Letters to Trustees Prior to September 14, 2021 Vote on Northeastern Deal

Prior to the Mills College Board of Trustees vote on the Mills/Northeastern University deal that took place on September 14, 2021, the AAMC encouraged alums to write respectful notes to the Board letting them know how you felt about the vote and then copy the AAMC using the e-mail address aamc@mills.edu.

The AAMC posted ALL letters — those that support the lawsuit and transparency (including if they personally like the Mills/Northeastern deal) and those that support the Northeastern deal and wanted the AAMC to drop the lawsuit — from those that give permission to share their letters publicly.

The letters remain here as a record of the passion and engagement from our membership about the most important vote in Mills College’s history.

If you’d like, you can still make your voice heard!

The above button will open an e-mail draft pre-addressed to each trustee with a copy to aamc@mills.edu. If you have trouble with the above button, then please copy/paste the e-mail addresses below into a new e-mail message.

trustees@mills.edu,ebeth@mills.edu,ksanborn@mills.edu,eparker@mills.edu,mschuster@mills.edu,obasgal@mills.edu,kmay@mills.edu,amoses@mills.edu,eroberts@mills.edu,kwolfe@mills.edu,debwood@mills.edu,johnb@mills.edu,lcolton@mills.edu,ldecker@mills.edu,lflanigan@mills.edu,adfoster@mills.edu,skwist@mills.edu,llokey@mills.edu,komason@mills.edu,hmuirhea@mills.edu,vijinakka@mills.edu,aobrien@mills.edu,rswig@mills.edu,rthompson@mills.edu,glvoyles@mills.edu,cwiley@mills.edu,kburke@mills.edu,jdanfort@mills.edu,mthorne@mills.edu,csprings@mills.edu,jfowler@mills.edu,mkwong@mills.edu,letters@aamc-mills.org

If you would like your letter published on this page, please check the appropriate permission on the pre-populated letter or add to the end of your own letter that you give the AAMC permission to post your letter publicly and how you would like your letter to be attributed (full name or anonymous).

Letters in Support
of the AAMC Lawsuit

Dear Board of Trustees,

On September 14, you will take a vote to determine the fate of Mills College.  From all that I have read, it looks as though you will vote to proceed with a merger with Northeastern University.  As much as I disagree with this course of action, the larger and long term picture is the fate of the college and its mission.  I would agree that Mills likely needs a partnership in order to survive, but is Northeastern really the most appropriate partner?  To some degree, it feels like you are looking for the knight on the white horse to rescue the damsel in distress.  We were taught better than that at Mills.  I urge you to consider studying other options rather than simply leaping into the arms of the first suitor that comes along. 

As one of you told me, the devil is in the details.  It is quite evident that Northeastern has a history of swallowing up colleges.  From my perspective, Northeastern is most anxious to acquire our beautiful campus and that substantial endowment.  If Northeastern is allowed, within a couple of years, Mills will cease to exist except in our memories.  They will carry out their mission, not ours. If you are truly going to proceed with this merger/acquisition, look carefully and negotiate wisely.  You have it in your power to see to it that the campus continues as Mills College of Northeastern University in perpetuity.  You have it in your power to fight for our faculty and staff so that they are not totally replaced by Northeastern faculty.  Read up on Northeastern’s mobility strategy, please.  Review their history of school acquisitions and what eventually happened to those colleges.  What do you want the fate of Mills to become? The founders of our college wanted education for women.  How will you represent this founding principle in the negotiations?  Will Mills simply become a footnote in the history of Northeastern University with Mills Hall standing as a California historical landmark marking the remains of a once great college?  

Remember who you are and what you represent.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Majchrzak, Ed.D, Class of 1975 and 2015

Open letter to all Mills Alumnae on the Board of Trustees:

Please don’t give up your rights and responsibilities as a board member. If you MUST go along with the NU acquisition, at the very least, stay involved and do not give up the decision-making and implementation of this deal to a handful of people who do not have the same regard and respect for Mills College that you do. Do not give away your power, your voice, your vote.

Demand the information you need. Speak up and do the right thing.

It’s still very likely too late for Mills to be saved. Frankly, the College took care of that when Beth Hillman prematurely announced the school’s closure back in March, as the fall semester enrollment numbers clearly show. But at the very least, keep yourselves at the table. See it through to the end. Please vote “no” on handing over the deal-making authority entirely to college officers who clearly don’t hold Mills in the same regard as the alumnae do.

With deep sadness and grave disappointment, I wish you well as you close the doors on Mills. Please give her the honor she deserves.

Stacy Boales Varner
Alumna ‘93 and parent of a student who will likely NOT be able to graduate from Mills now…

Dear Mills College Board of Trustees,

I would like to express my appreciation for all that you and past trustees have done to sustain Mills College. Too often the Board of Trustees’ hard work at universities and colleges is overlooked in good times and criticized in bad.

I ask you to continue the stewardship of Mills with which you were entrusted. This responsibility requires time, research, exploration, transparency, and listening to the voices of trustees and constituencies throughout the transition or maintenance of Mills. I urge you to delay a vote any vote that would lead to the dismantling of Mills and the relinquishment of the power and guidance of the Board.

Kindest regards,

Anonymous, Class of 1986

A WARNING FROM NORTHEASTERN-LONDON

Before its interest in "absorbing" Mills College, Northeastern set its sights on another liberal arts college - the New College of the Humanities in London (NCH), which was acquired by Northeastern in 2019.

The Save Mills College Coalition recently interviewed Professor of Economics Dr. Monojit Chatterji, formerly of the New College of the Humanities in London, who reflected on the NCH acquisition - and expressed his concern that the same could happen to Mills.

THE TAKEOVER
Question: Can you describe how the acquisition of NCH by Northeastern took place?

Monojit Chatterji: The takeover was secretive. I was the most senior adjunct professor and the most senior professor in the institution, and I didn't know anything about it. It just happened one bright morning.

Instead of addressing the fundamental question of ‘why are we not doing well financially, we need more students, let's get out and get them – they just sold out, with no serious input from the faculty as far as I know.

There was never any discussion within the College. I never once heard it said that 'we're bankrupt - what are we going to do?' So, we had no chance to put in any input into this. And the next thing you know - it's done - this takeover.

It was politely described as a merger.

Northeastern bought NCH just after we got accreditation.

There were two things that struck me straight away. One is that the ethos changed the minute the takeover took place.

And almost immediately, certain kinds of discussions stopped happening completely. People just didn't speak to each other as freely. They weren't sure what they needed to do to jockey for position to get into the good graces of the powers that be, even though we didn't know who those powers were.

CHANGE IN BUSINESS MODEL
Q: We heard there was a significant loss of faculty at NCH after the acquisition took place. Were you let go of by Northeastern

MC: Yes. I'd been an adjunct for five years. So, to get rid of me, they had to go through some hoops. And one of them was to show that the business model had changed. So according to the institution, the business model changed as follows (but they didn't say this to us) - All adjuncts are now required to teach on what they call the Mobility Program - which is essentially Northeastern students coming for a semester or two to London. And all of the permanent staff are now going to teach all of the first-year courses.

And the Mobility Program is teaching 200 people on a very fixed formula - "Here's what you teach. No need for anyone to think. Solve this problem and this is the answer."

So that change in the business model allowed them to say, “Your contract has come to an end, and we can’t re-offer you the same one, but we'll offer you a different contract to teach on the Mobility Program.”

There was no explanation for why this is a better business model. Absolutely none.

REDUNDANCY (layoff & severance)
Q: Did they offer a package as an option for faculty to leave? How did they approach that with faculty?

MC: I care about students and about teaching and do it well. I won the national prize for the best first-year teacher in Britain. So, there was no one better qualified to teach that first-year course than me, but I cost them.

So, what they said was, "Okay, you're going to teach on the Mobility Program. And because it's a new opening, we're going to cut your salary by 50%. So, you either can do that, or - because the model has changed -- you can claim for Redundancy.”

Now Redundancy is based on years of service and it's a binding legal obligation. So, the legal requirement for paying people in Redundancy is very small. The state minimum is one and a half weeks pay for every year you've worked. I actually worked for them for five academic years, but because of the way which academic contracts are calculated, that becomes nine months, so it was four years and something.

They did all this competed legally I might add, but in the most cheapskate way possible.

So, they paid me for four years Redundancy rather than five. So that's 25% savings to them of an anyway not very large number.

So good people are leaving like flies all over the place. Some of them took the Redundancy package, others are just saying, ‘No, forget it,’ and just left. I had a friend in Law who had the same issue I did. They offered her a "Renewal" teaching a different course at 1/3 or 1/2 her previous salary. This was a standard thing they did.

So, in effect they got rid of a lot of people. They got rid of every Sessional (UK term for Adjuncts who don't have long term contracts and teach 1-2 courses). For those who didn't leave because they couldn’t afford to, the teaching morale was so low, that everyone said, "Just keep your head down, do what's necessary and then go.”

All of their new hires are "teaching-only contracts." So, they don't get any credit for research time - at all. Their teaching loads are something like 400 contact hours per year. They're going to be dead in a couple of years, teaching at that level.

TENURED & ADJUNCT FACULTY
Q: What about people who have tenure? There are lots of faculty members at Mills who have tenure currently. Will that slate be wiped clean by Northeastern because there's a change in the whole structure?

MC: They will surely seek to lower the salary bill, which is what they did at NCH. That may involve trying to get rid of tenured Faculty. This is what they did at NCH. They rehired people and some people who were in a bad bargaining position and were younger, who didn't have many outside options said, okay.

Almost all of the Adjuncts, many of whom had given good service to the college for more than one year, all of them basically were offered this ridiculous "take a 50% cut in pay".

Adjuncts get their contracts renewed every year. But this is the thing - if you've got people on one-year contracts, when it comes up for renewal, everything's on the table. So, you can offer them anything. And even with a union behind you, as individuals our ability to contest these claims in law is extremely limited. So, what are you going to do as a faculty member?

And they were very good at doing things completely legally. They will never do something which is outside the law. But just on the edge of the law. Unethical, but not illegal.

LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
Q: Did faculty have any contact with the Northeastern leadership?

MC: I don't know any of the faculty who ever met with the Northeastern higher-ups. They hide behind the sidelines; they hide in Boston. They never attempted to get in touch with any of the staff and say, ‘Hey guys, don't worry. Nothing material is going to change, but we're going to refocus. We're going to do this.’ They made no attempt to reach the faculty at all.

I still don't know who these guys are. I've never met them, but they have a local Dean. And he decides everything short of the syllabus. Heads of faculty seem to be completely out of the picture – they are just messenger boys and girls. It's kind of a one-man band. And this dean apparently gets his instruction from Boston.

DEANS OF THIS & THAT
Q: Were there divisions within the faculty at NCH about the takeover by Northeastern? Were some faculty in favor of it?

MC: I think the faculty who got these ridiculous new Dean positions - Dean of this and Dean of nothing - Dean of something else. They were all very happy with this. But that's 10 people. Not a single person who actually did the work - not a single person who actually interacted with students. Not as far as I know.

CURRICULUM & LOSS OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Q: Did the curriculum change?

MC: They haven't changed the internal curriculum of NCH, but they have their own curriculum. And this is the Mobility Program. And those curricula are set by Boston. So, you have no control over anything. They tell you what to teach. Somebody hands you the curriculum.

I was told by the person who taught first year Microeconomics on this program (who subsequently resigned) that the syllabus was basically about market virtue. "Show why the market is good.”

But, what about the fact that the market is crap? I mean, you don't want to even think about that? No, no, no - we don't want to think about that. Distribution of Income is absolutely not mentioned (as a concept) in the curriculum at all. Inclusion? No, no.

So, they don't want you to talk about these things.

Faculty should ask “Will we continue to design our own courses? Can you show us what your equivalent courses are?" Let's see how it looks, see what they teach.

Q: It’s hard to see this as being a success for Mills. But still, we have some faculty who are saying things like "we want to evolve."

MC: Evolve into what exactly? Mills is never going to be at the very frontier in research, but it does have a market niche in learning which is unique in California. Give that up, and you just become another ordinary colonial outpost of Northeastern in California.

Is that what faculty wants? Is that what people want?

And how long before there's interference and people saying, “No, you can't teach that. I want Boston students to come and enjoy their summers in California. So, it's not your syllabus, it's my syllabus. You teach what I tell you to.”

The loss of academic freedom is a very serious matter. This is the reason why people become academics, knowing perfectly well that the pay is crap, no matter where you work. We all knew that when we started. It's that freedom to teach what you're interested in. And talk to students and talk to each other.

That doesn’t continue when there's a takeover like this.

THE RUSH
Q: Northeastern wants to move quickly. We don't know exactly why, but they are in a hurry.

MC: Because I think that they know perfectly well that if people sit down and reflect on it a little bit, they'll see what's going on. They’re trying to stampede somebody into a "bargain" and what they make you believe is a bargain sale. And it's not.

I've seen lots of nasty things happening in academia. But this was the king. The pettiness of the whole thing, the way in which they do things. It's not even what they do, it’s how they did it which is absolutely appalling.

This is what really angers me about these people, is that they are real bullies. But they talk to people who’ve got kids, who are vulnerable. Who cannot say, "Go to hell."

CONCLUSION

Q: What remains of NCH, two years after this acquisition? Or conversely, what is gone forever?

MC: What is gone forever is the soul of the New College of the Humanities as I knew it.

Dr. Monojit Chatterji is an established academic with an international profile. He is currently an Honorary Professor of Economics at Heriot Watt University and Emeritus Professor of Applied Economics, University of Dundee.

He is a Fellow and Director of Studies in Economics at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and previously held the same position at Trinity Hall and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He was also Professor of Economics at the New College of Humanities, London.

He has considerable public policy experience in the UK with the School Teachers Review Body, Welsh Remuneration Board and Speakers Committee for IPSA, as well as Chairing the National Joint Council of the Fire Service.

Dear Members of the Mills College Board of Trustees:

I am an economics professor at the University of Tulsa, and I read with interest the news coverage about Mills College and the financial challenges it has faced in recent years.

My research focus is on what causes colleges and universities to close; in doing so, my goal is to help institutions better understand the nature of their financial challenges and help them chart more secure, sustainable financial futures. My research is rooted in data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and examines not only individual institutions’ data, but also identifies peer institutions and compares their revenues, expenses, staff sizes, salaries, student outcomes, degree awards, etc.

Based on my analysis, contrary to previous news reporting, Mills College is actually well positioned compared to its peers when it comes to revenue. Rather, it faces a severe – but fixable – overspending problem. Here are a few highlights from my analysis: 

  • Mills enjoys higher-than-average revenue per student and a large endowment relative to its peers, meaning that it has a viable financial foundation.

  • Mills’ instructional value – calculated as dollars spent on instruction per dollar of tuition – is significantly higher than Northeastern University’s, meaning that students get more for their dollar at Mills than at Northeastern.

  • However, Mills significantly overspends on administrative and other non-instructional functions. If it brought these costs down just to average levels for comparable institutions, Mills could save $9.2 million per year.

I have created a dashboard for Mills College that summarizes these findings, which you can view online here: https://www.perspectivedatascience-mills.com/

I understand that you will soon be voting on a potential merger with Northeastern University. While I do not have sufficient information to evaluate that proposal, my research and analysis leads me to believe that Mills College can continue to operate sustainably as an independent institution if it so chooses. But, doing so will require robust leadership – and some very hard decisions – from the Trustees.

If I can be of any help in providing further analysis to help guide the debate and discussion about the future of Mills College, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Matthew D. Hendricks, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Department Chair of Economics
The University of Tulsa

Dear Member of the Mills College Board of Trustees,

I have been following recent developments regarding the uncertain future of Mills College, and I write today to urge you not to rush into an acquisition which will in all likelihood result in the College’s liquidation.  

As a former Professor and Program Director at Mills, I am well aware of the College’s strengths and weaknesses.  I experienced its dysfunctionality but also its brilliance and on balance, I think it is a treasure worth fighting to sustain. I make this assessment as someone who has experienced multiple elite educational institutions as both a student and a faculty member.  What Mills is able to provide to a highly diverse student population, including many who come from disadvantage, is nothing short of extraordinary.  Ensuring the success of privileged students being trained at an elite institution is a straightforward proposition; adding significant value to students who have not enjoyed the privilege, and in a resource-constrained environment like Mills is far harder, and far more worthy of support.

I am well aware of Mills’s financial challenges.  In my time at Mills, I was one of a chorus of voices calling for better financial stewardship, stronger support for fund-raising (with which I tried to help), and the articulation of a clear strategy, none of which was forthcoming.  As a result, the outlook has deteriorated.  That is not to say, however, that Mills faces the kind of fiscal emergency that would dictate the immediate liquidation of the school.  I might have been persuaded of the impossibility of sustaining the College if it were not for the obvious evidence of strong support from a dedicated group of alumnae and others who are working to save Mills.   When I read the Sustainable Mills Short-Term Stabilization Plan prepared by the Save Mills Coalition, I found a level of strategic thinking combined with a problem-solving orientation that has often been missing from the College’s administration, and I began to take heart that something could be done.  I was then quite surprised and disheartened to learn that the Board of Trustees was unwilling to give this plan any consideration.  

I urge you now to correct this error, to hear out and work with those who want to help the College to succeed.  Contrary to the claims of the administration, there has not been a coherent strategy to address the College’s revenue shortfalls, just a series of disconnected, ill-advised moves—none of which should have been expected to work.  The College needs stronger financial stewardship along with a sustainable strategy.  The latter must be centered on the provision of educational programming that appeals to a well-defined target market that includes both paying students and those needing assistance, who can be supported through an effective fund-raising campaign.  The Coalition’s Stabilization Plan reflects a realistic understanding of these needs.  The task is not impossible, the College is well worth saving, and liquidation is not the only option.  Please give more time and thought to the way forward, and be open to the ideas of those who want the College to thrive.

Sincerely,
Carol Chetkovich, Professor Emerita Public Policy Program

To: Mills College Board of Trustees
From: Roger Sparks
Re: Some thoughts about the Northeastern deal
Date: Aug. 31, 2021

The main message of this letter is that Mills faculty and staff deserve to be informed about the nature of the Northeastern University merger/acquisition of Mills College. Our careers, livelihoods, workloads, and academic freedoms are at stake. We should not be kept in the dark about the nature of an agreement that is coming up for a vote by the Mills Board of Trustees on September 3, 2021. Currently, we have much more information about an alternative plan proposed by the Save Mills coalition than we do about the Northeastern plan. (I’m happy to share the Save Mills plan with anyone who would like a copy.)

We do have some information, however, about a recent Northeastern approach to acquisition. A colleague who was at the New College of Humanities (NCH) in London states that its acquisition by Northeastern in 2019 was arranged quickly behind closed doors and resulted in a depleted, demoralized faculty. Many faculty members left, and those who remained were given increased teaching loads and renegotiated contracts. (This faculty member is in the process of writing a statement about his experience during and after the NU acquisition of New College of Humanities.)

So far, we have not been told much about the Northeastern-Mills deal. We’ve heard there is a “deal at a high level in the works.” (Provost Pat Hardaway, July 19, 2021, Faculty meeting.) We’ve been told that Northeastern wants to move very quickly. We’ve been informed that the Mills administration and Board are working hard to achieve the best possible deal for all Mills stakeholders. (President Beth Hillman at several Townhall meetings.) Behind this veil of statements, the Mills Board will vote in 3 days on an explicit agreement that is unseen by the Mills faculty and staff. Ethical, moral, and efficiency principles dictate that the deal itself should be constructed methodically with significant input from key stakeholders. Alas, this is not happening, and the transaction appears to be going ahead with great speed and lack of transparency, as was the case at NCH. My central argument is this: Since the faculty and staff have been kept in the dark and not allowed to participate in negotiations, it seems fitting that we, as stakeholders, should reserve the right to appeal and renegotiate any deal that is struck between the Mills and Northeastern administrations. That said, on to a couple of other remarks.

After reading a little about non-profit acquisitions over the last day, I can give you some insight into how these transactions are generally structured. If the acquisition is between two non-profit entities, it is usually not necessary for the acquiring nonprofit to pay anything for the assets. In other words, the transaction is a gift as long as the acquiring nonprofit takes on the credit liabilities of the acquired. Mills College has hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate and other real assets, (A back-of-the-envelope, conservative guess is that Mills has about $600 million (market value) in real assets) a valuable intangible asset of accreditation, and about $40 million in debt, so the transaction would involve a sizable gift from Mills to Northeastern.

I can only speculate about what will happen to the $206 million Mills endowment, post-acquisition, because the faculty and staff have not, to my knowledge, been told anything. My best guess is that the current Investment Committee of the Mills Board of Trustees will maintain control of the endowment and use it to fund the Mills Institute. This will enable the endowment’s current investment managers to continue earning substantial fees well into the future while having a much smaller obligation for annual payouts from the endowment. If all the Mills stakeholders can benefit similarly, then the deal will be a good one. Otherwise, we should renegotiate.

I urge the Board of Trustees to vote no on any agreement with Northeastern University until faculty and staff can be allowed to see and comment upon the agreement.

To: Mills College Trustees, AAMC Board of Governors, Mills Quarterly
Fr: Judith R. James, Class of 1974, Alumna Trustee, 2014-2017
Re: Letter in Support of AAMC President and Trustee Viji Nakka-Cammauf and the AAMC

For 148 years, since Fanny Rouse Carpenter (Class of 1873) penned the college hymn, “Fires of Wisdom,” Mills alumnae have been singing and propelled by this cherished song.  While, for some, this college hymn is simply associated with the “Mills tradition,” for far more than just a few, the words to the hymn have served as a heartfelt “call to arms” to Mills alumnae throughout the college’s various trials and tribulations over the years……including now.  

Following President Hillman’s March 2021 announcement regarding the closing of Mills College (as we knew it), the AAMC convened a follow-up Zoom meeting during which the alumnae insisted on singing “Fires of Wisdom.”  The words to the song that especially resonated were:

“WE HAIL THY FAITHFUL KEEPER, our alma mater Mills,

…our CHERISHED FOST’RING MOTHER, the Golden Gated Hills;

ALTHOUGH THE EARTH MAY TREMBLE, these halls will ring and fill, with VOICES FULL AND MIGHTY FOR GENERATIONS STILL . . . .”

SHALL GUARD THY FIRES FOREVER, “THY CHILDREN” hail thee, Mills;  Shall guard thy fires forever, they children hail thee, Mills…….”

The lawsuit was NOT launched by an irresponsible, insensitive AAMC who wished to harm Mills; the lawsuit was NOT launched by Viji Nakka-Cammauf.  The lawsuit was launched by the “children of the cherished fost’ring mother” who, for over 148 years, have vowed -- with voices full and mighty – although the earth may tremble, we shall guard thy fires forever!!!! 

While this missive is not intended to be a sentimental whitewash of the deeply regrettable discord and fall-out between the AAMC and the College, I write in acknowledgement and support of - what appears to be a much ignored consideration -  the real and pure motivation of the alumnae.    The “children of the cherished fost’ring mother” were simply begging for the preponderance of evidence that justified closing the college while also threatening to undermine their commitment to “guard the fire (of Mills College) forever.”

