two of the village. Donors have many ways to support the construction of the student apartment village and establish an endowment to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the amenities of apartment style living for many years to come.

Cabell Foundation challenge grant

The Cabell Foundation of Richmond has awarded Hollins a challenge grant of $400,000 to support the second phase of construction. The grant requires a three-to-one match, meaning $1.2 million must be raised by May 23, 2020, to receive the grant.

Village: $5,000,000
Two buildings: $1,000,000
One building: $500,000
Apartment unit: $100,000
Kitchen: $50,000
Porch: $35,000
Bedroom: $25,000

For more information:
Suzy Mink ’74
Vice President for External Relations
minks@��Ĵ�ý.edu
(202) 309-1750 or (540) 362-7439

“I am thrilled to see Hollins providing new, modern housing, which will foster a greater sense of community and build upon our beautiful campus. Thank you to all of the generous donors who have made this milestone possible.”

Casey Mahan ’20

“Our class is looking forward to being a part of history, as we will be the first class to live in the new student village. We are so thankful to the alumnae/i who have helped enrich our living experience at Hollins.”

Monica Osborne ’20

“The student village brings contemporary housing to the Hollins campus, enhance the already beautiful scenery, and provide a space that embraces both community and nature.”

Epa Cabrera ’20

This chart highlights the areas of giving for fiscal year 2018-19.

Reunion class giving award winners for fiscal year 2018-19.

Thanks to the 2018-19 reunion volunteers.

1959
Susan Eaves Otter,��reunion chair��
Anne Harrington Kiland,��reunion chair
Roberta Gagnon McNeill��

1964
Virginia Hutcheson Ritchie,��reunion chair
Sarah Shaver
Suzanne McCormick Taylor

1969
Mary Lou Mertens Lowry,��reunion gift chair
Jan Nicholson,��reunion gift chair
Nancy Wright Slain,��reunion chair
Anne Peach Biddle
Ann Scott Black
Kae Nelson Bolling
Amanda Cockrell
Lynda Cole
Elaine Garrett Evans
Carol Dawson Fassio
Mary Flinn
Ann Payne Haslanger
Susie Cook Hoganson
Sandy Strother Hudson
Ana Torstenson Kehoe
Liz Miles Montgomery
Randy Dooley Peters
Cathy Hoar Pinson
Carol Schwenzfeier Robinson
Therry Steinhardt-Neilsen
Joan Phillips Timbers
Allyson Neece Weathers
Pam Danos Wiegand
Liz Lacy Winn

1974
Linda Koch Lorimer,��reunion gift chair
Suzy Mink,��reunion gift chair
Trisha Rawls, reunion chair��

1979
Patti Thomas Brown,��reunion chair��
Susan Coudriet Freeman,��reunion chair
Emily Morgan,��reunion gift chair

1984
Judy Morrill,��reunion gift chair
Ann Davant Crehore
Leslie Dunne Ketner
Annette Kirby
Allison Stanton MacDuffie
Pam Parsons

��1989
Leigh Johnson,��reunion gift chair
Monique Carpenter
Bryna Wedner Darling
Cherie St. Clair

1994
Deidre Mattox Franey,��reunion chair
Kristin Jeffries Henshaw,��reunion gift chair
Jennifer Held Bieberich
Amy Breeman-Rhodes
Angel Byrum
Becky Hinkle Cope
Meredith Daniel Ensign
Ashley Hinkle Haun
Laura Traa Neville
Katherine Donahoo Nott
Kathryn McClure Shourds
Katie Bussie Woodliff

1999
Cristen James English
Shanna Ganne
Keyser Harris Glancy
Kimberly LaMotta Maye
Jennifer Rubin
Megan Normand Smith

2004
Jessica McEwan,��reunion chair
Beth Burgin Waller,��reunion gift chair
Elizabeth Barron
Page Rast

2009
Patricia Cope-Levy,��reunion chair
Monica Huegel,��reunion chair
Rebekah Lee,��reunion gift chair
Elena Samel,��reunion chair

2014
Carrie Boswell,��reunion chair��
Maggie Dwyer,��reunion gift chair
Committee:��
Kacee Eddinger
Lauren Mendenhall
Cecelia Parks
Christine Somersett
Ally Spaulding

2017
Amber Markovitz,��reunion chair
Cecili Weber,��reunion chair

In the Loop: Summer 2019

admin — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 18:40:13 +0000

“Keep on defeating those mountains”

Advice from commencement speaker Shireen Lewis

During the 177^thcommencement exercises on May 26 EduSeed Executive Director Shireen K. Lewis encouraged the class of 2019 to take the power of sisterhood into the world and “create a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive community for all women.”

