In this issue...

Volume 1   •   20 March 2006  •   Issue 3  

	Welcome from the Executive Director Reunions, readings, and reconnections		Reunion 2006 Start planning now to return to MHC
	Alumnae in Action MHC alumnae making a difference		Senior Fair & LifeNet Student-alumnae connections
	Mary Lyon’s Birthday Celebration Cake and festivities on our founder’s birthday		Job Announcement Staff opening in the Alumnae Association
	Rebroadcast of Uncommon Women Wendy Wasserstein’s career-launching play		Research Request from Times Reporter New book on women’s lives
	Mount Holyoke News Get the latest student news online		Undergraduate Update Emily Korab ’08 keeps you in the loop
	Take the Lead Nomination deadline approaching		Online Class Notes Read the latest news from your sister alumnae, or post your own today

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

Message from the Executive Director

hese first weeks of March have been busy for the Alumnae Association. Plans for Reunion 2006 are in full swing (this year, we are debuting Global Reunion, an online “virtual reunion” for alumnae around the globe). Although the delight of seeing classmates in person can’t be duplicated online, Global Reunion will allow those alumnae who can’t make it back to South Hadley a way to join the celebration. For those who can return to campus—and we hope there will be many of you—we have a full and exciting weekend of activities and events planned.

In addition to reunion, a new way to experience the College has just been introduced: a state-of-the-art campus tour on the MHC Web site. The tour highlights Mount Holyoke’s exceptional offerings, from academics to facilities to campus life. It includes audio and video interviews with students and faculty, and features some of the most stunning photographs of the campus I have ever seen. I hope you’ll take a moment to investigate—and enjoy a virtual visit back to your alma mater.

Virtual technology can give you a wonderful glimpse of current campus life, but theatre, like reunion, is best enjoyed live. The MHC theatre department mounted a production of The Colored Museum on March 3 and 4, and I’m proud to say it was an unqualified hit. Packed houses and standing ovations greeted both performances—testament to the exceptional talent of MHC theatre students. I was honored to collaborate with the student director of the production, and thoroughly enjoyed my return to the theatre! On March 10 and 11, the theatre department also presented a reading of Wendy Wasserstein’s Uncommon Women and Others, a moving tribute to a beloved alumna and a brilliant playwright who left us before her time.

There are unforgettable moments when we all come together as a community. The Uncommon Women reading was one of them—and reunion will be another. Looking forward to a lovely spring, and to seeing many of you at Reunion 2006.

Warmly,


W. Rochelle Calhoun ’83
Executive Director

Reunion 2006

e at the Alumnae Association are eagerly awaiting Reunion 2006. Spring will be in full bloom and the campus comes alive with color and activity. We encourage you to return to your alma mater to revisit fond memories—and create new ones as well. Take a class; visit with a beloved professor; reconnect with the beautiful campus and the people who knew you best: your classmates. We’ve planned a wealth of activities and programs for you to enjoy during your reunion weekend. For more information, visit the Reunion 2006 page on our Web site. There you’ll find links to:

• registration forms
• reunion e-cards
• preliminary reunion schedules
• schedules for Back-to-Class, Teen Scene, and the Children’s Program
• travel and lodging information, including a link to Book it Now, the Alumnae Association’s new travel service
• reunion message boards
• reunion ride share board

Looking forward to seeing you at this very special event!

Alumnae in Action

ot plans for spring? How would you like to spend one day this April:

• contributing to a clean, green environment,
• promoting Mount Holyoke College, and
• reconnecting in a meaningful way with your alumnae sisters?

“Alumnae in Action,” a new Alumnae Association community-service program for clubs, classes, and affiliate groups, is a way to accomplish all three at once. Our first event is scheduled for Earth Day, April 22. We encourage alumnae to gather on that Saturday or any day in April for a volunteer service activity—planting a garden, starting a recycling project—in their home communities. We’ll even send you a free “action kit,” complete with water bottles and bandannas. Find out more on our Web site.

Alumnae advisers and student advisees at Senior Fair 2006

Register Now!
To take part in LifeNet, you must be registered with the Alumnae Association Web site. In order to register, please 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.

Senior Fair & LifeNet

n keeping with our goal of offering useful and practical programs for students that also help them to forge strong connections with alumnae, the Alumnae Association hosted another successful Senior Fair March 5.

More than 40 alumnae from various career paths and graduate schools—as well as staff from the Alumnae Association, the Career Development Center, the Office of Admission, and the Office of Development—participated in Senior Fair. Approximately 130 seniors received firsthand insights about the resources available to them while gaining a deeper understanding of various career paths. They also received helpful tips on job searching, networking, strategizing, and post-graduation expectations.

The Alumnae Association wishes to thank all alumnae who have participated as mentors, advisers, and Alumnae Stay hosts through the many programs that service MHC students. We would not have been able to do it without you!

Alumnae interested in volunteering as advisers, mentors, or hosts (we have a great need for hosts for summer interns) can check out our new online service, LifeNet—a resource that Mount Holyoke alumnae and students can use to connect with one another for professional, social, and personal networking.

