Mills QuarterlyWinter 2009 Alumnae Magazine

DestinAtion: inAugurAtion the econoMics of eDucAtion chAnging the fAce of politics

A campus treasure shines anew

Make a gift by phone: talk to the student who calls you on behalf of the Mills College Annual Fund or call 510.430.2366.Send a gift in the enclosed envelope.Give online at www.mills.edu/giving.

Akiko Hatakeyama ’09 Major: Music.

How Mills invests in Her: By providing two merit-based scholarships; partly because of this support, Akiko chose Mills over Columbia University.

notable acHieveMent: Was awarded the Maurthea Friedberger Cup, given each year to the most outstanding music major.

Help more students like Akiko attend Mills!

“When I saw my name on the Maurthea Friedberger Cup with all the other winners since the early 20th century, I felt like I became a part of Mills history. I cannot express how grateful I am to have received the Dean’s Scholarship and the Donner Scholarship in Music, which gave me the

opportunity to achieve this success.”

Mills Quarterly

contents Winter 2009

10 16 32

Departments

4 LetterstotheEditor

5 MillsMatters

22 Bookshelf

23 ClassNotes

30 InMemoriam

2 A message from the President: Mills and the economy PresidentJanetL.HolmgrenpresentsanoverviewofMills’financialstatusandresponsetotheglobaleconomicdownturn.

10 In harmony with historyby Valerie SullivanCarefulrestorationoftheMusicBuildingintegrates21st-centuryimprovementswithhistoricartistrytoinspirefuturegenerationsofmusiciansandcomposers.

16 Finance the nation’s futureby Linda Schmidt and Lisa Chung ’79 Pressuredbythecreditcrunchandshrinkinggovernmentgrants,studentsdrawonavarietyoffinancialresourcestofundtheireducation.

20 Alumna Trustee nominationsThisyear’scandidatessubmittheirstatementsforelectiontotheCollegeBoardofTrusteesandtheAAMCBoardofGovernors.

32 Sound off!FourmembersoftheMillscommunitysharetheirperspectiveonhowthe2008electionhaschangedthepoliticallandscapeforwomenandpeopleofcolorinthiscountry.

10

On the cover: The newly restored Music Building sparkles in the evening twilight. Photo by Dana Davis.

2  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly2  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly2  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

As Mills College begins 2009, we face unprecedented financial challenges. The current global economic recession is affecting the financial status of colleges and universities across the country. Mills is no exception and must be prepared to make many tough decisions to address short-term and long-term challenges.

Whether you are an alumna/us or a close friend of the College, you hold a great stake in the future of this 157-year-old institution. I am writing to share with you information about the steps we are taking to address these challenges—as well as good news about our successes in student recruitment, construction of aca-demic facilities, and fundraising.

Despite the economic crisis facing our nation, undergraduate enrollment is strong. We have exceeded our enroll-ment expectations for the spring 2009 semester with 39 entering students, four more than we had planned. Applications for undergraduate admission are again at an all-time high with 1,700 applications already received for the fall 2009 semes-ter, compared with 1,100 at this time last year. Graduate applications are up 156 percent for fall 2009. We have 19 new graduate students enrolled for the spring 2009 semester.

With your help, Mills has recently invested in much-needed improvements to academic facilities, while incurring very little capital debt. Along with our outstanding faculty, these buildings will enable us to continue to attract top stu-dents and provide them with a state-of-the-art educational experience. We have just finished an 18-month renovation of the Music Building—being celebrated with a six-concert music festival from February through April—and we are on target to complete construction of the

VolumeXCVIINumber3(USPS349-900)Winter2009

PresidentJanetL.Holmgren

Executive Vice President for Institutional AdvancementRamonS.Torrecilha

Vice President for DevelopmentVirginiaV.Rivera

Director of Development and Alumnae CommunicationsDawnCunningham’85

Managing EditorLindaSchmidt

Design and Art DirectionNancySillerWilson

Contributing WritersLisaChung’79ValerieSullivan

Research AssistanceAmberWilliams’10

Editorial AssistanceKelseyLindquist’10

Special Thanks ToAnitaAragonBowers’63CynthiaGuevara’04

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Copyright©2009,MillsCollege.

AddresscorrespondencetotheMills Quarterly,MillsCollege,5000MacArthurBlvd.,Oakland,CA94613.Letterstotheeditormaybeeditedforclarityorlength.

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A Message from

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new “green” building for the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business this summer. These projects follow the open-ing, in fall 2007, of the Betty Irene Moore Natural Sciences Building.

Our alumnae and friends continue to provide the College with strong support for students, faculty, and facilities. We are deeply grateful for your loyalty and your confidence in Mills. As of January 15, the College had received $14.5 mil-lion in gifts toward a $15 million goal for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2009. We expect to surpass our goal this year. Of the gifts received to date, $5.8 million are unrestricted—a most crucial gift cat-egory, because we can direct these funds to meet the College’s greatest needs. This amount exceeds the unrestricted gift goal of $3.5 million for the year.

Even with such positive indicators, the volatility of these financial times has neg-

atively affected the value of our endow-ment, which declined by 35 percent over the last 18 months (on August 31, 2007, our endowment stood at $230 million). This decline is typical for endowments nationwide. Twenty percent of Mills’ operating budget is funded out of our endowment “payout” (the income that we can spend from our endowment), which is capped at 6 percent over a 12-quarter trailing average.

Although no one can predict what the next six months will bring, we need to prepare for the possibility that there may be further declines in endowment value—and further reductions in this important source of operating revenue. We are for-tunate that our endowment investments and cash policies provide Mills with suf-ficient cash to meet our 12- to 18-month projected liquidity needs. But to assure that we are being fiscally responsible in the long term, we are determined to reduce both operational and personnel expenses by approximately $2.5 million in the 2009–10 fiscal year. We recognize that further reductions may be necessary in fiscal years 2010—2011 and 2011—2012.

Mills’ commitment to providing finan-cial aid in support of our students is unwavering. This year, we have awarded $17.8 million in institutional funds. We expect this to be a long economic down-turn, and we expect demands for finan-cial aid to increase.

While the College’s future is strong and our reputation is solid, we must be con-servative and strategic in these difficult economic times. Earlier this academic year, Mills announced a hiring freeze of all but mission-critical staff; that hiring freeze will continue to be in effect until further notice. Our administrative offices have shown tremendous commitment

to serving our students, alumnae, and donors efficiently and productively with less than a full complement of staff.

Academic excellence is our highest priority. We will continue the searches for new faculty members in three depart-ments—Dance, Education, and English—as it is crucial to maintain the quality of our curriculum, research, and teaching. As we look at the long term, any requests for new faculty positions will receive a careful review by the Provost and the President.

To manage our budget in the cur-rent fiscal year and plan for the next, our process for reviewing expenses, sav-ings, and new revenue opportunities will involve all College academic departments and administrative offices, the execu-tive board of the Associated Students of Mills College, and the leadership of the Alumnae Association of Mills College. At a meeting of our Board of Trustees on February 26 and 27 (taking place while this Quarterly is on press), we will deter-mine tuition and fees for 2009–10. This decision will reflect careful research and analysis of the financial prospects for the College and our students.

I remain confident in the wisdom of our Trustees, the dedication of our staff and faculty, the strengths of our students, and the commitment of our generous alumnae and donors. I know that many of you have made it a priority to support Mills despite economic challenges that you are personally experiencing. Your choices make a world of difference right now for the College and—especially—for our students.

Sincerely,Janet L. HolmgrenPresident

Mills College President Janet L. Holmgren

4  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly 

I read Sarah StevenSon’S artIcle on the new MFA in book art and creative writing (“A new chapter in book art,” fall 2008) with great interest and memories. I’m pleased to hear that the book arts are thriving at Mills under Kathy Walkup’s devoted leadership and will once again offer a graduate degree. I was in the book art master’s program in the 1980s, and it placed me in a position to pursue work in fine art printing, which I continue now, 20 years later. We too were the lucky beneficiaries of visiting lecturers from the renowned Bay Area book, binding, and print world as well as memorable

Letters to the Editor

courses in the history of printing from rare book librarian Martin Antonetti. I enjoyed the photos, particularly seeing Kathy and Julie Chen in the studio. Julie was in our class, and I remember a gath-ering at her home: We were amazed to find a complete printing studio, includ-ing a Vandercook press, in what was once apparently her garage. She was already well on her way, designing and creating her own books. Congratulations to Kathy and Julie for a brilliant, bold “first” with this MFA offering!

—Wendy (Shapiro) Wentworth, MA ’89 Director, Greenwich Workshop Press

Hamden, Connecticut

Several yearS ago, I wrote to President Holmgren to say that we need more women in American healthcare, specifi-cally as physicians. I was thrilled with the winter/spring 2008 Mills Quarterly, (“Celebrating science”) and the support that the College is giving to women entering scientific fields. I am giving the publication to the principal of Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach for the use of the counselors there, who pro-cess hundreds of bright young women every year. I encourage other Mills alum-nae to pass along news of the College in the same way.

—Laura Bekeart Dietz ’67 Corona del Mar, California

Alumnae Relations 510.430.3363 www.mills.edu/alumnae Find out about Reunion, alumnae clubs, and events; update your contact information; and request our @mills enewsletter. Email:alumnae-relations@mills.eduLauraGobbi,Director....................510.430.2112

AlexandraWong,ProgramCoordinator................... 510.430.3363

Email for life https://alumnae.mills.edu

Career Services 510.430.2130 Connect with other alumnae in your field through Mills’ career network.

At Mills, for AlumnaeAlumnae Admissions Representatives510.430.2135 Help prospective students learn more about the College.JoanJaffe,AssociateDeanofAdmissionEmail:Joanj@mills.edu

Giving to Mills www.mills.edu/givingMake gifts to the Mills College Annual Fund or the AAMC endowment. HollyStanco,AnnualFundDirectorEmail:hstanco@mills.edu..........510.430.2366

To contact any of these Mills College staff or offices by mail, please write to: Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613

Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC)Learn about AAMC membership, merchandise, travel programs, Board of Governors, committee meetings, or reach your elected representatives on the College’s Board of Trustees.Email:aamc@mills.edu.................510.430.2110

AnitaAragonBowers’63,President...................................... 510.430.3374Email:AnitaAragonBowers@alumnae.mills.edu

BillWhite,Accountant.................. 510.430.3373

To contact the Alumnae Association of Mills College, please write to: AAMC, P.O. Box 9998, Oakland, CA 94613-0998

Music at Mills

From Milhaud to Mauleón

Mills QuarterlyFall 2008 Alumnae Magazine

M e e t t h e p r o v o s t t h e y w r i t e — a n d M a k e — t h e b o o k s r e u n i o n r e v i s i t e d

Mills QuarterlyWinter/Spring 2008 Alumnae Magazine

inaugur al alumnae awards follow our fulbr ights the Chapel's Cre ators

Celebrating Science

w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 5

Mills Matters

In recognition of Mills’ long history of preparing outstanding teachers, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the College with a $750,000 grant to prepare science and math edu-cators. The program, part of the Open the Gate Robert Noyce Teacher Scholars Program, aims to increase the number of graduates in science and math education in order to address the national short-age of qualified teachers in these fields. Upon graduation, Mills scholarship recipients will be required to teach for at least two years in a high-needs school.