During my tenure as an Alumna Trustee (2014-2017), I was deeply heartened by the significant strides the AAMC made with Mills College in restoring the breach that had previously existed; a restoration that President DeCoudreaux initiated, fostered and supported.  Upon the arrival of President Hillman, seemingly, she too evidenced a genuine and active commitment to continuing and supporting a strong working relationship between the College and the AAMC.  I, along with Trustee and AAMC President Viji Nakka-Cammauf and the sitting Alumna Trustees, the AAMC Board of Governors and all AAMC members that I know personally, wholeheartedly embraced President Hillman and her leadership. After President DeCoudreaux’s departure, when the college was again experiencing a serious crisis threatening its ongoing survival and calling for an immediate financial exigency plan, the overwhelming sentiment was there could not have been a more perfect presidential incumbent to carry the college forward than Beth Hillman.  President Hillman’s relationships with Trustee Viji Nakka-Cammauf, the AAMC Board of Governors and alumnae were collegial, trustworthy, amicable and fully celebrated.  There appeared to be nothing Trustee and AAMC President Nakka-Cammauf and the AAMC leadership wouldn’t and didn’t do to support President Hillman and Mills College. Notably, on December 17, 2017, the AAMC approved a loan to Mills College for $2 million. When later requested to consider forgiving all or part of the loan, it was Trustee and AAMC President Nakka-Cammauf, on behalf of the AAMC, who established an Ad Hoc group positioned to consider giving part of it as a gift.   

During the fall of 2020, when President Hillman shared the news with the AAMC that the need for a financial exigency plan was imminent and there were discussions underway with UC Berkeley, again it was Trustee and AAMC President Nakka-Cammauf who immediately charged the existing AAMC Ad Hoc committee to establish a “phone tree” to ensure the lines of communication were fully open so that the alumnae would be informed (as much and as often as possible) regarding each decision point concerning the college’s future. In my capacity as a previous alumna trustee and member of the AAMC Ad Hoc and “Phone Tree” Committee, I appreciated and was impressed when President Hillman initiated one-on-one telephone conversations with me concerning, at that time, the preliminary discussions and proposed relationship with the UC Berkeley campus. Overall, the relationship between Mills College and the AAMC was excellent!!!  

Then, by early Spring (March) 2021 “something” drastically changed; and it was that “something” (NOT the lawsuit) that began to “sow seeds of confusion and divisiveness that were deeply detrimental to the bond and relationship” that had been cultivated, nurtured and enjoyed between the AAMC and Mills College.  What was that “something”????   Albeit, the need to honor confidentiality may have been justified for some segments of the Mills College community, prior to March 2021, Trustee and AAMC President Nakka-Cammauf, frequently spoke of the positive relationship and open and, as appropriate, confidential lines of communication she enjoyed with President Hillman and the college administration. Hence, it was immediately noticeable when the updates regarding the future of Mills that, historically, had been consistently provided to the AAMC leadership and Board of Governors, appeared to be selectively shared – even among the Trustees.   

As an alum and Alumna Trustee, my heart is deeply saddened that the dispute seemingly could only be adjudicated by a court of law. Viji Nakka-Cammauf expressed the same sentiment. I personally can’t help wondering what was the information that the college shared with the two additional Alumna Trustees, who subsequently withdrew from the lawsuit moments before it was filed. I can’t help wondering if the College had shared the same information with the AAMC, would that information have been sufficient to avert the need for a lawsuit.

The Trustee and AAMC President Nakka-Cammauf that I know is conciliatory, altruistic, reasonable and fair; as indicated above, she IS NOT a litigious minded person who is unreasonably prone to pursue a legal recourse to settle a dispute. However, “something happened” that undermined the wonderful lines of communication that once existed between the College and the AAMC.  

As a result of the outcry of concern and request for information from the alumnae regarding the future of Mills that the AAMC President felt the college had not equipped her to adequately quell; and, in an effort to be fully accountable to the Mills College alumnae body, a survey was immediately developed (between March 24-31, 2021) and sent to 12,000 Mills alumni to determine what “they” wanted to do regarding “that something” associated with President Hillman’s March 2021 announcement and the perceived vague and underrepresentation of information supporting the decision that Mills College would no longer be a degree granting institution.  The survey results, entitled “An AAMC Vision for the Future of Mills,” yielded a total of 1,158 responses.  An excerpt from the “Executive Summary” indicates: 

“The vast majority of respondents believe it is very important that Mills retain a mission ‘to foster women’s leadership and student success, advance gender and racial equity, and cultivate innovative pedagogy, research, and critical thinking,’ as President Hillman expressed it.

But only 16% agree with the idea, announced by the President, that Mills should become an institute that does not grant degrees.

Nearly 70% want Mills to remain a women’s liberal arts college, yet only 40% believe the current model can be made financially sustainable. 

 The majority believe major changes to programs or a relationship with another institution, will be necessary to make Mills viable.  Support is tepid, however, for Mills becoming a college within a larger university or a stand-alone institute . . . . . . “

Following the announcement regarding the Northeastern University alliance, once again, in an effort to be accountable and responsive to the Mills College alumnae body, a second survey (under Viji Nakka-Cammauf’s leadership) was developed to determine the “alumnae” position regarding the alliance and the proposed lawsuit.  

This time, because the AAMC did not have access to the college’s alumnae database, only 4500 alumnae could be surveyed to ask “if” there should be a lawsuit and “how much money to use for” the lawsuit. Of the 4500 alumnae surveyed, 755 responded and 76% of the respondents were in favor of the lawsuit and spending $1 million at least toward the lawsuit.  The alumnae were also asked if they would be willing to contribute funds: Sixty-three (63%) responded “Yes.”  Following is the actual text from the survey:

“If the lawsuit continues to trial, the total cost could be quite high – more than the AAMC currently has in its endowment.  The AAMC Board of Governors has approved $350K thus far on this lawsuit.  They need to know your opinion about going forward.  The AAMC has approximately $1 million readily available and $2 million in the form of a line-of-credit granted to the College.

The AAMC will be launching a fundraising campaign, ‘For Generations Still,’ to offset legal costs, improve the AAMC’s infrastructure so we are less dependent on the college’s systems, and augment staff.

The AAMC/Board of Governors should (the percentages below reflect the alumnae responses to the survey):

  • Spend as much as needed: 23.71% 

  • Reserve $1 million and spend the rest: 23.58% 

  • Spend $1 million and save the rest: 28.61% 

  • Stop spending it is too much: 14.17% 

  • Other: 9.93%”

In summary, the AAMC entered into and continues in litigation NOT because it desires to be, but because of an ongoing concern that the preponderance of evidence has not been replete.  It is important to note, however, whatever the outcome based on the forensic audit called for in the lawsuit, Trustee Nakka-Cammauf (on behalf of the AAMC) has established her full commitment to work with the College toward reconciliation, such that – once again -- the breach between the AAMC and the College can be healed and restored.

Judith R. James, Class of 1974
Alumna Trustee, 2014-2017

Dear Mills College Board of Trustees,

I am writing as an alumna of the class of 2003 to urge each Trustee to carefully reconsider their vote to pursue any partnership or acquisition by Northeastern University. While I realize that the financial outlook for Mills is not good, the track record of Northeastern of making big promises to small schools which it later completely absorbs and eliminates is not the future I wish for my alma mater.

While it has been clear for years that Mills needs to change, that change should be far more innovative than a standard merger to maintain our unique mission.

Like many alums, I was shocked by the behavior alleged in the AAMC’s legal complaint, particularly the allegation that the trustees never actually performed a roll call vote on the item to close Mills College before the closure was announced by President Hillman. This premature announcement of closure may have done irreparable harm to the college and certainly put Mills in a poorer negotiating position for potential partnerships. I ask the Trustees to vote no to an immediate deal and to give the dedicated community of Mills, including its alumnae, one year to rebuild the reputation of our school and to work with the Board to develop a true stabilization plan (which may include partnerships) that offers our legacy the respect that it deserves.

The alumnae of Mills deserve better than to be swallowed up by a former men’s college that did not even allow women to attend until 1943 – 91 years after Mills College. This is a sad ending to a historically women’s college and one that I believe can be avoided with your vote. While the alternatives may not be polished, those proposed thus far are not inconceivable either. And compared to what we will lose if we are absorbed by Northeastern, I am asking you to vote to give it one last try.

During the 2018-2019 academic year, Northeastern University handed out just two bachelor's degrees in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. Due to this, the school was ranked #1922 out of all colleges and universities that offer this degree. This is an increase of 100% over the previous year when 1 degree was handed out. [citation]

As for their commitment to social and racial justice, NU's enrollment is 5% Black, 8% Hispanic, 1% Native American and 16% Asian American. Out of 21,000 Northeastern Students, only 1,000 students identify as Black/African American. [citation]

While the climate for historically White Women’s colleges is decreasing, it is long past time that Mills reached out to her sister schools in historically Black university spaces to look forward to it’s future. Spelman College, a historically Black college, and a global leader in the education of Black women is a far closer fit with the Mills mission focused on empowering women of African descent in a deep commitment to positive social change. There is still time for Mills to make the same choice.

There is only one other historically women’s college on the west coast focused on deliberately under-resourced students. Especially in this cultural moment of awakening we need to be training powerful, independent thinking, well-rounded BIPOC and LGBTQIA leaders – a community no other west coast school is committed to serving in the way that Mills College can.

In April 2021, President Hillman claimed the reason Mills was unsustainable is that "we just don't have the donor base" to support the college. I believe this statement is rooted in sexism, racism, and classism. I also know it to be untrue. With the right support, I believe that the Trustees can make better decisions that will better impact the communities of Mills College than the one currently before you.

The Northeastern University Undergraduate tuition and fees add up to $10K more per year than Mills’ and with two other locations in the Bay Area offering only six degree options exclusively in computer science along with a few micro-credentials, it is hard to see what the extra tuition will buy our students. Mills uniquely serves students pushed to the margins of higher education, and what’s even more at stake is Mills as a liberal arts institution.  Mills College is desperately needed as we continue to grapple with inequity and need confident, thoughtful thinkers - not just career training- from Northeastern.

I believe that Mills College should be reimagined and thus continue to lead on issues related to equality for all, including women, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, as well as gender rights and LGBTQ+ equity. Mills College was founded in 1852 and has long served as a haven for those pushed to the margins of society and who fight for social justice: in 1969, student involvement in the Black Power movement led to the establishment of the College’s ethnic studies department. In 2014, Mills made history again when it became the first historically women’s college to explicitly include transgender people in its admissions policy, inspiring HWCs nationwide.

Mills offers top-notch academic programs and in 2021, is ranked #1 in the west by U.S. News & World Report for both undergraduate teaching and as best value.  Mills allows students access to smaller classes, access to faculty, a chance for each student to find their voice and exercise leadership.

Mills has a robust endowment with enough unrestricted funds to get us through the initial bank loan and short-term credit crisis and an active and international alumni including leading voices in social justice, education, public policy, STEM, human rights, and climate change. We have shown up, every day, for the past eight months as soon as we understood the depths of the crisis. We do not intend to abandon Mills now and I ask you to please, leverage our skills and talents to help solve the long-term problem of how to make Mills College profitable.

Mills College is an institution of people but also of ideas, a beacon of progressive thought that is needed now more than ever. And this legacy belongs to all of us.

For these reasons, I urge you to vote No on the acquisition by Northeastern University and to work with the community to reimagine Mills College in a way that respects the legacy we all have built.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Darcy Totten, Class of 2003

To: Mills Faculty

Among the many gifts I received from Mills was an education in critical thinking and reading critically. 

I'm an alum (American Studies, '00), a former employee (Admission, '04-'06), and a neighbor (Laurel District, 2012-ongoing). My partner, who I met at Mills, majored in French and Francophone Studies, went on to get an MFA in English and Creative Writing, and worked in the Library for nine years. 

So I'm very invested in what's happening there. 

Of course, as current staff and faculty, you might be even more invested. 

Please, let me pay back some of that education by briefly sharing what I've recently learned. 

I have spent months reading Mills' 990s; annual audits; accreditation documents; articles analyzing every attempt at financial stabilization; the FSP itself; President Hillman's April 2021 Town Hall Financial Snapshot; and anything else that might let me understand Mills' financial crisis.

The only conclusion I can draw is this: 

There is no crisis. 

Yes: Mills has run at a deficit, most years, for decades.

But the question isn't whether it has a balanced budget. It's whether the College is in such "dire financial circumstances" that if it does not agree to an as-yet-unspecified deal with Northeastern University, it will "close altogether."

I'll try to keep it short:

Please, fight this administration. There doesn't seem to be much future for our faculty in a Northeastern deal anyway.

Dani Stone, Class of 2000

Dear Board of Trustees,

Mills saved my life. I mean that literally.

I'm a junior at Mills. I initially came here because I wanted to experience many different viewpoints outside of my small Midwestern hometown. As much as I love where I was born, I didn't fit in there, and my soul ached for a place and a community who would truly understand me.

Thus, I took to fervent internet research my senior year of high school and found Mills. It was a huge gamble--I couldn't afford to fly out and visit before I enrolled, so I took the chance and saw the Mills campus for the first time on my very first day as a student.

This unique, strong, accepting community of women and non-binary people changed me to my bones. Where there once was shame in my heart for being gay and autistic, there is now pride. That's what Mills is--an antidote to shame for those on the fringes. A place where hesitancy is transformed into boldness and ignorance is turned into knowledge.

If Mills moves forward with the proposed Northeastern plan, it will no longer be Mills. We have forgotten our history and now act like there is no way out of a fiscal challenge besides resignation to a university that did not admit women until 1943! How is that in any way congruent with the spirit of Mills? We are not the first small, liberal arts college to face challenges. Look at Sweet Briar, look at Oberlin. Mills has so much to offer the community, and if we play our cards right with the immense alumni support, we can find a way to recover. I wish Mills had recruited more students in the Midwest, because I promise there are many who would like to attend this amazing school. I am only one person, but even I see one possible part of the solution reflected in my own life. There are other avenues for Mills. It doesn't have to be all or nothing: we can be creative and piece together the support we need to stay open. This drastic step with Northeastern isn't right.

I beg you to reconsider this decision. It would break my heart.

Respectfully,
Anonymous, Class of 2023

Dear colleagues,

As a former Board of Trustees member (2002-2011), I can imagine how difficult these months have been for you, and I really respect the amount of work that has been required of you and the emotional toll of the situation. I have followed what’s going on carefully from a distance, hoping very much that Mills can find a way to stay open and continue its crucial role. As some of you know, my family has supported the college over the decades, starting with my mother, Vera Long, who was an alumna and a board member for many years. We have been major donors to various buildings (Vera Long building, Mills Hall, the science building, etc.), endowed several chairs, and created scholarship funds. In the past we funneled all foundation money committed to women’s and girl’s education into Mills because we believed deeply in its mission. We were proud to support a school that was so excellently aligned with our values.

I’m sure you, and the administration too, have been working in good faith. Still, I urge you to stop and consider every option before you go ahead and vote to become absorbed into Northeastern University. Mills is too important an institution to let it die without doing everything possible to save it. I hope you have the strength and the courage to insist on taking more time to thoroughly investigate all options. Surely there are unanswered questions about why Mills is where it is today and possibilities yet to be explored for the future. It would be such a tragedy to prematurely close Mills.

Mills’ trustees in the past have made decisions that seemed right but were wrong for the college – I’m thinking here of the infamous vote to make Mills coed in 1990. After a period of unrest among the students and alumnae, the trustees had the integrity and courage to retract their decision. They were able to get beyond their defensiveness and realize that their decision, although rational, was not right for Mills. Good for them! 

My hope is that you and the Board act in line with this tradition and honor Mills by taking the time to carefully explore all options.

I send you my best regards,
Nan Gefen
Former Board of Trustee Member

Dear AAMC,

I am a Mills graduate and was commencement speaker for my class of 1981. I then served on the Board of Trustees when Mary Metz was President and Warren Hellman was Chair of the Board. I remember a few years later when Warren Hellman and the Board tried to turn the college coed and a sign on Hwy. 580 freeway proclaimed “Go to Hellman”.

Thus the news this spring that Mills would join Northeastern and become coed brought back the anger and fury I experienced then. You have no doubt heard all the financial arguments and rationale put forth by President Hillman, but I do not intend to support Mills College again if this plan to make Mills co-ed goes through.

Women’s colleges, of the 35 or so that remain, are vitally important to a woman’s higher education. The ability to speak out in class and not be dominated or interrupted by young males is essential and educates a stronger woman more focused on leadership and gender equality.

I plan to virtually attend the meeting scheduled for September 25, and I have pre-registered for it. I only wish there was a large sign on Hwy. 580 that shouted out “Go to Hell Hillman” to reactivate the intense anger and rage of yesteryear for all the women who see it.

Young women, whether they realize it or not, need a safe place that is dedicated to growing and educating them free from the constraints of males.

Diana Cohen, Class of 1981
Former Board of Trustee Member

Dear Members of the Mills College Board of Trustees:

My Mills College story is unique.  I am the son of Mills College faculty and staff (both retired from Mills after decades of service) and I lived on campus in Faculty Village from my infancy until I was married – in the Mills College chapel – to a member of the Mills College class of ‘92 who now sits on the AAMC Board of Governors.  My only time away was during my own college years at the University of the Pacific, made possible through the tuition exchange program from Mills.  I worked for the college for six years and I am now (with my wife) a major donor to Mills. My connections, both in longevity and complexity, are unusual and likely unmatched.

While others today mourn the potential loss of a college - their college - I grieve the loss of my hometown.  I learned to ride a bike, swim and drive a car on Mills’ campus and knew absolutely every inch of road by heart.  As with anyone’s small town childhood memories, I knew Willie the garbage man, Paul the security guard, Vern the steam engineer, etc. When I was older, my own sons played on campus as children when visiting their grandparents. The strong proud women of Mills College went from being my babysitters, to teachers and tutors, mentors, peers and friends, colleagues and coworkers, girlfriends (and wife) and most importantly treasured and dear friends well into adulthood. Those relationships and memories will never change and I'm grateful for it all.

Mills College had four presidents and countless trustees during my time living on campus.  Some of my first memories are playing croquet around the small pond in the garden at the President’s House during Robert Wert’s term.  From before I was fully able to understand what was being said for myself and then well into my adulthood, I know that the decisions made by the college’s leadership have not always been easy, nor have they always been popular.  I do believe however, that they were always explained.  Even in the case of the decision to go co-ed, which my wife and others fought against, the rationale and the facts behind the decision were presented.  Fortunately, in the end a different outcome was reached from those facts.

It is for this reason that, despite a five-decades long relationship with the college, I now find myself so profoundly troubled.  I believe the community is widely aware of the college’s troubles, financial and otherwise, but the March 17, 2021 announcement by President Hillman was an abrupt change of tone from any of her previous statements.  Just three months later the message abruptly changed again to a new “partnership” with Northeastern.  Now the college is saying in public court filings that the delay of a matter of mere weeks due to lawsuit, filed on behalf of trustees by the AAMC, is posing an imminent threat to the immediate future of the college (a future which President Hillman herself appeared to unequivocally seal with her March announcement that the college’s “role as a degree-granting college will end.”). Based on what?

Despite all of this, no concrete financials nor meaningful explanation of the rationale behind the decision to shutter Mills College has been shared with the community.  In fact, President Hillman and the college’s leadership continue to go to great lengths and even greater expense to keep those records hidden, even from college trustees who bear a legal fiduciary responsibility (to say nothing of the ethical responsibility) to be fully informed before making any decisions regarding the college’s future.  Inexplicably, there is a rush to vote on the Northeastern partnership before any of the relevant materials can see the light of day, including for those trustees voting on the matter.  The action to partner with Northeastern has become the issue of the day when, in truth, the conversation of whether any immediate partnership is necessary has never taken place.

Before my hometown, the institution to which my parents gave their careers and my wife’s alma mater is effectively sold for pennies on the dollar, I’d like to know why and if it was actually necessary.  And while my Mills story may be unique, my desire to understand the urgency of erasing a 169-year legacy is far from unique. 

I am concerned by a college president, whose sole responsibility is to steward the college’s future and assets, who is instead working single-mindedly to erase its future while squandering its assets on a legal fight to hide her reasoning and actions.  I am confused by the actions of trustees who don’t feel the need to know the full reasoning behind why they are being asked to close the very institution they serve to steward and protect. I am equally troubled when those same trustees don’t hold their own employee, Elizabeth Hillman, accountable when she publicly announces the closure of the college before they have voted to take that action.

Mills College has a strong legacy, a proud alumni community, a core of devoted donors, and a devoted staff and faculty, both past and present.  It, and they, deserve far better than this.  We all deserve far better than this.  We deserve better than to be fractured over the future of the college we all treasure.

But here we are. If at any point President Hillman or the college’s leadership had chosen a path or transparency and candor, the lawsuit filed by the AAMC on behalf of trustees would not have been necessary. 

The legal action does not exist to derail the Northeastern “partnership.”  It is public knowledge that it was filed before the partnership was ever announced.  It seeks to give all the trustees access to the information they should have always had before being asked to make a decision about the fate of Mills College and the time to review that information thoroughly.  Hopefully, if individual trustees take the opportunity to review these materials (and what reason could you justify for choosing otherwise?), you will, at the absolute least find that before making a final decision it would be wise to engage the community in an open dialogue. 

In the end, a partnership may be necessary.  In the end, Northeastern may be the best partner.  After 169 years, however, can’t we pause long enough to prudently discuss the matter before making those decisions?

Respectfully,
Alex Wright

Dear Trustees,

I am one of those relatively rare and privileged women, the third generation of women in my family educated at women's colleges. My grandmothers graduated from Smith College and Wells College, my mother is Susan Wheeler McLaren, BA '62 and I'm the Bent Twig, BA '87, MA '92.

I could go on and on extolling the reasons why women's colleges have been, and continue to be, relevant and often peerless. But one hopes that you, as trustees of one such institution, are already well versed yourselves.

Do you think that heritage will be preserved in a merger with Northeastern? More importantly, do you think the contribution to society that Mills College has made over the past 169 years will be best continued as a satellite campus of a large East Coast university?

The reasons why Mills College needs to continue as a degree granting institution with a unique mission reflecting her history as a women's college can be summed in one word: Texas.

Remember who you are and what you represent.

Sincerely,
Sandra McLaren Wright, MSN, RN, CNL, Class of 1987 and MA 1992

Dear Board of Trustees,

As of this writing, you have some 80-odd letters urging you to vote No on a merger with Northeastern University. Those in favor have written you 6. Let this chasm weigh on your mind. Why would so many with ties to our school take the time to write you asking to reverse course? Could all 80 of those individuals be somehow misguided? Perhaps, but doesn’t it then seem worth considering their compulsion? Is this stockpile of letters mere nostalgia in action? No one would go through all this trouble for nostalgia alone.

I am writing you too today to ask you to vote No on the merger with Northeastern University. Knowing the school's financial struggles, it seems like an answer to all of the issues we face, but as trustees, you have not seen all of the information. Why would you agree to vote on something so consequential without examining the situation thoroughly? I suppose you must feel like you have. I suspect, however, that your familiarity with the problem has convinced you it cannot be solved – at least not without the merger. I am asking you to step out of that paradigm. You say Mills will shut down in November, March – which is it – if this deal is not signed yesterday, but honestly, if Northeastern wants in on Mills that badly, they will wait the 60 days or however many days needed.

Recognize your power in this situation: you have the power to release the documents; you have the power to make the lawsuit go away. And if it turns out that merging with Northeastern is the way to go, then you can get there knowing ALL parties made the decision based on ALL the available information. Recognize that no one who cares about the future of Mills, who you feel have been tormenting you, are the monsters you think they are. The true monster is secrecy.

Even if Dr. Nakka-Cammauf is given the requested documents today, she will not have enough time to review them completely, which you all should do. I am troubled by learning that through filings, the college has continued to interfere in this matter. Please stop. Last-minute filings only prolong the lawsuit, which you express a desire to end quickly. Let us all help you save Mills, vote No on the merger.

Thank you for your time,

M. Claes, Class of 2017

Dear Mills Board of Trustees,

No one wants to engage in lawsuits, but the importance of making the best decisions for all stake- holders in the future of Mills College is too important to rush through the decision you are about to make with your vote for Mills College to merge with Northeastern U.

