Reunion 2010

Friday, October 1, 2010

Please check in at Reinhardt Alumnae House. Event locations will be provided at check-in.

All day Friday and Saturday
Walk of Honor: Women Moving Women Forward
Displayed along the walkway to the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business building on Kapiolani Road. Concept/creative direction by Julie Kirk-Purcell.
Rich purples. Aqua blues. The colors are what you notice first. Then: the faces. Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton, Beate Sirota Gordon ’43, Sally Ride, Trisha Brown ’58, Julia Morgan. From world leaders to renowned artists, from dedicated Mills presidents to committed students, this sweeping chalk art installation portrays significant figures and milestones in the advancement of women.

Commissioned by Mills to commemorate both the Strike of 1990 and Commencement 2010, the walk starts with Mills’ founding in 1852 and captures various events throughout women’s history from that point forward. Its purpose is to remind the Mills community that they are part of that history, too.

Be sure to stroll the Walk of Honor during your visit to campus. After Reunion, it will be stored away (preserved by hairspray!) for future celebrations.

7:30 am–8:30 am
Bird-watching Walk
Join Professor of Biology John Harris for an hour of birdwatching on foot. How many species will you spot?

8:00 am–9:00 am
Registration and Breakfast
Reinhardt Alumnae House

9:00 am–9:30 am
Robe Up for Convocation
Alumnae participating in Convocation will meet at Reinhardt Alumnae House to robe up before proceeding to the ceremony. Alumnae will be grouped by class year in the procession and will sit together during Convocation. If possible, please bring your own regalia. We will have a limited number of gowns, caps, and hoods for alumnae to borrow.

10:15 am–11:45 am
Convocation
Mark the beginning of the 2010-11 academic year with speaker Dolores Huerta, P ’98, whose groundbreaking national leadership as co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America led to unprecedented victories in the ongoing fight for social justice, human rights, and women’s rights.

Tireless activist Dolores Huerta has worked on behalf of underserved communities in California since 1955. She co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), a union that changed the course of American labor history. Today, she is president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, where she works with her daughter Camila Chavez ’98, executive director. Through its program Vecinos Unidos/Neighbors United, the foundation trains members of low-income immigrant communities—many of them women—to develop their own leadership in order to advocate for change through public policy that directly affects their lives.

Beginning in 1965, Huerta helped define the strategy of the successful Delano Grape Strike. She assisted in the coordination of the late-1960s nationwide boycott of table grapes, which was supported by an estimated 17 million American consumers and an essential ingredient in the strike’s successful conclusion in 1970. Side by side with farm workers, she also negotiated and administered contracts with California growers, set up hiring halls, and led grievance procedures. Huerta was a major force in the UFW’s lobby for the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, passed into law in 1975, which recognized and protected the collective bargaining rights of agricultural laborers for the first time. Community organizing remains the backbone of Huerta’s work with her foundation. She also serves on the board of directors of the Feminist Majority Foundation and the advisory board of Ms. magazine.

12:00 noon–1:15 pm
Curb Your “Carb-ons” Lunch
Don’t worry—this isn’t about dieting. It’s about sustainability, a priority at Mills. Packaging, processing, and transporting food all take unnecessary energy, so join us for a “greenbag” lunch, which avoids all these steps by taking advantage of local farmers’ bountiful fare.

Newly added!
12:00 noon-1:30 pm
ODD Dance–Theater Performance
Lisser Hall
Choreographer and visiting artist at Mills Shinichi Iova-Koga of inkBoat joins composer Joan Jeanrenaud and AXIS Dance Company in presenting a piece-in-progress, ODD, a dance theater work inspired by the figurative paintings of Odd Nerdrum. A Q&A session will follow this informal performance.

1:00 pm–5:00 pm, Friday and Saturday
Commemorative Exhibition: Souvenirs of the Strike
Heller Rare Book Room, F.W. Olin Library
Explore an array of mementos from the Strike of 1990, including memos, cartoons, letters, t-shirts, photographs, posters, and news clippings. Contributed by alumnae, faculty, and staff specifically for this exhibition, and pulled from F. W. Olin Library archives, these items formed an integral part of Mills’ historic recommitment to women’s education. A clay model of the “Power of Woman” statue, an icon of the Strike that stands in the courtyard outside the Student Union, will be on display courtesy of its sculptor, Roberta Weir ’86, MFA ’90. Join us for an opening reception at 2:00 pm. (If you would like to contribute items to this exhibition, please indicate your interest on the registration form.)

Newly added!
1:30 pm–3:30 pm, Friday and Saturday
Online Alumnae Community Drop-in Session
The new Mills College Alumnae Community (launching October 1) enables you to find other alumnae through an online directory, read and post class notes, and access a wealth of information specifically for Mills graduates. Drop in at any time during this session and register for the community. Our online community manager, Angelique Di Schino Felgentreff ’90, will be on hand to answer questions about building a profile and participating in the community!

Newly added!
Afternoon Open Houses and Tours

1:30 pm–3:30 pm
Residence Halls
Resident assistants will guide you through the common areas of these residential buildings:

• Orchard Meadow and Warren Olney Halls
  Meet in front of Orchard Meadow
• Ethel Moore and Mary Morse Halls, and Courtyard Springs Townhouse
  Meet in front of Cowell Building

1:30 pm–3:30 pm
Division of Social Sciences
Vera M. Long Building for the Social Sciences
Meet faculty and staff in the Departments of Anthropology–Sociology, Economics, Government, History, Philosophy, Public Policy, and Women’s Studies.