The funds will provide 36 graduate students in the School of Education with $15,000 scholarships; twelve $10,000 scholarships will also be provided for seniors in math and science fields who plan to pursue teaching.

“The shortage of math and science teachers is particularly alarming for stu-dents of color and low-income students because these fields open doors to col-

Put your money where the math isSchool of Education receives grant to train math and science teachers

A matter of principal

lege entrance and higher-paying occupa-tions,” says Mills College Professor of Education Ruth Cossey, who is leading the program.

The School of Education is partnering with the departments of Mathematics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology to recruit junior-year stu-dents to participate in the NSF program. The graduate scholarships are open to all applicants or current students in the School of Education interested in math and science education. Professionals currently working in science, technol-ogy, engineering, and mathematics fields interested in education are also encouraged to apply. Awards will first be granted in fall 2009; the program will continue over the next four years.

“Given our long history of diversity and the School of Education’s dedication to preparing educators, this program will become the model of teacher education in science and math, producing highly

Elizabeth Rood, a doctoral student in the Mills College School of Education and principal of Leadership High School, a small public charter school in San Francisco, has earned national recogni-tion for her work building positive rela-tionships between her school and the surrounding community.

Rood received the 2008 MetLife Foundation Ambassadors in Education Award, which honors exceptional edu-cators who establish partnerships with community organizations, parents, and

qualified teachers committed to social justice,” says Joseph Kahne, dean of the School of Education.

For information about admission to the School of Education, contact the Office of Graduate Admission at 510.430.3309 or grad-admission@mills.edu. More information about the School of Education is available at http://www.mills.edu/education.

guardians; resolve conflicts and promote safety; or promote civic engagement and community service. The award provides a $5,000 grant for the recipient’s school.

Leadership High School has developed relationships with youth and civic orga-nizations, churches, healthcare providers, and others to create a support network for their students and families and has been recognized for its work in closing the achievement gap between minority and white students.

Rood became principal of Leadership

High School in 2005. She already holds both teaching and administrative creden-tials from Mills and is now completing a doctoral degree in educational leader-ship.

“Elizabeth is the kind of student and graduate who makes the entire faculty of the School of Education proud. Her lead-ership work has significance locally and nationally,” says Associate Professor of Education David M. Donahue.

Mills College was well represented at the 2009 inauguration of U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama, and I want to share some of the highlights of the expe-rience with our colleagues, alumnae, and friends on campus and around the country and the world. Ten undergradu-ate students, several administrators, a Trustee, and I were among the crowds that thronged to Washington DC to experience firsthand this historic and thrilling moment in American history. Our students raised support for their travel themselves, tapping resources both inside and outside the College.

On the Sunday before the inaugu-ration, Mills’ Office of Institutional Advancement organized a get-together for those of us in town for the event and for our alumnae and friends in the greater DC area—a big and happy turnout! We celebrated the moment when the values of equality, justice, knowledge, creativity, and inclusivity, so core to Mills’ identity, would also, we hoped, become reflected in new national

leadership. We celebrated the fact that Mills always shows up—that our small but powerful community is commit-ted to being participants in historical social change as well as the beneficia-ries of it. We are proud of alumna and Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s election to chair the Congressional Black Caucus and proud of the fact that we excel in the education of women for leadership.

At the inauguration itself on January 20, the Mills contingent was spread around the city. I had the good fortune to be in a seated section below and to the right of the podium, thanks to Trustee Cissie Swig and Senator Dianne Feinstein. Given the crowds and the complexity of gaining entry to the Capitol grounds, I wasn’t able to find Cissie nor was I able to locate our Mills contingent, but we were all connected in spirit. After hours of waiting in the friendly, diverse, cold line, I finally slipped into my seat at 11:29 am. I was not prepared for the emotions that swept over me as Aretha Franklin sang “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” and this amazing event unfolded: pride, gratitude, hope, relief. There were some highs and lows in the ceremony itself, but the overall experience was of being part of a historic moment so much bigger than any one of us and so important to the people of the world as well as the country.

On a personal note, I was glad to be in the nation’s capital again, where I lived for nearly 18 years, where I attended my first inauguration in 1976, where my chil-dren were born, where I established my academic career. And I was very proud to be there as President of the world’s fore-most women’s college—diverse, innova-tive, engaged Mills College.

Destination: inauguration By President Janet L. Holmgren

6  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

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Women in Washington:Onthemorningoftheinaugurationceremony,10Millsstudentswokeupasearlyas2:00aminarentedVirginiatownhouse,bravedjam-packedMetrocarsintotheheartofWashingtonDC,andenduredalongwaitin18-degreeweathertowitnessthehistoricevent.

ThoughmembersoftheMillsgroupwereseparatedinthecrushofpeople—someviewedtheinaugurationfromtheNationalMallandotherswatchedonbigscreensinsidetheNationalMuseumoftheAmericanIndian—thetripwasconsideredasuccess.

“TheinaugurationrepresentsanewbeginningforAmerica,”saidJabrillaCarr’10.“IwentbecauseoftheenergyandexcitementwhenObamawaselected;Ijustneededtobetherewhenhewasswornin.”

WhileinWashington,thegroupalsoattendedtheMillsalumnaegathering(seePresident’sletterandpage28).Thestudentsarenowpreparingadocumentaryoftheirinaugurationexperience.Eachmemberofthecontingentcontributedtheirownmoneyandparticipatedinadditionalfundraisingefforts.ThetripwasfurthersupportedbyMillsCollege,theAssociatedStudentsofMillsCollege,andtheBlackWomen’sCollective.

“Everywherewewentthatday,althoughwedidnotknowthepeoplearoundus,theydidnotseemlikestrangers,”freshwomanMariahOliverawroteinalettertoThe Campanil,Mills’student-runnewsweekly.“AllofthehundredsofthousandsofpeoplerunningaroundthestreetsofWashingtonDCthatdaywereconnectedbyacommongoal—tobethechangethatwewantedtoseeintheworld—andacommonperspective:thatchangewasoccurringandthatwemadeithappen.”

Head east, young woman: Mills students and administrators traveled to Washington DC to witness the presidential inauguration. Here, they gather at a reception for alumnae in the area. Back row: Tianna Terry, Jabrilla Carr, Tracy Peerson-Faye; middle row: Stephanie Cooper, Mariah Olivera, Dean of Student Life Joi Lewis; front row: Alexa Hall, Kalisi Kupu, Steffi Zarifis, President Holmgren

w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 7

collaborators and as leaders. Women’s education joined with research and teaching in women and gender studies is a profoundly transformative experience.”

As the chief academic officer at Smith, Schuster will have oversight of all aca-demic programs and will sit on all of the college’s major committees. She will play a central role in promoting excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.

Schuster credits her Mills education for building her intellectual foundation. “As a Mills student I learned to ask ques-tions and to approach problems from different angles,” she says. “Throughout our education our teachers pushed us to look harder, write more clearly, read more carefully, listen more attentively. These are habits of mind that are useful through life as knowledge and our own situations change.”

After completing a degree in French at Mills, she earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in French language and literature from Yale University. She dis-plays a Pearl M prominently on her Yale regalia at every official college function.

Marilyn Schuster ’65 has been appointed provost and dean of the faculty at Smith College, a women’s college in Northampton, Massachusetts. She will begin a four-year term on July 1, 2009.

Schuster joined Smith in 1971, where she is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and a professor in the college’s Program for the Study of Women and Gender. Her teaching and research has focused on contemporary women’s literature, gender studies, and queer studies. Schuster has also collabo-rated with Smith colleague Susan Van Dyne on curriculum transformation in a liberal arts environment and ways to create productive learning climates for women and students of color.

“We now see women in positions we would never have imagined just a few decades ago—in the professions, on the Supreme Court—but we also know that women are disproportionately repre-sented among the poor and illiterate, in the U.S. and internationally,” Schuster says. “Women’s colleges help us under-stand that poverty, illiteracy, and vio-lence are gendered. Just as importantly, at women’s colleges, we learn to value each other’s talents and each other as

Barbara Lee leads for meIn November, Barbara Lee ’73 was named chair of the 43-member Congressional Black Caucus. “We have an opportunity to really continue to lead and to continue to be the conscience of the Congress,” Lee said to reporters in Washington DC following her appointment.

Lee (D-Oakland) was first elected to represent California’s Ninth Congressional District in 1998 and earned international attention as the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization of the use of force after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In 2006, Mills College inaugurated the Barbara Lee Distinguished Chair in Women’s Leadership, an endowed teaching position, in honor of her leadership in human rights and social justice. Lee’s political experience began when she was president of the Mills Black Student Union and participated in the 1972 presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 became the first African American woman to be elected to Congress.

The spirit of alohaPresident Janet L. Holmgren (second from left) thanks Mills Trustee James Andrasick, chairman of the board of Matson Navigation Company (third from left), flanked by Matt Cox, president of Matson Navigation Company, and Yolanda V. Gonzalez, Matson’s vice president of human resources. The recently established Matson Navigation Company Endowed Scholarship Fund pro-vides financial assistance to undergraduate students from Hawaii and Guam.

Matson, like Mills, has strong ties to Hawaii. Beginning in 1882, Matson’s first ships hauled sugar and other cargo between Hawaii and San Francisco. Cyrus and Susan Mills were missionaries and teachers in Hawaii before assuming leadership of the Young Ladies’ Seminary in Benicia, California, which they rebuilt as Mills College in Oakland. Mills has been educating women from the Hawaiian Islands since 1865, including Queen Liliuokalani’s nieces, who attended the College in the late 1870s. Eight current undergraduate students hail from the islands.

Well over 200 Mills alumnae live in Hawaii today, offering unflagging support for the College through student recruitment and scholarship funding. The Matson award joins four other scholarships for students from Hawaii: those from the Hawaii Club of Mills College, Robert and Betty Wo ’46, the Atherton Family, and the William G. Irwin Foundation.

Mills alumna leads Smith faculty

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Marilyn Schuster

CalendarFor information about the Mills Music Festival 2009, visitwww.mills.edu/musicfestival. For information about other Music Department events listed below, contact 510.430.2334 or steed@mills.edu. For the Contemporary Writers Series, contact 510.430.3130 or syoung@mills.edu. For information about art lectures or exhibitions, contact 510.430.2164 or museum@mills.edu.

March29 Reception with President Janet L. Holmgren4:00 pm, Far Hills, New Jersey; by reservation onlyHostedbyCarolynBooth’63andMillsCollegeforalumnaeinthetri-stateregion.Forinformation,contact510.430.3363oralwong@mllls.edu.

April 3–4 Charming Cottages of Palo AltoForinformationaboutpurchasingticketsforthistourorganizedbythePaloAltoAreaMillsCollegeClub,contact510.430.3363oralumnae-relations@mills.edu.

5 Senior Thesis ExhibitionOpening reception, 3:00 pm, Mills College Art Museum, freeAnexhibitionofworksbyMillsseniorartstudiomajors,onviewApril1–19.

5 Mills Music Festival 2009: The Music of Fred Frith3:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall; $20 general, $12 alumnae and seniorsArockingbirthdayconcertofnewmusic.Aspecialbirthdayreceptionfollows.