There are many visionaries and financial experts who can solve the financial issues and craft the kind of future Mills deserves. Please allow transparency for these stake-holders and experts including the Mills Alumni Association to examine the documents and info about the real financial situation of Mills College. Please stay open to ideas and potential for Mills beyond the limited vision of a quick financial fix to financial deficits.

Northeastern University is not aligned in the least with the educational mission and vision of Mills College. Mills has always been a brilliant women's liberal arts college with legendary artists and faculties known the world over. To sell out to an engineering, corporate internship driven university is unthinkable.

Now, more than ever, we need the beacon that is Mills College to shine brightly for liberal arts education for women. As the Dalai Lama states, the sustainable future of our world belongs in the hands of women leaders. And Mills has always created and empowered the kind of women leaders the world needs.

Please consider that the people who got us into this financial situation and perpetuated it for so many years, are not necessarily the people to get us out of this situation. If the current Board of Trustees does not have the best ideas, please stay open to others who do. Mills alums are incredibly well connected and many have the vision and energy to provide brilliant solutions.

Please take your time, don't panic, provide transparency with information, and keep open minded. We all want to align with you, the BOT and all who love Mills. The most important thing is to stay grounded in who we are and what we represent in our mission to educate empowered women leaders for our world and for our sustainable future.

Blessings to each of you,
Anonymous, Class of 1970

To Each Member of the Board of Trustees,

I am writing to you as a 1962 graduate of Mills College, and one who has donated to the college regularly over the years—until now. The college is now being ransacked of its assets by an administration who appears not to know its value to past, present and future graduates.

Tomorrow you will be asked to vote for the future of Mills College, one of America’s outstanding institutions of higher learning. President Hillman and Northeastern are in a rush to turn over the College, and neither has been honest and clear about why the hurry, nor honest and clear about the circumstances which would compel the immediate closure of the College. I am appalled at the College's lack of cooperation with the Judicial Court when ordered to share information. Northeastern stands to get expensive real estate, art treasures, historical documents, and more, and Northeastern's record of the almost immediate “death” of other colleges they have procured has been horrifying. Hillman and the administration would have jobs in the new “institution”. This outstanding bastion of higher learning, creativity, music, art, and history will be gone, and the faculty, students, and alumnae will be the losers.
Your responsibility as Trustees is to maintain Mills as that independent, liberal arts, degree-granting college that we now have,

The very fact that President Hillman’s announcement on March 17 was a shock to all those concerned (faculty, students, staff, alumnae, donors, and more), revealing the deception which had been ongoing about the College’s financial status, and the lack of any viable plan, should make you hesitate to make a decision at this time.
Beth Hillman has not attempted a fund-raising campaign, nor apparently has she approached philanthropic sources for help. If anything, Alumnae have been discouraged by her vacuous emails and editorials in the Quarterly, emphasizing nothing much except her desire for an “institution." Her uncertainty about Mill’s future has kept donors from sending money to help the financial crisis, and I am one of those.

IT IS CLEAR THAT HILLMAN IS NOT CAPABLE OF KEEPING MILLS AS THE FINE COLLEGE IT IS, EVEN WITH ITS SUBSTANTIAL ENDOWMENT AND AVAILABLE SOURCES OF INCOME.

IT IS TIME TO CLEAR THE ADMINISTRATIVE SLATE AND GET A PRESIDENT AND COMPETETENT ADVISERS WHO ARE HONEST, CLEAR ABOUT THEIR GOALS AND PLANS, WHO WILL WORK WITH THE ALUMNAE TO CREATE A WAY TO KEEP THE COLLEGE INDEPENDENT.

Outside financial experts tell us that Mills is capable of remaining an outstanding, independent liberal arts college, if the Board of Trustees chooses. For example, take a look at the Save Mills Coalition, "Mills College Short-Term Stabilization Plan". Vote AGAINST the disastrous Northeastern merger.

MILLS WOMEN KNOW THAT WORKING TOGETHER, WE CAN WORK WONDERS.

YOU hold our future in your hands.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Laura McKeon Scholtz, Class of 1962

Dear Members of the Mills College Board of Trustees,

I support the AAMC lawsuit.  The lack of transparency from President Hillman has been disappointing and appalling. It would be best if she stepped down. The amount of disinformation given to the Alumni has been shocking and is not the kind of leadership I would like to see at Mills. I believe the merger with Northeastern University is mistake and will mean a permanent end to Mills College. From recent reports, Northeastern University has a shady history at best and proven to be untrustworthy.

I understand the financial challenges. However, I do not believe that they are insurmountable. Ideally, it would be wonderful to keep Mills as a Woman’s College.  However, even though I was a “striker," I completely support Mills opening up and becoming co-ed. Mills is a diamond in an old fashioned setting that needs to be reset into something more modern. Curriculum could be redesigned for current needs and Mills could be made into a more attractive option for prospective students.  

Currently, I am an educational advocate who is heavily involved in the making of literacy laws in Virginia.  As of now, there are not many options for students who need “out of the box" colleges. I am seeing that we need more colleges focused on those populations who thrive with low student to teacher ratio, project based learning, that have a career driven, hands on relevant approach to education .  WE need more accessible places for students of learning disabilities, such as Dyslexia and high functioning Autism. WE need more safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ and people of color communities. I believe that Mills College could remake itself into something even more amazing. Please consider putting in the time and effort to make that happen.  

Thank you for your time,
Melinda (Whittle) Mansfield, Class of 1992

In January of 1998, I stepped out of the rear driver's side door of a rented car on the west side of The Oval, Mills Hall in front of me, to take my first breath of that signature eucalyptus and salt-water air, and instantly know that this would be amongst the greatest influences of all my remaining days. Mills College would not only become my educator and my haven, in the years that followed and all the years since, she would become my heart.

Though decades have passed since I last sat in her classrooms, the lessons I learned at Mills - from her professors to her ethos, from her campus to her impact in her community, from her naive fresh-people to her exemplary alumnae/i - have grown with me every day since. I can say with certainty and pride that my self worth, my decision making, my exceedingly-sophisticated-meets-utterly-frivolous aesthetics, my social presence, my activism, my own ethos, and, maybe most importantly, my parenting of two young racially/ethnically/religiously-mixed boys can trace roots to those lessons. I am #MillsMade.

To see Mills College, California’s first Historically Women’s College and the nation’s first to welcome trans and non-binary students, facing demise at the hands of her Board of Trustees through a process devoid of transparency and accountability is devastating to me and all Mills siblings; but it is even more so for those of her missing future.

So on behalf of the Save Mills College Coalition, I urge you to consider the value of Mills College as an independent degree-granting entity for all California. Any proposal before you regarding the future of Mills College will result in an incalculable loss to the community and to the country as one of the only schools in the nation serving 58% LGBTQ+ students, over 65% students of color, and 44% first generation students, as well as being a Hispanic Serving Institution.  This is who we are and what we represent.

Instead, we ask that you release ALL relevant financial documentation and involve ALL of us who share a love for Mills and her historic mission - one of her greatest resources - as you consider ways that might support an independent and degree granting Mills College. We are asking you to help Mills students, present and future, get the education they deserve, the type of education only Mills can provide.  Be remembered as those who stepped up and helped preserve a unique incubator of diverse leadership. Please vote against any measure that would support the closure of Mills College. Our 169-year old legacy cannot end with you.  Mills is worth saving.

Heba Kamel, Class of 2002

Dear Board of Trustees,

I am writing to ask for your No vote on the merger with Northeastern.  I think we as a community need more time to work together to determine the best path forward.

My favorite Mills Quote is from Hettie Belle Ege, ‘Remember who you are and what you represent!”  As a Mills Board of Trustee member, you represent a diverse population and unique legacy, no easy task.  While Northeastern is an excellent school, it is a very different school than Mills, and I am not convinced they are able to truly understand and represent the Mills legacy of diversity of thought.

I appreciate the enormous challenge you face making these decisions for Mills and the future of Mills through dynamic and polarizing times.  I am thankful for the hours you’ve spent and the challenging conversations that you’ve engaged in along the way.

You have the ability to unite vs divide us and to lead (with) us through this challenge, working with the whole of the Mills Community in all its diversity to achieve a path that provides for a Mills legacy that represents inclusion of thought, respect for differing points of view and inquiry.  This requires strength, and humility, which I know this community has at it’s very core.  It is a huge challenge to live up to, and yet for what better purpose do you or any of us serve?

It takes being able to speak the truth and let that truth shine through, it takes transparency.  While that is easier said than done, it is an aspiration I believe we all are striving for because we all respect and admire each other.  Our goal is not to divide the Mills Community into separate camps based on our own self interest (board of trustee interests, alum interests, faculty interests, student interests) but rather to unite us behind a common set of values that lead us forward so we are united behind the interests of the future of Mills College.  That can be done in a respectful manner, in sharing information to help create common understanding, vs creating an atmosphere of ‘we know what we know, and trust us, we know what’s best for the college’.  We do trust you and we ask that you in turn trust us.  Trust us to be able to share information and discuss difficult issues together and be able to coalesce around a common vision that we as a community can get behind and move forward.  These are difficult times, and yet also the perfect time for us to unite around our common vision.  

I understand the frustration of doing all you can for what you believe is best for the college, and I hope in turn you understand that the process has left the community out of the conversation and there is a need to build trust across our community.  We should be able to love and support each other through these times, vs divide and splinter into factions. This is the antithesis of what the promise of the Mills Community offers.  

If we truly articulate the future of Mills and hold that vision as our guide, we, as a community, through tough conversations, will be able to move forward together.  Help us do that, love us through it, help build the coalition of the Mills Community based on truth, togetherness, shared governance, honesty.  It truly is better dead than a shell of its historic self.

I know it isn’t easy, it is hard, but I beseech you to work with alums,  faculty, staff, students and on behalf of Mills’ future.

We don’t need to take Mills backwards, let’s lead her forwards.  

Thank you for your consideration, time and dedication to the college.

Karlin Sorenson, Class of 1992

Dear Board of Trustees,

I am an alum who was a first-generation college graduate in 1996, coming from a family whose yearly income was 1/3 of the Mills yearly tuition. Going to Mills was life-changing for me, but not because I received a college degree. The real gift of Mills was being in an environment where women were expected to be smart, were expected and actively encouraged to participate, and were given a clear view of the impact of cis men in educational and employment settings through their absence in our educational setting. Mills supported me in seeing the world as it is, by giving me a chance to step a little outside of full-throttle, invisibilized patriarchy and sexism, so that every time I encounter that systemic and interpersonal violence now, I can see it clearly for what it is and respond with power and clarity.

For me, anything less than Mills being a women-centered undergraduate institution is the end of Mills. I don't care if it's a different liberal arts college, and I really don't care if it becomes some tech-centered "gender inclusive" (aka, business as usual) satellite campus for Northeastern. For me, those options are the death of Mills and the end of my own sense of affiliation with Mills. It's the subsuming of the Mills mission by patriarchal capitalism.

I feel deeply disturbed by the way this year has gone: the announcement of the end of the college before it was actually voted on, the lack of financial transparency from the college in relationship to the lawsuit, the steamrolling of this Northeastern deal without transparency about what the deal actually includes--all of it has left me feeling at odds with this institution that I've loved so dearly for the past 25 years.

I would love for the leadership to find a real way to maintain Mills as a women-centered undergraduate institution, and it does not seem to me like there's been a full community effort, nor a full-fledged investigation including third-party consultations, to make that happen. The letter from the Tulsa University economics professor I read yesterday suggests that, for instance, MIlls is paying many millions of dollars more every year toward administrative costs than other colleges of equivalent size; that feels worth investigating before you make your vote. As do the full financials that haven't been revealed by the college as requested in the lawsuit. To that end, I completely resonate and stand by the letter sent to you by alum Darcy Totten, and I am also asking you to vote no on the acquisition and closure of Mills College.

But if it's your belief and your vote to end Mills as a women/nonbinary person-centered undergraduate college, then I implore you to consider more creative, healing, meaningful alternatives than the Northeastern "deal." Namely, rather than letting Northeastern have our beautiful campus and extremely valuable land for a mission that has nothing to do with ours, I'm hoping you will consider returning the Mills campus back to the Ohlone people. Susan and Cyrus Mills did good by creating an educational center for women, but they also did harm as white people "buying" stolen land. While I would mourn the end of Mills, wow would I celebrate the returning of this land to the Ohlone people. Perhaps that would leave room for a Mills Institute for Social Justice and Reparations, or something to the equivalent. That would leave a legacy for us that is so glorious, of which I would be so proud to be a part of, of which I would so love to contribute to if welcomed.

You have a chance to think bigger than just "how can I keep Mills a college that makes money, even if it has nothing to do with the Mills mission?" but instead "How can I transition Mills to something even better?" A landback initiative would allow Mills to keep making history, as we did when we were the first women's college to admit trans and nonbinary students. Giving Mills back to the Ohlone people would be truly in keeping with the social justice values of Mills College. Mills @ Northeastern is sure to not only end Mills but leave us without anything to be proud of about Mills. There's a better way here, and I hope you'll consider it.

Sincerely,
Angela Watrous, Class of 1996

Dear Mills College Board of Trustees,

I'm a proud Mills graduate from the class of 2003 and I write to let you know that Mills College changed my life.

My mother always impressed upon me the importance of an education and for her, a woman who wasn't allowed to continue her's beyond the 6th grade, it was clear that her daughters would. She made sure I got to Mills and that I didn't turn back when I realized I'd be almost 400 miles from home.

Mills, in turn, made sure I became a woman with an intellect and a voice. It shaped me into a woman with courage, even when doubt crowds my thoughts, and compassion, in spite of anger that boils. I failed and celebrated triumphs at Mills.

I made friendships that mean so much to me and I learned from incredible professors who inspire me, still.

Mills College is transformational and empowering, which is why I ask you to slow the merger process, be transparent, and work with us the alumni of Mills. We deeply love Mills and will work with you to find the way through this financial challenge. We ask you to see how much we value this incredible institution of higher learning for women and recognize our commitment to its success.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Gomez, Class of 2003

To the Trustees of Mills College:

I write to you again, to ask you to partner with all constituent groups to save Mills College. I ask that you hold off on taking a vote that will continue to dismantle Mills in its current form – or a vote that would permit an acquisition by Northeastern University or any other institution. For well over a year, the Mills community has asked for transparency and collaboration from you. The future I envision, is one where the entire Mills community comes together in a spirit of trust and devotion to a common goal – to truly save Mills.

We are not the enemy. Alumnae, faculty, staff, students, former Mills employees and the greater Oakland community have demonstrated our resolve and commitment to saving the college. Yet, we continue to be shut down, shut out and managed. What might things look like if instead, you worked to establish trust and truly partnered with us on strengthening our 170-year-old college?

My concerns continue to be the same that I have shared in my previous letters to you. I am especially concerned about the pace of your decision making and the composition of those who are ultimately making the decisions. Why are faculty not involved in the negotiations with Northeastern? Why has the college refused to engage in the collective bargaining process with the staff union this summer as planned, effectively leaving them without a contract? Why has the college ignored the request for effects bargaining from the adjunct union, when decisions made by the college are adversely impacting the terms of their employment? Why has the college publicly berated alumnae, while simultaneously asked for donations? Why has the college refused to provide the AAMC and our Alumna Trustees with the documents they requested? Why have Mills students been kept in the dark?

Every single member of the Mills community deserves timely and comprehensive answers to these questions. Alumnae have risen to meet each request the board has made. The AAMC loaned the college $2 million. Alums prepared statements for your earlier listening sessions. Several alum groups rapidly provided plans and recorded presentations to the board with alternative options, within a five-day window and without any information provided from the college. We have provided support to faculty and to students. We have and continue to be ardent supporters. Yet, each time, we have been met with public disdain. We have been accused of being the problem.

The problem, as I see it, is a lack of courage. Thus far, very few have had the courage to stand up for Mills and say – we were wrong. The decisions made by the Board of Trustees over the past two administrations led to this moment. Thus far, the college administration and board have sown the seeds of division among us. Rather than having the courage to say, we need to take a different path and yes, let’s partner with all stakeholders to solve this problem, alums have been shut out and told we are the problem. Where is the ardent commitment to the Mills College charter? The continued narrative that women’s colleges are obsolete, when our peer institutions are thriving, illustrates group think. Dare I say it, but you all are too close to the problem to see your way out.

We have failed Mills because we have failed to solidify around a common purpose and goal. We have failed Mills because we continue to battle each other, rather than battling the problem. We continue to fail Mills because trust has been broken. And when trust is broken in the leadership of the college, it makes it doubly difficult to resolve this financial situation. I have personally engaged with many alumnae and friends of the college this past year. Repeatedly, I have heard the same – We would give “IF” we trusted the current administration and board. We would give “IF” we knew what was really happening at Mills. We would give “IF” we had been approached before March 17. We would give “IF” the Mills board would recommit to being an historically women’s college/independent college, rather than settling for an institute or an acquisition. We would give, “IF”…

We have missed opportunities to engage other women’s college alumnae. We have missed opportunities to stand behind what Mills is and can become. Instead, we have shied away from who we are and what we represent. And as a result, support that would have come has not materialized. Because you do not believe Mills is able to be saved. A Mills education is relevant and needed in this world and in this moment in history.

I am committed to supporting efforts to save Mills College. Unfortunately, because of the board’s departure away from Cyrus and Susan Mills intentions and the college’s current welcoming admission policy and its independence as a degree-granting college, I cannot give as I had planned to Mills directly. Instead, I have chosen to give generously to groups that are fighting to save Mills. Should there be a change and a recommitment to Mills by the Board, and if needed, a change in board leadership and the administration, I will recommit to giving more generously than I have ever done. I am not the only one who will do so.

Mills College is worth saving. I hope you will see that alums have been working tirelessly for Mills. I’ve been doing so, not out of some kind of nostalgia for my own Mills experience (or that of my 3 other family members who preceded me in attending Mills). No – I have been working to save Mills for the current students, faculty and staff that make up the lifeblood of the campus today. What would it take for the college to partner with us and other stakeholders, rather than see us as the enemies?

Sincerely,
Jennifer Gallison, Class of 1997

I want and understand that Mills College will change. Please let’s make sure that the changes don’t leave women’s education behind. An institute is not enough. The classroom environment, for a large number of people on our campus, with mostly women is significant in California! We need this now and can find a way to make it work. Please don’t vote for any merger. The announcement has awoken the resources. Let’s engage before any more permanent damage is done.

Thank you,
Nadine Dixon, Class of 2007, MPP 2011

Dear Viji,

As I learn about the continued effort you are making, my heart feels like I wish I could offer you more than my sincere thanks. I stand behind you, 100%. As an alum of 2010 and 2019, and hopefully 2022, I am lockstep behind you. Please keep fighting for the Mills we love. I will keep amplifying and uplifting everyone in my prayers. Let’s keep Mills, Mills.

Tiffany Simons Schaefer, Early Childhood Educator at-large, Class of 2010 & 2019

Mills Board of Trustees,

I am one of the alums that committed to donating more to save Mills over the next 4 years.  In finding out Mills as recently reaccredited including a financial assessment I feel duped.  The mixed messages and lack of transparency is both disappointing and disrespectful.  I just returned from Massachusetts where we moved our youngest into their dorm at Hampshire College which has had similar challenges in enrollment as Mills.  The comparison in communication, engagement between each college and the students and families is stark and makes it clear that there is much to be learned from Hampshire in rebuilding a strong Mills community.

As an Alumni and a parent of a current student I want a change in leadership.  My trust has been lost. I would rather see the endowment be used to attempt a true rebuilding of Mills (I am supportive of co-ed) to define themselves as a unique environment to educate students and develop future leaders.  If, in 5, 10, 15 years this endowment cannot sustain the organization, donate the remainder to an organization such as Half the sky.   What I have read recently have raised too many questions that I do not trust the current path and will not be a proud alumni.  It leaves me apathetic and skeptical.

Sadly,
Thomlyn Binnett

Dear Trustees of Mills College,

Many years ago now General Colin Powell rose up in support of the goal of invading Iraq.  He created a climate of fear in order to motivate the American people to support the Bush administration’s plan to invade that country, saying that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.  It was an outright lie, but the deed was done, and off we went to war.

In the past week, the current president of Mills College has created a similar climate of fear in order to scare the faculty into supporting the Northeastern University merger.  "Merge or we will close the college and sell off the assets!" was the message.

Because of this administration’s utter lack of transparency, and its refusal to share important financial documents with you, the decision makers, we cannot know the truth of her statement.  I write to you today to ask that you not blindly decide the fate of the college until the Mills administration furnishes all financial documents openly and transparently to all interested parties.

Robert Miller, Oakland, CA

Dear Viji,

President Hillman’s recent letter absolutely misrepresents the Alumnae who have been calling for change that would allow Mills College to continue as an undergraduate focused degree granting university instead of the President’s unilateral and drastic closure of Mills and now the proposed absorption / land grab by Northeastern. I am offended by the President and Board of Trustee’s marginalization and mischaracterization of the loyal and financially supportive Alumnae.

I support the lawsuit and as an AAMC constituent, I am asking all members of the Board of Governors to support you and Tara and the lawsuit. The lawsuit is the only way you, as a Mills College Board of Trustees member can get the information you need to carry out your fiduciary duty to the college. The fact that you do not have the information you have requested about the true state of Mills College finances from the Mills College President and the executive committee of the Board of Trustees is unacceptable.
Also— why are Deb and Adrienne still on the AAMC Board of Governors if they have withdrawn from the lawsuit? Since they no longer support transparency and the receipt of information that is needed to discharge their fiduciary duty, they need to resign or be removed. We need competent women in the BOG / Board of Trustee positions who support transparency.

Thank you for your tenacity in pursuing the truth and transparency and your dedicated representation of the Mills College Alumnae.

Sincerely,

Laurel Burden, Class of 1968

Dear Board of Trustee Members,

I am writing to request that you vote against the merger with Northeastern.

I share the same concerns as many other Mills Alumna. However, my primary concern is the lack of transparency regarding Mills financial predicament and the rapid decline beginning in 2021 that led to a rash decision to merge with Northeastern. My second concern is that a hasty decision leads to a less than desirable result for the greater whole. My third concern is that Mills will cease to exist in a way that honors the work we have all done to ensure that women have a voice, a seat at the table, equal rights and equal pay. I have read nothing that assures me Northeastern even acknowledges Mills vision and mission.

The mission of Mills has been clear to me since I graduated in 1993. I implore you to honor the commitment you made when you agreed to take on the role of Trustee to strategically and fiscally manage the business of Mills so that future generations of women and those who identify as women have the opportunity to learn in a non-patriarchal environment without misogyny.

Thank you for your consideration.

Amy Claire Bodine, Class of 1993

Dear Mills College Trustees:

I urge the Board of Trustees to vote No on any agreement with Northeastern until faculty, staff, and alumnae can be allowed to see and comment upon the agreement.

The faculty, staff, and alumnae of Mills deserve better than to be given away to a former men’s college in a fire-sale/hostile takeover. This is the saddest outcome to a historic women’s college imaginable. It’s your responsibility to stand by the Mills mission, not guarantee its demise.

NU’s reputation in liberal arts, social justice, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA education is abhorrent. A Northeastern take-over, as their other acquisitions have shown, will be the end of the Mills mission, faculty and staff positions, and our alumnae heritage. In other words, it’s the end of Mills.

The immensely valuable asset of the Mills campus will cease to serve its intended mission. Mills in a post-Northeastern takeover will lose all connection and meaning with the community that holds it dear, no longer serving its intended purpose. If the lights are kept on at all costs, only to no longer serve their purpose, are the lights really still on? By attempting to "save" Mills with a Northwestern takeover you are dooming the Mills institution. Do you what to be responsible for "lights out" for all the communities that are uniquely served by Mills?

