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Mount Holyoke College, (founded as Mount Holyoke Female Seminary 8 November, 1837), is a secular liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Mount Holyoke is "the first of the Seven Sisters" * and is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. Its founder, Mary Lyon, was an educational innovator who created a highly rigorous environment of higher education for women which was unusual for the early 19th century.

It is also a member of the Pioneer Valley's Five Colleges Consortium, The Consortium on Financing Higher Education, and The Oberlin Group. It is sometimes referred to as "MHC" or "MoHo."

General Overview

Mount Holyoke has a student population of 2,100. Students come from "50 states and nearly 70 countries. One in three students is an international citizen or African American, Asian American, Latina, Native American, or multiracial. Twenty-five percent of incoming first-year students were in the top 5 percent of their high school classes" *.

Mount Holyoke has persisted in its legacy of educating "uncommon" women. It is a leader in producing Fulbright scholars *. It also counts among its alumnae recipients of the Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Gates/Cambridge, Udall, Beineke, and Datatel Scholarships. In addition, Mount Holyoke has produced a number of important women writers including poet Emily Dickinson and the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights Wendy Wasserstein and Suzan-Lori Parks. Other notable alumnae include Frances Perkins who was the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, and the first female cabinet member.

The graduate schools most attended by MHC alumnae are: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Georgetown, and Tufts The firms that most frequently hire Mount Holyoke graduates are: Goldman Sachs, Fidelity Investments, AmeriCorps, National Economic Research Associates, Brigham and Women's Hospital, New York City Department of Education, Boston University, Credit Suisse First Boston, and The Dana Farber Center Institute [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drservices_2192_brief.php.

"Starting with the class entering in the fall of 2001 and continuing for a trial period of five years, it is optional for applicants to submit the SAT scores—as well as scores from other standardized tests such as the ACT—for admission to the Mount Holyoke. SAT 2 exams are also optional" *,*.

History

Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (1837-1888)

Origin of name
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was named after Mount Holyoke, a nearby peak on the Mt. Holyoke Range. The mountain itself was named after Elizur Holyoke, who is also the (indirect) namesake for the city, Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Mary Lyon
Mary Lyon mandated a 16 hour day for students at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, which began at 5 a.m. and ended at 9:15 p.m. Lyon was an educational innovator, adopting new teaching methods for the time. In addition, "the books used by the students were the same as used at men's colleges" Daily Life at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary from "Mary Lyon on the Web". Lyon was also an innovator in science education for women, requiring:

seven courses in the sciences and mathematics for graduation, a requirement unheard of at other female seminaries. She introduced women to "a new and unusual way" to learn science--laboratory experiments which they performed themselves. She organized field trips on which students collected rocks, plants, and specimens for lab work, and inspected geological formations and recently discovered dinosaur tracks Mary Lyon's Influence on Science Education for Women from "Mary Lyon on the Web".

Lyon, an early believer in the importance of daily exercise for women, required her students to " to walk one mile after breakfast. During New England's cold and snowy winters, she dropped the requirement to 45 minutes. Calisthenics--a form of exercises--were taught by teachers in unheated hallways until a storage area was cleared for a gymnasium. Domestic work often involved strenuous physical activity" Daily Life at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary from "Mary Lyon on the Web".

From its founding in 1837, Mount Holyoke Female Seminary "had no religious affiliation." However, " students were required to attend church services, chapel talks, prayer meetings, and Bible study groups. Twice a day teachers and students spent time in private devotions. Every dorm room had two large lighted closets to give roommates privacy during their devotions" Daily Life at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary from "Mary Lyon on the Web". Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was the sister school to Andover Seminary. Some Andover graduates looked to marry students from the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before becoming missionaries because the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) required its missionaries to be married before starting their missions. By 1859 there were more than 60 missionary alumnae, by 1887 the school's alumnae comprised one fifth of all female American missionaries for the ABCFM, and by the end of the century 248 of its alumnae had entered the mission field.

Mount Holyoke, 1888-Present

Mount Holyoke Female Seminary received its collegiate charter in 1888 and became Mount Holyoke Seminary and College. It became Mount Holyoke College in 1893. Mount Holyoke's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established in 1905.

Kathryn Irene Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest

Since 1924, Mount Holyoke has hosted the oldest intercollegiate poetry contest in the United States, the Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Competition, which was created in memory of the poet Kathryn Irene Glascock, class of 1922.

This contest helped to launch the career of many important poets of the 20th century including Sylvia Plath and James Merrill. Past judges include W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Frost and Marianne Moore.

The Mary Lyon Stamp

On February 28, 1987, a stamp featuring Mary Lyon was issued in honor of The Sesquicentennial (Mount Holyoke's 150th anniversary) The Mary Lyon Stamp.

Presidents, principals, and trustees

Mount Holyoke College

Mount Holyoke Female Seminary

Commencement addresses

Date Name Links
2006 Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates Commencement Speech
Boston Globe article
2005 Nina Totenberg Nina Totenberg Commencement Speech
2004 Kim Campbell Kim Campbell Commencement Speech
2003 Judy Blume Judy Blume Commencement Speech
Remarks from Judy Blume's official website
2002 Queen Noor of Jordan Queen Noor of Jordan Commencement Speech
2001 Suzan-Lori Parks (MHC '85) Suzan-Lori Parks Commencement Speech
2000 Mary Patterson McPherson Mary Patterson McPherson Commencement Speech
1999 Anna Quindlen Anna Quindlen Commencement Speech
1998 Johnnetta B. Cole Johnnetta B. Cole Commencement Speech
1997 Madeleine Albright Madeleine Albright Commencement Speech
1996 Donna Shalala Donna Shalala Commencement Speech
1995 Ann Richards Ann Richards Commencement Speech
1994 Nita Lowey (MHC '59)
1993 Judith Kurland (MHC '67)
1992 Pat Schroeder
1991 Evelyn Fox Keller
1990 Wendy Wasserstein (MHC '71)
1989 Glenn Close
1988 Joseph Brodsky
1987 Maya Angelou List of speakers, 1987-1997