16-18 Dance Department Graduate Thesis Concerts7:30 pm, Lisser Hall, $10Graduatedancestudentspresenttheculminationoftheirwork.

18 Concert: Rajeev Taranath8:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall, $12 general, $6 seniors, free with AAMC membership cardOneoftheworld’sleadingexponentsofthesarod(apluckedstringedinstrument),Taranthgivesanintense,emotionalperfor-manceofHindustaniclassicalmusic.

23 Pearl M Dinner5:30 pm, Mills College campus; by reservation onlyTheCollegeandtheAAMChostadinnertohonortheClassof2009.Forinformation,contact510.430.3363oralwong@mllls.edu.

27 Golden Girls Spring Luncheon 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, Mills College campus; by reservation only TheCollegeandtheAAMChostMills’traditionalluncheonforalumnaeintheclassesof1958andearlier.Contactalwong@mills.eduor510.430.3363.

May3–31 MFA Thesis ExhibitionMills College Art Museum, freeAnexhibitionofworksbystudentsinMills’masteroffineartsprogram.

14 Concert: Cecil Leong and Friends 8:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall, freeTheHongKong-basedtenorCecilLeong,aformerMillsCollegeTrustee,makesarareBayAreaappearance,performingpopularshowtunesandcontemporarysongswithMillsstudentvocalists.Formoreinformation,call510.430.2364.

16 121st Commencement9:45 am, Toyon Meadow, freeGathertohonorandcelebratethegraduatingClassof2009.

16 AAMC Annual Meeting 2:00 pm, Location TBD Forinformationaboutthisimportantmeetingopentoallalumnae,calltheAlumnaeAssociationofMillsCollegeat510.430.2110oremailaamc@mills.edu.

Save the Date:Reunion 2009

October 1–4, Convocation on October 2

Celebrating class years ending in 4 and 9 and the

50th Reunion of the Class of 1959

6 Songlines Series: Lou Mallozzi7:30 pm, Ensemble Room, freeTheaudioartistfromChicagopresentsUsi scrutati,aseriesofshortlow-techsoundperformancesexploringthetensionsbetweenliveandmediatedexperience.

7 Contemporary Writers Series: Vikram Chandra5:30 pm, Mills Hall Living Room, freeSacredGames,Chandra’shighlyantici-patedsecondnovel,hasbeendescribedbytheNew York Timesas“payinghomagetobothIanFlemingandJamesJoyce.”

10 Center for Socially Responsible Business Annual ConferenceSee back cover.

10 X Sound Festival8:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall, freeAfestivalofnewworksbyMillssenior-yearcomposers.

13 Songlines Series: Ramon Santos7:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall and Greek Theatre, freeThevisitingcomposerandethnomusicologistfromtheUniversityofthePhilippineswilllec-tureonJoséMaceda’sUgnayan,alandmark1972piecefor20radiostations.Theprogramwillalsoincludearadiodiffusionofthiswork,whichwilltakeplaceintheGreekTheatre.

16 Film Screening: The Gift from Beate5:00 pm, Danforth Lecture Hall, freeReception follows in the Mills College Art MuseumBeateSirotaGordon’43speaksatascreeningofThe Gift from Beate,a2004filmonthesocialstatusofwomeninJapansincetheendofWorldWarII,whenGordonaddedawomen’srightsclausetothenewJapaneseconstitution.RSVPtorsvp-oia@mills.eduor510.430.2373.

Beate Sirota Gordon in Japan, 1946

Fred Frith, April 5, Mills Music Festival

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The Mills cross-country team received the Buffalo Five Star Award from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) at the organization’s 2008 cross-country championships in December.

The award is given annually to one men’s and one women’s team, selected for their outstanding performance and fulfillment of “the core character values of respect, integrity, leadership, and sportsmanship.”

“More than any other team I’ve coached, this year’s team members really care about each other and doing the best that they can do,” says head coach Laura Davis, MFA ’06. “They hold themselves to a high standard, work hard in practice and in meets, take care of themselves outside of practice, communicate with each other and with their coaches, and look out for the good of the team. They are an inspiring, generous, strong group of women who don’t just care about their team’s success, but about improving the world around them.”

In addition, two runners were named Daktronics-NAIA Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athletes. Hanako Hjersman ’09 and Lily Ann Page ’09 were among the 253 women, representing 108 schools, selected to receive the honor. Both were nominated by Davis for maintaining a minimum 3.5 GPA during their junior and senior years.

The team finished the season in second place in their division, showing dramatic improvement from last year’s sixth-place finish. Team captain Lupe Cazares ’10 qualified for the NAIA national championships.

Band on the run: Mills’ cross-country runners prepare at the starting line of the CalPac conference championships.

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Making the gradeAs the Summer Academic Workshop (SAW) approaches its 20th anniversary of preparing entering first-generation college students for academic success at Mills, participants marked a major milestone of achievement. The 25 entering students who enrolled in SAW in summer 2008 earned a 3.19 group grade-point average (GPA) during the fall 2008 term at Mills—the first SAW class to break the 3.00 GPA barrier in its first semester. The cohort is well on its way to become the fourth in SAW history to maintain a GPA of 3.00 or better through the end of the academic year.

“The SAW student services staff have restructured the academic year sup-port program such that the study skills and habits of our students have mark-edly improved over the last year and a half,” says Professor of Sociology Bruce Williams, who directs the program. “This support program now is open to all SAW participants, instead of just first-year students; and also we welcome non-SAW, first-generation college students who are struggling with their courses.”

For more information on SAW, see page 15 of the summer 2008 Quarterly.

Champions of character

For the second year in a row, Mills College has earned a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary public service.

Awardees were selected for scope and innovativeness of projects, percentage of student participation, and incen-tives for services. In 2008, 586 Mills students logged more than 29,000 hours of community service through service learning courses and volunteer projects.

“Mills students and staff have a long tradition of service

in our community,” says Mills College President Janet L. Holmgren. “We are proud of our extensive work.”

“We salute Mills College for making community ser-vice a campus priority,” says Stephen Goldsmith of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which launched the Community Service Honor Roll in 2006. “College students such as those at Mills represent an enor-mous pool of idealism and energy to help tackle some of our toughest challenges.”

In honor of service

he Depression-era seats may be gone, but the historical integrity and

architectural beauty of the Mills College Music Building remain intact following

a painstaking and loving renovation of the majestic 80-year-old building.

The $15 million project—the first major upgrade of the structure’s interior since

its construction—has modernized facilities for students, teachers, performers,

and audiences, ensuring the building’s stature as a focal point

for innovation and creativity well into the future.

The College is celebrating the reopening of the building and eight decades

of music at Mills with a six-concert festival in the Concert Hall, now named

for Jeannik Méquet Littlefield, MA ’42. The festival opened on February 21 with

a concert of solo performances by pioneers in the experimentalist tradition and

will conclude on April 5 with a concert featuring the music of Mills professor

Fred Frith (see Calendar, page 8, for details on the last concert).

10  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

In harmony

historywith

Opening night (clockwise from top): Raymond Boynton’s vivid frescoes. A sculptural figure welcomes visitors. The building’s main entrance. A lantern shines in the lobby.

TBy Valerie Sullivan

w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 11w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 11

The Littlefield Concert Hall, flanked by practice rooms and classrooms, is considered the building’s crown jewel with its murals, painted ceiling, and other artwork designed by artist Raymond Boynton to “give free play to the imagination and, through color, rhythm, and formal-ity, heighten that mood in the listener.” The interior of the hall has been restored to its original beauty, while 21st-century technologies and conveniences have been added to increase functionality and improve the musical experi-ence. “We knew we could enhance the structure and obvi-ously we wanted to preserve the aesthetics,” says Campus Architect Karen Fiene of the 18-month renovation pro-cess. The Spanish Colonial–style building, designed by Walter Ratcliff Jr., opened in 1928 and was honored with a design award from the Northern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Ever since, the Concert Hall has been the venue for Convocation, lectures by vis-iting national and international leaders, and legendary performances that have shaped the course of contem-porary music—featuring luminaries from Igor Stravinsky to Meredith Monk; Mills faculty from Darius Milhaud to Pauline Oliveros; and alumnae/i from Dave Brubeck, MFA ’46, to Steve Reich, MA ’63, and Laetitia Sonami, MFA ’81.

the builDing’s ornate carved stone portals and bronze doors have been cleaned of 80 years of pollution, as have the imposing brass lanterns that flank the doorway and provide dramatic adornment to the building’s façade. The stone porch and steps into the main entry have been relaid to meet seismic safety standards; stone from the original walkway was repurposed to create an aesthetically appro-priate retaining wall that supports a new ramped entry, making wheelchair access through the front door possible for the first time. New lighting and landscaping complete the entrance.

p h o t o s b y pa u l k u r o d a, u n l e s s o t h e r w i s e n o t e d

da

na

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vis

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vis

Music Building renovation donorsMillsCollegethanksallthosewhohavecontributedtotherestorationoftheMusicBuildingtodate.AsofJanuary31,2009, thefollowingdonorshaveprovidedparticularlygeneroussupport:

$4 million and above: JeannikMéquetLittlefield,MA’42

$1 million to $3.9 million: MissJaneNewhall’36;CarenHarveyProthro’63,P’91,andNitaProthroClark’91

$100,000 to $999,999: Classof1950–50thReunionGift;Classof1951–50thReunionGift;Classof1952–50thReunionGift; Classof1953–50thReunionGift;Classof1954–50thReunionGift

$10,000 to $99,999:LeoneLaDukeEvans,MA’45;DrewryNostitz’70;TimothyandLorindaBaderReichert’67;ThomasA.andRosemaryShurteTisch’68;MaryAusplundTooze’44:FrancesWeilerVarnhagen’52,P’79

$1,000 to $9,999: MarilynEnnisBarrett’75;GeraldineClark’52;RuthE.Gillard’36;LucilePedlerGriffiths’46,MA’47,P’75;PaulaWrightLittle’64;BetsyMerritt’76;MarilynWilsonNewland’48,P’75;AnneVanDerLinden’84;Mr.andMrs.JamesL.Waters(FaithPigors’50)

12  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

dr

ew

alt

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rThe Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Concert Hall

The woman behind the name

This gift means a lot to me. I just love music . . . .

I’m delighted I could do it.

MilhaudonFebruary28,says,“ItisagreatprivilegetodedicatethisConcertHall—oneofthemostbeautifulandinspiringplacesintheBayAreatolistentomusic—inhonorofaMillsalumnaandfriendwhohasplayedaleadingroleinmakingthisregiononeofthiscountry’sgreatcentersforthearts.”

Mrs.LittlefieldwasborninParis,grewupinGeneva,andstudiedattheSorbonnebeforecomingtoAmericain1939.SheattendedtwoNewYorkwomen’scolleges:firstBarnardandthenWells,whereshecompletedherundergraduatedegreein1941.Offeredscholarshipsforgraduatestudyinlinguisticsattwoprestigiousinstitutions,MillsandYaleUniversity,shechosetocometoMills,wheresheearnedherMAandalsobrieflytaughtFrench.FluentinFrench,English,German,andRussian,shewentontodoctoralstudiesincomparativelanguagesatUCBerkeley,butwithinafewmonthschosetosupportAmerica’swareffortbyworkingasatransla-torintheOfficeofWarInformationinSanFrancisco.ShewassubsequentlytransferredtotheWashington,DC,office,whereshemetherhusband,thenalieutenantintheNavy.TheymovedtoSanFranciscoandraisedthreechildren,allmusicallyinclined.EdmundLittlefielddiedin2001attheageof87.

