Oakland, CA - Mills College has been named a 2006 winner of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA)/Jostens Community Service Award for the “Array of Projects” performed by student-athletes.

To be presented at the NCAA Convention in Orlando, Florida on January 8, 2007, the national honor recognizes the contributions Division III student-athletes regularly make to their campuses and local communities. This is the third consecutive year in which Mills has received a NADIIIAA/Jostens community service award.

In 2005-06, all 125 Mills student-athletes in six intercollegiate teams engaged in at least one community service project organized by the Mills Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (APER) Department.

According to Themy Adachi, APER Director, “Providing Mills student-athletes with opportunities for community service develops their leadership skills, and reinforces the belief that they can make a difference in the world.”

These are just some of the community service projects in which Mills women athletes participated last year:

• Coaching Corps after-school sports program trained and placed 75 coaches from Mills and UC Berkeley to serve low-income youth in eight programs
• Lunafest film festival attended by 250 guests to support the Breast Cancer Fund
• Fall Frenzy after-school soccer and poetry program served 100 inner city youth
• American Red Cross Blood Drive drew 125 donors for Hurricane Katrina victims
• Coastal Cleanup project enhanced the environment at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
• Race for the Cure competition supported the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
• Mills Community Tennis Program provided academic tutoring, mentoring, and tennis instruction for over 150 underserved Oakland elementary school children
• Swim-A-Mile event generated approximately $250,000 for the Women’s Cancer Resource Center

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 recognized as one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills currently ranks among the top 20 most diverse liberal arts colleges. The New York Times recently selected Mills as one of three leading California colleges for students to consider.

This year, the Washington Monthly College Rankings (September 2006) named Mills a leading liberal arts college based on community service, research spending, quality of preparation for graduate education, and social mobility. In addition, The Princeton Review’s annual guide, the Best 361 Colleges (2007) included Mills for the second year in a row among top U.S. institutions offering students an outstanding undergraduate education.

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.

PRESS CONTACT:
Deborah Dallinger
Communications Consultant
925.788.9131