Academics

Mount Holyoke offers a variety of programs for international students non-traditional students (through the Frances Perkins Program high school students during the academic year as well as summer. It also offers Teacher Licensure Programs [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/psych/teach/" target="_blank" >*

Dual degree programs

Mount Holyoke offers a dual-degree program in engineering which allows students to earn a B.A. from Mount Holyoke and a B.S. from either the California Institute of Technology ot the Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College. Students interested in Public Health can earn a B.A. from Mount Holyoke and an M.S. from the School of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts Amherst the year after graduating from Mount Holyoke *.

Computer science, math, medicine, and science

A member of SIAM, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Mount Holyoke is traditionally strongest in math and the sciences, with state of the art facilities and an unusually high percentage of science-related majors It also has a long - standing commitment to encouraging women in computing Jean E. Sammet a computer scientist who developed the FORMAC programming language) and in medicine [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/acad_support.shtml#preparing" target="_blank" >* (alumnae include Dr. Virginia Apgar, who introduced the first test, called the Apgar score, to assess the health of newborn babies).

Five colleges

In addition to classes at the college, Mount Holyoke students may also enroll in courses at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Smith College, and University of Massachusetts Amherst through the Five Colleges Consortium. The Five Colleges are geographically close to one another and are linked by buses which run between the campuses.


Majors and Degrees Offered
Undergraduate

Sister colleges

Sports and Dance

Mount Holyoke offers a number of college athletics programs and dance programs. It is also a member of NERC (the New England Rowing Conference) and of NEWMAC (the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference).

Mount Holyoke is also home to a professional golf course, The Orchards, which served as host to the U.S. Women's Open Championship in 2004 Golf Digest has ranked The Orchards as the second-best college course in the country [http://www.golfdigest.com/features/index.ssf?/features/gd200509collegegolf2.html.

Campus

The 800 acre (3.2 km²) campus regularly places on The Princeton Review's list of the "Ten Most Beautiful College Campuses in America," capturing first place in 1997 *. The campus was designed and landscaped between 1896 and 1922 by the landscape architecture firm of Olmstead and Sons.

In addition to the Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden, the grounds feature two lakes, a waterfall, tennis courts, stables and woodland riding trails, all surrounding the green (the grassy lawn in the center of campus). The green is framed by traditional ivy-covered, red brick dormitories, Skinner Hall, and the social hub, Blanchard Student Center.

The campus is also home to the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum which is part of the Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield and the Museums10.

Off campus

The Odyssey Bookshop (a fixture in South Hadley for over 40 years), resides directly across from the campus in the college-owned Village Commons, which contains a quaint collection of locally owned shops and eateries. A little further away (and accessible by the five college bus) lie the towns of Amherst and Northampton which offer a number of interesting places to see and visit. The Hampshire Mall and Holyoke Mall also offer shopping and entertainment for students.

The Mount Holyoke Range State Park is also near to campus.

Student newspaper

The Mount Holyoke News is the independent student newspaper for Mount Holyoke College. It was founded in 1917 *.

Traditions

Some Mount Holyoke traditions include:
  • Disorientation: Affectionately known as "Dis-O," this tradition is the most closely guarded secret at Mount Holyoke. Generally, first-years are kept in the dark about it until it actually takes place.
  • Elfing: Sophomores secretly leave gifts for their chosen Firsties (Freshmen), usually during October.
  • Faculty Show: Happens once every four years, around April 1st. Faculty members put up a show with spoofs of themselves.
  • Founder's Day: Seniors dine on ice cream served to them by Trustees of the College, at (6 am) on the grave of Founder Mary Lyon. Later that morning, Convocation is held in Abbey Chapel; the medieval German ode to Academe, "Gaudeamus Igitus" is sung by berobed Seniors and Faculty during the procession. Following Convocation, Faculty line the path to Mary Lyon's grave. Seniors walk through this throng, to the grave (to place a wreath). As they pass by their professors, the Faculty members applaud the Seniors--thereby acknowledging them for the first time as scholars and colleagues.
  • Junior Show (also known as J - Show): Juniors (and a few professors) put the MHC experience into sketch and song, good-naturedly poking fun at the MHC experience. A common feature is a sketch mocking the president and dean of the college, along with well-known professors.
  • Laurel Parade: The day before Commencement, graduating seniors wear white and carry laurel garlands, in a parade to Mary Lyon's grave. They are escorted by approx. 3,000 Alumnae, also in white, who thereby welcome them into the Alumnae Association. . Once at Mary Lyon's grave, the garland is wound around the cast-iron fence, and the Farina song, "Bread and Roses" is sung by all in attendance. White is a tribute to those who fought for women's suffrage *.
  • M&C's (or Milk and Cookies): Each weeknight at 9:30 p.m. dormitory dining halls open to serve an evening snack.
  • Mountain Day: At the sound of ringing bells from Abbey Chapel on a random Autumn morning, all classes are cancelled for that day and many students hike to the summit of nearby Mount Holyoke *.

Notable alumnae, fictional alumnae, and faculty

See main article: List of Mount Holyoke College people

References

  • Horowitz, Helen Lefkowitz. Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1993 (2nd edition).

External links

Mount Holyoke College | Liberal arts colleges | New England Association of Schools and Colleges | Universities and colleges in Massachusetts | Women's universities and colleges in the United States | Educational institutions established in 1837

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