“Thisgiftmeansalottome,”saysMrs.Littlefield,whoclearlydelightsinshar-ingherpassionthroughherphilanthropy.“Ijustlovemusic.WhenItouredthebuilding,Isawthatitobviouslyneededhelp.I’mdelightedIcoulddoit.”

MA’42,hashadalongloveaffairwithmusic,beginningwhenshewasachildlearningtoplaythepiano.Diagnosedwithmyopiaattheageofeight,shehadtogiveupherles-sons,muchtoherregret.“Mymotherthoughtreadingmusicwouldbebadformyeyesight,”shesays.Butshenevergaveuponmusic.Overtheyears,sheandherlatehusband,theindustrialistEdmundWattisLittlefield,providedgeneroussup-porttoeducationandtheartsintheBayArea.JeannikMéquetLittlefieldhasrecentlymademajorgiftstotheSanFranciscoSymphony,theSanFranciscoOpera,andtherestorationoftheMillsCollegeMusicBuilding.

Mrs.Littlefield—whosetiestoMillsdatebacktoWorldWarII,whenshewasagraduatestudentattheCollegeandfriendswiththecomposerandMillsprofessorDariusMilhaudandhiswife,Madeleine—contributed$4milliontorestorethemajesticSpanishColonialbuilding.InhonorofhercommitmenttotheCollege,theMusicBuilding’sConcertHallhasbeenrenamedtheJeannikMéquetLittlefieldConcertHall.

PresidentJanetL.Holmgren,whoannouncedthehall’snewnameataconcertoforchestralworksbyDarius

J eannik méquet littlefielD,

w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 13

The lobby’s ornate cast plaster ceiling, tiled floor, and wrought iron pendants sparkle from a thorough cleaning. The original Concert Hall entrances have been moved and the doors replaced with soundproof doors that prevent lobby noise from disturbing performances; the original doorway areas have been con-verted to bench alcoves that incorporate the existing carved lintels.

Because the Music Building has the unusual distinction of being built on 16 different levels, access throughout the structure has always been difficult. A new elevator to the right of the lobby provides access for all to the main level of the Littlefield Concert Hall and the second floor of the building. On the second floor, a ramp installed next to previously exist-ing stairs now allows wheelchair access to the classroom wing, where several rooms and the corridor have been spruced up with new paint and linoleum, upgraded light fixtures, and audio-visual equipment.

Also on the second floor, sun beams down from a skylight over a corridor that contains new men’s, women’s, and unisex restrooms. Old marble, salvaged from an earlier remodeling of the restrooms in Ethel Moore Hall, was re-used to con-struct the bathroom counters; dual flush toilets minimize water usage.

Department and faculty offices received a makeover, too. On the first floor, a ren-ovated department suite includes the chair’s office, a reception and meeting space, and an additional faculty office.

Behind the building, thanks to a gen-erous gift from the Class of 1951, the charming Ensemble Room Courtyard has been refurbished with repairs to its stucco walls, improved lighting, and land-scaping. As the restored fountain bubbles quietly, this serene spot will sing its own tune for years to come.

A symphony of style (opposite page, top): Polished bronze doors lead into the build-ing. This page, from top: The lobby features new seating alcoves. Detail of frescoes and painted ceiling tile in the Littlefield Concert Hall. Reconfigured office areas expand space for faculty. New bathrooms make use of sal-vaged marble counters. A ramp allows entry through the building’s front doors.

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d a n a d av i s

d a n a d av i s

14  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly14  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Careful renovation has added 21st-century improvements without com-promising the beauty and elegance of the Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Concert Hall. The old acoustic panels have been replaced by fire-resistant curved acoustic panels that have been custom-arranged to provide optimum acoustic enhancement throughout the hall. The old panels—state-of-the art in their time—had suf-fered severe water damage and did not meet current fire codes. The new pear wood panels are a soft golden color that enriches the beauty of the hall.

Raymond Boynton’s famed frescoes, painted the year the building opened, have been lovingly restored to their origi-nal beauty, along with the brightly pat-terned ceiling tiles Boynton considered his most daring work, creating “a variety of movement and interval over the whole ceiling.” Two teams of art conservators undertook the painstaking project, which included restoration of the painted linen-on-wood choir loft panels that sit above

the stage and extensive repair of the gold leaf flowing across the hall’s upper rear wall. Worn and dingy “lay lites” across the ceiling were replaced with acrylic panes printed with a historically accurate leaded-glass pattern.

With comfortable new seats that have been reconfigured to provide more leg room as well as seating space for people with mobility impairments, the hall now holds an audience of up to 447. Chairs on the end of each row have retained their original metal claw feet and deco-rative carved wood endplates. All of the oak flooring in the gently sloped main seating level has been replaced, and the upper seating tiers have been completely rebuilt. At the base of the tiered section, an audio mixing station is wheelchair accessible.

Below the Littlefield Concert Hall, an energy-efficient gas-fired boiler replaces the antiquated steam boiler and provides heat throughout the building.

The stage area, previously riddled with

termite damage, has been completely rebuilt with maple flooring and extended by three feet, providing enough space to sit an 80-piece orchestra or to accommo-date dance performances; the first row of audience seating can be removed to fur-ther expand available performance space. The space also benefits from a new pro-jection screen, upgraded electronic con-trols, and dimmable lighting.

anD while this stunning restoration

is cause enough for pride, there is work

yet to be done. The College still needs to

complete its fundraising for the $15 mil-

lion phase of renovation just completed.

Meanwhile, the wing housing the build-

ing’s practice rooms is showing its age,

classrooms require additional upgrades,

and the Center for Contemporary Music

is in desperate need of improved facilities

and equipment. Discussions have already

begun for a future phase of renovation

that will complete the College’s efforts

to transform the Music Building into a

teaching and performance facility for the

21st century.

The sound of music: The Littlefield Concert Hall boasts a larger stage, restored artwork, new seating, and improved acoustics (right). The choir loft panels behind the stage are a beautiful backdrop (below).

WhiletheMusicBuildingglowsanew—fromtherestoredgoldleafontheLittlefieldConcertHallwallstotherefurbishedmicachandeliers—oneimportantpartoftheprojectremainsunfinished:thefundraisingforthe$15millionrenovation.Sofar,generousMillsalumnaeandfriendshaveprovided$9.8millionfortheproject(seelistoftopdonorsonpage11),but$4.2millionisstillneeded.

Everygift—whetherbigorsmall—makesadifferenceinthiscommunity-wideeffort.

PleaseshowyoursupportbysendingagiftintheenvelopeenclosedinthisQuarterly,givingonlineatwww.mills.edu/giving,orcalling510.430.2366.LetusknowthatyourgiftisfortheMusicBuilding.

Name your seat in the Littlefield Concert HallAsimplewaytomakeabigdifference—andtobecomeapermanentpartofthetraditionofinnovationinmusicatMills—istonameaseatintheLittlefieldConcertHall.Yourname—orthenameofarelative,friend,student,orprofessoryouchoosetohonor—willbeengravedonapermanentbrassnameplateontheseat’swoodenarmrest.

Twodonationlevelsareavailable:

• Withagiftof$2,500,youmaynameaseatonthemainfloorlevel,closesttothestage.

• Witha$1,500gift,youmaynameaseatintheuppertier.

PleaseusetheenclosedenvelopetorequestmoreinformationorcontactHollyStancointheOfficeofInstitutionalAdvancementatMillsCollegebyemailathstanco@mills.eduorbyphoneat510.430.2366.

Thank you for making the Music Building shine!

Mills needs your support for the renovation of the Music Building

w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 15

How students, colleges, and their supporters

Story by Linda Schmidt

Profiles by Lisa Chung ’79

Photos by Dana Davis

16  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 17

How students, colleges, and their supporters

Ifyou’vecalledoremailedReinhardtAlumnaeHouseinthepastcoupleofyears,chancesareyou’vebeenincontactwithjuniorAmber Williams.Withoutthat20-hour-a-weekwork-studyjob—andthenumerousmeritandneed-basedscholarshipsshereceives—shecouldn’tgotoMills,shesays.

Williams,aresidentofSuisun,California,alsoappliedtoSpelmanCollege,ahistori-callyblackcollegeforwomen,butMills’strongfinancialaidpackagewonout.

TherewasanotherinfluencepullinghertowardOakland.Heraunt,LynetteWilliamsWilliamson’72,introducedhertoMillsatayoungage.Williamson,aformermemberoftheAAMCBoardofGovernors,broughtWilliamstoMillseventsandpressedherintodutyfoldingmailers.

Williamsisbusymajoringinpolitical,legal,andeconomicanalysis;preparingtoenterMills’MBAprogram;andparticipat-ingintheBlackWomen’sCollective.ShehasalsospearheadedaMillstriptothepresidentialinauguration.Eventually,shewantstobeacivilrightslawyer.

“Idon’tthinkIwouldhavehadasmanyleadershipopportunitiesifI’dgonetoSpelman,”shereflects.“Here,ifyoudon’tlikesomething,you’resup-posedtodosomethingaboutit.It’snotcoolnottodosomething.”

finance  the nation’ future $ Since the fall of 2008, while political and business leaders have wrangled over proposals for salvaging the nation’s finance system, higher education leaders have heightened their attention to an equally critical and closely related problem: how to help students afford a college education. Solving this problem is key to students’ futures as citizens and to the nation’s future as a globally competitive economy.

Even as college and university endowments shrink and government support for higher education remains stagnant, the need for student financial aid continues to rise. For any institution that aims to provide access to a quality education for a talented and diverse student body, finding answers to this need is paramount.

At Mills, most students piece together a patchwork of resources to cover the costs of tuition, room, board, supplies, and other living expenses. (See sidebars to learn how four Mills students balance scholarships, work, family, and academic commitment to succeed in college.) “Financial aid is a combination of scholarships or grants—we’ll call this ‘free money’—from four sources: federal, state, institutional, and outside or private sources, such as from a foundation,” says David Gin, the College’s associate vice president for student finance and administrative services. Federal funds also provide support for work-study programs—what Gin terms the “self-help” category of financial aid—and the College offers additional work-study opportunities for students who don’t qualify for the federal program.

Loans are another important part of this equation, but they come at a price. A

Mariana Pereyra,32,(left)hadalwayswantedtogetherbachelor’sdegree.ButshespentasleeplessweektryingtodecidewhattodowhenherfinancialaidpackagearrivedfromMillslastsummer.TheCollegewasn’taproblem,buthereconomiccircumstanceswere.

Gaspriceswereup,herrentwasup,andevenherkids’publicschoolwasaskingparentsformore.Millshadgivenher“areallygoodscholarship,”butshefailedtoqualifyforastategrantshe’dexpected.Withthesuddencreditsqueeze,shecouldn’tgettheloansnormallyavailable.