If you are going to give up on the Mills community, legacy, and mission, it would be better to implement alternative solutions for the institution and land altogether that still serve the mission. A “yes” vote means all Mills' history and legacy will end. If you’re going to end it, there are surely better alternatives than giving it away to Northeastern. They have not proven themselves worthy.

You have choices if you choose to stop and reevaluate. You don’t have to make this decision alone like Northeastern and others are pressuring you to believe. You have untapped resources you’re excluding from the most important discussion in the history of Mills; faculty, staff, and alumnae. I implore you to start being transparent with all parties today! Otherwise, the Board of Trustees is itself guilty of a hostile takeover.

If you give Mills away to these vulture capitalists, there will be nothing left of Mills to save. I urge you to vote No on the acquisition by Northeastern and to work with faculty, staff, and alumnae to reimagine Mills in a way that maintains the Mills legacy. Any form of Mills with its legacy still intact is better than the current alternative.

In closing, I support the AAMC lawsuit. It seems to be the only possible failsafe to stop this closed-door takeover and enforce basic transparency with faculty, staff, and alumnae.

Sincerely,
Anonymous, Class of 2007, MBA 2008

Dear Board of Trustees,

I am in favor of the lawsuit and give my full support to Dr.Nakka-Cammauf. The Board of Trustees are acting shamefully. It is possible to reimagine a Mills that supports it's faculty, students, and Alumnae.

It's obvious that this rushed Northeastern merger has not been thought out completely and we will all suffer greatly if we do not immediately change course and reconsider such ill informed actions.

My heart breaks that the board of trustees does not value for our precious college.

Mills is worth fighting for-thank you for standing up for us all Dr.Nakka-Cammauf!

Best,
Anonymous, Class of 2012

Dear Honored Trustees,

There are moments in our lives when our decisions really matter. This is one of those moments.

This vote you are about to take will affect thousands of Alumnae, current Mills students, Faculty and Staff. By deciding to become a Trustee, you have chosen to step into a leadership role with tremendous responsibility. This vote on whether to merge Mills with Northeastern will have a huge long-term impact. I urge you to consider deeply the potential consequences of your vote.

Recently,thanks to the Alumna Association, an independent audit of Mills Colleges was conducted and it was determined that Mills College was financially solvent. Therefore, there is no financial justification for Mills to merge with any other institution.

All the "proposals" so far including "making Mills an Institution", merging Mills with UC Berkeley, and merging Mills with Northeastern all achieve the same objective- surrendering the sovereign independence of Mills College to another entity. All institutions are self-serving and UC Berkeley and Northeastern are no different. Each of these institutions will be seeking to benefit financially from Mills by either laying off staff and faculty, cannibalizing programs and departments or selling off Mill's valuable real estate to the highest bidder. You can vote to merge and give away Mills' sovereign independence, but you can never vote to get it back again.

Please, fulfill your solemn duty as a Trustee of Mills college and VOTE NO on the merger with NORTHEASTERN.

Sincerely,
Majken Talbot, Class of 1993

Dear Trustees,

In 1959 I flew out to Mills from Buffalo, New York, site unseen, because I would be able to take studio art as a freshwoman and all four years. The fine arts and the fine arts faculty have consistently been very strong. The facilities are excellent with major construction and rehabilitation of the Art Gallery and other construction in the Art Department, Littlefield Music Hall, and Lisser Hall in recent years. I would hope that Northeastern U. is interested in Mills because they have no strength in these areas (Art, Dance, Music, Creative Writing). Mills has had a long history of supporting the arts, including rescuing Artists from Europe, in the late 1930’s for summer school for several years. Some of these artists included Max Beckman, Leger and the Budapest Quartet.

The lack of transparency regarding how much Mills needs has shut out the alumnae and the greater community that has supported Mills over the generations. Comments such as the 135 acres of the campus are worth an amount under $300,000 in California is untrue. I am sad that the BoT executive committee had chosen to exclude the entire Mills Community (Faculty,Staff, Students, Alumnae and families) from needs and plans. We could have helped if there had been some open communication; we have helped in the past.

This announcement on March 17, 2021 about closing the college and rushing to make changes in under six months is certainly NOT the choice I would have chosen, when there were a number of possibilities for the future of Mills and protecting the faculty, staff and our areas of great strength.

Sincerely,
Nangee (Nancy-Gene) Warner Morrison, Class of 1963

Esteemed Board of Trustees:

Regardless of how you have voted in the past, this is your one and only chance to save our beloved Mills College. Please vote no on the merger/sale.

We know that Mills can be saved thanks to the information provided by our forensic accountant, our actual numbers, and the research done by our sustainable Mills team. We will work with you.

The Mills College admissions office that has become Mills Next be the rebirth of Susan Mills dream for women’s education.

Please fulfill your fiduciary duty to preserve and support our college. We voted you into your positions with faith and trust. Please remember
That once this is done, this incredible, magical,
Transformative place will be gone forever.

Sincerely,
Priya Kanuga, Class of 1993

Mills was my second women's college after I attended Northampton, MA 's Smith College for two years. Mills brought an academic rigor which surpassed Smith and the Mills professors really cared about my student and alumna success! Mills deserves to be valued at the high monetary level with Mt. Holyoke College and Smith. Students can be recruited near and far now like they were when I attended in the Class of 1980!

The Mills current President devalued Mills by publicly giving up before letting us alumnae know there was a problem! I live locally and am Treasurer of our club, and I heard nothing. The Board Executive Committee needs to work with our AAMC top people. The Mills alumnae have tremendous access to important assets and ongoing financial support.

Please work with the AAMC in good faith,
Carol Leland Zischke, Class of 1980, MBA 2005

Dear Mills College Trustees:

I write to urge you to search your hearts, remember who you are and who you represent, and stop the rush into an ill-defined merger/acquisition agreement with Northeastern University which will destroy Mills College as an independent college focused on the education of women and gender non-binary students. The last five acquisitions pursued and completed by Northeastern University resulted in the acquired campus disappearing after little more than a couple of years, with significant loss of faculty and degree programs. The experience of the New College of the Humanities in London is simply the latest example. The promise of “Mills at Northeastern University” is illusory and temporary. A merger vote is permanent and signals the end of the college.

I am not unmindful of the College's significant and persistent financial challenges. However, they are not insurmountable. The College retains significant assets, beyond the restricted endowment, that are significantly undervalued in the College's financial paperwork, but could help to stabilize the College in this moment, enable it to meet its obligations and provide time to consider a community wide re-visioning process that put the College on a sustainable path into the future.

The Save Mills College Coalition presented a detailed short and longer term financial stabilization strategy to you in May, focused on fundraising, recruitment and redesign of academic programs . I urge you to review and reconsider it now. Hundreds of alumnae, students, staff and faculty stand ready to work to strengthen Mills for future generations. The jewel that is Mills, which has been a leader in higher education for 169 years, and today educates a population that is two-thirds students of color and more than 40% first generation students deserves that.

You have options. There is more than one alternative available for Mills' future. Praying for each of you in your discernment and for the future of our beloved college.

Sincerely,
Rev. Sophia DeWitt, Class of 1996

I support the lawsuit and transparency and oppose the proposed, unexplained "deal" with Northeastern U. I am an alum, class of '64, daughter of an alum, class of '38 and niece of an alum, class of '30. Mills has been a family tradition and an essential molder of the liberal arts background that propelled each of us forward in life and our professions guided by humanitarian values and social conscience. None of us would sell out with a blind faith that Hillman is on the right path here.

Ann Rubenstein, Class of 1964

To the Board of Trustees,

I write to support a vote of “No” to the Northeastern merger with our Mills College. As a young girl in Pakistan I was ecstatic to receive my offer letter from Mills College back in April 1988 to start my journey in higher education. To say that Mills empowered me with the tools to engage and learn and the support system they provided would be an understatement. Today Mills has ample assets and the means to not just survive but thrive yet we have been blindsided with announcements out of the blue and assertions of Northeastern or else… The facts are that this alliance or “sale” to NU is murky and foretells of dark days ahead given knowledge of their previous takeovers.

Sadly the current leadership has failed and the AAMC led by Viji are now forced to pick up the pieces and turn the college around. The faculty passed a vote of no confidence in the administration this year after the announcement that Mills was on it’s last legs.

Make an educated decision and vote No.

Vote NO to the NU merger. All is not as it seems.

As Maya Angelou said, “ My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

Ferhiz Dinshaw, Class of 1992

Dear Board of Trustees, 

As I mourn the news of my friend going into hospice care due to terminal cancer and work long hours on campaigns to reduce fentanyl overdoses and a COVID surge in my county, I am compelled to carve out what little time I have to write this letter, asking you to vote "no" on the Northeastern merger.

I had already written to all of you before and shared my background: as a Korean-American, I attended Mills as an undergraduate from 1988-1992. I'll never forget driving onto the campus as a prospective student. The eucalyptus scent and the way the light filtered through the trees, not to mention the brilliant students and professors, all convinced me in 24 hours that I was meant to leave Texas and move to Oakland. I knew the moment I drove onto the campus that this would become my home for four years. As a student with a full academic load and part-time jobs, I also served as an ASMC Executive Board officer for two years, served on the Dean of Students search committee, assisted with recruitment, participated in a film internship that launched my career in the entertainment industry, and last, but not least, I was a Striker.  

Last spring, President Hillman delivered the shocking news that Mills would no longer confer degrees. This news came almost 12 months to the day after she shared with the Class of 1992 that she wanted to involve alumnae and the local community in pursuing innovative ways to preserve Mills as a historically women's college and strengthen its financial health. The about-face in twelve months, along with incomplete or vague information about an institute, only created distrust among the alumni, faculty, and students.

As is typical with Mills alums (especially many of those from the Strike classes) and students, everyone mobilized and worked endless hours to form coalitions to save Mills and protect its students, faculty, and alumni. Though you may not have agreed with the ideas or methods from the Save Mills Coalition or the UC Mills group, of which I am a member, you cannot deny the determination, passion, and knowledge our worldwide alumni possess and have brought to the table in a short time during a pandemic. Sadly, no one tapped into this dynamic and gifted Mills alumni network to help conduct feasibility studies on the financial health and stability of the college or ideas and proposals to prevent this scenario from happening in the first place.  

To make matters worse, we understand that faculty and students have also been omitted from early discussions and continue to not receive answers about their future.

Based on the research many alumni have done on Northeastern, we have no confidence that the Mills we love will be preserved. Such a weighty and consequential decision should’ve taken place after all stakeholders could research the financials and assets as well as pursued other avenues to preserve Mills’ 170-year legacy. There are too many red flags that a merger with Northeastern only benefits them and not Mills.

The thought of Northeastern extinguishing the light and spirit of Mills is beyond heartbreaking, especially as we have witnessed the swift regression of all that women and people of color have fought for decades to achieve.

Mills gave me and every single student I knew the confidence to break through glass ceilings, passion to advocate for the marginalized, hearts to empathize with those less fortunate than ourselves, the joy of being lifelong learners, and boldness to demand justice for those who receive none. There is no place like Mills--for generations, it has provided a place for marginalized communities and first-generation college students like me. The Mills student body has richly benefited from non-traditionally aged students and a diverse student population that better reflects both California and the evolving demographic of our country.

Our alumni are more than willing to address the current challenges facing Mills College. You have the opportunity — and the obligation — to give us a seat at the table and to utilize the resources we can all bring to it. I implore you to vote NO on a merger with Northeastern University and allow everyone (alumni, faculty, students, staff) to study the financials and exhaust every opportunity to keep Mills for generations still. 

I am praying for and appealing to the entire board, especially our alumna trustees, to “remember who you are, and what you represent.” 

Thank you,
Sonja Piper Dosti, Class of 1992

Mills Trustees:

Your September 3rd vote to determine the future of Mills College, based on your actions to date, may be a foregone conclusion. But I choose to believe that as individuals, and as a body, you can yet perform a miracle: uphold good governance, table any vote on any alliance with Northeastern University, and commit to deliberate fully and fairly all viable options to secure the future of Mills College.

Will history show that on September 3rd you fulfilled your fiduciary obligations in good faith?

When I served as Mills chaplain, a sign on my office door affirmed, Grace Happens. Yours is now the vote: will grace, Mills College at your hands enduring even as it evolves, happen?

Maud Steyaert, ‘88
Trustee Scholar '84-'88
Recent Graduate Trustee '91-'94
Chaplain '01-'05

Dear Board,

Thank you for your time and your service on behalf of Mills College. The past several years have been difficult, for you, for the College, and for the whole world, quite frankly. I can see how throwing in the towel seems like the best option, when you are exhausted, when you have used all the tools in your tool box, and you just don't see a way forward. You are right, you and this beautiful legacy of institution that you have been privileged with shepherding in the world, are at an impasse, and the situation has become urgent. I can see how handing over the college to another entity, such as Northeastern, would be an appealing choice for you. But there is another option beyond this false choice of shutter close or be absorbed. If you really can not imagine a future in which this Historic Women's College, located in the BIPOC lead city of Oakland, across the Bay from Queer Castro, a few miles down the road from the global capital of Science - Business- and Technology that is Silicon Valley, in the State of California which is the 5th largest economy in the world, is strong, vibrant, and healthy- then it is time for you to step aside. Let the people who see this future as not simply possible, but obvious and overdue, lead the way.

Hannah Bluhm, Class of 2000

To the Board of Trustees:

As a fellow Mills Alumna, I urge you not to let Northeastern University absorb Mills College. If you move forward with this action, what does that say about women’s colleges’ representation in the United States? By negotiating a deal with Northeastern, Mills College will become yet another statistic of a small liberal women’s college being absorbed and disappearing into the shadows of a much larger university. For the past five months, the Mills College community; especially the Alumni, have had questions about the school’s future, financial obstacles and many other things.

Three years ago, I visited Mills College for the very first time; I applied for graduate school and was in amazement of the campuses’ beauty and close knit community atmosphere. A year later, I was accepted into Mills College with the Lokey School of Business and Public Policy Graduate school. These past two years at Mills College have not only equipped me with the skills and knowledge to become a civically engaged leader and changemaker but has also challenged me to become a better version of myself, both in my personal and professional life. The colleagues, friends and educators I have developed meaningful relationships with have become a huge part of my life by being a part of this community.

Along with many students and alumni, Mills College is not just a school but has become a second home and safe space for women, LGBTQ and gender non-comforming and people of color communities on this campus. By taking this away, you are letting the students, staff and alumni of the College down. The legacy of Mills College shall not disappear into the shadows of a larger university, such as Northeastern. We may not be perfect, not even by a little bit, but Mills College has always been about change and innovation. Negotiating with Northeastern University is not the right decision or move to make. We want Mills College to exist for future generations to come.

Mills College would not be what it is today if it was not for our educators who invest in their student’s success. We put Mills educators’ on a pedestal because of how enlightening and dedicated they are to see their students grow. There is no college or university out there in the world like Mills College. If the Board of Trustees goes through with this deal, many students, staff and alums will be disheartened by the decision you make. We will not concede to Mills College closing and want the Board of Trustees to resign from your position. We need leaders who believe Mills College has a future and will resolve its financial predicaments.

Sincerely, 
Chalyna Lazo, MPP Class of 2021

Dear Trustees,

I appreciate your service on the Board of Trustees for Mills and recognize that you are facing a difficult and historic decision on September 3rd. Mills College has been so invaluable in my life that I must try my best to persuade you not to vote it out of existence. I most strongly urge you to allow time for a reimagining of Mills future that does not include being absorbed by Northeastern or transitioning to a non-degree granting institute.

The liberal arts education I received at Mills truly liberated my mind and broadened my horizons in ways that have greatly influenced the rest of my life. For example, Dr. Charles Larsen inspired me to want a Ph.D and his example informed my years of university teaching. Dr. Baki Kasapligil inspired my life-long interest in trees and botany. Dr. Alfred Neumeyer's art history classes influenced and enhanced my European travels. Current students have similar praises for more recent fields of study and faculty.

Mills alumnae have been taught to ask critical questions and to expect and to insist on answers. Alumnae and students have a history of questioning decisions of the Trustees in order to save our beloved college. For this reason, I am deeply disturbed by the response of President Hillman and a group of the Trustees to concerns raised by Alumna Trustees and the AAMC about the lack of evidence for ending the college as a degree-granting college for women. The militant opposition to transparency--even court-ordered transparency--is very worrying. If there is nothing to hide, why is there hiding? Do the disordered and disorganized boxes of materials provided as a result of a court order reflect deliberate obfuscation or incompetence and muddled thinking? Or all three?

Mills has always faced financial deficits yet it has survived and continued its crucial mission to educate women. A recent financial analysis concludes that existing problems are not insurmountable. In March 2021 we were told that Mills had earned its highest financial rating of the last five years and that alumnae giving had set a new record! Mills has been reaccredited and is at the high end on the spectrum of solid financial institutions. Can you see why we question the need for the decision to end Mills?

Most recently, we are being sold a merger with Northeastern University Please do not be deceived. NU is not coming to "rescue" Mills; but to gobble it up--as their history with other acquisitions proves. A business-merger expert wrote recently "In a merger there is only the 'swallower' and the 'swallowee.'" President Hillman scolds the AAMC and alumnae for "wanting no change" and threatens that Mills assets will have to be sold. THE PROPOSED MERGER JUST GIVES MILLS AWAY. What is known indicates that this is a bad deal financially as well as morally. It reeks of incompetent financial planning and leadership. Mills College will cease to exist. I beg you to oppose it.

Where is the evidence that such irreversible, irrevocable decisions are necessary at this time? Why wasn't a "Do or Die" fundraising campaign launched first? Why has the faculty voted No Confidence. Why the fait accompli announcement? Why are Mills assets so undervalued? Why now? Nothing about this adds up. Is the problem overall incompetence or something more nefarious? Why is there such belligerent opposition to questions and requests for information? Why the consent agenda ploy? Is "groupthink" involved here?

Perhaps many of you are so tired of the fight to survive, that giving up seems the only option. If so, please step aside. There are other options that should be explored and that will lead to a more successful future for Mills College. I am pleading with you to provide the time and opportunity for a reimagination of Mills future. Don't let killing Mills be your legacy. Don't give Mills away. Help us preserve Mills for future generations. Please. Oppose the Merger.

Respectfully,
Dorotha Myers Bradley Ph.D., Class of 1961

Second letter sent to the Board of Trustees:

Please don't let your eagerness to win versus the AAMC overcome your otherwise better judgement. I know how easy it is to get caught up in a fight in which you see yourselves as righteous and correct and the opposition as selfish,misguided, harmful and wrong. I am certain you are convinced you have Mills' best interests in mind. You have asked that alumnae look at the facts and stand with you. What facts? Where can I find them? I would give a lot to know what alternatives you have studied, what exact reasons are driving you to take such a drastic decision at this time, and why you are so comfortable leaping from creating an institute to merging with a university of the calibre of Northeastern so hurriedly. Why are you so persuaded that this is the only sustainable option?

Most importantly, why are you so opposed to giving alumnae one year to see if we can preserve Mills?

I am not your enemy. I love Mills. I am proud to be an alumna. I need to understand how you think ending Mills as an independent, degree-granting college for women after 170 years will "continue its legacy." It won't; it can't. Don't deceive yourselves about this.

Please don't sell us out to Northeastern. Please just give us a chance to keep Mills alive.

Dorotha Bradley Ph.D., Class of 1961

Dear Trustees:

From the moment I set foot on campus as a prospective student in 1988, I knew Mills was the only place I wanted to spend my college years.  It became my first, last, and only choice.  Those of you who are alumnae may have had a similar experience.   Mills is magical like that.   

Call it magic, charm, or just plain awesomeness – Mills is a unique and special place.  It’s a liberal arts college in a world of research and career training institutions.  It serves a racially and ethnically diverse student population reflective of the Oakland community and California at large. It’s a college with class sizes much smaller than the average, allowing students genuine access to their professors.  And, Mills offers a safer environment for LGBTQ+ students to live and explore their sexual orientation and gender expression – and prepares them to better advocate for themselves and others out in the world.

We have been told that Mills and Northeastern have comparable missions and values. However, there appears to be little evidence of this.  Aside from providing higher education and sitting in major urban areas, they really don’t have much in common.  It’s unclear how Mills fits in with a large, international research university with a heavy career and technical focus.  It’s unclear how a merger (or acquisition) of Mills by Northeastern would be beneficial for Mills’ students, staff, or faculty.  Frankly, the Mills community deserves better.  

It’s also unclear whether this extreme move is necessary.  In Spring 2020, WUCSC reaffirmed Mills’ accreditation for eight years.  One of the criteria for accreditation is financial stability and “resources sufficient to ensure long-term viability.”  Just one year later, on March 17, 2021, the College announced its intention to stop conferring degrees.  The question must be asked: what happened in the course of just one year?  How did Mills go from stability and long-term viability to financial crisis?  I encourage all Trustees to dig into these questions until the answers are fully revealed.

I believe the world needs a college like Mills.  I believe that the Board of Trustees can do better by students, staff, and faculty, and I believe there are still options to be explored outside of a merger with Northeastern.  I urge you to suspend negotiations with Northeastern while a thorough feasibility study is conducted.  In the end, Mills probably won’t look like it does now.  However, I’m certain that there are ways to retain the Mills Magic.

Please vote no to a merger with Northeastern University.  

Sincerely,
Jennifer Moxley, Class of 1993

Dear President Hillman and Board of Trustees,

I am writing to you today to vote against the Mills/Northeastern University deal on Friday, September 3, 2021. I remember the day when I was accepted into Mills College. My mom and I jumped with joy as I read the acceptance letter and how I was awarded the Provost Scholarship. Attending Mills was one of the top five experiences in my life. I felt so safe at Mills and my knowledge in various topics grew just as my identity did. I majored in Biology and loved the faculty I worked and studied under. Attending Mills helped me focus on what I wanted in a career. And I am where I am today because of it.

It's been a long road since the time of graduation in 2013. I've gone through intense job hunting, getting my M.S., and taken on multiple seasonal field work positions that offered little to no pay with no benefits in sight (a common trend for many Biologists). Regardless of my financial situation, I have donated money to Mills every year since graduation. I did so because I believed in Mills and cherished my time there and I wanted someone else to experience what I did.

When I heard Mills was going to shut down I was heartbroken. Then as time progressed I found it ridiculous how quickly its leaders were trying to sell off the school and not give the many dedicated alums a chance to save it. Certainly, we could have had a warning that the school would close without an intense amount of funding and energy. But no. Things quickly progressed from "we're closing" to "maybe we can join UC Berkeley" to "let's vote on a deal with Northeastern".

It's not that I'm %100 against a merger with anyone but the transparency and speed of this transaction makes me against it unless we have a better idea of what that looks like. I don't want a co-ed campus. I want to know about ALL the finances behind it. Which professors/programs are going to be laid off. And how can Northeastern merge with Mills and still keep Mills relatively the same? I would feel differently if Mills leaders were actively working with alums to find alternative solutions but every step of the way has been contentious. And it didn't have to be and it doesn't have to be in the future. We could still work together to save Mills. When in Mills history has so many alums come together to save it?

I'm not sure if any of you are reading this but I sincerely hope you think about the impact you will be making with your vote. Honestly, if there is a merger with Northeastern, and Mills is not what it was before, then I cannot in good conscience donate any more money to Mills College because it wouldn't be Mills anymore.

Thank you for your time and understanding,

Anonymous, Class of 2013

Dear Mills College Board of Trustees,

I came from Nova High School which is a small alternative school in Seattle, WA. Around 70% of our students were LGBTQ+. It was a place where many of us got second chances. Most of us couldn’t thrive in a school setting where it just felt like we were another cog in the machine. Going to a small school where teachers made time for our needs is what made the difference between leaving with a diploma or just giving up. I couldn’t imagine myself going back to a big school. A tight-knit community was the support I needed as a student. Getting accepted into Mills College was a dream come true. I’m worried that if we merge I will be forced to give up on my dreams to continue learning in a small uplifting community. 