Lewis, who has devoted more than 20 years to mentoring and coaching women and girls, leads EduSeed’s efforts to promote education in historically disadvantaged and underserved communities. She also founded the organization’s SisterMentors program, which supports learning among women and girls of color.

A graduate of Douglass College, a women’s college at Rutgers University, Lewis cited the continuing importance and value of women’s colleges today and “their desire to create something new, something different, something that is more just.” Referencing�� Hollins’ Tinker Day tradition, she proclaimed, “Nobody can say that Hollins women don’t know how to defeat a mountain. So keep on defeating those mountains, Hollins women!��Let’s imagine and build together a world where we listen to all women when they speak the truth. Let’s imagine and build together a world where not just a few women are free, but all women are free—free from all kinds of harm.”

Photo by Sharon Meador

Setting their sights on Nationals

Winning rider and coach set high goals

Call Caitlyn Sheffer ’22 a “barn rat” and she’ll consider it a badge of honor. To her and other student-athletes in the riding program, the moniker reflects commitment and determination, attributes that helped Sheffer earn a spot in May at the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) Nationals in Syracuse, New York. She finished fifth in Open Equitation on the Flat and seventh in Open Equitation Over Fences.

Qualifying for Nationals was a pleasant surprise for the York, Pennsylvania, native. Although she thought her first year of collegiate riding would be a period of transition (she has ridden competitively since age seven), she didn’t expect to go to Nationals the spring term of her first year. “I had accumulated enough points to qualify for IHSA Regionals and realized Nationals was a possibility,” she says.

“I met with Sherri [West, head riding coach], Liz [Courter, associate director of riding], and Elise [Roschen, manager/assistant to the director of riding] and said, ‘How can we make it happen?’ If you want something, they will do everything they can to help you get there.”

A trip to Nationals entailed everything from extra lessons at 6 a.m. to gym workouts with her teammates. It also required stellar performances at both the IHSA Regional and Zone horse shows. “You must finish first or second at Regionals to go to Zones, and then at Zones, you must earn first or second place again.” Sheffer excelled at both events, capturing first in Open Equitation on the Flat and reserve champion in Open Equitation Over Fences at the Zone 4, Region 2 Championships in March, and in April repeating those achievements at the Zone 4 Finals.

Sheffer and West returned from Syracuse with next year’s goal: having the entire team qualify for Nationals. To succeed, Sheffer hopes to “get all our horses performing to the max. If that’s the case, then our riders who practice on them will have a better chance.” Individually, her focus in 2020 will be on qualifying for the Cacchione Cup, one of the highest honors in college equestrian competition.

Sheffer loves winning, but her lifelong passion for riding is based on something more enduring, a philosophy that will serve her well as she pursues a career as a professional trainer one day. “Even if I don’t get recognition after a phenomenal round, I will still be happy,” she explains. “Someone will ask, ‘Did you win?’ and I’ll say, ‘No, it was just really good!’ I love knowing that the horse is comfortable, happy, and going at their best, and I’ve done all I can. It’s really satisfying.”

Faculty news

Hiring and promotion announcements

Tenure-track appointments:

Courtney Chenette ’09, political science

Chenette, a political science and gender and women’s studies major at Hollins, earned her J.D. at Pace Law School and practiced law in New York City.��She returned to Hollins as��a visiting lecturer for 2018-19 and was honored by the class of 2019 with the Senior Class Faculty Award.��She began her advocacy as a New York University Revson LSPIN Fellow, representing teenage dating and domestic violence survivors. As a civil rights attorney, Chenette litigated, trained, and counseled clients on novel constitutional questions involving government power and administration, policing, education, employment, and discrimination. She teaches constitutional law and political science courses on��civil rights; voting rights; the judiciary;��and race, class, gender, sexuality, and the law. Chenette also serves Hollins as a pre-law advisor.

Christopher M. Florio, history

Florio received his B.A. from the University of Richmond in 2009 and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2016.��Before coming to Hollins, he was a Mellon Research Fellow in the Society of Fellows in the Humanities at Columbia University.