ButMillsgaveheranemergencyloantomeetexpenses.ShealsouppedherworkhoursasseniorresearchassistantatKaiserPermanenteandcutbacktobarenecessities.

Pereyra,whomarriedrightoutofhighschoolandstruggledthroughadivorceat26,spendshereveningswithherten-andeight-year-olddaughters.“Weallsitdownanddoourhomeworktogether,”shesays,andshewouldn’thaveitanyotherway.“Iwantmychildrentostriveformore—Iwantthemtoknowyoucanbeindependent.Womencanbewhatevertheywant.”

18  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

BythetimeDiana Gamino graduatedfromhighschool,Millswasalmostasecondhome.AparticipantinUpwardBound,theEastOaklandresidenthadspentsummersatMaryMorseHall,supplementinghereducationthroughthewell-knowncollegepreparatoryprogram.

WhenshechoseMillsoverUCBerkeley,Gaminoalreadyknewshewantedtobeabusinesseconomicsmajor.YetMillshascontinuedtobeaplaceofdiscovery,the22-year-oldseniorsays.Shedecidedtodouble-majorontheseconddayofProfessorHéctorMarioCavallari’scourseontheLatinAmericanshortstory,addingSpanishstud-ieswithgreatenthusiasm.CitingfavoriteauthorssuchasGloriaAnzaldúa,shesays,“Ithought,‘Wow,thisisgreat—thisisforme.’”

AtMills,Gaminohasbeenabletorelyonacombinationofstateandfederalgrants,loans,andMillsscholarships—including,thisyear,the$5,000Classof1958Scholarship—tocovermostofhereducation.Herparentscontributewhattheycan,too.Bystayingclosetohome,she’sbeenabletogivebacktoherfamily:she’sguidedhersisterthroughthepaperworkofcollegeaidandhelpsherlittlebrotherwithhishomework.

recent publication from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges analyzing cost trends in higher education states that “borrow-ing is particularly prevalent in the pri-vate sector; nearly three quarters of bachelor’s recipients in private insti-tutions graduated with debt in 2004.” According to Gin, Mills graduates from the Class of 2008 had an average debt of $25,000. “These students have made a commitment,” says Gin. “They really value a Mills education and they’ve paid for it by taking out loans.”

The College has made a commitment to helping minimize student debt upon graduation, but bridging that gap is a challenging proposal. Awarding sizable scholarships to reduce the need for loans is a first step. Mills is tapping its own resources—including endowment income and annual fund contributions—to pro-vide $18 million in aid to students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels this year. By combining College funds, federal and state grants, work-study, and loans, Mills manages to provide financial aid packages that meet, on average, 85 percent of the financial need of its stu-dents. And while this is an impressive accomplishment, in comparison, many of America’s best-endowed private colleges

are able to meet 100 percent of their stu-dents’ financial need—without loans.

Offering a generous financial aid package is one technique colleges use to entice the best and brightest students. In many cases, scholarships and grants can make a private education more cost-effective than four years at a public institution that is unable to offer equivalent aid.

“The College is hoping to attract and provide support to highly meritorious students. If you’re a top candidate, Mills tries to meet more of your financial need with its own money,” Gin says. “We want to encourage such students to come here; ultimately, they will raise our academic pro-file and maintain the school’s reputation.”

Gin throws out real numbers: over 30 percent of Mills students receive the Pell Grant, the primary award given by the federal government, up to a maximum amount of $4,800. Low-interest federal loans are available for up to just $3,500. In contrast, Mills funds scholarships for 91 percent of all undergraduates and 85 percent of graduate students, in amounts that can cover as much as the entire cost of tuition—$34,170 this year. “The govern-ment says we need to support education to maintain a competitive national work-force,” Gin says, “but you can see the pro-

w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 19w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 19

WhenMills’financialaidpackageoffercame,Karolyn MenoleaptatheropportunitytogotoschooloutsideofColorado.ThebiopsychologymajorfromBailey,amountaintown65milessouthwestofDenver,arrivedatMills,sightunseen,fouryearsago.

“Ididnotknowthatitwasnotanor-malpractice,”the22-year-oldsayswithsomeamusement,notingtheexten-sivecollegetourstakenbysomehighschoolstudentsandtheirparents.

Beingthethirdofsevenchildren,Menoknewshecouldonlygettwoyears’worthofhelpfromherparents.Scholarships—includingtheFletcherJonesFoundationScholarshipandtheMarianaBertolaScholarshipfromMills—accountfornearly65percentofherfinancialaidpackagethisyear.Therestofhereduca-tionispaidwithloans,andawork-studyjobasateachingassistantinchemistrygiveshersomespendingmoney.

Menodiscoveredaloveforthephysi-ologicalsideofpsychologyinhersecondsemesteratMills.Shehopestofurtherpursueherinterestthroughgraduatestudies.“Ilovebrains,”shemarvels.“Withjustapileofcellsandsomeelectricalactivity,youhaveapersonality.”

portion of what the institution invests in the student and what the federal govern-ment puts in.”

In fact, statistics from the Department of Education show that the value of an individual Pell Grant, adjusted for infla-tion, has actually decreased from 1977–78 to 2007–08. At the same time, demand for those federal monies is increasing. In January, Philip R. Day Jr., president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, was quoted in the New York Times as expecting that appli-cations for federal aid will be up 25 per-cent in this academic year.

Similarly, the amount of the state-sup-ported Cal Grant, for residents who study within California, is likely to decrease for the upcoming year. As the Quarterly went to press, the U.S. Congress had just passed an economic stimulus pack-age that increased federal Pell Grants by $500, though it was uncertain whether such increases would offset cuts in state grants for students.

“These changing variables put a lot of pressure on an institution like Mills to support its students,” says Gin. Colleges are working hard to pick up the slack: College Board statistics report that insti-tutional grant aid per student increased by 34 percent at private four-year institu-tions between 2000–01 and 2006–07.

Despite colleges’ best efforts, in the past several months many students have been confronted with unexpected gaps in their budgets for college, the result of dwindling college savings plans, loan programs, and off-campus work oppor-tunities. The extraordinary impact of the financial downturn on students has prompted Mills to undertake extraordi-nary measures. In November, the College initiated an emergency bridge loan pro-gram to help keep students from drop-ping out because of financial hardship. “Mills College is committed to partner-ing with our students and their families

to ensure that their educational journey is not interrupted,” President Janet L. Holmgren said at the time.

Such measures are especially important at Mills. “Studies have shown that stu-dents who drop out, especially women, don’t always go back,” Gin says. At the start of every semester, the College’s financial aid staff contacts any continuing student who hasn’t registered for classes and, if the student cites financial issues as a reason for her absence, the staff works to create a viable plan. “We work with each individual family and we really try,” says Gin. “We continue to need financial support to ensure access for all socioeco-nomic classes and to make this quality education really available to all.”

Because of these measures, the College has been quite successful in retaining students despite the economic crisis: the percentage of students returning for the spring semester has remained on par with last year.

“But not all problems can be solved. Sometimes a student needs to leave and go to work and then come back in bet-ter shape, Gin explains. “Part of the edu-cation we’re trying to provide is to help our undergrads develop into adults who make an impact on the world and are responsible for their actions.”

And though Mills students are, for the most part, eking by for now, most eco-nomic experts agree that things will get worse before they get better.

“I’ve never seen families facing so much financial chaos. People ask me to predict, but I can’t say what’s going to happen,” says Gin. “That’s why institutional aid and support is so important; those mon-ies are a large portion of the aid that stu-dents get.”

Mills’ ability to provide student

scholarships depends on your support.

Please call the Mills College Annual

Fund at 510.430.2366 or use the enclosed

envelope to make your gift today.

Julia M. Almanzan ’92Current residence:LaderaRanch,California

Mills major:Political,Legal,andEconomicAnalysis

Additional education: JD,LoyolaLawSchool,LosAngeles,California

Student activities:Seniorclasstreasurer,sophomoreclasssecretary;AcademicBoard;MEChA(MoviemientoEstudiantesChicanasAztlan);MillsLawClub;Mills Weeklyreporter.

Employment and volunteer experience: Deputycountycounsel,CountyofLosAngeles–DependencyDivision(Dec.1999–present);seniorassociatecountycounsel,CountyofLosAngeles–DependencyDivision(May–Nov.1999);AuxiliaryLegalServices,attorney(April–May1999).

AAMC involvement: OrangeCountyMillsCollegeAlumnaeAssociation,actingpresident(2008–present);SouthernCaliforniaregionalgovernor(2002–2008);alumnaeadmissionsrepresenta-tive(1996–2004);LosAngelesMillsCollegeAlumnaeAssociation,boardmember(1992–present),president(1996–2001).

How Mills affected my life: Millsshapedmeintoastrongpersonandawisewoman.TheskillsandprideinmyselfthatIgatheredfrommy

peersandprofessorsprovidedtheconfidenceandabilityIneededtobecomearespected,successful,andproductivememberofsociety.

Future of the Alumnae Association and its relationship to the College:TheAssociationandCollegeshouldworktogethertostrengthentherelationshipofalumnaeamongeachotherandwiththeCollegeinordertoencouragealumnaeparticipation,supportbranchfundraisingandactivities,andallaspectsofalumnaeprogramming.ThefuturestatureoftheAlumnaeAssociationmustbeconsistentwithalumnaehistory,intent,anddesire.

ThisrelationshipshouldrespectthehistoryoftheAAMC,includingtheindependenceoftheAAMC.IexpecttheCollegetosupporttheAAMC’sfundamentalactivitiesandfunctionsandtoprovidesufficientstaffingforalumnaeactivities.TheseeffortswillensuretheultimateprosperityofMills.

The future of Mills College: IexpectMillstoremainawomen’scollegeindefinitelyandtosupportwomen’seducation,especiallyattheundergraduatelevel.Iappreciatethegraduateprogramsbeingdevelopedtosupportwomen,especiallyinnon-traditionalfemalecareers;however,preservationofafundamentalundergraduatewomen’seducationshouldneverbecompromisedintheprocessofachievinggreatergoals.

20  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly20  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

  Alumna

one of the three womendescribedonthesepages

willbeyournextAlumnaTrustee.Helpdeterminewhoitwillbe

bycastingyourvotenow.Theballotisprintedontheinsideback

coverofthisQuarterlyandmustbereceivedbytheAlumnae

AssociationofMillsCollege(AAMC)byMay11,2009.

Servingforthreeyears(July1,2009,throughJune30,2012)asa

fullmemberofboththeMillsCollegeBoardofTrusteesandthe

BoardofGovernorsoftheAAMC,thisAlumnaTrusteewillhelp

ensurethatalumnaearewellrepresentedintheleadershipofthe

CollegebyconveyingtheviewsoftheAAMCboardtotheCollege

board.ShewilljoincontinuingAlumnaeTrusteesLynFlanigan

’65andGayleRothrock’68.