To hear that we were going to “merge” with Northeastern was heartbreaking. Would we be able to keep the culture that I originally came here for? Just like my old high school, we have a pantry and donation center where students could take what they need. Professors could work with us one on one, remember our names, and actually see if we were struggling.

Colleges have started to stray from being a sacred learning safe space and making room for mega cooperation agendas. I heard about the co-op program Northeastern has with Silicon Valley internships from Kieran Turan. Community learning will start to turn into competition. individualistic agenda will cloud learning and growth when we’re forced to all do things one way. Equity is meeting people where they are at. Mills college has been a place where minority students are uplifted. I’m so worried about this merge as a freshmen. We need colleges like Mills where it is like a second chance. We enjoy learning and getting our degrees. Most of us just couldn’t thrive at a bigger school. I urge you to vote No on the acquisition by Northeastern University. Thank you for your time and careful consideration. 

Respectfully,
Anonymous

Dear Board of Trustees,

I am sad I need to write another letter. I am so hopeful that Mills can survive, but I am super concerned that the vote on September 3 rd will irrevocably change Mills and not for the better.

Honestly, I would love for Mills to stay a Women’s College that creates a community that encourages and grows smart, strong, savvy, socially conscious women, particularly women of color, but I do understand that the financial stresses make it necessary for Mills to do some serious redirection, but I think that we should take a little more time to make that decision.

Less than a year ago as a member of the Board of Governors, I was not given any indication that closure was imminent, then just like the rest of the community I was blindsided by the e-mail that we were closing, UC Berkley students moving on campus, starting an institute, and now being acquired by Northeastern University, Wow that is a lot to digest in 5 months.

The biggest concern is that all four of the alumnae trustees reported that they did not know what they were voting for and that they did not receive all the relevant information needed to make a decision and were denied it when they asked for more information and clarification.

The Board of Trustees cannot go back but they can move forward with transparency and accuracy so if a collaboration with another institution happens, it will be a well thought out comprehensive plan. Moving forward with Northeastern without completely exploring other options as well as the Northeastern option would be a disservice to the entire community (students, faculty, and alumni, even the Board of Trustees).

Please consider voting no to the acquisition by Northeastern. If these two institutions are meant to come together it will still happen even if it occurs in a year.

Sincerely,

Pamela L. Roper MD, Class of 1992
Member of the AAMC Board of Governors

For people who lead:

Was Mills College the most accessible campus I've ever been on? Certainly not. Did it have a culture of ableism in certain groups of its student body--revoltingly, yes. Is this common in places all over in this country? Yes, so not surprising if not emotionally destructive. Would this lead you to believe I'd want to have this school to pay for this injustice? Likely. Do I want this? Of course not. Why? I doubt you will read all this, but I need to know I tried. You need to know my story to understand, and then we shall go from there.

I wanted to attend Mills College from the moment I held an old catalogue about it in the career center of Beyer High School in Modesto, California. Me, the goth kid, a student almost sent to continuation school, who was in detention for ditching routinely, reading books about philosophy and political theory. Me hanging out in my high school's library career center after taking vocational classes and finishing a semester's worth of assignments in two weeks. Me being in adapted P.E. just passing time. Me who needed help with math and couldn't find any until my senior year, when if I didn't pass geometry essentials I wouldn't graduate. K-12 failed me in ways best left in the past, and in my senior year when I held that catalogue in my hand I lamented that I'd never be able to attend with the dismal grades this former straight A student had destroyed their life with. I went to trade school and obtained a CAMTC license (knowledge I use to help manage my disabilities in conjunction with mainstream medicine now), I went to Modesto Junior College and was recruited into the Honors program and spoke at Stanford during a community college honors research symposium. I volunteered and became politically active. It took years, and suddenly, building bears at the mall, I realized I could apply to my dream school.

At that time life fell apart again, destroyed by a horrendously painful deteriorating spine. Again. This spine had caused me grief since I was nine years old. My spine resembles Wolverine's from the X-men, and like him I still feel pain during and after I heal. I had another back surgery my first semester at Mills. One that ended up not fixing the problem and added to more years of pain until another spinal fusion during my MA thesis. Backtracking, the RA in Warren Olney and folks in the SASS and housing departments ensured my Mother could stay with me during recovery for a few days. Friends checked on me, peers let me know what was up in classes I was forced to miss. A group of us with different disabilities became friends. I joined the adapted swimming class at the pool. I watched the moon phases lying on my back on the stage at the Greek Theatre with a friend, always having deep and weird conversations. We laughed about cereal days at the cafeteria. I adored FOLD and cherished Professors and their knowledge. I despaired during lay-offs. Living at Mills helped me continue to meet students different than myself, which enriched me more than any catalogue advertisement could've hoped to do. I found communities to belong to on Mills campus in the midst of a resurgence of immense bodily pain. My heart breaks knowing that resumers, students with disabilities, queer students, working class students, immigrant students, may have little room or no room to share in any plans you may have with Northeastern. Please, allow me to elaborate, for time has taught me much even if I don't have any fancy charts to point to. I will be my authentic self with you and not be anyone but a storyteller who desires to always learn from experiences and hopefully make use of what has been learned to best of my ability.

It is no secret that there is preferential treatment for STEM in academia. Stats are not all that matters when it comes to achieving results though, are they? Bear with me, for this last bit of academic background cements my viewpoint so you know fully where I am coming from, and why. After completing an MA at an activist driven Prescott College, writing up elective courses up for approval and conduct disability justice research, the inkling of how crucial social structures are weigh heavy upon my conscience. I believe learning from people should ideally never stop if someone is able, and the last year and a half in Gonzaga's Doctoral Program of Leadership Studies peers have continued to teach me much. Peers occupying varying roles from many different organizations with many experiences and stories to tell. All the organizational and leadership issues they encounter prove in their diverse areas of expertise thus far indicate that only focusing on stats and not getting to know people in departments or field offices, relying too heavily on procedural functioning as if we are robots is a mistake. Leadership theories and practices are diverse. STEM is important, but you need a balance between all sorts of disciplines to even hope to reach a singular possible solution, let alone many.

That's my story, much of my identity. What happened to your identity, Mills? BoT? Where is this story leading? Where has the creative problem solving been that you taught us? Where is your activism BoT? Is it activism complicit in short-term sale deals that allow unloading of a burdensome project that you don't have the will to stick through? Are you going to abandon a vision just because it's become troublesome for you? If I did that, I never would've made it to Mills. If many students, faculty, and alumnx had done that, none of us would've gone very far.

We have another epidemic going on that affects all, but some more so. It is an epidemic found in leadership nationally, where the demand for trust without tending to relationships and equity leads to dysfunction, only frustrated further when some leaders turn around en masse or alone and act as if it is sacrilege to question plans whether that is the intent or not. It is how that action is received. What the results are. It is not insubordination to demand accountability. It is arrogance for any party given stewardship to believe that you alone are the boss of something that you have forgotten was entrusted to you by a diverse group of people and organizations from both the past and the present. Both living and long past.

Forget the mission, what is the vision BoT? They both matter, but many current leadership practices are nothing more than glorified management practices. That leads to organizations who rely on a mission statement as something to state you are about as a sales pitch or a series of legal protections, something to point to in order to prop up a singular career, a small team, or a department on its own--but being disabled I am more than aware of how empty such words can be. Such words are empty without a vision. Mission has become corrupted as definition, and in my humble opinion, a vision describes a situation like what has been facing Mills much better. It is not a matter of semantics, a vision is something you work towards even when you cannot account for all variables or see where the path may lead you. It admits weakness, it requires different people and groups to work as a whole, to offer various insights, to maintain relationships and routes to success--the opposite of what I am reading and hearing has happened from a number of fronts. Not that I can tell much from all the way here in Las Vegas, Nevada.

However, after what I witnessed from 2015-2017, it is clear that there is a series of social contracts which have been betrayed over many years. You cannot recoup reliable social capital within communities so easily, can you? There were weird red flags those few years alone. From the regular M center chaos and enlisting a worker in SASS with worrisome credentials in ABA therapy, to the Professors you let go, and people I knew who enrolled thinking you still had a particular major only to matriculate and find out it had been cut. I have heard that when people offer help fundraise or do outreach, to support and grow the Mills community, they were told all is well, and then were hit with a brick to the face when they received news to the contrary. This happened when I was living at Mills, albeit in a rather odd way. It was when people offered to do an on-campus graveyard cleanup. We had almost no tools to do so, and what little we were lent by the school for what we cleared, well that yardwork debris was left on the tarp for weeks. Those were supposed to be picked up. Why is this? People even followed up. Crickets. I wanted this to be a regular thing because I take the dead as seriously as I value the living, but I lacked the physical strength continue cleanup, and it was disheartening and demoralizing for the whole group who wanted to serve. To contribute.

You see, I want my gut to be wrong. I want to believe that the state of affairs was news to you, too. However, I don't see how that's possible. Not with how strict accounting can be in the state of California--then again my home state I have since been priced out of is notorious for slush funds (California lotto keeping public schools funded as a selling point in the 1980s, anyone?). Sadly, none of this is new to me. Or to any of us. This is how organizations in our society function. Short-term planning for high yield sales. In such a case, success is only about who you know, not about the authenticity of who you are.

That's all you have become. If you object, prove to me otherwise. Are you telling me, with all the wealthy networks folks are connected to, that not a single person can help you? You, when you are possibly making a deal to prop up STEM to the point of potentially abandoning the arts and humanities, and with murmurs of silicon valley partnerships on the horizon? That means there is money, but with strings attached, and none of those strings offers a commitment I believe in for the communities you are supposed to serve. If these rumors are true, then you have sold out a historic "women's" institution that is supposed to work towards creating a more equitable world for BIPOC, LGBTIQA+, resumer, disabled, immigrant, and working-class populations into the hands of folks who will not welcome diversity despite whatever pledges they make, whatever mission statements they have. While, for example, philosophy majors are by no means the picture of diversity, STEM still has its own inequities to sort out. A buyout built upon such a string filled foundation is not a way to build trust in that.

There is no upward mobility to be found when the door vanishes. In my shoes, if you knock on--pound upon a door when you literally can't stand on your own two feet sometimes...and no one comes to open it...what then? What if you are alone and never find community? In my particular case, you'd stay upon the ground. Feeling lost. Stranded until someone comes along. If they do. Who are you leaving behind with whatever decision you make? How can you justify leaving that door locked, or open as a crack like a security chain to peek in and see if they meet muster to be let into a club?

Live with that. Dream about it. Have nightmares about it. You're not as powerful as I thought you were if you can't scrounge up deals within your networks to make "things work." You have social capital someone like me will likely never possess. I wish you would yield it properly. Instead of a hammer to dash hopes, you could have used it to build a bigger house.

I'll leave you with a hot take. I know we need to let go of Latin being a go to for a myriad of reasons, but:

Una distinatio viae diversae (One Destination, Many Paths) is not an invitation for anyone to dictate towards a singular destination as being "good enough" while narrowing the path at the same time, it's about taking diverse experiential knowledge with you, and unknowable experiential knowledge from people unlike yourself traveling alongside you, simultaneously, sometimes at different paces, on the path to the destination. To widen the path. The path's destination being the ideal of creating a more equitable world. Many experiences and academic disciplines are needed in order to work towards this.

What path does Mills College ceasing to exist lead us? What would UC Mills look like? What would a leadership institute look like? What would the deal with UCB have looked like? What will the deal with Northeastern look like? What will Mills look like when it's knocked down and forgotten? When it's nothing but a forgotten cemetery of hopes, with an icy heart, and a coffin containing potential social mobility. Gathering leaves. Strangled by overgrowth that could have been prevented by years of proper tending. Empty lots rebuilt to some other form of gentrification whether ideological or physical where there is no place for the communities you abandoned. An erasure. A closure. An ending.

Of course, I'd want Mills to be as it was, but better.

If you wield any power at all be the creative problem solvers I know you have the ability to be! Widen the path! Accept help! Be authentic! Be visionary!

Serve instead of dictate, is what I'd like to say...but it's too late for that I guess.

I don't want to believe that I'm witnessing the antithesis of good leadership. At this moment in time, that is what it appears to be. The antithesis of leadership and to everything people worked towards.

Please prove otherwise. Do it now.

Wholeheartedly,
Sasha (Kelly) Dailey, Class of 2017

To the Board of Trustees at Mills College,

I strongly urge you all to vote NO to any negotiations with Northeastern University. Firstly, because their "mission" is not nearly as aligned with Mills' mission as much as they like to say it is. Plenty of other letters have detailed why.

Secondly, because, instead of seeking diplomatic solutions and fostering good-faith community relations with all stakeholders, the College's media relations team would prefer to lob accusations and counter-complaints against the very organization that has, until recently, worked with the College, donated to it, and also generously provided a 2 million dollar line of credit. The accusation that we alums do not want the College to change in any way is hurtful, because it is NOT factually correct - I have reason to believe the majority of alums would be willing to work with Mills to do whatever is required to help keep it sustainable... IF Mills would actually provide good-faith, actionable data, instead of histrionics and/or junk pictures of flowers.

Third and lastly, I urge you all to vote NO because Mills College is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation, which are all overseen by the Attorney General, who must approve any changes to a nonprofit's business model. If Mills' financial straights were truly as dire as President Hillman has purported them to be, then contacting the AG should have been the FIRST step, not the last. The last thing anyone wants is for whatever negotiations with potential partners to be rendered worthless if the AG rejects it outright.

For the above reasons, as well as the apparent lack of care and good-faith information that needed to be provided a long time ago to ALL stakeholders, I support the lawsuit AAMC is bringing against Mills. It should have been a wake-up call, but instead it has revealed how duplicitous and potentially unhinged the administration has become.

There's a right way and a wrong way to enact meaningful, sustainable change; steam-rolling unilateral decisions without measured consideration of alternatives, and then paying thousands of dollars to PR consultants to manufacture "consent" while gaslighting stakeholders... is the WRONG WAY.

Sincerely,
Minerva, Class of 2006

Dear Mills College Board of Trustees,

 As an alumna of 1998, I am urgently writing you to reconsider moving forward with the Northeastern University deal. Point blank, it’s not a good fit and will not benefit the Mills community in the ways that you assume it will. There is a quote that I came across today by the late congresswoman Barbara Jordan that is pertinent to how I see your position at this juncture:

“We have made mistakes. In our haste to do all things for all people, we did not foresee the full consequences of our actions. And when people raised their voices, we didn’t hear. But our deafness was only a temporary condition, and not an irreversible condition.”

Please reconsider making a decision of such magnitude under hasty conditions. No good decisions are made in haste. Please allow more time for all stakeholders to explore other options and opportunities for Mills College moving forward. Please listen to the “raised voices” and know that so many fruitful and tangible ideas are manifesting now that were not available to you at the time of the March announcement to close Mills.

We need leadership that is open-minded and progressive, not secretive, and rigid. By voting “no” to the Northwestern deal, you are allowing room for a better plan to be developed for Mills’ future, one that encompasses a financial path forward without losing our beloved Mills College in the process.

With Utmost Respect,
Anonymous, Class of 1998

Dear Board,

I have made my views in opposition to the whole and outright sale of Mills College clearly known in no uncertain terms. I’ll be frank: Had I known this was in the works, I’d have gone to Smith instead, full stop. The men I deal with in graduate school are taxing and emotionally draining as is. As long as a Women’s College is available for women like myself who have been harassed and assaulted by men since they hit the ground is an option, that is where we will go. I didn’t come to Mills for the climate.

A space safe for women is more necessary than ever, particularly in light of the atrocity perpetuated against women in today’s decision against Roe v Wade. This is not the time to be on the same side of history as Rapist Fratboy Brett Kavanaugh and the Misogynist Clarance Thomas. Mills will be needed now more than ever with this attack on women. I cannot be more blunt: Women need this space!

Much like Lincoln’s letter about “preserving the Union” to Greeley, I would keep Mills a Women’s college by selling off every piece of art. I would do it by selling none of the art. I would do it by partnering with another Women’s College or none. What I endure, I endure to keep Mills a Women's College, and what I forbear, I forbear to keep Mills a Women’s College.

Let us assume you sell us out to NU. What is to keep NU from selling out to someone and Mills is no more? How do we know they aren’t merely planning on flipping it? What is our benefit outside of walking away? If you’re willing to sell us out, which is what you’d be doing with a yes vote, and history will clearly see the majority of students and alumnae were in opposition (and please know that you will assuredly not be seen as the saviors of Mills but as the agents of its doom), what assurances do we have that Mills will survive NU? We have no information, neither do we have any assurances as to how Mills will endure as more than a novelty brand name, and then one day nothing at all.

If you do this thing you seem bent upon doing, history will see it clearly, and there is no way the money won’t be followed by someone with an axe to grind, nor is there any way that any member voting “Yes” for this merger, particularly without allowing a chance for Alumnae to do the work we desperately want to do to save Mills, will not be reviled by the VAST majority of the Alumnae and Feminist historians. I believe the survey was 86% opposed? Pencil whipping and demeaning alumnae will not withstand the scrutiny of time.

Don’t let your legacy be one of destruction, but one of hope. The Mills name will be worthless if male undergraduates are in its future. You will lose the LGBT folks. You will lose the Feminists. You will lose Mills herself.

The gamble worth taking is not NU. The gamble worth taking is on the students and Alumnae of Mills to do the work. Think of your legacy in standing with Women in this moment of history. Think of your legacy in standing with Brett and Clarance with a Yes vote. That is really what you’re voting on.

Sincerely,
Ms. SuzyJane Edwards, Class of 2021

Dear Trustees,

You are likely receiving a lot of long emails so I will simply say “it is ok to reject this Northeastern deal until you have more information and more safeguards to protect Mills first.” Vote later, just not now. This doesn’t have to be a fire sale. We are on the brink of handing a private company a billion dollars of our assets (i.e., land, artwork, endowment, historic buildings, etc.) asking for nothing in return. That is not a merger. We can negotiate smarter. Don’t sell Mills short.

Please remember why you are volunteering on this board and your love of the college. You and a few colleagues hold the fate of an entire community in your hands. Please do the right thing and not be pressured by others to hand over this college with zero conditions. Vote to delay or reject.

Once Mills is gone, it can’t come back. Only 36 women’s colleges remain in this country. Don’t let that destruction be your legacy. I am sorry someone angered you or fellow trustees in the past that you/they want to destroy Mills. This is a sad day and I ask you to do the right thing to protect Mills for future generations. There is time.

Thank you,
Kimberlee Garfinkle MacVicar, Class of 1995

I am concerned about the haphazard way the business of the college has been conducted the last few months. First the college is closing, then it’s going to merge with Berkeley in some way and now it’s going to be a part of Northeastern. This is not what I would expect of an elite institution such as Mills. The lack of transparency and cooperation with the Alumnae of the college is disappointing to say the least. I urge you to vote no on the upcoming Northeastern vote.

Thank you,
Janice Thomas, Class of 2005

To the Trustees of Mills College,

I write to you as a proud member of the Class of 1992, and as a former academic who spent a decade and a half working in the university sector. I am asking you to reject the proposition of a deal with Northeastern at this time.

I recognize that for some stakeholders including some current students and staff the acquisition by Northeastern may seem like a great opportunity. But I have some significant concerns and I truly believe that as the guardians of the College’s future, you should have these concerns as well.

First as foremost as someone who grew up at, researched at, taught at, and curated at universities across four different nations, I am profoundly troubled by what a deal with Northeastern may mean for Mills faculty and their future career prospects.

At Northeastern’s Boston Campus, less than 50% of faculty are tenured or even on the tenure track, the rest are hired on renewable contracts with zero job security. None of the faculty at the existing Northeastern satellite campuses have tenure. No faculty from any of the satellite campuses serve on Northeastern’s governance committees such as the Faculty Senate, the Academic Program Committee or the Appointments, Promotions and Tenure Committee.

The announcement of the acquisition did not promise that all faculty would be kept nor that they would be kept at Mills, it said:

“Subject to the results of collaborative efforts on academic program development that will be part of formal discussions, a significant number of Mills faculty and staff would be offered opportunities for continued employment either on the Mills campus at Northeastern University or at other Northeastern University campuses where their skills and experience would be aligned.”

First of all, what is a significant number 75%, 60%? 25 faculty members? 10 faculty members? How long is a piece of string?

Secondly the wording of the promise is less substantial than an initial reading may suggest. For example, Northeastern could offer a tenured professor at Mills an adjunct job in Boston, claim that it is based on expertise and experience and live up to their end of the bargain. Similarly they could also offer Mills faculty jobs only at other satellites, effectively ending any chance of tenure, but still be within the parameters of what has already been indicated.

This might be of less concern if the proposed deal was with another liberal arts college or a university with an extensive commitment to the humanities across all its campuses. But this is not the case. Yes, Northeastern teaches the humanities at its main Boston campus. Northeastern also has an established and extensive network of satellite campuses. However outside of the Boston area, the humanities are taught at only one campus, New College of Humanities in London. Furthermore, it appears from recent articles in the higher education press, curriculum changes are in the works and these offerings may disappear.

Northeastern’s satellite model is completely geared to providing graduate degrees aimed at the corporate sector. Not history, not literature, not women’s studies or music or art. So where does that leave the Mills faculty in the humanities and fine arts? Do they scramble for work in competition with all the other untenured faculty at Northeastern’s Boston campus?

In fact where does that leave Mills as a liberal arts college with a long and storied tradition of providing education to those turned away elsewhere? We’ve been told that Northeastern and Mills missions align. But we’ve been given little evidence beyond the fact that both are set in large urban areas and both offer undergraduate degrees. Northeastern is significantly more expensive than Mills, with lower levels of financial aid and lower representations of BIPOC students. It is far from clear therefore which part of Mills’ mission is reflected by pedagogical practice at Northeastern.

But even if you as trustees decide to put all of that aside, I still urge you to vote against this deal. I urge to vote against it because it will alter the college in ways that are irreversible and while such necessities may someday come to pass they should be entered into reluctantly and cautiously with all aspects fully modeled and considered and tested against alternatives.

In the lead up to the vote to go co-ed, also in the face of extreme financial challenges, the administration/BoT held focus groups, town hall meetings, commissioned exploratory reports for an entire academic year. In fact the 1989-1990 school year sometimes felt like one long exploratory committee. And even then, it felt like the decision was being made far too fast. But over the last five months or so, Mills has gone from a degree granting liberal arts college to becoming an institute of undefined nature to having Berkeley students renting space for fall 2021 to being part of Northeastern. The college careens from one model to the next, all with only the very slightest of detail, all without engaging the profound resources and expertise of the majority of its stakeholders.

We have been promised the Mills/Northeastern model will be a new educational model (a very rare beast at the best of times). But rather than a carefully constructed and thoughtfully designed model, it is one invented on the fly, while negotiations are ongoing. To provide comparison with just one of the alternate plans suggested by Alumnae, UC Mills is based on a governance model from UC Hastings, and a curriculum model from a host of public liberal arts colleges/universities including Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, University of North Carolina-Asheville and University of Mary Washington. It might entail reinventing Mills but it doesn’t involve reinventing the wheel. So what happens if like all the other solutions mooted in the last five months, this one crumbles, and Northeastern having now acquired a lovely campus in Northern California remarkably close to Silicon Valley reverts to its tried and true approach. What happens to the legacy of Susan Mills and Aurelia Henry Reinhardt? What happens to your legacy?

I beg of you, if you cannot see your way to rejecting this deal outright at this juncture than at the very least put on the brakes. Northeastern is not a silver bullet, it is not hope arriving from the East. It is a case of burning the village in order to “save” it. Mills deserves better. You have a host of people who love this college, who will work with you to keep the doors open, to find a new way to keep the college, probably not as it was in the past, but certainly with a commitment to the Liberal Arts and to under-represented student cohorts that we would all recognize.

