Oakland, CA - Mills College announces the appointment of writer, social commentator, and activist Daphne Muse as the new director of the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI).  A member of the Mills faculty in 1975-83 and 1991-93, she has served as a WLI fellow, and most recently participated on their advisory board (2004-05).

WLI was founded in 1993 to develop and recognize women’s leadership on behalf of advancing society and creating a more equitable world.  The Institute’s summits, lectures, and fellow initiatives are designed to enrich learning, inquiry, and scholarship within Mills’ academic and student life programs. 

Muse is the author of four books and more than 300 feature articles, essays, reviews, and commentaries for major newspapers, academic journals and online zines.  A former National Public Radio social commentator, she has published her writing in The San Francisco Chronicle, Black Scholar, The Washington Post, and many other outlets nationwide.  In 2004, Muse was selected as a Forever New Frontiers Radio Essayist and commissioned to write an essay on Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks.  Her most recent essay, “Our Week with Rosa Parks,” was entered into the Congressional Record by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) on October 27, 2005.

Muse recently served as an adjunct associate professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley, and has worked on major curriculum projects for the California State Department of Education.  As a board member of ARTAIDSART based near Capetown in False Bay, she is involved in promoting education and sustainable economic development in South Africa.

Among her responsibilities at Mills is the development of a strategic plan for the WLI into the 21st century and the integration of WLI initiatives into the College’s academic programs.

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently ranked among the top 75 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills is also recognized as one of the country’s 20 most diverse colleges. The Princeton Review selected Mills as one of 11 colleges for first-time inclusion in its Best 361 Colleges - 2005. Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity. 

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