Wearepleasedtopresentthisslateofaccomplishedwomen:

lawyerJuliaAlmanzan’92,businesswomanSueMcClelland’56,

andcommunityleaderSusanBrownPenrod’71.Pleasenotethat

PenrodiscurrentlyservingasAlumnaTrustee;hertermissetto

endonJune30,butAAMCbylawsallowhertoserveconsecutive

termsifre-electedtotheposition.

elect your

Trustee

Julia M. Almanzan

w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 21 21w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 21

  Alumna

Susan Brown Penrod ’71 Current residence:Piedmont,California

Mills major:Sociology

Student activities: ParticipatedinLegConmeetings,volun-teeredinalocalschool,waitressedinthediningrooms.

Employment and volunteer experience:Whileraisingmythreesons,Iparticipatedinorganizationsthatsupportedmychildren’sinterestsandlocalcivicissues.Iwasareligiouseducationteacherandanelementaryschoolteacher’sassistant,andaboardmemberofanonprofitthatdevelopsinternshipsinenvironmentalfields.IamcurrentlyadocentintheOaklandMuseumhistorygallery.

AAMC involvement:AlumnaTrusteesince2006,participatingonseveralcommittees.MemberofAAMCBoardofGovernorsandtheTransitionTeamduringthetransferofalumnaerelationsfromtheassociationtotheCollege.AAMCpresident(1995–98);co-chair,CyrusandSusanMillsSociety;AlumnaeFundcallerandcommitteemember,servingaschairfrom1986–89.

Sue McClelland ’56 Current residence:Modesto,California

Mills major:SociologyandEconomics,PhiBetaKappa

Additional education:HarvardBusinessSchoolProgramforWomenatRadcliffe.

Student activities:Teamsports(soccer,baseball,andvol-leyball);OrchardMeadowJudicialBoardrepresentative;activeinstudentgovernmentofthedorm;editedtheWeekly,briefly;volunteeredtohelpafterthefloodsinYubaCity.

Employment and volunteer experience:Mediamanager,ScottPaperCompany,Philadelphia;vicepresidentformedia,E&JGalloWinery,35years.ServedontheboardsofYMCAandMuirTrailGirlScouts;memberofSoroptimistInternationalofModesto.Nowretired,IraiseMorganshowhorsesandwirehaireddachshundsandtakedogstoseniorresidencestoprovidetherapy.

AAMC involvement: Studentreferrals;classsecretary;classagent;contributeannuallytoMillsfundraising;establishedafellowshipatthenewBusinessSchoolinmemoryofmymother(Classof1932).

How Mills affected my life: Inadditiontoawonderfulliberalartseducation,Igainedadynamicsenseofmyownworthandcompetencewhichservedmewellintheearlydaysofwomentryingtomaketheirwayinbusinessinthe1960sand’70s.

Future of the Alumnae Association and its relationship to the College:AnindependentAlumnaeAssociationisvitaltotheCollege.IfeelthatthemajorfunctionoftheAlumnaeAssociationistwo-waycommuni-cation.Theymustcommunicatetoalumnaethepolicies,changesincurriculum,andachievementsoffaculty,andshouldalerttheCollegetothefeelingsorcomplaintsofthediversealumnaebody.Itisimpor-tantalsothattheCollegebethoroughlyopenintheircommunicationswithalumnae.ThustheCollegeandAAMCmustworkasateam.

The future of Mills College: ThefutureofMillsisbright.Throughtheyearstheyhaveshownresiliency(rejectingco-ed)andresponsivenesstoeducationalneeds(strengtheningscienceandbusinesscurriculumavailability)whilemaintaininganurtur-ingeducationalenvironment.Leadershipisexcellent,facultyisstimulating,andthecampushasneverlookedmoreattractive.

How Mills affected my life:MyMillseducationestablishedalifelongloveoflearningandacommitmenttosocialjustice.AttendingMillsinthelate1960s,atumultuoustimeofsocialunrestandchange,Ilearnedtoquestionassumptionsofthetime,todigdeeperforanswerstodilemmas,andtoparticipatewithmyvoiceandactions.

Future of the Alumnae Association and its relationship to the College:Inthepasttwoyears,theAAMChasbeenchallengedtofindanewwayoflookingat“whoweareandwhatwerepresent.”Lastyear,IservedonaBoardofGovernors’(BOG)committeethatdraftedadocumentonAAMCgoals,objectives,andvalues,giventhenewrealitieswefacedwiththetransitionofalumnaerelationsfromAAMCtotheCollege.Ingeneral,thisdocumentsaystheAlumnaeAssociationisindependent,inclusive,activelypromotestheinterestsofitsconstituency,andencouragesandsupportsthegrowthofMillsCollege.Basedonthisdocument,theBOGwillplantheactivitiesoftheAAMC.ThekeyismaintainingacollaborativerelationshipwiththeCollegedirectedbyoursharedvaluesanddesiretosupportMillsandthemissionofMills.

The future of Mills College:MyhopeisthattheCollegewillcontinuetoattracttalentedstudents,bothundergraduateandgraduate,whowillcomeandthriveatMillsasaresultoftheirindividualefforts,thewonderfulteachingtheyfindinthecourseoftheirstudies,andtheconnectiontheyfeelfromasupportiveCollegecommunity.

Sue McClelland Susan Brown Penrod

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Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduces her book by explaining that she hopes her story will “help people realize that bad choices, adversity, and all of the other obstacles life places before us can be overcome” and, simultaneously, encourage others to “help make the world a more compassionate, safer, cleaner, and healthier place to live.” True to her purpose, she illustrates in this memoir how the personal—in which bad choices and adversity are countered by strong relationships and spiritual commitment—motivates and informs the political—the work of making a more just and peaceful world.

Lee candidly recounts the meaningful episodes of her life in a warm, conversa-tional style, as if the reader were a close friend listening to her stories over a cup of coffee at home. The story of Lee’s birth in El Paso, Texas—made difficult and dangerous by the refusal of the local “whites-only” hospital to admit and treat her mother—is one of injus-tice. Hardships included economic worries and emotional upheavals: While in her teens, Lee learned of her true biological father, a man her mother had left because of his violent abuse, and lost “Papa,” her beloved maternal grandfather, who was found dead after an unex-plained two-week disappearance.

By the time she was 20, she had become pregnant, married, and had two children.

Interspersed with such accounts of adversity are stories of loving support, instruction, and inspira-tion. Lee’s grandfather was an accomplished man: El Paso’s first African American letter carrier, he brought the lively activities of the local NAACP, his church, and Masonic lodge into his home. Her mother was one of the first African Americans to attend Texas Western College, where she resigned from a black sorority after it refused to admit another woman because her skin was too dark. She also worked to provide Lee with a Catholic school education, ensuring an academic training supe-rior to what was available in the segregated public

schools, and an appreciation of the charitable values that came to inform Lee’s life and work.

The stories unfold thematically so that we see social issues not as abstractions but as reflections of human realities. Arguing for sex education and health care, Lee explains how an unplanned pregnancy altered her own life choices. She illumi-nates the subject of race in politics with memories of the Black Panthers’ activism. And she helps us understand the dynamics of domestic violence by recounting her own struggle to break an inter- generational cycle of abuse. The personal and political threads are most fully intertwined in the story of her courageous opposition to the autho-rization of presidential military action following September 11, 2001, where we see the deep consis-tency between her values and her understanding of policy.

Lee’s autobiography reminds us continually of the power of good examples and advice. She notes how as a student at Mills she was inspired to begin working in politics by Shirley Chisholm’s message. And she quotes appreciatively the advice given by a former teacher in response to her lingering concern over primary school racial attitudes: “The human race is endowed with a spine, and among its other duties, it is to keep the head erect. I want you to quit wilting.” In writing this book, Barbara Lee offers a similar kind of advice and inspiration to her readers.

–Reviewed by Carol Chetkovich, program director and professor of

public policy at Mills College

22  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

BookshelfRenegade for Peace and JusticeBarbara Lee ’73 Rowman&Littlefield,2008

28  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Want to get involved with your local branch? Contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu or 510.430.3363 to find out who’s in your area.

1-2 Oakland–Berkeley: Lucy Caponio Seereiter ’77 and Maryann Noel Valentine ’97; Leone La Duke Evans, MA ’45, and Elfie Hanson Larkin, ME ’61.

3-4 Palo Alto: Phoenix Reed Feinbloom ’93, Diana Fleming ’93, Dede Farabaugh ’93, and Cynthia Mahood Levin ’95; PAAMCC President Patti Peters Zussman ’74, PAAMCC Vice President Susan Crain Hansen ’78, and Susan Schumacher Morris ’70.

5 Rossmoor: Professor Christie Chung, Lou Ann Berardi ’52, AAMC President Anita Aragon Bowers ’63, Flo Wong ’55, and April Hopkins, MFA ’03.

ThePAAMCCalsogatheredinDecembertocelebratetheseasonwiththeirannualholidayteaatthehomeofAnneSteiner’63.AAMCPresidentAnitaAragonBowers’63andAlumnaTrusteeSusanBrownPenrod’71joinedthegroup.

InSeattle,40alumnaegatheredatthehomeofShannonWolfe’96fordinnerandconversa-tionwithPresidentJanetL.HolmgrenandnewProvostandDeanoftheFacultySandraGreeronOctober28.AlumnaTrusteeGayleRothrock’68alsoprovidedupdatesfromherworkontheBoardofTrustees.

FifteenMillsCollegealumnaelivingintheUnitedKingdomandEuropeenjoyedanafternoonteawithPresidentHolmgrenattheLondonhomeofPatriciaChadwick’41.

EighteenalumnaegatheredforaluncheonandcamaraderieinearlyDecemberataneventorganizedbyMonterey Bay AreabranchleaderRachelMueller’68.LauraGobbiwasthefeaturedspeakerwhoprovidedthegroupwithhervisionandgoalsforthealumnaerelationsprogramatMillsCollege.InattendancewereAprilHopkinsMFA’03,directorofplannedgiv-ing,andAlexandraWong,alumnaerelationsprogramcoordinator.

TheOakland-Berkeley BranchoftheAlumnaeAssociationofMillsCollegecelebratedtheirannualholidayteaatthehomeofWendyMarkel’90withspecialguestMeredithMay’91,investigativereporterfortheSan Francisco Chronicle.Mayspoketomorethan60alumnaeabouther

careerinjournalismandaboutherworkinUgandawiththewomenwhofoundedBeadforLife,anorganizationofcraftswomenwhocreatesustainableoppor-tunitiesforwomentolifttheirfamiliesoutofextremepoverty.Beadedjewelrybythesecrafts-womentobenefittheorganiza-tionwassoldattheevent.

OnJanuary18,nearly50alum-naefromtheWashington DCareagatheredwithPresidentHolmgren,DeanofStudentLifeJoiLewis,Women’sLeadershipInstituteDirectorDaphneMuse,andagroupofcurrentstudentswhotraveledtothenation’scapitaltowitnesstheinauguratonofPresidentBarackObama.Readmoreaboutthisstoryonpage6.

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lumnaeattheRossmoorcommunityinWalnutCreekgatheredon

October16tohearapresentationbyMillsProfessorofPsychologyChristieChung.Chunggavealectureonherresearchaboutmemoryandagingtoagroupof20,includingAAMCPresidentAnitaAragonBowers’63,DirectorofPlannedGivingAprilHopkins,MFA’03,andDirectorofAlumnaeRelationsLauraGobbi,whoprovidedbriefupdatesfromtheCollege.