I appreciate your time and I put my faith and my trust in your ability to cut through noise and be true to the college we all love.

Kind regards,
Dr. Meighen Katz, Class of 1992

I highly recommend that you do not vote in favor of the Mills/Northeastern University deal on September 3rd.

I support complete transparency on this proposed deal. Please exercise caution and do your due diligence. I have been in business for many years structuring joint ventures both in the U.S. and internationally. Any kind of mergers and partnerships really take a lot of care and scrutiny.
Why Northeastern of all schools??

For two academic institutions to find compatibility there needs to be a match of common missions and interests both academically as well as financial benefits.

Has Mills really made an effort to explore options with other educational institutions?

Who initiated this? We would like to know.

I learned that there were discussions with U.C. Berkeley, but then what happened?

I went on to earn a Masters degree at Stanford after Mills. Mills was during my time, considered a ’sister’ college to Stanford. Has anyone communicated with Stanford?

I can think of infinitely more academic institutions as candidates that would be potentially exciting partners to Mills.

As Trustees - Please do not treat Mills as a second class institution - it is a GREAT institution. Don’t forget that Mills has graduated many people who have gone on to great leadership in our society. Now is the time for women to continue this legacy of a great Mills education.

If the educational institution looking to form a partnership or merger with Mills does not understand this incredibly priceless Mills legacy, which empowers our past, current and future students, then it is not the right partner.

Anonymous
Mills College Undergraduate
Stanford University, Master degree

Dear Board of Trustees, 

I am asking each of you to vote against the merger with Northeastern University. Perhaps you saw the August 31st AP release “B&M Baked Beans Factory In Portland Making Way For Institute Affiliated With Northeastern University.” (citation) “An iconic baked beans factory that stood for more than 150 years is going to cease production to make way for an institution affiliated with Northeastern University, officials said Monday.” The workers will lose their jobs and the factory will be used for “offices, classrooms and research space, in addition to restaurants and possibly a hotel.” Sound familiar? Operating as an educational institution is a great way to acquire land for for-profit use, e.g. restaurants and hotels, that would be much more difficult to buy as an out-and-out for profit. The Academy of Art University has been using this model for years, and has been sued by the City of San Francisco. (citation) 

Setting aside any concerns of a land-grab, I am unclear how Mills students and faculty will benefit from becoming part of an institution that has never had a female, gender non-conforming, and/or BIPOC leader, has a 73% male and majority white board (citation), did not admit female students until 1943 (citation), and waited until after George Floyd’s murder to make a public announcement of “New Initiatives to Confront Anti-Black Discrimination” (citation) despite an eyewateringly low percentage (5%) of Black students (citation) and a concerted campaign from students in 2019 (citation).

Please tread carefully and take the time to explore all the options for this 150+ year old institution (Mills College, not the baked beans factory). Please vote no. 

Jessamy Gloor, Class of 2003

Dear Trustees,

I am currently pregnant with my first child, Josephine Rose. She is named after her great grandmother who was a tuberculosis nurse and immigrant, and her other great grandmother who was a social worker who supported sex workers, marginalized artists, and the homeless in her community. Like many Mills alumns, I come from a long line of strong, proud, socially engaged women who have worked to make change for the people around them. My time at Mills prepared me to carry on this tradition of female strength. I hope that my daughter will carry on this spirit too, but I also realize that many valuable institutions like Mills will be gone when and if she decides to pursue a degree.

Mills is currently home to a truly incredible population of students wherein both LGBTQI, and BIPOC students are a majority. Mills also has a significant population of first-generation students. Having myself worked in college admissions, I have a special appreciation of the rarity of these statistics. Every school says they want this kind of diversity, Mills has achieved it. That is profoundly special. To put it quite frankly, Mills has the money to stay open and pay its debts right now, and we care more about our incredible students, faculty, and staff than maintaining these assets. We would rather keep the college and community intact than holding onto collections that will eventually be sold to benefit whomever ultimately absorbs the school. I don’t say this lightly, being myself an artist and curator. But I would suggest we focus on contributing to the further development of culture by feeding these students, instead of clinging to that which has already been created and monetized.

The March 17th announcement came as a shock to many in the community, myself included. Yet, this outpouring of grief and confusion could not possibly have come as a surprise to anyone involved. Since then, we have not received sufficient information as to why the decision was made. We have, instead, been met with disrespect in the form of misleading and disingenuous emails from President Hillman, marketing campaigns intended to discredit or erase our voices, and most recently the Document Dump on our Alumna Trustee Dr. Viji Nakka-Cammauf who is working in good faith to support the will of a large population of alumnae, students, faculty, and staff. The actions and words of President Hillman in particular seem deliberately designed to weaken the college ahead of a closure. The timeline - from the announcement of the closure, to the hope of merger after merger, to the advent of Mills Next on social media, all before your upcoming vote - can hardly be believed to be anything but purposeful obfuscation with intent to shatter and scatter the Mills community ahead of it’s complete demolition.

All I can ask, in light of all this, is that you consider these points as you decide how to vote Friday.

Respectfully,
Sionnan Wood, Class of 2004

I graduated from Mills in the 1960's.

My undergraduate years were wonderful and special, so I have hated to see the College decline in the quality of its educational offerings and in the financial aspects of the college.

I believe the College can revive its national and international status as an excellent Women's Liberal Arts College.

We used to attract young women from all over the world! Families were pleased to send their daughters to Mills. The education was exceptional. The College raised fine graduates who contributed to their communities without all of this new social activists agenda. Many wealthy families do not want to send their daughters off to become radical activists....

So the College should stick to its basic principles of (1) educating young women with the classical Liberal Arts Education, and (2) attracting and admitting young women from similar socio-economic backgrounds. These are the people who will help sustain the College financially. Mills made a disastrous policy decision when it was decided to admit students who could not meet the academic demands of the College, nor could they afford to attend the College without a Scholarship. The result was a financial imbalance which has been destructive to the school. The College also catered to every new trend in educational studies and ,in the process, letfired tenured professors, who taught the more traditional courses, in favor of keeping popular professors teaching the new trendy courses with lower academic standards.

I would like to see Mills return to its roots to establish itself, once again, as a fabulous Liberal Arts College which educates its students to become thinking leaders in their life and work. I truly believe returning to these basic values will help Mills revive to once again become a leader in its speciality of educating young women.

Anonymous

Mills trained me to think critically and to care about what happens in the world. This includes Mills College itself. As such, I feel very strongly that all financial records regarding Mills need to be shared with the people entrusted to make decisions on its behalf. I also know that if a person or organization shows you who they are over and over again, it is important to believe them. Northeastern has a history of making promises to the institutions it buys and then breaking all of their promises. Because of this, I am not in favor of that deal. There must be other options, and the fact that financial information has not been shared, nor other options discussed is deeply disturbing to me.

Something is being concealed, the truth is being hidden. I am not one to believe the worst in people, but it is the only thing that makes sense given the complete transparency and manipulation of the information currently being displayed.

I love Mills College, my time spent at Mills was some of the happiest in my life, and watching someone who does not care grab the helm and steer her into a fiery crash is so fundamentally anathema to everything I learned there I find myself at a loss for words.

Sincerely,
Colyn Newton, Class of 2004 (or possibly '05 on account of getting sick my senior year and having to delay my graduation by a semester)

Folks, I am Mills class of 2003. I am a retired Librarian, with a Masters in Library and Information Science. And I am the treasurer of the Board of the Orange County Mills College Alumnae (OCMCA) group. Truthfully, I have stayed out of this fight until now, because I think it is time for Mills to transition to a new reality. But...

This is not it.

Please vote against the merger with Northeastern.

Why not Northeastern.

We know that for some stakeholders, including current students and staff, the acquisition by Northeastern University may seem like a great deal. But we have some significant concerns. Here’s why we think you should as well:

  • In just the last five months or so, Mills has gone from an undergraduate-focused, degree-granting liberal arts college to 1) becoming an institute of undefined nature; 2) to having UC Berkeley students renting space in Fall 2021; and 3) to being part of a supposedly “new educational model” with Northeastern. This is not good planning or policy, nor even a sensible response to financial challenges. And we have yet to hear exactly how these financial challenges became a crisis that justified the announcement that Mills would close as a college. Instead, this is careening from one insubstantial promise to the next.

  • In contrast, in the lead up to a vote to go co-ed in 1990—also in the face of significant financial challenges—the administration/BoT held focus groups and town hall meetings, and commissioned exploratory reports for an entire academic year. The Mills community of students, faculty, staff and alums, were aware of and part of the ongoing discussions, with transparency and open dialogue with the administration/BoT.

  • Now, announcements are made—and then changed—out of the blue, appearing to be arbitrary, unilateral and unsubstantiated. We have been told that Mills and Northeastern have comparable missions and values. We have been given no examples—none—as to how that is truly the case. Yes, they both provide higher education; yes, Northeastern offers some similar undergraduate curriculum at their main campus in Boston; and yes both are in major urban areas. However, this doesn’t distinguish Northeastern from every other Bachelor-of-Arts granting institution in a large city in the United States. Meanwhile Northeastern’s tuition is substantially more expensive than Mills’ tuition, and with a worse record of financial aid. Northeastern has significantly lower percentages of BIPOC students, and no particular vested interest in the California community. So which part of Mills’ mission has the deep correlation with Northeastern?

  • We have been promised the Mills/Northeastern model will be a “new educational model”… one that is being invented on the fly, while negotiations are ongoing. To provide comparison with just one of the alternate plans suggested by Mills’ alumnae, the UC Mills proposal was based on a governance model from UC Hastings, and a curriculum model from a host of public liberal arts colleges/universities including Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the University of North Carolina-Asheville, and University of Mary Washington. It might have entailed reinventing Mills, but it didn’t involve reinventing the wheel. We are concerned that in fact, this promised “new educational model” involving Northeastern will fall apart before the ink is even dry and they will revert to their standard model of acquisition instead of alliance.

  • Northeastern runs a number of satellite campuses. At present only one—New College of Humanities in London—teaches the Liberal Arts, and recent articles in the higher education press suggest that may not continue much longer. All of Northeastern’s other satellite campuses teach graduate courses only and are aimed at the corporate sector. The Mills campus would be very attractive for such a venture; but only its campus—its real estate—not its faculty, not its traditions, not its mission. In light of Northeastern’s established track record, we need to ask a lot more questions about what exactly Northeastern University wants with Mills College.

  • We are deeply concerned for the careers of the current Mills Faculty.

  • At Northeastern’s Boston campus, less than 50% of faculty are tenured or even on the tenure track; the rest are hired on renewable contracts with zero job security. None of the faculty at the existing satellite campuses have tenure. No faculty from any of the satellite campuses serve on Northeastern’s governance committees, such as the Faculty Senate; the Academic Program Committee; or the Appointments, Promotions and Tenure Committee.

  • The announcement of the acquisition did not promise that all faculty would be kept, nor that they would be kept at Mills. It said:

“Subject to the results of collaborative efforts on academic program development that will be part of formal discussions, a significant number of Mills faculty and staff would be offered opportunities for continued employment either on the Mills campus at Northeastern University or at other Northeastern University campuses where their skills and experience would be aligned.”

  • What’s a “significant number?” 75%, or 60%? 20 faculty members? 5 faculty members?

  • Where do our renowned faculty in departments like dance, music, art, writing, and theatre, fit into the Northeastern model of satellite campuses?

  • Northeastern could, for instance, offer a tenured professor at Mills an adjunct job in Boston—claim it’s based on expertise and experience—and live up to their end of the bargain. They could also offer Mills faculty jobs only at other satellites, effectively ending any chance of tenure, but still be within the parameters of what has been promised.

  • There is a narrative that UC Berkeley snubbed Mills faculty during the consideration of Mills becoming part of UCB. This is not the case. The process of review of qualifications and professional dossiers was ongoing and there is indication that some departments at Cal were about to enter into discussions of employment with Mills faculty members. The Berkeley departments were surprised when Mills walked away from the negotiations in the spring.

These are just a few of the concerns and unanswered questions that justify NOT rushing into a deal with Northeastern University.

Thank you for your time.

Liz Pickering, Class of 2003

Dear Board of Trustees,

Please please please Vote NO TO THE MERGER with Northeastern, NO TO AN INSTITUTE, and NO TO CLOSING Mills College.

I'm an International Student, an Iranian, and a woman! I know without a question that I only found my voice and freedom because of Mills College. I would not have been allowed to go to a Northeastern-Mills University; just Mills College.

In the 31 years since I proudly graduated from Mills College, imagine how many other young girls from around the world have come to Mills, silent, and left as young women with voices to change whatever they set their minds to! And then imagine how many young girls those same Mills graduates helped find their voices!

Mills College is a unique and extraordinary place that should never be taken away from those girls who desperately need it. In light of the most recent devastating events in Afghanistan, a safe place for women to learn and grow and bellow for justice, is more important than ever.

Voting NO on the merger, is your opportunity to do something Brave and True: 
STAND UP for all those women you raised and sent out into the world.
STAND UP for all those women who have yet to come, if only given a chance.
STAND UP for the mission that won't require you to spill blood to save women's lives

Just let us in
Just let us do for Mills what we've successfully done in our own lives and careers
Just let us once again, as we use to do, recruit from around the planet
Just....(so much more)

I BEG YOU

Most Sincerely,
Mitra Lohrasb, Class of 1990

Dear Board of Trustees, President Hillman, and AAMC,

I am incredibly sad that Mills might not be given another chance to survive. It played a hugely important role in educating women in the 20th century, giving voice to many generations of leaders and activists; it continues today to give rise to Millsies from a much wider range of backgrounds and more representative of the country at large, all with a strong sense of justice to lead us in the problems of the 21st century. The loss of Mills as a degree-granting institution (including being absorbed by NU) will be a loss for the US.

I do understand that Mills needs to raise a LOT of money to continue. I also appreciate that many at Mills throughout the past several decades have tried very hard to raise that money, attract students, etc. (Though some have obviously made things worse.) But what saddens and angers me the most is that the folks at the top making the big decisions did not trust the community enough to say in 2016, 'Hey everyone! We will be out of money and have to close in five years if something doesn't drastically change.

How do we all come together, pool resources and ideas, and stop that from happening?!'
It strikes me that the actions of those enacting policy fit uncomfortably well with the white supremacy characteristics so eloquently explained by Tema Okun* and others. A few examples of characteristics that seem to be at play:

  • Only One Right Way: The belief that there is one right way to do things. Once people are introduced to ‘the right way,’ they will willingly adopt it; Causes significant barriers to change, agility, innovation, and teamwork

  • Either/Or Thinking: Things are either/or: good/bad, right/wrong, with us/against us. There is reduced capacity for recognizing multiple or co-existing truths and complexity. Lots of sentences start with “but;" Incapacitates an individual’s or organization’s ability to deal with complexity. The resulting analysis is usually superficial and not holistic; Creates conflict and increases a sense of urgency. People feel they have to make decisions to do either this or that, with no time or encouragement to consider alternatives, particularly those requiring more time or resources.

  • Power Hoarding: There is little value placed on sharing power. Power is understood to be limited, with only so much to go around; Those with power feel threatened when anyone suggests changes to how things could or should be done in the organization. Leaders perceive suggestions for change as a criticism of their leadership and fail to recognize this response as part of power hoarding; Those with power assume they have the best interests of the organization at heart and assume ill intent from those wanting change, characterizing the changemakers as uninformed (stupid), emotional or inexperienced; Ideas of leadership are rooted in a culture of 'leader worship,' conceiving of leaders as saviours and/or heroes; Power hoarding often requires secrecy. Those with power control what, when and with whom the information is shared; opaqueness in decision-making and schisms within the organization can cause additional problems.

  • Other: Paternalism, Defensiveness, Perfectionism, Worship of the Written Word, Right to Comfort, Fear of Open Conflict, Individualism, Sense of Urgency, etc.

By contrast, some antidote characteristics Mills could adopt: Culture of appreciation; Accept that there are many ways to get to the same goal and be open to alternative routes; Cultivate transparency and open dialogue around decision-making practices. Ensure that everyone has a part in important decisions; Meaningfully include those who are impacted by a decision in the decision-making process; Realize that rushing decisions takes more time in the long run. Inevitably, people who didn’t get a chance to voice their thoughts and feelings will at best resent and at worst undermine the decision because they were left unheard.

I don't know how we can reset this process which seems to have gone off the rails. I would find much more value in skilled facilitators joining us all together to have community-wide discussions than in PR firms and lawyers. (The necessity of sharing financial documents with Viji and all other BOT is a given for me, so not including this in financial considerations.)

Best,
Sarah Crumb, Class of 1994 - super bent twig

Dear Honored Trustees,

I recognize what a painful place you may be in now. The care and keeping of such a precious, beloved, and venerated college must be heavy on your shoulders. I’m so sorry, this is a horrible position to be in. And while I wish I didn’t have to, I’m going to apply more pressure.

I implore you all to vote to halt any forward motion on this Northeastern University deal, unless or until all the pertinent information is available and able to be digested by all parties with a stake in the decision making.

The Board of Trustees is able to keep Pres. Hillman from ramming the deal through without proper vetting. Postponing the decision can only benefit everyone. If this deal actually is the best move for Mills then, great! Let everyone see why. Transparency is necessary.

Please grant Dr. Nakka-Cammauf the time to extract and digest the information needed so everyone can make the most informed decisions.

Mills is too valuable to too many to be so hasty.

Please vote to halt any discussions with NU until further notice.

Thank you for your work.

Best,
Sarah Bullion, Class of 1992

Dear Board of Trustee Members,

Please vote against the merger with Northeastern.

Why not Northeastern.

We know that for some stakeholders, including current students and staff, the acquisition by Northeastern University may seem like a great deal. But we have some significant concerns. Here’s why we think you should as well:

  • In just the last five months or so, Mills has gone from an undergraduate-focused, degree-granting liberal arts college to 1) becoming an institute of undefined nature; 2) to having UC Berkeley students renting space in Fall 2021; and 3) to being part of a supposedly “new educational model” with Northeastern. This is not good planning or policy, nor even a sensible response to financial challenges. And we have yet to hear exactly how these financial challenges became a crisis that justified the announcement that Mills would close as a college. Instead, this is careening from one insubstantial promise to the next.

  • In contrast, in the lead up to a vote to go co-ed in 1990—also in the face of significant financial challenges—the administration/BoT held focus groups and town hall meetings, and commissioned exploratory reports for an entire academic year. The Mills community of students, faculty, staff and alums, were aware of and part of the ongoing discussions, with transparency and open dialogue with the administration/BoT.

  • Now, announcements are made—and then changed—out of the blue, appearing to be arbitrary, unilateral and unsubstantiated. We have been told that Mills and Northeastern have comparable missions and values. We have been given no examples—none—as to how that is truly the case. Yes, they both provide higher education; yes, Northeastern offers some similar undergraduate curriculum at their main campus in Boston; and yes both are in major urban areas. However, this doesn’t distinguish Northeastern from every other Bachelor-of-Arts granting institution in a large city in the United States. Meanwhile Northeastern’s tuition is substantially more expensive than Mills’ tuition, and with a worse record of financial aid. Northeastern has significantly lower percentages of BIPOC students, and no particular vested interest in the California community. So which part of Mills’ mission has the deep correlation with Northeastern?

  • We have been promised the Mills/Northeastern model will be a “new educational model”… one that is being invented on the fly, while negotiations are ongoing. To provide comparison with just one of the alternate plans suggested by Mills’ alumnae, the UC Mills proposal was based on a governance model from UC Hastings, and a curriculum model from a host of public liberal arts colleges/universities including Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the University of North Carolina-Asheville, and University of Mary Washington. It might have entailed reinventing Mills, but it didn’t involve reinventing the wheel. We are concerned that in fact, this promised “new educational model” involving Northeastern will fall apart before the ink is even dry and they will revert to their standard model of acquisition instead of alliance.

  • Northeastern runs a number of satellite campuses. At present only one—New College of Humanities in London—teaches the Liberal Arts, and recent articles in the higher education press suggest that may not continue much longer. All of Northeastern’s other satellite campuses teach graduate courses only and are aimed at the corporate sector. The Mills campus would be very attractive for such a venture; but only its campus—its real estate—not its faculty, not its traditions, not its mission. In light of Northeastern’s established track record, we need to ask a lot more questions about what exactly Northeastern University wants with Mills College.

  • We are deeply concerned for the careers of the current Mills Faculty.

  • At Northeastern’s Boston campus, less than 50% of faculty are tenured or even on the tenure track; the rest are hired on renewable contracts with zero job security. None of the faculty at the existing satellite campuses have tenure. No faculty from any of the satellite campuses serve on Northeastern’s governance committees, such as the Faculty Senate; the Academic Program Committee; or the Appointments, Promotions and Tenure Committee.

  • The announcement of the acquisition did not promise that all faculty would be kept, nor that they would be kept at Mills. It said:
    “Subject to the results of collaborative efforts on academic program development that will be part of formal discussions, a significant number of Mills faculty and staff would be offered opportunities for continued employment either on the Mills campus at Northeastern University or at other Northeastern University campuses where their skills and experience would be aligned.”

  • What’s a “significant number?” 75%, or 60%? 20 faculty members? 5 faculty members?

  • Where do our renowned faculty in departments like dance, music, art, writing, and theatre, fit into the Northeastern model of satellite campuses?

  • Northeastern could, for instance, offer a tenured professor at Mills an adjunct job in Boston—claim it’s based on expertise and experience—and live up to their end of the bargain. They could also offer Mills faculty jobs only at other satellites, effectively ending any chance of tenure, but still be within the parameters of what has been promised.

  • There is a narrative that UC Berkeley snubbed Mills faculty during the consideration of Mills becoming part of UCB. This is not the case. The process of review of qualifications and professional dossiers was ongoing and there is indication that some departments at Cal were about to enter into discussions of employment with Mills faculty members. The Berkeley departments were surprised when Mills walked away from the negotiations in the spring.

These are just a few of the concerns and unanswered questions that justify NOT rushing into a deal with Northeastern University.

In both my personal life and in my work life I have found that good, strong and rational decisions are made with careful thought and time.

Sincerely,
Anonymous, Class of 1977

Dear Board of Trustees:

With all the passion the community has expressed since the March 17th announcement, the one thing that is true: we all love and value Mills - no matter our opinions on the particulars.

It is no secret that Mills has struggled financially for years. It is no secret that many things have been tried to right the ship. It is no secret that the administration, faculty, staff, and you - the Trustees - have spent many hours trying to do what is best for Mills.

Yet, with all of this, the March 17th announcement was still a sudden blow. And now, you are about to make the most consequential decision about Mills - to vote on the Northeastern deal, which terrifies me. I have personally lived through a merger in which the acquiring institution assured everyone involved; “This is a merger of equals” and the “CEO of the institution I worked for was going to have a place in the new institution”, and “staff would be retained. However, once the ink was dry on the agreement, our CEO was forced out, staff was let go, and many of the remaining staff were reduced to part-time hours. All the acquiring institution really wanted, was three things: 

  • The name of the institution.

  • The brick and mortar branches.

  • The headquarters building in San Francisco.

This acquisition erased the previous institution's identity once the deal was over AND I fear Mills fate is similar in examining the history of Northeastern with regard to how the identity of the school it recently acquired has now faded and in two to three years, the Mills name will be no more. And you will have handed over EVERYTHING to Northeastern.

This is one of the reasons I am a supporter of the Alumnae Trustee’s and AAMC’s lawsuit. If I had been not already been predisposed to supporting the lawsuit before, the behavior of the college in response to Judge Pulido’s direction to the college to produce the financial documents requested by our Alumna Trustee since, only solidifies my support to continue with this course of action. 

