Hollins University: A Legacy of Notable Alumnae
Hollins University, a private institution nestled on a Template:Convert/LoffAoffDbSonNa campus bordering Roanoke County and Botetourt County, Virginia, has a rich history and a strong tradition of fostering exceptional women. Initially established in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary, a coeducational college, Hollins transitioned to a woman's college in 1852. Renamed Hollins in 1855 to honor benefactors John and Ann Halsey Hollins, the institution evolved into Hollins Institute, then Hollins College in 1911, and finally Hollins University in 1998. As Virginia's first chartered women's college, all undergraduate programs remain female-only, contributing to a unique and empowering educational environment.
The Enduring Influence of Charles Lewis Cocke
Charles Lewis Cocke stands as the most recognizable figure in Hollins' history. At the young age of 19, the mathematics professor from Richmond expressed his desire to dedicate himself to the "higher education of women in the South." Within a few years, Cocke became principal of the institute that would become Hollins College. He is rightfully known as the founder of Hollins, the motivating force behind the first women's college in Virginia and one of the first in the nation.
Cocke envisioned his students as part of a family, with himself as their father figure. His pedagogy, rooted in the "southern sensibility that a lady was to be trained to submit to the order of men," placed great value on intellectual excellence, believing that "young women require the same thorough and rigid mental training as that afforded to young men." Hollins was known as a rigorous institution during Cocke's tenure, where degrees were not easily earned.
Pioneering Firsts and Traditions
Hollins boasts a history of breaking barriers and establishing traditions. In 1901, Hollins was the first college in Virginia to name a woman president, Matty Cocke. The university was also home to the first exhibition gallery in the Roanoke region in 1948. Furthermore, one of the first writers-in-residence programs in America was established at Hollins in 1959.
Hollins University traditions are centered around fun ways to bring the campus community together. Tinker Day, observed since the 1880s, occurs in October and became an official holiday in 1895. Students are awakened at dawn by seniors, who bang pots and pans in their decorated graduation robes to celebrate the event. After the president's official declaration, classes are canceled and students gather to eat Krispy Kreme doughnuts before hiking Tinker Mountain in zany costumes with the faculty and staff. Miss Matty's Birthday is also celebrated in October, honoring Matty Cocke, president of Hollins from 1901 to 1933. White Gift Service is another tradition, taking place in the Jessie Ball duPont Chapel. Convocation welcomes new students, and First Step signifies the start of the seniors' last year. Ring Night involves seniors secretly adopting junior ring sisters, and Hundredth Night marks 100 days before graduation.
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Academic Excellence and Opportunities
Hollins offers small classes with an 11:1 student-teacher ratio in a variety of majors. The most popular majors are English, psychology, studio art, business, and biology. Currently Hollins offers graduate programs in dance (M.F.A.), creative writing (M.F.A.), children’s literature (M.A., M.F.A.), liberal studies (M.A.L.S.), playwriting (M.F.A.), screenwriting and film studies (M.A., M.F.A.), and teaching (M.A.T.). As of 2011, Hollins offers a graduate-level certificate in Children's Book Illustration. Hollins was one of the first colleges in the nation to establish a study abroad program, launching Hollins Abroad-Paris in 1955. Approximately half of Hollins students have an international learning experience.
Hollins runs its own programs in London and Paris; non-Hollins students are free to apply to the Hollins Abroad London and Paris programs. Hollins students can study through Hollins-sponsored programs in Argentina, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Spain, South Africa, and in various other countries through the School for Field Studies. In January, or J-Term, students follow their own independent course of study with a sponsoring professor, take off-campus internships, or study abroad with other Hollins students. Hollins's peer tutoring center is known as the Center for Learning Excellence, situated in Middle East.
A liberal arts school, Hollins has designed its own Education through Skills and Perspectives (ESP) general education requirement program. Rather than focusing on the usual math, science, English, history booklist of required courses, Hollins requires each student to take a variety of skills classes (Writing, Oral Communication, Quantitative Reasoning, Information Technology) and perspectives classes (Aesthetic Analysis, Creative Expression, Ancient and/or Medieval Worlds, Modern and/or Contemporary Worlds, Social and Cultural Diversities, Scientific Inquiry, Global Systems and Languages).
A Legacy of Literary Excellence
The graduate program in creative writing was founded by Louis D. Rubin, Jr., in 1960, but Hollins has offered classes in creative writing for even longer. The Jackson Center for Creative Writing is home to Hollins' esteemed undergraduate and graduate writing programs, which have produced dozens of writers of national and international acclaim, including Lee Smith '67 and Pulitzer Prize winners Annie Dillard '67, M.A. '68; Henry S. Taylor M.A. '66; and Natasha Trethewey M.A. '91. Kiran Desai M.A. '94 won both the Man Booker Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The fiction of Madison Smartt Bell M.A. '81 has been recognized by a Strauss Living Award, and numerous other Hollins writers have received NEA, Guggenheim, and countless other grants and awards for their poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, contributing to the cultural life of the nation that is disproportionate to the program's size. The campus has two literary magazines. Cargoes, which has won the Undergraduate Literary Prize for content by the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and The Album, which is offered as a more alternative campus periodical.
Notable Alumnae
Hollins University has a long and distinguished list of alumnae who have made significant contributions in various fields. Here are a few notable examples:
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Annie Dillard ('67, M.A. '68): Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, best known for her narrative prose in both fiction and nonfiction. Her 1974 book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
Natasha Trethewey (M.A. '91): Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who served as United States Poet Laureate from 2012 to 2014. She won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for her 2006 collection Native Guard, and is a former Poet Laureate of Mississippi.