OnOctober18,DirectorofAlumnaeRelationsLauraGobbijoinedthePalo Alto Area Mills College Club (PAAMCC)fortheirfallkick-offbrunchattheMenloCircusClubandgaveatalkabouthervisionandgoalsforalumnaerelations.Shewasjoinedbymorethan30clubmembersaswellasChastyAyson’11,recipi-entofthePAAMCCScholarship,whospoketothegroupaboutherprogressandexperienceasasophomoremajoringinanthropologyandarthistory.

Notes from near and far: Alumnae activities report

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AlumnaeHarriett Marshall Wolcott ’27,July26.SheandherfamilylivedinHaifa,Israel,for26years,follow-ingtheBaha’ifaithandworkingatitsworldheadquarters,theUniversalHouseofJustice.Sheissurvivedbytwodaughters.

Jane Springer Flippin ’30,December3,2007,inPollockPines,California.Aftergradua-tion,shetaughtsoccer,swim-ming,anddanceatMills,andthenlateratPiedmontHighSchoolinPiedmont,California.AlongtimeresidentofFresno,shewasanactivememberoftheWoman’sClub,SymphonyLeague,andtheAmericanAssociationofUniversityWomen.Survivorsincludechildrenandgrandchildren.

Margaret “Peggy” Webster Hahl ’30,February14,2008,inTempleton,California.Shetaughtprimaryschool,wasatalentedpainter,andpublishedanumberofstoriesandpoems.Survivorsincludeniecesandnephews.

Elizabeth “Betty” Parker Kase ’34,December4,inMontecito,California.Anaward-winningpainter,herworkshanginprivatecollectionsthroughoutthecountry.Shealsowasatalentedpoet,memoirist,andneedleworkdesigner.Survivorsincludethreesonsandfourgrandchildren.

Truella “True” Jensen Lund ’37,October25,inSantaCruz,California.Hiredin1944asSantaCruz’sfirstfemalepoliceofficer,Truellalaterworkedasaclerkinthecountyauditor’sofficeandinthesocialwelfaredepartment.ShestartedtheHobbyHousePuppetTheater,withclassesforchildren,specialpuppetshows,andTVprograms.Survivorsincludetwochildrenandthreegrandchildren.

Nina Bogdanovic Trutanic ’39,August19,inMaryland.AprominentCaliforniapatronoftheartsandmusic,sheservedontheboardofdirectorsofStarKist

Foods,foundedbyherfather.Shetraveledandinlivedsev-eralcountriesaroundtheworld,wasfluentinfourlanguages,andperformedoperaatvariousvenues.ShewasafounderoftheLosAngelesMusicCenterandtheLosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt.Survivorsincludeherson;herdaughter,MicheleTrutanicKearny’69;andtwograndchildren.

Sally Spalding Spragins ’41,October7.ShehadbeenclasssecretaryfortheClassof1941.

Nancy Roberts Durning ’42,November30,inPrescott,Arizona.Agolfandbridgeenthusiast,shewasinvolvedinmanylocalbridgemarathons.ApastpresidentofthePhoenixMillsalumnaebranch,shewasavolunteerforthePhoenixGirlScoutsorganization.Survivorsincludetwodaughters.

Teruko Sagawara Hayakawa ’43,September25,inChiba,Japan.

Marion Schreck McCain ’43,May18,2007,inRockville,Maryland.Sheissurvivedbychildrenandgrandchildren.

Dorothy Scott Silver, MA ’43,October7,inDurant,Oklahoma.Shewasaprofessorofelemen-taryeducationatSoutheasternOklahomaStateUniversityfrom1972to1986aswellasaprivatekindergartendaycaretrainerandaCampFireGirlsexecutive.Survivorsincludetwochildren,twograndchildren,andasister.

Arloine Naplin Webber ’43,December15,inPiedmont,California.ThedaughterofMinnesota’sfirstwomansenator,sheusedherartistictalentstocreatepotteryandherJapanesegarden.Sheissurvivedbytwochildren,fourgrandchil-dren,andherniecesMargaretJepsenBowles,MA’65,Roberta“Robbie”LathrapDavis’71,andJanetParksSwanson’80.

Elizabeth Coffman Kieley ’44,October18,inPalmSprings,California.Alongtimepresident

ofthePalmSpringsHistoricalSociety,shecollectedandpreservedartifactsofpioneerfamilies.ShealsopresidedoverthePalmSpringsLibrary’sboardoftrustees.Sheissurvivedbyherhusband,Thomas;fourchildren,includingCaroleHayesKieley’66; andninegrandchildren.

Helen “Nonnie” Hedden Peterson ’44,December10,inEdina,Minnesota.ShewasactiveinBismarck,NorthDakota,for80years,movingtoBloomington,Minnesota,in2004.ShewasadocentattheDakotaZooandworkedasavolunteerhelpingcancerpatientsandatSt.AlexiusHospice.Sheissurvivedbythreesons.

Carolyn Kuster Jackman ’46,September16,inSalem,Oregon.

Millicent “Billie” Wilson Moncrief ’47,July20,inPacificGrove,California.ShetaughtSpanishandEnglishattheHamlinSchoolinSanFranciscoandthenlivedinPacificGroveformanyyears.Survivorsincludeadaughterandson.

Molly Lugar Monheit, MA ’47,November3,inDanville,California.AlongtimeresidentofLafayette,shewasanavidbirdwatcherandarenownedartistspecializinginportraits.Whenshewasinher60s,shewonseveralmedalsintheSeniorOlympics100meterdash.Sheissurvivedbythreechildrenandfourgrandchildren.

Julia “Tony” Free Wenner ’48,July1,inCarmel,California.ShevolunteeredfortheRedCrossinthe1960sandservedontheboardsoftheSymphonyGuild,FamilyService,andtheCasaAbregoClub.Inaddition,shewasmembershipsecretaryforFriendsoftheSeaOtter.Survivorsincludetwobrothers,threechildren,andagrandson.

Alison Bozarth Fowle ’49,March12.SheplayedthevioladegambaprofessionallyinBoston,New

In MemoriamNoticesofdeathsreceivedbeforeDecember23,2008

30  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 31

York,andelsewhereandspentmanysummersinFranceteachingorperformingrenaissanceandbaroquemusic.Sheissurvivedbyherhusband,Jim;twodaugh-ters;andhergrandchildren.

Barbara “Barbie” Hilton Free ’50,October5,inSantaBarbara,California.Shewasactiveinmanyvolunteerorga-nizations,includingtheRedCross,MarchofDimes,andtheVisitingNurseAssociation.Sheissurvivedbyfourchil-drenandsixgrandchildren.

Phyllis Lupton Brislawn ’52,October9,inPiedmont,California.AdedicatedschoolpsychologistintheSanFranciscoBayArea,sheenjoyedattendingtheBerkeleyRepertoryandParamounttheaters,volunteeringfortheAmericanCancerSociety,andworkingatSt.Cuthbert’sVestryasaSundayschoolteacherandsecretary.Sheissurvivedbyherhusband,Ferdinand;threechildren;andthreegrandchildren.

Elvena Marion Green ’52,May9,inAtlanta,Georgia.ShewasprofessoroftheateratAgnesScottCollegeinDecatur,Georgia,havingreceiveddegreesatCornellUniversityandUniversityofIowa.Inlateryears,sheownedandmanagedOne-of-a-KindCartoonArt.Sheissurvivedbyaniece.

Ai Ichikawa ’54,November5.SheworkedasanassistantprofessoratTsudaCollegeinTokyo,Japan.

Louellen “Lou” Leusley Page ’55,October20,inParadise,California.SheworkedattheParadise Post asthenewspa-percopyeditorformanyyears.Survivorsincludetwosonsandherdaughter,JuliePageAles’81,aswellassixgrandchildren.

Mai Pan Wong Brundage ’61,April26,inSonoma,California.Devotedoperafans,sheandherhusband,Donald,formerlyownedBrundage’scoffeeandcandyhouseinSonoma.

Diane Sugihara Yang ’66,June3,2007inHonolulu,Hawaii.Sheearnedhermaster’sofscienceatUniversityofWisconsin,Madison,andworkedasapsychologicalexaminerfortheDepartmentofEducationinHonolulu.Survivorsincludeherhusband,Vernon,andtwodaughters.

Diane Allen Clark, MA ’83,December10,inVallejo,California.AteacherandprincipalatLincolnElementarySchoolinVallejo,shewasoncenamedSolanoCountyTeacheroftheYearandtransformedLincolnfromaschoolthreatenedwithclosuretooneofthecounty’sbestschools.Survivorsincludehermother,sister,daughter,andgrandsons.

Janet Ward ’95,April30.AresumerwhoattendedMillswithherdaughter,JenniferLynch’94,shepursuedstageactinginSanFranciscoandManhattan,appearinginnumerousplays,smallfilms,andtheTVseriesLaw & Order.Shealsodistinguishedherselfasapoet.Sheleavesthreechildrenandfivegrandchildren.

Spouses & FamilyHarold Ferris,husbandofEllenGraueFerris’46,MFA’51,brother-in-lawofMaryJean“Rosy”RosenberryFerris’45,anduncleofSaraFerris’44,September23,inSpokane,Washington.

Charles McManus Jr.,husbandofMarciaPetersonMcManus’46,October5,inSanJose,California.

Johnson Lau,husbandofJennieYeeLau’46,October14,inHonolulu,Hawaii.

Gifts in Memory of

Helen Barron, P ’82,by Lucy Barron Barron-Gitter ’82

Betty Culpepper Belt ’47,by Bruce G. Belt

Barbara Bundschu ’38,by Jorie McLaren Townsley ’69

William Cahill,husbandofAnnJonesCahill’48,by Sally Mayock Hartley ’48, Barbara Miller Schlauch ’48, Nancy Butts Whittemore ’48

Deceased members of the Class of 1968,by Susan McKenna ’68

Ruth Sorrell Dunmire ’39,by Christine Minnehan

Harold Ferris,husbandofEllenGraueFerris’46,MA’51,by Norma Ross Maris ’47, Betty Taves Whitman ’46

Lori Chinn Fong,daughterofBorgeeChin’41,by Marilyn and William Learn

Barbara “Bobby” Coleman Frey ’68, by Linda Kay ’73, Susan McKenna ’68

Helen Funnell ’27,by Betty Jo and Abe Ravitz

Marion Tonkon Kaufman ’51,by Martha Cushman Skelly ’51

Richard Leaver,husbandofBonnieReuterLeaver’58,by Susan Stern Fineman ’68, Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae

Carol Lennox ’61,by Tami Borowick ’90, Lisa Lemon ’86, MA ’93

Boitumelo “Tumi” McCallum ’09,by Steven Burrell, Margaret Moja, Fred M. Hayward, Mildred Hudson, A. Lenora Taitt Magubane and Peter Magubane, Teboho Moja, P ’09, Dolores Morris, Lillian Petty, Yvonne Porter, Cynthia Rountree, Roberta Yancy

Diane McEntyre,by Tami Borowick ’90

Constance Irvine McVey ’43,by Gretchen Hardman-Riedell ’61

Betty Legge Middleton ’48,by Nancy Butts Whittemore ’48

Frances Sanchez Peralez, MA ’46,by Helen Haigh Mills ’46

Dorothy McVeigh Raney ’45, P ’71,by Mary Sellers ’45

Carolyn Nissen Rathbun ’68,by Susan McKenna ’68, Lani White ’68

Mary Van Beuren Seavey ’70,by Susan Schumacher Morris ’70

Sally Spalding Spragins ’41,by Mary-Lee Lipscomb Reade ’41

Phyllis Howard Thompson ’32,by Suzanne and Michael Broxson, Leah Hardcastle Mac Neil, MA ’51, P ’75, Gretchen Howard, Susan Harrison, and Carol Clarke

Margaret Cary Tunks ’39,by Florence Fox Rubenstein ’38, P ’64

(ReceivedSeptember1–November30,2008)

P=parentForinformationaboutmakingatributegift,contact510.430.2097ordonors@mills.edu.

