A Message from Mills President Janet L. Holmgren
Eleventh President of Mills College: 1991–Present

Welcome to the Mills College website. As you enter the virtual world of Mills College, you will learn about our vibrant academic community of undergraduate women and graduate women and men fulfilling their highest potential through an exceptional liberal arts college experience. Our more than 1,400 diverse students receive a multicultural, global education taught by distinguished faculty members who are devoted to first-rate teaching, individual mentoring, and unparalleled undergraduate research opportunities.

The oldest college for women west of the Rockies, Mills offers all the benefits of a woman-centered education with administrators, faculty, staff, and students who exemplify women's finest leadership abilities. Our Women's Leadership Institute offers access to a comprehensive range of co-curricular experiences designed to enhance the richness of their intellectual, academic, and social lives, while building the foundation for their roles as future leaders.

At Mills, students cross the traditional boundaries of ethnicity, religion, and age, and their differences enrich the learning experience in classes usually numbering fewer than twenty students. Whether students plan to study the arts, social sciences, letters, or natural sciences, Mills is committed to helping them become the very best they can be in their careers, the local community, and the public arena. They participate in service learning programs, and they enjoy internships from the White House to Silicon Valley to Lucas Films.

Our alumnae are visionary leaders, artists, businesswomen and scientists, including Tricia Brown, choreographer and MacArthur "genius" fellow; Barbara Lee, Congresswoman; April Glaspie, former U.S. ambassador; Elizabeth Smith Crow, editor-in-chief, Mademoiselle magazine; and Dr. Susan Perrine, scientist, who discovered a new treatment for sickle cell anemia. Among the guests who have taught, performed, or spoken at Mills are: Lou Harrison and Pauline Oliveros, composers; Marian Wright Edelman, founder, Children's Defense Fund; Frances Conley, Stanford neurosurgeon; Isabel Allende, author; Evelyn Cisneros, prima ballerina, San Francisco Ballet; Lani Guinier, professor of law, University of Pennsylvania; and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Our students are academically exceptional, receiving Fulbright fellowships at a rate equivalent to those at large research institutions. Selecting from 40 majors, they are inquisitive, articulate future leaders, who value the challenges and opportunities of a Mills College education. Current students describe their experience:

"There's something about Mills that makes you think 'I can do it.' "

"Mills taught me I could achieve all of my dreams."

"I am exploring my future possibilities, discovering my own voice."

"Mills gives you the competitive edge for international and national jobs."

I love being the leader of this lively academic community where scholarly learning and personal growth are central to our lives, where women are committed to intellectual rigor, honesty, and making the world a better place. I wish every woman could experience the power of education affirming her life and talent; this is what it will take to forge women's leadership into the 21st century, and this is what Mills College is all about.