Today is the 198th birthday of Susan Lincoln Tolman Mills! As you know, President Mills established Mills College in 1885 - the first women's college west of the Rocky Mountains.
Susan was born in Vermont and graduated from Mount Holyoke College (MHC) in 1845. She taught at MHC for three years following graduation. She continued to teach chemistry, geology, geography and botany to students in Sri Lanka and Hawaii. In 1865, Susan and her husband Cyrus bought the Young Ladies' Seminary in Benicia, CA from Mary Atkins, a graduate of Oberlin College. In July of 1871, they relocated the school to Oakland and renamed it Mills College. Read More: Transitions: From Benecia to Oakland, From Seminary To College, by Moya Stone '03.
Over the years, Mills College has seen so many firsts:
- 1st women's college west of the Rockies (1885 chartered)
- 1st lab school west of the Mississippi for aspiring teachers (1926)
- 1st women's college to offer a computer science major (1974)
- 1st (and only) women's college to reverse a decision to go coed (1990)
- 1st women's college to offer a bachelor's-to-master's BA/MBA accelerated degree program (2001)
- 1st women's college to launch a policy for admitting transgender applicants (2014)
Even more impressive are the world-class programs that have changed our world:
- Music with Laurie Anderson, Phil Lesh, Joanna Newsom; read more: https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/mills-college-list
- Dance with Trisha Brown, Lori Belilove and Molissa Fenley; read more: https://dance-teacher.com/mills-college-closing-dance/
- Art with Kathleen Walkup, Theresa Whitehill; read more: https://hyperallergic.com/.../mills-college-closes-after.../
Because of Susan's vision, we found our voices.
Let's raise a glass to her beautiful, enriching legacy! Cheers, Susan!
Remember Who You Are And What You Represent
