In this issue...

Volume 1   •   17 February 2006  •   Issue 2  

	Message from the Executive Director Alumnae supporting alumnae		Remembering Wendy Wasserstein Help memorialize Wendy Wasserstein in the Quarterly
	LifeNet LifeNet now open for alumnae and student searches		Lyon Lecture Series A Meeting of the Minds
	Summer Math Programs 25 years of summer math for high school girls at Mount Holyoke College		Cori’s Career Corner Conferences, fairs, and job search support groups
	Art Exhibit on Women’s History An ambitious new exhibit at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum		Michael Singer to Speak at MHC Creative Process: Environment, Infrastructure and Aesthetics

W. Rochelle Calhoun ’83
Executive Director, Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College

Message from the Executive Director

ne of the most important aspects of our work at the Alumnae Association is providing support to alumnae during times of loss as well as joy. A strong alumnae community is built not only on ties of celebration—although that is crucial—but also on bonds forged in sympathy, as we stand together during difficult times.  

The sad loss of Wendy Wasserstein ’71 this January—and of all the alumnae we have lost over time—reminds us once again of how deeply we matter to one another. As we say goodbye to those we have cherished, we turn to our alumnae sisters for strength, love, and hope. On campus, students and alumnae are coming together for tributes that include a March reading of Wendy’s groundbreaking play about Mount Holyoke, Uncommon Women and Others.  

We have also been affected by the recent passing of two pioneering women, Betty Friedan and Coretta Scott King. As national leaders who spent their lives blazing a trail for women everywhere, they were honorary members of our community. We, in turn, honor the memory of their struggles and their exceptional achievements.  

Our alumnae sisters and friends—both those who have gone and those who are still with us—stand as testament to the profound changes women are making in the world. We at the Alumnae Association are proud to serve this community, and committed to being a resource for alumnae at all times in their lives.  

If you would like to share a story or personal experience of alumnae coming forward to support each other, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.    

My very best wishes,


W. Rochelle Calhoun ’83
Executive Director, Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College

Wendy Wasserstein ’71

Remembering Wendy Wasserstein

he alumnae quarterly magazine’s spring issue will include a page on which we will remember Wendy Wasserstein with excerpts from her comments about MHC, and with personal memories of her from MHC community members.

You are invited to send brief (no more than 100 words, please) memories of the Wendy you knew. These can be from her/your days at MHC or after graduation. We are looking for personal memories, rather than a record of her many achievements (this information will be presented separately).

Also, if you know which MHC professors were particularly close to her, please let us know; we’d like to include comments from them, too.

We will publish some memorial comments in the printed magazine and put all of them on the Web site.

Please send your memories within the next week to Emily Weir.

Mary Lyon poses with MHC Students during Alumnae Association “Awareness Days”
Click here to see more photos.

Register Now!
To participate in LifeNet, you must be registered with the Alumnae Association Web site. If you have not yet registered, click here; you will need your security ID which you will find on your Alumnae Quarterly address label to complete the registration process. If you don’t have your latest Quarterly magazine, e-mail ais@mtholyoke.edu to request your ID.

LifeNet

ifeNet is your online network to connect with sister alumnae around the world. At the start of the spring semester, the Alumnae Association opened up LifeNet for searching. LifeNet will enable students and alumnae to connect for professional mentoring and networking, social and political networking, and resource-sharing (including resources for temporary housing for career or academic purposes). Click here to search LifeNet now.

LifeNet is creating a stir on campus as well. During the Alumnae Association’s “Awareness Days” of February 1-3, students learned about this exciting way to connect with alumnae (while having their photos taken with a cut-out image of Mary Lyon).

Now students can go to LifeNet to find alumnae advisers and mentors in their career fields of interest. Many students said they were thrilled with this new opportunity, which represents the first time MHC students will have access to an interactive database that connects them directly to alumnae.

If you have not created your profile, a default profile has been created for you based on your current online directory information. You can add to your profile at any time, with as much or as little information as you like, including: professional, volunteer, or academic experiences; various discussion topics that you are interested in; and other networking experiences, such as campus organizations, clubs and affiliate groups, cultural affiliations, class years, and hobbies. If you do not want your profile to be available, you can simply deactivate it at any time. Click here to update or deactivate your LifeNet profile. If you have any questions, please contact Stacey Coleman-Litterer FP’06.

Preston H. Smith will speak in Holyoke, MA on March 30, 2006

Cristina Rathbone will speak in Atlanta, GA on April 9, 2006

Lyon Lecture Series

he Alumnae Association and Mount Holyoke College are pleased to announce the spring Lyon Lecture Series, a popular traveling program that brings the intellectual life of the College to your club or area. In conjunction with the Weissman Center for Leadership and the Liberal Arts, we have planned two stimulating events featuring a faculty or guest lecture, lively discussion, and socializing over refreshments.

March Lyon Lecture in Holyoke: “Community Outside the Gates”
Preston H. Smith II, associate professor of politics and director of the Community-Based Learning Program (CBL), Weissman Center for Leadership and the Liberal Arts, and a panel of special guests will speak about the CBL, an educational initiative that links MHC students with local communities in courses that combine analysis and action. The lecture and discussion will follow a sit-down dinner.

Thursday, March 30, 2006
6:15 pm dinner
The Delaney House, Route 5 at Smith’s Ferry
Holyoke, Massachusetts

$15 per person; Free for alumnae in classes of 2000-2005.
Please register by March 20, 2006

April Lyon Lecture in Atlanta: “An Afternoon with Cristina Rathbone”
Cristina Rathbone, author of the critically acclaimed investigative work, A World Apart: Women, Prison, and Life Behind Bars, will discuss the compelling acts of historical, social, and emotional reconstruction that are at the heart of her most recent work.