Florio’s teaching and research interests include the history of slavery and emancipation, the history of capitalism, intellectual and cultural history, African American history, and the history of the U.S. and the world.��He is at work on a book manuscript titled Poor Freedom: The Problem of Poverty in an Age of Slave Emancipation, under contract with Yale University Press.��An article stemming from his current research, “From Poverty to Slavery: Abolitionists, Overseers, and the Global Struggle for Labor in India,” received the Louis Pelzer Memorial Award from the Organization of American Historians and was published in the Journal of American History in March 2016.

Caroline Mann, psychology

Mann earned her Ph.D.in clinical psychology from the University of Tennessee in 2010 and has worked in both clinical and academic settings since that time.��She served as assistant professor at Brevard College, Randolph College, and Meredith College.��Her passion for teaching and lifelong learning was sparked by her liberal arts education at UNC-Asheville. She has published and presented numerous studies on the topics of mental illness stigma, implicit bias, and empathy-based interventions to reduce prejudice.��She served as a post-doctoral fellow and licensed psychologist at Appalachian State University’s Counseling Center, where she specialized in working with clients around LGBTQ or cultural issues, trauma, and interpersonal difficulties.��At Hollins, Mann will focus on establishing a clinical/counseling track within the major.

Jennifer Turner, sociology

Turner received her B.S. degree in sociology from James Madison University in 2010, her M.A. (and a graduate certificate in women’s studies) from Old Dominion University in 2013, and her Ph.D. (and a graduate certificate in women’s and gender studies) in sociology from Virginia Tech in 2019. Her research focuses on the intersection of race, class, and gender in the lives of low-income African American single mothers.

Jessie van Eerden, creative writing

Van Eerden is the author of two novels, Glorybound, winner of the Foreword Editor’s Choice Fiction Prize, and My Radio Radio, as well as the portrait essay collection The Long Weeping, winner of the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award. Her work has appeared in Best American Spiritual Writing, Oxford American, Willow Springs, Image, Blackbird, and other magazines, and in several anthologies, including The River Teeth Reader and Walk Till the Dogs Get Mean: Meditations on the Forbidden from Contemporary Appalachia. She received the Gulf Coast Prize in Nonfiction, the Milton Fellowship, and a Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Fellowship. Van Eerden holds an M.F.A. in nonfiction from the University of Iowa and directed the low-residency M.F.A. program at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Tenure and promotion:

Elise Schweitzer, associate professor of art

I believe that painting is just about the best thing anyone can do with her time. When I’m working at an easel I am alive to the world around me, more aware of light, form, and color. At Hollins I teach painting and drawing, technique and theory, and also patience, perseverance, and new methods for interacting with the world around us.

Beginning drawing and painting students start by working from life, but learning to draw or paint isn’t just about making realistic images, it’s about changing how we see. Try to draw a portrait and you’ll recognize just how complicated our noses are. Paint a shadow on Tinker Mountain in the fall, and you’ll see sunlight in a whole new way. Draw a shadow or mix a color and you’ll understand and remember that nose or that sunny afternoon.

Making artwork can bring to light connections and convergences. During Short Term trips to Italy, I teach students to draw on location everywhere, from cathedrals to neighborhood cafes. Drawing in her sketchbook, a student can camp out in front of Botticelli’s painting of Venus for an hour and really look at the painting, at the glints of gold in the water and all the flowers flying through the air. She might start to wonder, Doesn’t Venus look like that other Botticelli painting of Simonetta Vespucci? Is she related to Amerigo Vespucci? The one who made the maps of America? Incredible!

Daniel Derringer, professor of chemistry

Dan Derringer received degrees in chemistry from Kalamazoo College (B.A.) and Purdue University (Ph.D.). Helping students learn is one of his preeminent joys. In addition to teaching courses for chemistry majors, he has taught a variety of courses for nonmajors, including The Chemistry of Art and Archaeology; Chemistry and Cooking; Contribution of Science to Global Issues; and Earth Science, Leadership, and Expedition Behavior. One of his favorite courses for nonmajors is Learning Navigation Skills, which draws heavily on his experiences as a hiker, a scuba diver, and an airplane pilot. As a researcher, Derringer makes and characterizes compounds of transition metals. At present he and his student assistants are investigating the structural, spectroscopic, and electrochemical properties of several new compounds they have synthesized. He believes the best way for students to put into practice the theories they learn in the classroom is to involve them in laboratory research. Derringer is a firm believer in the liberal arts, especially the emphasis it places on lifelong learning. He is enrolled in a master’s-level course in philosophy. He says this course is teaching him to be a better thinker, a quality he knows he can pass on to his own students. When he is not teaching or taking classes, he is spending time with his family.