The Honorable Martha Fuller Clark ’64President pro-tem, New Hampshire State Senate and co-chair, Obama’s New Hampshire Campaign Committee

TheelectionofBarackObamaandthecandidacyofHillaryClintonhavechangedthepoliticallandscapeinourcountryforever,fulfillingDr.King’sdreamandthepromiseofourconstitution.Theseeventsgivenewhopeandopportunityforwomen,peopleofcolor,andmembersofdifferingethnicandreligiousgroups.Iamconvincedthatthiselectionwillleadtogreaterdiversityinleadershipateverylevelofgovernment,includingthepresidency.InNewHampshire,forexample,ourSenatehasbecomethefirstlegislativebodyintheU.S.tohaveafemalemajority!

MichelleObamawillalsobeanextraordinaryrolemodelforallwomen.Sheisbright,articulate,acommittedandlovingmother,andasuccessfulprofessionalinherownright.Infact,onecompellingreasonIdecidedtorunforofficemyselfwastosendapowerfulmessagetomychildren,especiallymydaughter.

Witnessingthemassesofpeopleofeveryrace,gender,andsocialandeconomicbackgroundcomingtogethertocelebrateObama’sinaugurationwasatangibleexpressionofthe“audacityofhope”thatcanbepartofallourlives.Suddenlyitistrulyanewandexcitingtimeforeveryone.

32  M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Bruce B. Williams Professor of sociology at Mills College

TheelectionofBarackObamachallengesnotonlyracismandsexism,butalsotheclassismthatpermeatesoursociety.Forthepast30years,ournationalleadershavearticulatedasurvival-of-the-fittestcapitalistdoctrine;Obamahasresurrectedanethicofhumanitarianleader-shipandthefeasibilityofhelpingyourselfbyhelpingothers.

IbelieveObama’ssuccesswillproduceaflourishingofyoungwomenandyoungof-colorleadersandalsocreateanewapprecia-tionofourleadersbyinner-cityyouth.Thesenewleadersfromtheperipheryofsociety’spowerandwealthmustbeattunedtointer-estsshapedbyclass,race,sexualorientation,gender,andmore,andwillbeeagertoembraceaninclusiveandbenevolentpoliticalandeconomicleadershipstyle.

Lestweforget,AfricanAmericanleadershiphasoftenbeencalledthe“conscienceofAmerica”andwomenhavetakentheprimaryleadershiprolesforbringingcivil-itytotheirsocieties.Ifthisorien-tationtoleadershipcanbeinstitutionalized,itwillbethegreatlegacyofthe21stcentury.

Nicole LoStracco ’92 Sworn in to office as district attorney in Nacogdoches County, Texas, on January 1, 2009

IhavealwaysbelievedthatIcouldbeanythingIwanted;mygenerationhasseenwomencom-peteasviablevice-presidentialcandidates,effectivesenatorsandcongresswomen,andsuccessfulCEOs.SarahPalin’snominationontheRepublicanticketshowsthatwhilewomen’sleadershipisrecognizedacrossthepoliticalspectrum,thereisapersistentargumentthatawomancanbeagoodwifeandmotheroragoodpolitician,butnotboth.Regardlessofone’spoliticalaffiliation,Ihopethatallwomenweredisgustedbytheattacksonherabilitytofulfillbothoftheseroles.Iweatheredsimilarattacksduringmyowncampaign.

Thisaspectofthe2008elec-tionstrengthenedmypersonaldesiretoprovethatwomenareindeedcapableofdoinggoodworkathomeandattheoffice,butmyfearisthatsuchnegativeopinionscouldforcequalifiedwomentorethinkpoliticaljobsinordertoavoidsuchcriticism.Atthesametime,IdohopethatObama’swinwilladdtothecredibilityofanyparentwhotellsachildofcolorthattheycangrowuptobeanythingtheywanttobe.Thereisnowlivingproofofthatinourcountry.

Katie Johnson ’09 President, Mills College Feminist Democrats (Fem Dems)

ElectionDay2008broughtpalpableexcitementtocampus.Millswomenseemedtofeelanincrediblesenseofownershipaboutthiselection.Theconvic-tionandpassionIsawduringtheprimarydebatesresonatedformonthsasstudentsfeltastrongerconnectiontotheircandidatesthaneverbefore.Gatheringingroupsof30or40aroundcampustowatchtheDemocraticcandi-datesdebate,studentscontinuedtheintellectualdiscourseduringcommercialbreaks—andfordaysafterward.OnewomantookayearofftoworkfortheClintoncampaign.Anotherstudenttookherfirststepstowardsalifetimeofpoliticalactivismbyaskingwhereshecouldvolunteer.ForMillsstudents,thishasbeenthebeginningofanunprec-edentedtimeofopportunityandequity—aturningpointwherepoliticalcloutandresponsibleleadershipareconverging.

WesawchangeonElectionDayasMillsstudentscasttheirballots.Wewillcontinuetoseechangeasweactuponourpersonalstrengthsandperspectivesasdiversewomen.Withthischangethereisopportunitytoshiftoursociety’sparadigms—tocauseandcreatewhatseemedimpos-sibleonNovember3.

How has the 2008 presidential election affected the idea of political leadership for women and people of color? Four members of the Mills community share their opinions.

Sound off!

Fulltripbrochureswithdetaileditinerariesareavailableonlineat www.mills.edu/alumnae/activities/travel.php.Formoreinformationabout

AAMCtours,pleasecall510.430.2110oremailbwhite@mills.edu.

Uponrequest,theAAMCwillsendawinterQuarterly

toreplacetheonefromwhichyouhavecutthis

ballot.Call510.430.2110oremailaamc@mills.edu.

IcelandSpendaweekinReykjavik,theworld’smostnorthernnationalcapital.LearnaboutIceland’shistoryand“green”practices,harnessingelectricityandhotwaterfromtheearth.Marvelatthespectacularlandscapeandjourneyto“thecenteroftheearth”atSnaefellsnesPeninsula,whichinspiredwriterJulesVerne.July 13–21, 2009, 9 days, $2,895 plus air

Solar Eclipse in ChinaAsthesundisappearsbehindthemoon,theearthandskywilldarkenforoversixminutes.Starsandplanetsbecomevisibleduringoneofnature’smostawesomespectacles.ThetripincludesvisitstoBeijing,Xian,andShanghai.July 15–24, 2009, 12 days, $3,895 plus air

Galapagos and Macchu PicchuThisexcursionbeginswithanextensivetourofLima,Peru,followedbyaflighttoCuzco,oncethecapitaloftheIncaEmpire.DiscoverthemarvelsofMachuPicchuandQuitobeforeboardingayachttovisittheGalapagosIslandsandCharlesDarwinResearchStation.August 5–19, 2009, 15 days, $4,999 plus air

Barcelona/BilbaoDiscovertwohistoricprovinceswithfivenightsinGaudi’sBarcelonaandfivenightsatseasideSanSebastian.EnjoyamemorablevisittoBilbao,therenownedFrankGehry–designedGuggenheimMuseum,andthecityofPamplona,madefamousinHemingway’sThe Sun Also Rises.April 28–May 8, 2009, 12 days, $2,995 plus air

Cotswolds, “The Heart of England”StayinthehistoricQueen’sHotelintheheartoftheVictoriantownofCheltenham.Learnaboutthetraditionsofthecountryside,meetLordCharlesSpencer-ChurchillatBlenheimPalace,andenjoyatriptoOxfordUniversityandGloucesterCathedral.May 24–June 1, 2009, 9 days, $2,895 plus air

Great Journey through EuropeThisisoneofthemostcomprehensiveEuropeanitinerariestobefound.WewilltracetheRhineRiverfromHollandtoSwitzerlandbycruisingona76-passengerboat.ThejourneycontinuesbyrailthroughtheheartoftheSwissAlps.June 15–25, 2009, 11 days, $3,195 plus air

Barcelona

Cotswolds

’09AlumnAe trAvel

Nominee statements are printed on pages 20–21.

Please indicate your first, second, and third choice

for 2009–12 Alumna Trustee below:

Julia M. Almanzan ’92

Sue McClelland ’56 

Susan Brown Penrod ’71

IMPORTANT: • Ballots must be mailed in a private envelope. Ballots mailed in

pre-addressed Mills College Annual Fund envelopes will not be counted.

•  Only ballots cut from the Quarterly will be counted. The ballot is printed on the inside back cover of the Quarterly.

No ballot will be accepted without the mailing label on the reverse side. In order to maintain voter confidentiality, the Association’s mail opener will verify that the mailing labels are authentic and then ink out voter names before passing ballots on to the Nominating Committee chair for final count.

•  No faxed ballots or call-in or email votes are valid.

Mail your ballot to:

Chair, Nominating Committee 

AAMC 

Mills College

P.O. Box 9998, Oakland, CA 94613 

Ballots must  be received at 

Reinhardt Alumnae House  by 5:00 pm, Monday, 

May 11, 2009 

Alumna Trustee Ballot

Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA 94613-1301

510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu

Address service requested

Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, CA and at additional mailing office(s)

Mills Quarterly

The Inaugural Annual Conference of the Center for Socially Responsible Business

Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business, Mills College

April 10, 2009 8:45 am–5:00 pm Student Union

Join business and nonprofit executives, economists, policy makers, scholars, and students to explore incentive-based approaches that encourage businesses to do good for communities and the environment.

Lunch will be provided in the Student Union. Registration is free but space is limited. Please register online by April 3 at www.acteva.com/go/csrb. For more information, visit www.mills.edu/mba/csrb, call 510.430.3248, or email csrb@mills.edu.

It Pays to be Nice: Economic Models to Encourage Corporate Social & Environmental Responsibility

Keynote speakers: • KatieArkema,ScienceCoordinatorandPostdoctoral

Ecologist, Natural Capital Project• JulieTrell,HeadofGlobalIntegratedPhilanthropy,

Salesforce.com Foundation

Speakers for social and environmental tracks: • Ophelia Basgal, Vice President,

Civic Partnership and Community Initiatives, PG&E

• Stephen Bushnell, Senior Director, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company

• Debora Bonner ’95, MBA ’05, Program Director, Corporate Social and Environmental Advisory Services, Environmental Resources Management

• Forrest Hill, Senior Portfolio Manager, Harrington Investments

The Center for Socially Responsible Business has been made possible

through generous support from the Elfenworks Foundation.