Instead of acting in good faith and complying with the order and providing the documents requested, it has been reported in court filings, that the college has sent the Alumna Trustee pages and pages of irrelevant, duplicate documentation and even pictures of flowers for goodness sake! 

Several of you on the board of trustees are attorneys, and I would think this deliberate obstruction of complying with a valid court order would give you pause. Would any of you advise a client you’re representing to show such deliberate disrespect to the court and to the Judge without fearing sanction by the court? 

There is even a Judge on the Board of Trustees right now, and I wonder whether she would tolerate the same level of disrespect to her and to the court if she was a presiding Judge and a party in a case before her exhibited similar behavior? 

I believe this shows poor judgment on the part of the college and it would lead me, were I a Board Member, to question the leadership of the current administration. If they can blithely show such contempt for a court order and an officer of the court, in what esteem are you held in by them if they feel secure in such behaving so egregiously? What might they be hiding from you? 

The last reason, I am urging you to vote “No” to the merger with Northeastern is there is $47.1 billion in the current state budget, “for all higher education entities in 2021- 2022”. (www.ebudget.ca.gov). Having played a small part, in working on finding support at the state level, there is tangible interest from California leaders, in extending help to Mills, the college just needs to ask for the assistance from state leaders. Money from this fund could pay Mills College’s operating expenses for a year, or more, as we more fully explore other alternatives, such as UC Mills, Save Mills or other alternatives not even thought of yet. Therefore, the narrative, “it’s Northeastern or Mills has to close” being articulated by the administration is a false one.  

I believe the evidence is clear; the deal with Northeastern is bad for Mills based on my experience of being involved in a merger that was anything BUT equal and based on recent acquisitions by Northeastern, Mills will simply be erased from existence by Northeastern’s acquisition. 

I believe the recent behavior to Judge Pulido’s order by the administration of the college has revealed a lack of judgment and a contempt for those who seek truth and transparency regarding their decision-making process which, I believe, should be troubling to you, the Board of Trustees as it reflects on your reputations at the bad actions being taken by the administration. Lastly, regardless of the narrative of “Northeastern or death,” there is interest and (possibly) money available from the State Government that could allow Mills to undertake a thoughtful, deliberative, professional approach to exploring other alternatives to the keep Mills alive “For Generations Still!”      

As a historically women’s college that has uplifted women’s voices and amplified marginalized people’s contributions to society from obscurity, do you not owe it to our ancestors and the generations of students past and present to protect this college from being erased from existence? Will you, the Board of Trustees of Mills College, who, I trust, truly believe in it’s mission to educate and ensure women and other traditionally underserved people VOTE to complete the erasure and silencing of those same people by a University with designs on our land and no understanding of Mills or it’s unique place, and continued relevance as an institution serving underrepresented populations? Let the irony of this sit with you, as you reflect on what action to take when you’re asked to vote on the proposed merger with Northeastern. It is my fervent hope, given there ARE other options to take to ensure the continued survival of the Mills we all know and love, that you will vote “NO” and join with the rest of community to chart a course in which all voices are given an opportunity to be heard and we can reach a solution that guarantees Mills will continue to survive as a college focused on educating marginalized folks alongside allies who wish the same.

Kellidee Little, Class of 1990

Dear Mills College Board of Trustees,

On July 26, 2021, the Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae sent the following letter to the Alumnae Association of Mills College Board of Governors  I am writing to share that letter with you today, as President of the chapter.

As you know, the Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae (LAMCA) is an established branch of the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC), and has played a key role in fostering a sense of connectedness among alumnae/i in supporting the college for nearly 100 years. We would like to take this opportunity to express our utmost support for the lawsuit filed by the AAMC on June 7, 2021. We support the efforts of AAMC President Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82 and Tara Singh ’05, MBA ’07 to gain access to the information they and all of the College’s Board of Trustees need, in order to make informed decisions regarding the future of Mills College. We support their recent request for the information necessary to evaluate the current circumstances, including the options that are being considered for the future of the college. We stand behind the complaint filed by the AAMC in its entirety. 

Alumnae support the lawsuit, and alumnae trustees should stand by the lawsuit to protect the future of the college, alumnae, and students. In so far as current alumnae trustees Deborah Wood ‘75 and Adrienne Foster ‘74 have decided to remove themselves from the lawsuit filed by the AAMC—contrary to the best interest of the 25,000 alumnae they represent, and contrary to the duties required of alumnae trustees—we call for their resignation. This is especially hard for LAMCA to ask because both Deborah and Adrienne reside in our region; however, LAMCA will stand by the AAMC and holds the alumnae trustees accountable for their failure to uphold their duties to all alumnae by virtue of their elected position as our representatives on the Mills College Board of Trustees and AAMC Board of Governors. We are also angry that money we, and other alumnae/i have donated bit by bit, is being wasted on attorney consultation and time with Deborah and Adrienne who withdrew from the lawsuit for their personal interest rather than the interest of the thousands of alumnae/i they represent. LAMCA is proud to be represented by the AAMC, as the association fights for trustees to rightfully have the ability to make informed decisions, and as they navigate an unprecedented time in the College’s history.

LAMCA represents more than 1,200 alumnae/i across the Greater Los Angeles area and while our area alumnae span a number of decades, we are all connected by our deep love for this incredibly special place. Our time at Mills College developed us into the leaders we are today, and we are ready to work alongside the AAMC to ensure the future of Mills College.

Sincerely,

Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae

I write this to urge the Mills Board of Trustees to vote against the current plan for a Mills alliance with Northeastern University.

So many things have already been eloquently said in emails/letters to you, especially in a letter written by my Mills sister, Darcy Totten. The world needs a place like Mills right now – especially right now when there is more division than ever over who we are in our individualistic society: black, white, asian, latino, gay, straight, trans, republican, democrat, anti-vaxxer, pro-masker, etc. The world needs a place like Mills that teaches women to speak strongly, boldly, and critically about their beliefs and to defend the right to be unapologetically who they are. But I want to take a moment to talk about the past Mills students – the alums.

As a resumer, there was so much that I didn’t believe about my potential. I didn’t even realize I didn’t believe in myself.  But Mills convinced me I was smart and capable. I have since heard so many stories from my Mills sisters how they were instilled with this same new sense of personal power, given to us all by Mills. Mills showed us who we could be as women: everything we were already gifted with. Mills showed us that we are stronger than the things that are being thrown at us. Mills showed us that we are overcomers.

So now, when Mills as an entity, needs us to use our overcoming power to save it, for the Board to just fold and walk away is the most ludicrous idea. Like all Mills alums, many of you Trustees should know – you have the greatest power at your disposal, and you have not fully availed yourselves. To not leverage the power of the alums in this fight to keep Mills alive makes the statement that you do not believe in what you have learned at Mills: that WE are the power, that WE create knowledge, that WE create, that WE…together. We are smart and capable. We are stronger than the things that are being thrown at us. Mills taught us this.

Please do not succumb to what the world tells you to do: fold, take what money you have and run, submit. STAY AND FIGHT. The ability for Mills to continue to create future overcomers is worth it.

Pamela (P.L.) Grove, Class of 2007
Proud Resumer (originally started in 1978!)

Good morning Mills College Board of Trustees,

I am writing to urge you to vote no, and against all agreements, with Northeastern University. There are defining moments in our lifetimes when we are in the position to do right from wrong, and this is one of them. Please make brave decisions that call for truth and transparency. Please demand and review all financial information that would justify with one hundred percent certainty, the need to cease Mills College’s 169 year legacy. Do not accept oral representations, unsupported by hard factual material. Do not let this be your legacy—and ours. Pursue all facts, not half truths. In addition to requiring full transparency, then demand a complete review of all options for Mills by way of a feasibility study that will present you with all valid options that are just and proper, to preserve Mills’ legacy, consistent with our herstory and founders’ desire.

Ultimately, if Northeastern were part of a valid and rounded feasibility study, it would not be the next best path for Mills. In comparison to current Mills standards, Northeastern does not actually have, nor demonstrate a track history of real liberal arts education, diversity, appreciation for the arts, tenured faculty, and so on. These are some of the many things our foremothers/fathers stood for and expected to be upheld and protected by our leaders. They used their powers for good in the world, paving way for women to be educated and to be able to utilize their education in a revolutionary way. That spirit carried forward to ensuring women were able to work in unpopular fields and become leaders. Mills maintained its revolutionary spirit to this day, until possibly now. Do not kill the revolutionary spirit of Mills.

May their words sit with you as you weigh heavily on the right thing to do—to demand more information and more exploration for the best next future of Mills College—Remember Who You Are And What You Represent.

May God be with you and give you the strength and courage to make just and careful decisions in deciding the fate of our alma mater Mills College.

Julia Almanzan, Class of 1992 & President, Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae

Dear President Hillman and Board of Trustees,

I am sitting here at my computer about to begin my online teaching for the day, much as I was on March 17, when I was blind-sided by the news that Mills College, my beloved Alma Mater, was going to close within two years to become some sort of non-degree granting “institute.” I was barely able to function that day, gobsmacked into disbelief that an institution to which I’ve given SO much of my time, talent, and treasure for decades, the college I felt certain would outlive me “For Generations Still,” was facing an impending demise. Since March, I have written passionate, heartfelt letters about what Mills means to me, how it was my dream school, how important I believe it to be for women and traditionally underrepresented groups, such as nonbinary students, LGBTQ, and Students of Color. I have battled to Save Mills, spending countless hours on this effort, both online and in person. I drove to the Alameda County Courthouse to help bring media attention to the cause of saving Mills. I have been to campus multiple times recently to connect with and support current students, all the while knowing that a vote on whether or not to sell Mills to Northeastern University was looming and is now a mere three days away. I am still struggling to come to terms with that, but I wish to offer my thoughts in these last hours.

Let me be clear- I am well aware that Mills is in poor financial health. Many private Liberal Arts colleges are struggling with enrollment in this age of Covid. However, I believe this can be remedied, and allowing an international research-based educational entity, such as Northeastern, to acquire and absorb Mills is not the only viable option. Other plans (including those put forth by the Save Mills Coalition and UC Mills) should be considered seriously. As I have said elsewhere, I believe Mills could also benefit from discussions with leadership at other Historical Women’s Colleges, such as Sweet Briar and Bennet, that faced potential closure and successfully reinvented themselves. Consider possibilities such as expanding online degree completion programs as a way to increase enrollment and, therefore, revenue. Mills has always provided a path for “unconventional” students, especially resumers, and such programs are both attractive and lucrative. This is, of course, only one idea, and there are many more.

As Alumnae, we are asking for a year. A year to review plans and come up with new ideas. A year to work and build together in ways that Mills folks do so well. This is not, contrary to President Hillman’s recent press releases, about “not wanting Mills to change.” Mills has always been about change. Mills trains students to BE agents for positive change in the world. And we all know that Mills is far from perfect. But despite Mills’s imperfections, selling out is not the answer. Yes, it is possible that a true, meaningful partnership with another institution may be necessary and perhaps even welcome at some point in the future, when Mills is in a position of strength at the negotiating table, but this is not that day. Please. Think about this before you vote, especially Trustees who are also Alumnae of Mills College. There is no place like Mills, and you only have one vote. Keep these two quotes foremost in your minds: “History has its eyes on you” (Hamilton) and "Remember who you are and what you represent.” Choose wisely.

Sincerely,

Angela Adams DeMoss, MA, English Class of 1999

Dear President Hillman and the Board of Trustees,

I write with the heaviest of hearts. As a proud Mills alumnae, I was brokenhearted by President Hillman’s March17th announcement.

Choosing to attend Mills was one of the most important decisions of my life. I grew up in middle-class suburbia, knowing that there had to be more to the world than what was around me at the time. Attending Mills affirmed my hunch. Amazing professors, incredible classmates, and a world-class education that taught me, truly, how to think and process the world around me. I graduated from Mills knowing that I wanted to make a positive difference in the world, and now I do that for a living – as a woman of color in an extremely white field, no less.

Mills taught me that that was possible. Mills didn’t tell me “no.” Instead, Mills gave me wings and a vote of confidence that I had never experienced in my short life.

Until now.

The news published on August 26th was tactless at best. For nearly 6 months now, I have witnessed the college leadership blindside, gaslight, misinform, and now, blatantly disrespect the alumnae. For nearly 6 months, key stakeholders (alumnae, students, faculty etc.) have been kept from the table as the leadership moves forward with a plan that has been shrouded in secrecy and spin.

I, for one, am not opposed to change. Change is necessary. Mills, (and frankly, the entire system that is higher education) must shift and adapt to a new normal, especially right now. I truly believe that Mills could be so much better than what most of us knew, but Mills already has always had so much more going for it than most institutions of higher education. As former Ohio senator Nina Turner pointed out, Mills “seems like a treasure worth saving, not selling.”

However, to commit to change, especially radical co-creation, requires radical engagement and dialogue. A seat at the table, not a door in the face.

And it can start with allowing alumnae trustees access to what they are due.

As the world grapples with reckonings of all types, if anything, now is the time to double down on all that is Mills. The world needs it. I remember who I am and what I represent, so I will be moving my donation to the AAMC in support of the lawsuit and stand with those who fight - for the Mills we knew, know, and the Mills that could be.

Jill Kunishima, Class of 2003

Dear Members of the Board of Trustees;

As an alum from the undergraduate class of 2006, I simply cannot fathom why on earth anyone would actively want to shut down our beloved Mills College. The news on March 17 was devastating. I briefly felt encouraged by the announcement that Mills would be absorbed by Northeastern University. Yet I soon learned how different the missions between the two schools are. I do not see how Mills can retain its mission of providing a social justice-oriented education to women, gender minorities, and coeducation graduate students under the umbrella of Northeastern University. Why are some of you seemingly so willing to dismantle a treasured 169-year institution only to replace it with an ill-defined, nebulous institution that purportedly will serve the same purpose that our school already fulfills.

I am a white, cis-gendered, heterosexual woman, which at the time of my attendance at Mills was fairly typical for student body members. Despite not being a queer woman of color, I was able to find my voice at Mills in ways that have forever shaped how I view the world and work in my psychotherapy practice. At the time of admission to Mills I had a mistrust and suspicion of most women, due to lifelong bullying and interpersonal traumas perpetrated by them. I identified as a feminist but saw most other women as if they were actively working to hurt me. Upon my graduation in 2006 I had come to not only to increase my trust of women and form lifelong friendships with them, but to see them as people, which is the mission of feminism.

I was invited to a luncheon at the Student Union in which students who lived outside of the Bay Area at the time talked with college counselors representing the regions the students had come from in part to inspire the counselors to consider name-dropping Mills to high school seniors at their schools. I spoke with a college counselor who knew Barbara Sands (college counselor from the school I attended in Missouri) personally. I excitedly asked her to report back to Ms. Sands that her recommendation of Mills College to me was a complete success. The counselor then asked me why in the twenty-first century a student should even consider a women’s college, especially considering that to her, separate education for men and women was not equal. I replied that I could understand her point of view yet that attending a women’s college in a female-centered environment helped to cement in my psyche that as a woman I AM equal to a man in every way. I added that ironically, being educated in such an environment was the best way to affirm not only my equality but every other woman’s or gender minority’s as well. She smiled, nodded, and appeared convinced by my argument.

The social, gender, and racial justice-focused education I received from Mills informs how I work with psychotherapy clients in my practice today, as I practice from a feminist psychology orientation. While as an introvert by nature I could not naturally promote change by being a leader of a large group of people, I have found that I am able to make effective, equitable change on the individual level during sessions with clients. A large portion of psychotherapy involves education about how our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and experiences are affected by systemic issues in our environment. On a daily basis I see clients who suffer from trauma and retraumatization from patriarchal, colonialist, and misogynistic systems. While I can help treat their trauma, I alone cannot change the systems producing the trauma. A Mills College education with its social justice focus more than prepared me to change the world, one client at a time.

I implore all of you to consider these collections of stories and testimonials from alumnae, faculty, staff, and current students. What a tragedy it would be to kill off an institution that is needed in the world now more than ever. Please vote “no” on merging with Northeastern University and on the permanent closure of Mills College.

Sincerely,

Kara “Sakura” Vesely, Class of 2006

Dear Board of Trustee Member,

I am writing to you as an Alumna of Mills College to ask you to vote against a merger with Northeastern and for you to join Dr. Nakka-Cammauf to acquire and review Mills College financial documents to learn the true nature of the financial state of the college. A measured, thorough, independent and rational exercise of your due diligence and fiduciary duties as stewards of the Mills College Mission should not be rushed and the processes and procedures commensurate with such duties should be carefully observed. Transparency, process and careful deliberation are what give you and decisions you reach credibility and will inspire the confidence and trust of the Mills Community.

I applied to and chose to attend Mills College because an Alum I respect and admire recruited me. I was so impressed by the Mills College academics and collaborative educational model that I recruited other women to attend Mills - including both of my younger sisters. My Mills education taught me how to think critically and has been integral to success in my professional life and has resulted in great friendships, life long support and happiness in my personal life. A Mills Education is unique and uplifting for its undergraduate students and its 169 year legacy deserves to endure.

I am not suggesting that Mills College remain in exactly as it is. In fact, key to Mills resilience and endurance is its ability to adapt to an ever changing world. But rushing to have Northeastern acquire Mills is not the answer and closing Mills forever is not necessary. While some stakeholders, including current students and staff, the acquisition by Northeastern University may seem like a great deal. But I, like other members of the Mills Community, have some significant concerns. Here’s why we think you should as well:

  • In just the last five months or so, Mills has gone from an undergraduate-focused, degree-granting liberal arts college to 1) becoming an institute of undefined nature; 2) to having UC Berkeley students renting space in Fall 2021; and 3) to being part of a supposedly “new educational model” with Northeastern. This is not good planning or policy, nor even a sensible response to financial challenges. And we have yet to hear exactly how these financial challenges became a crisis that justified the announcement that Mills would close as a college. Instead, this is careening from one insubstantial promise to the next.

  • In contrast, in the lead up to a vote to go co-ed in 1990—also in the face of significant financial challenges—the administration/BoT held focus groups and town hall meetings, and commissioned exploratory reports for an entire academic year. The Mills community of students, faculty, staff and alums, were aware of and part of the ongoing discussions, with transparency and open dialogue with the administration/BoT.

  • Now, announcements are made—and then changed—out of the blue, appearing to be arbitrary, unilateral and unsubstantiated. We have been told that Mills and Northeastern have comparable missions and values. We have been given no examples—none—as to how that is truly the case. Yes, they both provide higher education; yes, Northeastern offers some similar undergraduate curriculum at their main campus in Boston; and yes both are in major urban areas. However, this doesn’t distinguish Northeastern from every other Bachelor-of-Arts granting institution in a large city in the United States. Meanwhile Northeastern’s tuition is substantially more expensive than Mills’ tuition, and with a worse record of financial aid. Northeastern has significantly lower percentages of BIPOC students, and no particular vested interest in the California community. So which part of Mills’ mission has the deep correlation with Northeastern?

  • We have been promised the Mills/Northeastern model will be a “new educational model”… one that is being invented on the fly, while negotiations are ongoing. To provide comparison with just one of the alternate plans suggested by Mills’ alumnae, the UC Mills proposal was based on a governance model from UC Hastings, and a curriculum model from a host of public liberal arts colleges/universities including Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the University of North Carolina-Asheville, and University of Mary Washington. It might have entailed reinventing Mills, but it didn’t involve reinventing the wheel. We are concerned that in fact, this promised “new educational model” involving Northeastern will fall apart before the ink is even dry and they will revert to their standard model of acquisition instead of alliance.

  • Northeastern runs a number of satellite campuses. At present only one—New College of Humanities in London—teaches the Liberal Arts, and recent articles in the higher education press suggest that may not continue much longer. All of Northeastern’s other satellite campuses teach graduate courses only and are aimed at the corporate sector. The Mills campus would be very attractive for such a venture; but only its campus—its real estate—not its faculty, not its traditions, not its mission. In light of Northeastern’s established track record, we need to ask a lot more questions about what exactly Northeastern University wants with Mills College.

  • We are deeply concerned for the careers of the current Mills Faculty.

  • At Northeastern’s Boston campus, less than 50% of faculty are tenured or even on the tenure track; the rest are hired on renewable contracts with zero job security. None of the faculty at the existing satellite campuses have tenure. No faculty from any of the satellite campuses serve on Northeastern’s governance committees, such as the Faculty Senate; the Academic Program Committee; or the Appointments, Promotions and Tenure Committee.

  • The announcement of the acquisition did not promise that all faculty would be kept, nor that they would be kept at Mills. It said:

“Subject to the results of collaborative efforts on academic program development that will be part of formal discussions, a significant number of Mills faculty and staff would be offered opportunities for continued employment either on the Mills campus at Northeastern University or at other Northeastern University campuses where their skills and experience would be aligned.”

  • What’s a “significant number?” 75%, or 60%? 20 faculty members? 5 faculty members?

  • Where do our renowned faculty in departments like dance, music, art, writing, and theatre, fit into the Northeastern model of satellite campuses?

  • Northeastern could, for instance, offer a tenured professor at Mills an adjunct job in Boston—claim it’s based on expertise and experience—and live up to their end of the bargain. They could also offer Mills faculty jobs only at other satellites, effectively ending any chance of tenure, but still be within the parameters of what has been promised.

  • There is a narrative that UC Berkeley snubbed Mills faculty during the consideration of Mills becoming part of UCB. This is not the case. The process of review of qualifications and professional dossiers was ongoing and there is indication that some departments at Cal were about to enter into discussions of employment with Mills faculty members. The Berkeley departments were surprised when Mills walked away from the negotiations in the spring.

These are just a few of the concerns and unanswered questions that justify NOT rushing into a deal with Northeastern University. And as such, I ask you to vote against a merger with Northeastern. Then acquire and carefully and independently review the Mills College financial documents. A measured, thorough, diligent inquiry into the true financial state of Mills College and serious engagement with other viable models for Mills college, such as the UC Mills and Save Mills proposals will produce a workable solution short of selling Mills off in pieces or shutting her doors forever. We are counting on your loyalty to the Mills College Mission and the Mills College Community to reject a rush to judgment and instead take the time to explore options that keep Mills College an undergraduate focused degree granting university.

Sincerely,

Katherine Mahood, Class of 1993

As an alumna of Mills College, I am deeply saddened and bewildered on the state of finances at Mills College. Additionally, I am mystified as to how the college infrastructure has not been repaired for decades while new state-of-the-art buildings have been erected and opened. The unraveling of this respected institution is heartbreaking. I support the lawsuit of the AAMC. Of course we believe not all relevant information has been revealed. Along with my alumnae sisters, we will be watching closely any future votes you take.

We want to see Mills repair and heal itself. We want to preserve a place where all women can learn. We want faculty and staff compensated for their extraordinary work. We want Mills to be allowed to become (again) a true beacon of education. We want to see Mills remain Mills.

I ask that with any future votes, you not end the mission of women’s education Mills has fostered for more than one hundred sixty years.

Anonymous, Class of 2011

Dear board members,

When you cast your vote on the third, some of you will be sure of your decision, some will not. I feel very unsettled by the idea that 6 months ago, the college was working together with the alumnae association to try to find solutions to ongoing structural problems.

Deciding to sell Mills off to the first bidder is a decision to shut out those who have been activated by the crisis and are now prepared to act with passionate intensity to save Mills. A decision to sell is the easy way out, but it will leave a dark mark against Mills' legacy.

When you cast your ballot, please consider the message you are sending to those who are willing to lean in at this time and keep Mills in her highest integrity, for generations still to come.

There are better solutions out there, and recent revelations show there's no need to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. At least not so hastily, in desperation. Babies are precious. Mills is precious. Let's take a deep breath and give it one more college try.