1:30 pm–3:30 pm
School of Education
Education Complex
Learn about the programs offered by the School of Education from faculty and staff—including new dean Katherine Schultz.

1:30 pm–3:30 pm
Gaia House (Botanic Garden)
Next to the Betty Irene Moore Natural Sciences Building
The Botanic Garden serves as a learning resource for students and as a campus supplier of organic food. Gaia House is a newly completed 1,000-square-foot green facility that supports the garden as well as research activities in biology and restoration ecology. Christina McWhorter, Botanic Garden coordinator, will be on hand to talk about the programs at both these sites and will lead a tour of the garden at 3:30 pm.

1:30 pm–3:30 pm
Division of Student Life (DSL)
Rothwell Center and Cowell Building
DSL offers programs that are intended to engage students in campus life and cultivate their sense of belonging within the Mills community. Learn about student clubs at tables in the Suzanne Adams Plaza at Rothwell Center and meet DSL staff at the Cowell Building.

2:00 pm–2:30 pm
Music Building
Meet in the lobby for this tour led by Campus Architect Karen Fiene.

2:00 pm–3:00 pm
Mills College Art Museum Exhibitions
Curator and Art Museum Director Stephanie Hanor will present this fall’s exhibitions:

• Binh Danh: Collecting Memories. Known for his unique chlorophyll printing process, Danh explores the complexity of the Vietnam War through found images and other remnants, as well as recent photographs.
• Kathryn Spence, MFA ’93: short sharp notes, rolling or churring whistles, clear phrases. Spence’s sculptural objects are inspired by birds and the natural world but are composed from materials discarded from the human world.

3:00 pm–3:30 pm
Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business Building
Meet in lobby for this tour led by Campus Architect Karen Fiene.

3:00 pm–4:30 pm
Jane’s Stroll
For more than 30 years, Jane’s Stroll has been a popular feature of Reunion Weekend. Join Jane Cudlip King ’42 as she conducts an easy walking tour around campus, complete with stories from the past and the present.

3:30 pm–4:00 pm
Botanic Garden
Next to Betty Irene Moore Natural Sciences Building
Botanic Garden Coordinator Christina McWhorter will introduce you to some of the garden's 500 varieties of plants as well as the reclaimed materials that make up the planting structures.

2:00 pm–3:30 pm
Opening Reception for Souvenirs of the Strike Exhibition

2:30 pm–3:30 pm
Career Workshop: The Power of Social Media
Social media can foster career success or career sabotage. Join the career services team for an information session on the newest forms of social media and for tips on harnessing their power for professional success. The team will also provide guidance on minimizing the potential negative impact on your image created by your digital footprint.

3:30 pm–4:30 pm
Screening of Darius Milhaud et sa musique: de la Provence au monde
Directed by French filmmaker Cécile Clairval-Milhaud, this documentary provides insight into the composer’s extraordinary life and provides context for his time at Mills. A fitting prelude to the evening’s Darius Milhaud Concert, the film also offers glimpses of the Mills campus—and its personalities—over a number of different eras.

Newly added!
3:30 pm–4:30 pm
Drum Circle
In this fun, interactive session, Renée Benmeleh ’00, a registered Music Together teacher and trained drum circle facilitator, will lead the group in creating an improvised composition. Alumnae and guests with any level of musical experience—or none at all!—are encouraged to participate. Renée will guide participants in experimenting with sound and dynamics while listening to one another in order to create a cohesive musical work. Percussion instruments will be provided, but if you have your own equipment, please bring it!

4:30 pm–6:00 pm
President’s Garden Reception
Join other alumnae, current students and their parents, faculty members, and President Janet L. Holmgren at an informal garden reception.

Sold out!
6:00 pm–8:00 pm
Family-style Supper
Enjoy a casual dinner with friends old and new. Mingle with current students and parents visiting for Family Weekend, who will join in the supper.

8:00 pm–10:00 pm
Darius Milhaud Concert
Performed in the beautifully renovated Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Concert Hall
While, on the surface, composers Darius Milhaud and Lou Harrison seem to have forged divergent musical paths, the two shared similar aesthetic values, including profound appreciation for the emotional power of melody. Each created accessible music that reaches deep to touch audiences. An inclusive, humanistic vision guided the lives and work of both composers. Both taught at Mills and played a crucial role in the history of music at the College.

The all-women Eclipse Quartet, Mills resident artists, will perform Milhaud’s String Quartet No.2 , Op. 16, a virtuosic early work that displays the young composer’s mastery of melody, counterpoint, and rhythm. Milhaud dedicated the piece to his close friend and fellow native of Aix-en-Provence, the poet Léo Latil, who was killed in action during World War I. In addition, cellist Maggie Parkins and pianist Robert Schwartz will perform Milhaud’s Elegie for Cello and Piano, Op. 251.

The Eclipse Quartet will also play Harrison’s String Quartet Set, which incorporates influences from the music of the medieval period, the French Baroque, and Turkey. Harrison called melody “the audience’s take-home pay,” despite some critics’ disparagement of the “prettiness” of his compositions. Mills percussion instructor William Winant will perform Harrison’s Solo to Anthony Cirone on tenor bells.

Updated!
8:00 pm–10:00 pm
Romp at Reinhardt Alumnae House
Let loose with friends—including local recent graduates—during a late evening happy hour. Enjoy drinks, nibbles, and classic jazz tunes by Sonya Jason ’83 and her quartet. Listen to a sample.

previous day Reunion events | next day Reunion events