Kiran Desai (M.A. '94): Author and recipient of the Man Booker Prize in 2006.
Henry S. Taylor (M.A.): Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.
Ellen Malcolm (B.A.): Founder of EMILY's List.
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Beth Macy (M.A.): Reporter and author of Dopesick.
Ann Compton: American former news reporter and White House correspondent for ABC News Radio.
Jennifer Boysko: American politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia. She represents the 38th district in the Virginia Senate.
Mary K. Gaillard: American theoretical physicist. Her focus is on particle physics. She is a professor of the graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley.
Pamela J. H. Slutz: Former U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia.
Cathryn Hankla: American poet, novelist, essayist and author of short stories. She is professor emerita of English and Creative Writing at Hollins University.
Katy Pyle: Artistic director of Ballez.
Lisa Emery: American stage, film, and television actress.
Lyda Hill: American investor and philanthropist.
Lottie Moon: American Southern Baptist missionary to China.
Donna Richardson: American fitness and aerobics instructor, author and ESPN television sports commentator.
Dorothy Dix: American journalist and columnist.
Julia Voorhees Emmons: Architect of the largest 10K road race in the world, the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta.
Margaret Brinton Lykes: Human rights activist and action researcher.
Jane Goshorn Smith: Retired executive director of the Samantha Smith Center.
Jane Gentry Vance: Poet Laureate of the State of Kentucky.
Sally Mann: Photographer and writer, shortlisted for National Book Award.
Madison Smartt Bell: Author of Ten Indians.
Jenny Boully: Author of five books, professor of creative writing and literature at Bennington College.
Amanda Cockrell: Children's book author.
Tony D'Souza: Author of Whiteman.
Tama Janowitz: Author.
Kevin Prufer: Poet, novelist, essayist, editor.
Candice F. Lee Smith: Author and winner of many awards including the Southern Book Critics Circle Award.
George Butler: Documentary filmmaker and writer.
Dana Caspersen: A conflict specialist, author, and performing artist, devoted to “empowering individuals to affect change in destructive systems.”
Kirven Douthit-Boyd: Artistic director of The Big Muddy Dance Company in St. Louis.
Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell: Artistic director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
Helen Pickett: Choreographer.
Amara Tabor-Smith: Artistic director of Oakland’s Deep Waters Dance Theater.
Campus Life and Traditions
Campus organizations on Hollins campus serve to bring the community together and help students find their niche. Hollins has nearly 30 clubs and organizations. The vast majority of Hollins organizations have open membership. The Hollins Outdoor Program, or HOP, is an open campus organization that teaches students how to enjoy their surrounding environment, push themselves in high-adventure activities, and become effective outdoor leaders. Hollins has two award-winning campus literary journals. The Album, printed twice a year, provides an alternative outlet for both traditional and experimental literary works. Cargoes is the annual Hollins literary magazine of student work and Nancy Thorp Memorial Poetry Contest winners. Hollins Columnsis the student newspaper. Spinster, the annual yearbook, preserves the memories and events of Hollins students. Arts Association is a group of artistically inclined students interested in sharing their work and contributing to the Hollins art scene. Foundation 42 is for sci-fi, fantasy, or horror enthusiasts. Spiritual and Religious Life Association provides activities and opportunities that nurture spiritual growth, education, and service such as informal programs relating world, personal, and intellectual issues to spiritual life, and annual community service projects such as White Gift Offering, Golden Rule Dinner, and Thanksgiving Food collection. Bell, Book, and Candle is focused on the different branches and aspects of Pagan spirituality. Hollins has both a branch of the College Republicans and a College Democrats. The Black Student Alliance (BSA) is dedicated to providing an awareness of the African American culture in Hollins and Roanoke through programs and service. They seek to advance diversity, creativity, self-expression, unity, independence and self confidence. OUTloud is the Hollins Gay-Straight Alliance. Members of this organization seek to work collaboratively both in and out of the Hollins community, educating and increasing awareness about sexual orientation. Voice, the campus activist organization, concentrates on issues concerning consumerism, social justice, human rights, and the environment. WA^2 (Women Who Appreciate Anime) promotes the viewing and appreciation of Japanese animation. The shortened version of the name is pronounced "WA squared." This club generally goes to two anime conventions each year: Nekocon and Katsucon. Hollins H4H was started in 1989 by a Hollins student and since then has funded/sponsored one house and has sent builder teams to numerous others over the years-every year. CASA, short for Coalition Against Sexual Assault, is a student-run peer-counseling service with walk-in office hours five days a week. Students Helping Achieve Rewarding Experiences (SHARE) coordinates students who wish to serve as volunteers in the Roanoke area and internationally and to gain a deeper self-understanding through service to others. They assist with volunteer placements in the areas of: youth, elderly, homeless, crisis intervention, hospital assistance, and school systems/tutoring. The Hollins United Gospel Singers (T.H.U.G.S.) seeks to minister to the Hollins community and the Roanoke Valley. Hollins has both a French Club and a Spanish Club. Neither require members to speak fluently. Hollins also has three major honorary and scholarly societies. Omicron Delta Kappa is an honorary leadership society to which fosters the development of responsible leadership and promotes involvement in the college and surrounding community. Phi Beta Kappa, Iota chapter, was established in 1962 and recognizes outstanding scholarship and broad cultural interests in liberal studies.
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