Morgan Wilson, professor of biology

The son of a biologist and naturalist, Wilson received degrees in biology from Hampden-Sydney College (B.S.), Virginia Tech (M.S.), and the University of Mississippi (Ph.D.). He enjoys studying and teaching about how things work biologically—physiological and behavioral mechanisms, to be exact—especially in organisms in their natural environment. He teaches courses in Hollins’ biology and environmental studies programs, including human physiology, ornithology, human anatomy, invertebrate zoology, and human biology. He and Hollins biologist Renee Godard frequently lead Short Term trips to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands to explore marine diversity in the Caribbean, environmental concerns, and cultural history. With Hollins biologist Elizabeth Gleim ’06 and students, he explores tick ecology in Southwest Virginia and its possible connection to the risk of Lyme disease. Other research has taken him to the edge of the Arctic, the Appalachian Mountains, the Mississippi Delta, and the prairie pothole region of North Dakota. He has published various articles on topics ranging from the migration of the blue-winged teal to the causes of stress in male yellow warblers breeding at high latitudes. Put him in nature, be it a marsh, meadow, or mountain, and he is a happy man. In his spare time, he enjoys fly fishing, canoeing, trail running, waterfowling, bow hunting, hiking, and spending time with his family.

Open eyes and heart

Student art and writing enliven public transportation

In April, the university joined��RIDE Solutions, the Roanoke Arts Commission, and the��Greater Roanoke Transit Company��in presenting the annual Art by Bus and Writer by Bus programs, which this year showcase the talents of Hollins undergraduate and graduate students.

JM Lamb in front of her work “Wishes,” chosen for the Art by Bus program

“Wishes,” by��Horizon��student JM Lamb, was chosen to be displayed on half of a Valley Metro bus. Lucy Marcus, who is pursuing an��M.F.A. in creative writing, was selected as this year’s Writer by Bus. She rode various buses throughout last spring to produce literary works about her experiences, the people she met, and the neighborhoods she visited. Her chronicles can be followed on the��Writer by Bus Facebook page. Marcus’ final works will appear on the RIDE Solutions webpage this fall.

This year’s Writer by Bus, Lucy Marcus

Artist Lamb’s intention “was to create an image that invokes memories and feelings that instill joy, transcending age, race, and cultural differences, as well as socioeconomic class inequalities. … When most of us think of dandelion seed ‘puffs,’ we can mentally scroll back to childhood and the hours spent stalking the yard for an intact ‘puff’ to blow in the wind. The thought of this playful task produces a smile on most of our faces.”

Marcus noted, “I feel very lucky to live here, where our city workers and elected officials who do the difficult and vital work of keeping the transit circulating also create such rich programming to integrate and support the arts. I look forward to riding and writing with my eyes and heart open.”

Photos by Mary Daley ’19

Google Applied Computing Series coming to campus

Hollins one of 11 colleges selected

Google has selected Hollins to be a partner institution to implement its Applied Computing Series, an initiative focusing on computer science education. Associate Professors of Mathematics Julie Clark and Steve Wassell spearheaded the effort to bring the program to Hollins, one of only 11 colleges and universities nationally that have been accepted this year.

Semester-long Applied Computing courses will be offered to students who haven’t previously had the opportunity to study computer science or data science.

“Google and we see these courses as appropriate for students of��all��majors who are interested in applying data science techniques to their fields of study,” says Clark.

Google administers the course content and platform for free. Clark and Wassell took part in faculty training this summer. Google’s Applied Computing I, offered this fall, introduces students to computer science through an easy-to-learn programming language called Python. The course emphasizes such skills as problem solving; data analysis; design, implementation, testing, and analysis of algorithms and programs; formulating problems; thinking creatively about solutions; and expressing solutions clearly.

Google’s Applied Computing II, launching in spring 2020, explores the topic “How to Think Like a Data Scientist.” The course is designed to help students make informed, data-based decisions with machine learning in combination with tools such as spreadsheets, Structured Query Language (SQL), and Python.

