MILLS CELEBRATES OPENING OF NEW COURTYARD TOWNHOUSE APARTMENTS FOR STUDENTS 

Oakland, CA - Mills College announces the opening of the Courtyard Townhouse apartments designed to house approximately 95 upper-class undergraduates and graduate students over 21 years of age. A public dedication will be held on Thursday, October 26, 2006 at the apartments on Underwood Road, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland CA 94613.

The distinctive apartments comprised of three buildings, provide students a choice between four- or five-bedroom units, each featuring full living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens as well as two bathrooms. Amenities include high-speed and wireless Internet access, cable television hook up, shared laundry, and bike room facilities. ADA accessible apartments are available on the first floor; once completed, a beautifully landscaped courtyard will also offer benches and a barbecue for community activities.

The apartments are named in honor of three living women who have served Mills with dedicated leadership on the Board of Trustees: Joan Lewis Danforth, Vivian M. Stephenson, and Clare H. Springs.

Joan Lewis Danforth (class of ’53) became the first woman and alumna to chair the Mills Board of Trustees in 1992. She has served on the Board since 1985 and was appointed an honorary trustee in 1998.

Vivian M. Stephenson (class of ’05) has served on the Mills Board since 1999 and was named chair in 2000. She received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Mills in 2005.

Clare H. Springs (class of ’66) served as chair of the Mills Board from 1996–1999 and has been an honorary lifetime trustee since 2003.

The following is the Courtyard Townhouse dedication ceremony schedule:

• 5:00 pm Reception
• 5:30 pm Remarks by Mills President Janet L. Holmgren and honored trustees
• 6:00 pm Apartment viewing

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.

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.

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Deborah Dallinger
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925.788.9131