Sunday, April 9, 2006
2:00 pm reception and book-signing
The Atlanta Botanical Gardens
1345 Piedmont Avenue NE
Atlanta, Georgia

$15 per person; Free for alumnae in classes of 2000-2005.
Please register by March 30, 2006.

To register, please visit our Web site.

If you do not have access to the Internet, or need further assistance, please contact Julie Ogg at (413) 538-2300.

Summer Math Programs

very summer, young women in high school with an eye on the future come to Mount Holyoke for special programs in mathematics. The SEARCH (Summer Explorations and Research Collaborations for High School Girls) program is designed for older students who have done well in high school mathematics and who would like to experience a different aspect of the world of mathematics. The SummerMath program is designed to help all high school girls, math-lovers or not, strengthen mathematical thinking and communications skills, develop problem solving strategies and computer skills, and build confidence.

How can you help? According to Charlene and James Morrow, directors of the SEARCH program, Mount Holyoke alumnae are the best source of recruiters for the program. Several instructors who have taught in the program have been MHC alumnae, and very often recent graduates participate as teaching assistants. The program is tailored for young women in high school who would like to:

• explore and create open-ended problems in collaboration with other students;
• attend classes led by mathematicians with undergraduate mathematics degrees;
• enjoy talks by staff and visiting mathematicians, learn to use computer programs to do mathematics, and go on field trips;
• explore math problems in the evening with teaching assistants, or, on some evenings, see movies and relax;
• live in a college dormitory with a diverse group of students from across the country.

This year, the 25th summer of SummerMath and the third summer of SEARCH begin on Sunday, July 2, and run though Saturday, July 29. Check out the SummerMath Web site for a pleasant tour through the programs—and please spread the word. These programs are a wonderful opportunity for high school girls who want to get a jump on mathematical problem-solving, and to get an exciting taste of college life.

Upcoming Job Fairs:

February 17, 2006
Not for Profit Fair
Bryn Mawr College, PA

February 24, 2006
Not for Profit Fair
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA

March 31, 2006
Columbia University
New York City, NY

April 20, 2006
MERC Education
Career Fair
Bayside Expo
Boston, MA

Cori’s Career Corner

he job front offers a lot to think about this month. For those of you who are interested in the nonprofit and educational sectors, you may want to attend one of the following job fairs coming up in the Northeast. For more information on these and other events, go to the CDC Web site.

You may also be interested in an exciting career conference scheduled for Saturday, February 18, on the Mount Holyoke College campus. The conference is organized by The Lyons Network, an organization of professionals and students dedicated to advancing opportunities for women’s leadership and career success. The Lyons Network conference offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate women to meet, learn from, network with, and find mentors among successful professionals in a wide variety of fields. Please visit the Lyons Network Web site for more information.

Our new Web site and systems are enabling us to offer a range of new services related to employment. If you are an alumna interested in posting jobs for other alums you may now do so on the Alumnae Association Web site. If you are job-seeking and want to access listings from alumnae, we offer a search facility as well. For those of you who are self employed, the Web site includes a yellow pages section that allows you to outline your services for other alumnae as well. We have many new capabilities online, so please take a look.

Next month, I am launching a job search support group teleconference—a new career services initiative. This group will meet every two weeks by phone, four Wednesday evenings, March 22 through May 3, for one hour. The size will be limited to eight participants. In this group we will consider various approaches and strategies for the job search, and then focus on particular challenges you may face in your current search. And yes, we will support each other and share suggestions! If there is sufficient response, I may create two sections. Please let me know if you are interested in this group by e-mailing me at cashwort@mtholyoke.edu no later than February 17.

In other career news, the Boston club recently held a very successful networking and job search workshop. 35 alumnae gathered for the evening; we had a great time together and it appears that a networking group may be starting as well. As a follow-up, we plan a day of appointments for alumnae who want individual counseling. If you and your club would like to sponsor a workshop, please get in touch with me soon for planning.

Art Exhibit on Women’s History

he Mount Holyoke College Art Museum is organizing an exhibition for  the spring of 2008 entitled “What Can a Woman Do?”  Inspired by an 1893 book of the same name, the exhibition will examine the variety of work and career options available to women between the Civil War and  World War II, and how clothing fashions changed in response to women’s  expanding activities, social roles, and self-perception.  The show will  feature fine and popular art, along with clothing of the late 19th and  early 20th centuries.

The museum is searching for articles of clothing worn at MHC between  1865 and 1940.  Of particular interest is a “putnee” outfit or  overalls, worn by the MHC “Farmerettes” during World War I.  Items worn during the suffrage movement are also of special interest.  Please  send information and photographs to guest curator Lynne Z. Bassett ’83, 8 Juniper Hill Road,  Ware, MA  01082.

Michael Singer to Speak at MHC

enowned artist and environmental designer Michael Singer will present a talk titled “Creative Process: Environment, Infrastructure and Aesthetics,” on Thursday, March 2 at 7:30 pm in Gamble Auditorium at Mount Holyoke College. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Building on his fall 2005 visit, Singer will continue his stimulating dialogue with the MHC Community about the ways in which environmental design and artistry can enrich the MHC landscape.

Click here for more information about this event; to view other Mount Holyoke College, Alumnae Association, and club and class events, go to our Events Calendar.