��

In the Loop: Spring 2019

admin — Wed, 08 May 2019 19:39:56 +0000

For love of the game

Senior lacrosse player plans career in sports administration

Valerie “Val” Heflin ’19 was shy as a student in her Orange County, California, high school. So when she moved across the country to attend Hollins, she decided, “I’m gonna be a new me. I want to be outgoing.” The single-sex environment taught her to speak up. Now, she says, “I love raising my hand.”

A senior majoring in communication studies, with a minor in psychology, Heflin has been building toward a career she imagined for herself in high school: working in sports administration. As a basketball player in high school and a lacrosse player at Hollins, she knows firsthand the culture of athletes. “I like the sociability of being on a team,” she says. Hollins athletes are “very genuine; we support each other’s games. If you’re an athlete, you’re just sort of expected to be there. I don’t think you see that at every college campus.”

She wrote her senior thesis on how broadcasters use the “female apologetic” when talking about female athletes—a term she defined “as ways [broadcasters] describe female athletes as feminine to make up for the fact that they’re athletic, usually a masculine trait. For example, they’ll say, ‘She gracefully fell.’ A lot of the time they won’t say anything—and not saying anything is almost worse, because no one likes a silent broadcast. But because they aren’t experts in [women’s athletics], they have nothing to say.”

She serves as athletic chair for the Student Government Association, a role in which she’s a “bridge between the student government and the rest of the student body to the athletics department and student athletes.”

And she spent her senior J-Term interning with the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, or ODAC, of which Hollins is a member. She helped her supervisor, Bethany Dannelly, director of championships, get ready for upcoming basketball and swimming tournaments, made playlists and updated record books, and attended coaches’ meetings. The internship “definitely reaffirmed what I want to do professionally,” she says.

Her experience as a student-athlete at Hollins also confirms her decision to stay in the field. “I have nothing but positive things to say about [Director of Athletics] Myra Sims and [Head Lacrosse Coach] Kate Keagins. Hollins sports are definitely getting better and performing at a higher level. I’m so excited to see what happens in the next two years.”

Photo by Sharon Meador

The Influence of Women: A showcase of student artists

Sponsored by Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

Works by Hollins students highlighted an exhibition that explored and celebrated the many ways women affect their worlds.

Students in Associate Professor of Art Jennifer Printz’s Intaglio Printmaking class contributed their creativity to The Influence of Women, which was on display at the��Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine��(VTCSOM) through March 1, 2019.

“Each student produced two amazing prints about women who have influenced them, from friends, to family, to fictional heroines,” Printz explains.

Sponsored by VTCSOM’s Creativity in Healthcare Education program, The Influence of Women is one of three exhibitions held annually for local artists to showcase their works to the community and to reinforce to medical students the importance of having a community connection.

Image credit: Rachel Jackson ’19, Hikaru, dry-point print with watercolor,��2018

Idella Glenn, special advisor on inclusivity and diversity; Board of Trustees Chair Alexandra Trower ’86; and Cheryl Taylor ’09, biology lab technician, were among those who spoke during the Hollins Day celebration in February about the institution’s beginning, the contributions made and milestones achieved over the past 177 years, what Hollins means to them now, and their vision for the future.

Photo by Sharon Meador

Focus on Philanthropy

admin — Wed, 08 May 2019 19:39:29 +0000

Recent changes on the Board of Trustees

New and emeritus members

New members of the Board of Trustees include Tracy Roberts Frist M.A. ’03, M.F.A. ’14 and Tiffany Marshall Graves ’97. William “Bill” Johnston, who served on the board for nine years, has been named a trustee emeritus, joining a select group of individuals who have served Hollins with distinction.

Tracy Roberts Frist M.A. ’03, M.F.A. ’14
Franklin, Tennessee

Frist is the founder, owner, and operator of Sinking Creek Land and Cattle, LLC, a primarily woman-run agricultural operation in Southwest Virginia. At Sinking Creek, Tracy promotes human-animal therapy, literacy programs, federal and state conservation and environmental programs, and multi-university internships.

An award-winning writer, Frist holds master’s degrees in creative and in analytical writing from Hollins. She has been active in social and economic development in Haiti, Cuba, China, and Ireland, working through the global board of the Nature Conservancy, Nashville Health Care Council, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. She serves on the boards of Centerstone Tennessee, a nonprofit organization that provides community mental health and substance abuse treatment and support across multiple states, and the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County.