Click here to see more photos of Mary Lyon’s Birthday Celebration

Mary Lyon’s Birthday Celebration

n February 28, the Alumnae Association celebrated the 209th anniversary of Mary Lyon’s birthday with free birthday cake in Blanchard for the College community. Students, staff, and faculty visited the Alumnae Association table for generous slices of cake and lively conversation about the founder of Mount Holyoke. For photos of the festive event, please click here.

Job Announcement

he Alumnae association announces an opening for a graphic designer/production manager. This is on on-site, three days per week position with pro-rated benefits. Please visit our Web site for more information about the position.

Wendy Wasserstein ’71

Rebroadcast of Uncommon Women on PBS

BS will rebroadcast Wendy Wasserstein’s Uncommon Women and Others April 22, 10:50 PM, on WNET/Channel 13. Originally broadcast during PBS’s 1978 Great Performances season, the production was adapted by Wasserstein from her groundbreaking play of the same title. The TV production features Jill Eikenberry, Ann McDonough, Alma Cuervo, Ellen Parker, Swoosie Kurtz, Josephine Nichols, Cynthia Herman, Meryl Streep, and Anna Levine. For more information visit www.thirteen.org.

Research Request from Times Reporter

arin Rubenstein, social psychologist, New York Times reporter, and author of The Sacrificial Mother, is at work on a new book that may interest many MHC alumnae. Rubenstein’s original research for the book focuses on the changes in women’s lives after their children leave home. She invites interested alumnae to participate in her research via a 10-minute Web survey. The survey questions, she hopes, “will be thought-provoking and provide women with insights about themselves.” Please go to www.DrCarin.com and click on “Answer Survey.”

Mount Holyoke News

he Mount Holyoke News is pleased to announce that the student newspaper is now available online. The weekly edition will be available both as a downloadable PDF and as an e-mail digest. This electronic format allows the editors to follow up with stories online, expand their coverage, and offer additional resources to readers. The paper is also expanding its coverage: the Focus section will run weekly (rather than bi-weekly), and technology, health, and science features are planned. While the Web site is still under construction, it is live and available for viewing at themhnews.com.

Undergraduate Update

he unseasonably warm weather here in South Hadley has been quite enjoyable and making students a bit more anxious for spring break to start. Yet despite the distraction of sunshine, we are still working hard! The Student Government Association (SGA) has been busy this semester. We co-hosted an event called “Day of Listening” with the Office of the Dean of Students on March 9th. Approximately 200 students, faculty, and staff participated in discussions about differences among us and how our community can work to highlight and appreciate them. The dialogue was fantastic and feedback has been extremely positive. Another exciting project for the SGA Senate this spring is the initiation of a campus-wide dialogue about what it means to be a women’s college—and what that means specific to Mount Holyoke’s identity. To tackle this goal, the entire Senate will head over to Smith College to attend a forum on what it meant to be a women’s college yesterday and what it means today. Taking information we learn at the forum, along with identity challenges specific to Mount Holyoke, we will facilitate a Town Meeting soon afterward.

Happy Spring,
Emily Korab ’08

Take the Lead

gain this year, alumnae are encouraged to nominate bright, idealistic high school sophomores for Take the Lead, a highly competitive leadership program. For nomination forms, visit the Take the Lead Web site or call 413-538-3500. Nominations are due April 12, and the 2006 Take the Lead program is scheduled for September 28-October 1.

Jennifer Tang ’05

To view or post online class notes, you must be regsitered for the Alumnae Association Web site. In order to register, please click here.

Online class notes is a great place to share photos of recent weddings, new babies, or your latest travel adventure!

Online Class Notes

o read more online class notes, or post your own notes and photos, please visit our Web site.

Jennifer Tang (2005)
Jennifer Tang (2005) writes, “Hi all! I'm still currently teaching English at a high school in Korea on the Fulbright scholarship. Right now is the students’ winter break until March, so I spent my free time travelling around Southeast Asia...” 

Kathryn Hunt (2004)
Kathryn Hunt (2004) writes, “I will be traveling to Mozambique this February for my master’s degree project working with an orphange for children with parents afflicted by HIV and AIDS. I also recently completed an internship...”

Kathleen (Kim) Kraft (1997)
Kathleen (Kim) Kraft (1997) writes, “This is a simple note to keep up with the class of 1997 at Mount Holyoke. In June 2004, I got married to H. Kraft and made a big move to live in Munich, Germany. Hartmut is a German and we met while we were both studying law...” 

Lisa Steele (1986)
Lisa Steele (1986) and Allen Wilkins are proud celebrated Valentine’s Day with the birth of their first child, Barbara Iris. Barbara may some day be a third generation student. Her grandmother, Connie Wilkins, is class of 1965.  

Heather Dinwiddie (1975)
Heather Dinwiddie (1975) recently accepted a position at SCNUEFLS located in Chengdu, Sichuan, China as foreign English teacher. “Husband Tom and I have been drawn to Asia since our first visit in 1994... ” 

Janet (Battey) Snyder (1928)
Janet (Battey) Snyder (1928) writes, “I’m living happily at the Crosslands Community, south of Philadelphia. I enjoy visits from family and friends, and have resumed a bit of knitting lately. Health issues led me to enter the skilled nursing unit in Spring of 2005. No, I don’t use computers, but one of my sons helped me get this note here. With fond memories of my time at Mt. Holyoke, Janet.”