Tiffany Marshall Graves ’97
Ridgeland, Mississippi

Graves graduated with honors from Hollins with a B.A. in Spanish and political science. She went on to earn her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2006. As a law student, she was honored with the Powell Fellowship in Legal Services, which allowed her to pursue her commitment to assisting disadvantaged populations by working at the Mississippi Center for Justice. She is currently pro bono counsel at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP, where she oversees the development and administration of the firm’s pro bono programs.

Graves is the immediate past president of the Capital Area Bar Association, a member of the Mississippi Board of Bar Commissioners, a member of the Community Advisory Board of The MIND Center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and a member of the Board of Visitors of Millsaps College. In 2016, Attorney General Jim Hood appointed her to the Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women.

Bill Johnston

Rooms with a view

Ground broken on new student village

Construction began in March on the new student apartment village, located on the road formerly known as Faculty Avenue. Under construction are the first four of 10 apartment village buildings, with the expectation that students will be able to move in at the beginning of fall semester.

The cost of the entire project is $10 million, and with four houses now funded, we continue to seek contributions for the remainder of the project. If you wish to make a commitment of a naming opportunity in the village, these opportunities are available:

Name a building: $500,000

Name an apartment: $200,000

Name a common room: $100,000

Name a kitchen: $�� 50,000

Name a porch: $�� 35,000

Name a bedroom: $�� 25,000

For more information, please contact Suzy Mink, vice president for external relations, at minks@��Ĵ�ý.edu or (202) 309-1750.

For details about the student village and to follow the construction progress: .

��

Homepage – Hollins Magazine

Making HERstory

The SECRET

Can Women’s Colleges Turn the Corner?

You cannot rush a miracle

In the Loop: Winter 2021

Despite Pandemic Challenges, Student Energy, Spirit Persevered This Fall��

“Better Educators and a Stronger Institution”: How the Pandemic Brought to Hollins a New Era of Learning and Growth��

University Chaplain Finds Creative Ways to Offer Religious and Spiritual Services During Pandemic��

President Hinton, Bestselling Author Michelle Alexander Envision a Multiracial, Multiethnic Justice Movement in America��

Hollins Earns Accolades from U.S. News, The Princeton Review

New Partnerships with Graduate Programs in Health Sciences, Engineering��

Hollins’ Community Garden Reopens to Students

“Our Profound Sense of Community will Sustain Us”: Hollins Moves Carefully Onward During Spring Term��

“Prelude to C3” Connects Students with the Green and Gold Network��

In the Loop: Summer 2020

“I want all girls to play chess”

Training young artists of the future

Growing into a leadership role

Hollins Welcomes Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence for 2021-22

Faculty, Staff Members Earn Distinguished Service Awards

Answering the Call During the Pandemic

“An incredible group effort to get it right.”

“It warmed our hearts to see the outpouring of love and concern.”

“I was buoyed by the strength and resilience of our student body.”

“Carefully Onward.”

“With a deep sense of honor for the Hollins mission and community…”

“…We must be accountable for equity.”

La vie est belle

From the Board Chair

Board of Trustees Welcomes Four New Members

Focus on Philanthropy

Volunteers and Challenges Spur a Strong Year for Fundraising

The Costly Road to Reopening

Student Village Update

Focus on Philanthropy

New York, New York

1842 Society members enjoyed music, museums, and more

In the Loop: Winter 2020

“A new way to experience neighbors”

Snapshot of the class of 2023

New major and minor in public health

Model performance at Model UN

Track and field off to a running start

Guide to the guides

Unwavering Commitment

This is Us

Focus on Philanthropy

New Village Opens Its Doors to Students

Phase one of the student village opened in August, to the delight of its first residents.

Next: Phase two of construction

Cabell Foundation challenge grant

This chart highlights the areas of giving for fiscal year 2018-19.

Reunion class giving award winners for fiscal year 2018-19.

Thanks to the 2018-19 reunion volunteers.

In the Loop: Summer 2019

“Keep on defeating those mountains”

Setting their sights on Nationals

Faculty news

Open eyes and heart

Google Applied Computing Series coming to campus

In the Loop: Spring 2019

For love of the game

The Influence of Women: A showcase of student artists

Focus on Philanthropy

Recent changes on the Board of Trustees

New and emeritus members

Tiffany Marshall Graves ’97 Ridgeland, Mississippi

Rooms with a view

Ground broken on new student village

Tiffany Marshall Graves ’97
Ridgeland, Mississippi