Kristen Baumgardner Caven, Class of 1988

Dear Board of Trustee Members:

Although I have written to many of you individually, I want to take this opportunity to write to thank you for your many years of service to Mills College, for your commitment to the values and history of the College, and to ask that you please give serious consideration to your upcoming vote regarding the future of an institution that we all value deeply.

This vote is critical to the future of Mills College. This one vote can either support finding a future for Mills and all of the amazing faculty, staff, students, parents, Trustees, friends of the college and members of the greater Oakland community who have passed through its gates, or it can seal the demise of the College as we have known and experienced it. Mills has changed lives, both personally and professionally. Future leaders, politicians, doctors, researchers, artists, parents and children have found the Mills campus to be a place of learning, self discovery, peace, comfort, safety and happiness since its founding by Cyrus and Susan Mills. And, the future of Mills College, as any and all of us have known it, lies in the decision you are about to make.

I believe you take your responsibility with great seriousness. I count that whatever decision you make is one you believe to be in the best interests of Mills. I am writing to ask that as you consider whether you believe Northeastern University is the right next step to ensure that Mills will be able to continue to educate students, or that you have an inkling of other options possible for the continuation of Mills as an independent educational institution, you ask yourself before putting pen to paper one final question: Is this the only and best way to ensure that Mills can continue to educate students long into the future? If you cannot comfortably vote for the irreversible Northeastern acquisition, I appeal to you to not approve that acquisition and to give a bit more time to finding another option that will be in the best interests of the College, all of her alumnae/i, and for generation to come.

Thank you again for all of your hard work. We are all counting on you to make your decision based your strong belief that you have had access to all of the information needed to prepare you to take this important vote. The future of Mills College is in your hands.

Kennedy Golden
Retired Associate Dean of Students
Not an official Alumna, but a Mills employee (1969-2014- 45 years of dedication to Mills and all she stands for. Personally involved with 44 graduating classes.)

Dear President Hillman and the Board of Trustees,

I will attempt to keep this brief as I urge you to read every letter you are receiving with an open mind and heart. As I write, I am listening to my toddler daughter run around. When I read the email back in March, she was my first thought. Immediate grief seized me, as I had always thought she would have the chance to attend Mills when her time came.

I stand with the AAMC and other alum siblings to ask you to look at all of the information before making a drastic decision about the future of the college. I think both my degrees from Mills and my experiences with an amazing community are worth the time and attention you pay to this issue. Please help heal our community with truth and transparency moving forward. The time for trust is now when the college needs every single voice to be in solidarity and in protection for our beloved institution. A rash decision now will cost our future generations everything.

I deeply and humbly ask you each to sit with the information only you have access to. I hope with clear vision and keen minds you will make a decision that ensures the continuation and protection of the Mills we all hope to see continue on in its true form. Please, think of the generations to come that need this opportunity and need you to make the right choice.

With deep regard,

Tiffany Simons Schaefer, Classes of 2010, 2019 and 2022

Dear President Hillman and Mills Trustees,

It’s Monday, the day before the apparent trustee vote on whether to join Mills with NorthEastern University. I’m here in my house in San Francisco, having just sent my 20 year old daughter back to the Mills Campus to start her second week of her second year at Mills. She is having a great year so far. She is doing her passion, studio art, as well as women’s history, choir, working at the farm, and more. It is finally approaching the college experience I wanted for her, after such a rough first year, and rough senior year of high school. 

President Hillman, Trustees,  As an alum and as a parent, there are a few things I need to ask you. 

How do we know that this NorthEastern deal will keep the goodness of Mills alive? Why is the value of a women-centered education no longer worth fighting for? Why the rush?

This process is moving so quickly, far too quickly for us to feel sure what we might win or lose. I am not saying don’t do it, but I am saying, not so fast. Please. My daughter chose Mills because it has all the programs she wants, the size of school she needs, the community she craves…. Please do not take this away from her. This generation has lost so much already. Please let us fight to keep Mills a women’s and trans inclusive college, one of a dying breed of women’s colleges - at a time when we need the strong voices it incubates more than ever. 

Please support Viji and Tara’s lawsuit and give Viji the information she is entitled to, hold up the terms we set forth after the strike, and allow Mills to be all that it can be going forward. Give us more time, to be able to determine what that is and to make it happen. I and many other alums, along with faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members, are here to make that happen. Please let us try.

Remember who you are and what you represent. 

Larissa Brown Shapiro, Class of ’95, parent to Rose Shapiro, Class of ’24
Founding Board Member, Save Mills College Coalition

Dear President Hillman and the Board of Trustees,

I sit here in the quiet hours of my home when there is that rare silence in the Bay where it feels like the world stops around you. I am sitting and reflecting on the past five months. I realize how exhausted I am. I remember the eerie silence that surrounded me when I read President Hillman's email on March 17. I remember the chest pain as my fingers shook, trying to scroll down on my phone to read the entire email while my hot, wet tears blinded me and dripped down my face onto my grey shirt. I remember shouting in my head, "No, no, no…not again!" When I looked up, I was alone in my room with no one around. I was not surrounded by my classmates being told our school was closing. I could not physically be there with anyone to grieve this loss.

I remember the next day I had class, and I saw how exhausted my professor looked. It looked as if she had been crying before our class. I listened to my classmates describe their love for Mills. One of my classmates met the love of her life at Mills and chose this College for her bachelor's and master's. I remember seeing exhaustion and heartbreak in my professors, the staff I was friends with, and my classmates.

I saw this heartbreak, and it took me back to 2015 at Sweet Briar College. There we had a community to lean on when we were blindsided with the same announcement. At Mills, we couldn't lean on each other in a physical way which, in my opinion, really hurt our community.

I have always been a protective older sister. My baby sister chose Mills back in 2017. We are reverse bent-twigs. My family and I were assured Mills was not in any financial trouble from President Hillman. We were lied to. We never wanted what happened to me to happen to my sister. I failed to protect her from the same experience I now have the honor to say happened to me twice. (What are the odds? Am I right?)

In the silent hours, I reflect on all the confusion and changes. How are stakeholders constantly expected to readjust to news and change based on your announcements? I sit there and wonder why you all didn't have a signed deal with UC-Berkeley before announcing the closure. Allegedly, you didn't vote on it, according to the lawsuit. You voted to have talks about a Teach-Out plan. You closed the College without a plan. Then, how easily you made people forget your failures with the announcement of Northeastern. You were making people think you saved the day after you put the College in this position in the first place and made people agree to a plan without them seeing the term sheet. I am as impressed as I am horrified. To me, it shows how people are so willing to submit to money and power, which is not the Mills I attended.

I graduated this past May, and this is what sits on my heart tonight. I think about my bias. I sit there and think about my know-it-all attitude I had coming into Mills. My desire and ambition to be number one in every single class. I was always taught success meant being number one and being multi-talented in diverse areas. My mother cracked the code to be a well-rounded candidate any college would love, which she said I would have to be if I ever wanted to go to College. However, my first class with professor Dr. Adams showed me life isn't a competition. I can work with others and be successful. Success did not always mean being number one. Mills is filled with passionate people who want to change the world. They are not the ones who buy into believing success means being number one. They build together. They are geeks and outcasts who will later be called visionaries. They are the ones who change our society for the better because they believe in themselves.

From my time visiting many large schools (some STEM-focused) as a high schooler and first-year college student, I never once remember the students building together. I remember the win-at-all-cost attitude and being number one. The pressure every student puts on themselves to be better than every other student. Not the mindset of working together and putting pressure on themselves to be better than themselves. This lack of competition and willingness to build together is truly beautiful. This makes Mills unique, along with many other factors.

I mourn the idea of you all voting yes to Northeastern because I know this little slice of heaven will lose this uniqueness if it "partners" with Northeastern. You can't buy this. You can't change the statistics to make your ranking higher with this. To me, this is the College that changed my core forever. This College made me a better leader and, honestly, a better human. I pray you all consider my story and what will be lost if you vote yes to Northeastern.

Please listen to what Dr. Cammauf has to say with an open heart. I believe her and the other trustee's story that this is not what you all voted on in March. There needs to be time to review options, and the rush needs to stop, and we need to build together as a community. Not be left out and in the dark.

Prayers for all of you,

Paige Chamblin, Class of 2021

Dear President Hillman and the Board of Trustees,

It’s been a long 5 months. During this time, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with many Mills colleagues. And, I thank you for the opportunity to engage, to be creative and to, once again, find my voice. 

As a graduate of the class of 1990, these aren’t unfamiliar waters. The only difference is that you were ready. It’s almost as if you studied the 1990 video and read all the Quarterly’s in preparation. And then, you all wrote the playbook to counteract any moves made against you. How utterly Machiavellian of you. And, heck, I give you all huge props! 

Under the dark cover of Covid, when no one (literally NO ONE) was around on Campus, you made these decisions and you plotted how to sell off our school. Without students on campus, there was no need to make an announcement. Conveniently avoiding tears and cries of rage on the Meadow. Because this decision is completely devoid of emotion. This is strictly a business transaction.

You have successfully and strategically broken apart and divided everyone: Alumnae, Faculty, Staff. And you’ve kept the students in the complete dark. Super smart move. Seriously. If the students had an inkling of how you were plotting to destroy their dreams, they would’ve moved the earth to stop you.

In a very tactical move, you even cut off Internet access for the Alumnae Association, thereby denying access to the Alumnae database so we could not communicate and collaborate with each other. Another super smart move. Cause, you know, when Mills alums collaborate we do and can move the earth and more.

It’s too bad that you knew how to stop us yet, you failed to acknowledge that we could use that same energy, those smarts that Mills’ cultivated, to actually turn our beloved school around.

My heart has broken into a million pieces about a million times over the last half year. My own daughter, protesting her sweet heart out alongside me, may never get to go to her dream school. She’ll never discover her strength as an independent woman in a safe, caring space. She won’t be challenged to raise her voice and be the one to lead the charge. Instead, she’ll be thrust into the patriarchy without a sword. Your move to stamp out single-sex education goes not unnoticed.

All I have now are my sweet memories. I “Remember” the friends, the eucalyptus. I remember the excitement of reversing the 1990 decision, being an Alumnae Representative, serving on the Board of Governors, coordinating networking events for the San Francisco Mills alumnae and so much more, even getting married and celebrating my oldest son’s first birthday on campus. 

You see, for me and for many of my Mills friends, this isn’t a business transaction. This is a very personal, very emotional moment. There will be no going back. It’s as if you have, very purposefully, painstakingly erased all that is Mills. Even today, students don’t know of the “Remember” traditions, bouquet passings, lanterns, Prudence, Long-Suffering and Peace and those cool ghost stories. Commerce has replaced nostalgia. And all of it will be lost.

Is this the legacy you want to be remembered for? 

It’s not too late to reverse course. It’s not too late to make an informed vote. We still have “generations to come” from which the next world leaders and changemakers will rise. Mills graduates - the ultra-smart, critical thinkers challenging the status quo - are desperately needed now more than ever.  

Trust your Mills heart. Mills taught you to investigate. To collaborate. To be creative. We still have time to figure this out. Together.

Strong, Proud, All Mills.

Respectfully,

Joyce Fung Yee, Class of 1990

Dear Members of the Board of Trustees,

Remember who you are and what you represent.

Hettie Belle Ege's words have served me well throughout my life, when faced with challenges and tough decisions. On its face it is so simple, but in truth it is sometimes very difficult to enact.

But that is exactly what you—the keepers of Mills’ legacy and those responsible for its future—must do, now more than ever before. You must remember who you are. You must remember what you represent.

I will take some liberties here (with apologies to Ms. Ege) and suggest that it isn’t so much WHAT you represent that matters in your role as a trustee. Rather it is WHO you represent. You represent Mills STUDENTS. They are to whom you owe your best selves, your best intentions, your best decisions, and your best actions. You don’t owe that to past students, to alums like me. We had our Mills experiences and we have our Mills diplomas. You do owe it to CURRENT and FUTURE students.

Regardless of where you stand on a deal with Northeastern, you are obligated to first have all the facts and to explore all the options. We can all see that neither of those things have happened. I don’t need to make all the same points again on this, and it’s in the court’s hands now anyway because the administration has decided to try and railroad through decisions about the future of Mills without due course. Please remember that it was just this past fall—less than one year ago—when President Hillman held a town hall with alumnae to let us know that there were “talks” and “explorations” with UC Berkeley, and that Mills was in sound shape for another 5 years. Then, a very short time later on March 17, it was announced without warning that Mills College would simply close altogether. And then just another 3 months later in June, suddenly a deal with Northeastern was imminent.

You know as well as I do that none of that adds up and that due diligence has not been done on behalf of Mills College.

You are members of the Mills College board of trustees. Your duty is to act on behalf of our school, not on behalf of a mysterious institute or on behalf of Northeastern. You represent Mills College. You represent the students who have put their faith in Mills for their eduction. You represent the students still to come.

Please stand up for Mills and stand up for the students. This isn’t about some board members' financial dealings. This isn’t about upset alums. This isn’t about faculty who believe promises for jobs they might or might not get with Northeastern. This is about leading Mills into the future by pausing long enough to truly explore all possible options. This is about, I will say it again, Mills STUDENTS present and future.

The alums who are standing behind the AAMC, and our trustees seeking truth and transparency, are doing so because we DO remember who we are and what we represent. And we are ready to stand WITH you. We will work WITH you to explore a future for Mills that is both viable and true to our mission. Please do not bow to the pressure to make rash decisions that cannot be undone. Do not be part of the group of people to bring to an end 170 years of educating women and serving marginalized students. Instead, be part of the group who faces our current challenges with creativity and vision and duty to Mills' mission. We all bear a responsibility to Mills and its students. Let’s do the right thing.

Vote no on a deal with Northeastern until truth and transparency are on the table and all options have been explored.

Thank you for your consideration and time. I know this isn’t easy. But this might help: Remember who you are and what you represent.

Stacy Boales Varner, Class of 1993 and parent of a current student

Dear Board of Trustees:

With all the passion the community has expressed since the March 17th announcement, the one thing that is tried and true: we all love and value Mills - no matter our opinions on the particulars.

It is no secret that Mills has struggled financially for years. It is no secret that many things have been tried to right the ship. It is no secret that the administration, faculty, staff, and you - the Trustees - have spent many hours trying to do what is best for Mills.

Yet, with all of this, the March 17th announcement was still a sudden blow. And now, you are about to make the most consequential decision about Mills - to vote on the Northeastern deal, which frankly puts my stomach in knots. Having worked in Silicon Valley all my career and knowing how acquisitions erase the previous company's identity once the deal is over AND examining the history of Northeastern with regard to how the identity of the school it recently acquired has now faded, my fear is that in two to three years, the Mills name will be no more. And you will have handed over EVERYTHING to Northeastern.

That is why I am a supporter of the Alumnae Trustee's and AAMC's lawsuit. The fact that four Trustees (before two of the Trustees withdrew from the suit, although - by their own words - nothing in the legal complaints is untrue) have said they need more information in order to fulfill their fiduciary duty is of paramount importance. Some may see this as interference for interference's sake; however, this is the FATE OF MILLS we are talking about. My hope is that every one of you would support a fellow Trustee's right under California law to examine all documents to fulfill their fiduciary duty. My hope is that all of you would want that level of scrutiny before handing over the fate of our beloved Mills to Northeastern.

It disturbs me that the narrative here is either "vote for the Northeastern deal or Mills has to close." Mills in its financial state does need a partner, but not one that will eventually erase its identity. If you plan on voting for the Northeastern deal because you don't see a better alternative, then I urge you to vote, "No" and demand better alternatives. Having worked on the UC Mills campaign, there is tangible interest from California leaders in this idea and untapped political interest that may indeed make this a viable option.

Before you vote, will you imagine that it is ten or twenty years from now and look back at the vote you made on September 3, 2021? Will you be able to stand by your decision as strongly then as you do now? Can you look back and know you examined all the details for yourself and - without any doubts - it was the best decision for Mills? If not, now is the time to change direction. There is still time.

Sincerely,

Karilee Wirthlin, Class of 1992

Dear Mills College Trustees,

I know each of you has received many letters with the opinions of alumnae, students, staff and faculty about Mills College as it is, and about the proposed acquisition/merger/alliance between Mills.

This letter is slightly different in that I am not sharing my opinion with you. (I have done that and will continue to in other correspondence-also, I feel certain it is well known by now.)

I hope that I can encourage each of you to please ask for and review the following:

  1. The original, full financials of Mills College including all endowment/investment/bond/income/debt/loan information.

  2. A full and complete written explanation of what has happened to Mills financial status since it was accredited by WASC for 8 years, since the President discussed its financial state in a September 2020 Town Hall and said Mills was solvent for many years to come and since the AAMC was assured that Mills had the assets to operate for 20+ years.

  3. A full and complete written explanation of why the 21 documents requested by former Trustee Singh and Trustee Nakka-Cammauf and Trustees Wood and Foster were not supplied to them prior to the filing of the complaint.

  4. A full and complete explanation of why only some of the documents ordered to be provided to Trustee Nakka-Cammauf were provided following the Court order of August 16, 2021, and why completely unrelated and superfluous documents were also provided.

I believe that the Board of Trustee members began their service with Mills’ best interests at heart and that most - if not all of you - still have that as your goal.

I believe that partial, false and incomplete information has been and continued to be used to ensure the Board members believe there is no choice but to close or sell Mills College.

I believe there are other alternatives.

I believe there are better partners.

I believe there are better ways to vote.

Please get all the information BEFORE you vote and don’t let a predetermined outcome rule you.

Thank you,

Cherlene Wright, Class of 1992

To the Board of Trustees of Mills College,

Let’s not make this the last time you inhabit your post. It’s YOUR responsibility to preserve this College as the Mills College charter mandates. There are other options to be pursued, though you have probably been told there are not. The mistakes of the past 5 years can be rolled back. The secrecy and opacity of the administration can be ended. All of the other stakeholders of the college will work their hearts out to make Mills solvent and thriving again. If you have been told otherwise you are misinformed. This did happen to Sweetbriar College, it was saved and is thriving.  It can be done here too. 

This acquisition by Northeastern must be stopped. We need time to truthfully assess the financial situation of the College. Clearly many documents have not been available to you for unknown reasons. Even Alameda county Judge Pulido could not understand why the whole board was not interested in the documents that he ordered the College to produce. Incidentally they did not produce all of them. Why? Ask yourselves why? I suspect you have been told only what the administration wants you to know. 

Exercise your due diligence. Ask questions. Why must this be done so fast? A matter of months only, to destroy an historic, beautiful, and important college? Why? Have all options REALLY been explored. Really? None of the other stakeholders have been brought online for ideas and resources. Why? Why the secrecy? Where are the strategic plans? What is the negotiating plan with NEU? What have you been shown? 

Who is it that announces a college will be closing, is a failed institution, unbeknownst to everyone else. Did you know of this announcement in advance? Did you all vote to approve it? Shouldn’t you have?  You are the governors of this institution. It’s your responsibility to protect it. Who is it that thinks she can negotiate a good “deal” for Mills when she has pronounced it dead? Mills is a carcass for the picking. The faculty and staff will not be preserved. You know this. Northeastern will swallow Mills like a whale swallows krill. A “merger” that is this unequal will only mean one thing, the extinction of Mills College! 

It’s your responsibility, your mandate, your trust to PRESERVE this wonderful place. Many of you are alumnae. You know what Mills means to us all. Don’t, don’t, don’t rush in to this. You have been misinformed you have not seen all the data. The college will not fail in a matter of weeks or months or even a year because of a delay. There ARE other options. Some may emerge because of the intense and ardent involvement of the other stakeholders to preserve the College. Don’t act hastily, don’t doom this wonderful school without reflection and research. We CAN make Mills College live for another 169 years.

Remember Who You Are And What You Represent! 

It’s up to you! It’s up to you!

Nan Roche, Class of 1975

To the Alumnae Trustees, August 14, 2021

Today is my 68th birthday and I find myself in despair and in tears. Mills College changed me, made me and I love her more than I can say. I owe her an unfathomable debt. So, here is my letter to you. It is my own, it is from my heart.

In regards to your letter to the AAMC,

The majority of the alumnae population is not, I repeat NOT in agreement with you regarding its demise, according to surveys. The College will not be preserved intact by a merger/acquisition with Northeastern. All evidence of former institutions that have merged with Northeastern have not survived. I do not believe that Northeastern in any way has the interests and values of Mills College in mind, quite the contrary. Mills will be swallowed up into oblivion. Do you want that as your legacy? Do you want to be responsible for the acquisition and destruction of the very College that nurtured you, that I assume you love as much as I do?

You have been misinformed about the viability of the college. Unless you have information that has been withheld from the public, which would be illegal, as I understand it, for a 501c3. It was just reaccredited for 8 years. I’m assuming you know this. According to available public records, experts have deemed that the college can be rebuilt under proper management. The tuition reset reversed, the recruitment broadened to a national and international base as it used to be, recruitment based on excellence rather than niche concerns, as other women’s colleges, and HBCU’s for that matter, do. Many other women’s colleges have more applicants than ever, despite Covid. No, the decline of women’s college enrollment can’t be used as an excuse.

What happened to enlisting all other stakeholders, yes alumnae too, as partners and allies in the health of the College rather than totally shutting them out of working for the life of our beloved school. What was the reasoning behind this approach? You especially should know of the enormous talent and philanthropic power of the alumnae. Yet you decided to ignore it. Covid can’t be used as an excuse, Mills received over 4 million in bail out from the federal government. I assume you know this.

Your responsibility is to further the life of Mills College. It’s in the charter, it’s in the bylaws, yes, I’ve read them. Have you? You alone are responsible for checking the president of the College . It’s your responsibility. If you think the college has failed, something I do not believe, well then so have you.

Where were you as the president made one one mistake after another, after another, after another and drove the school to the brink? Did you rubber stamp her decisions? I can assure you I would not have. Where were you when that 9 million in capital expenditures was made in spite of the precarious situation. Where were you? Did you analyze the budget for yourself or did you rubber stamp it? Did you rubber stamp the president, believing whatever information she decided to pass your way? I imagine being a member of a board of trustees incurs responsibilities. Many of you are members of other boards, many of you are lawyers, can you read financial spreadsheets? Did you?

Did you ALL vote on the March 17th announcement? Really? Did you expect the announcement? No one else did. Since when does the leader of a business announce its demise, it’s zero worth, and then think they have anything to negotiate with? Northeastern will pay no attention to any “agreements” the president thinks she is negotiating. Why should they? They’re “bailing us out”. This acquisition will not save the students, the staff, the faculty. Maybe a few more students will graduate, but the faculty and staff, save a few, will be replaced. Do your research. Look at what Northeastern has done with other so called “mergers”. You can’t really in your heart of hearts believe that Northeastern is the only answer for the preservation of “the Mills mission”. You’ve been led down the garden path.

Ultimately, the responsibility for this situation is yours, not the president’s, yours. She should have been replaced long ago as her incompetence became apparent. The responsibility is yours. Do you love this College, it loved you, it nurtured you, it is a place of dreams, you know this. It would be a tragedy of major proportions to let it slip away. Please, please act, before it is too late, save Mills College.

Nan Roche, Class of 1975

Letters in Support
of the Mills/Northeastern Deal

Read letters of support from the Mills Community for the Northeastern deal posted on Mills’ website.

Letters the AAMC has received copies of or received directly are below.

Dear Alumnae Colleagues,

We thank the alumnae and friends of the College for their expressions of support following the closure announcement of March 17. We are inspired by your commitment to the College and what it stands for. Like you, we agree that the Mills community deserves more transparent and inclusive leadership. Like you, we remain committed to the Mills mission of gender justice and anti-racism. And like you we are saddened by the current situation, which could lead to the closure of the College. Our current students and alumnae are the reason we work at Mills.

However, we respectfully request that you encourage the Associated Alumnae of Mills College to withdraw their lawsuit.

If the lawsuit were to succeed and prevent the merger, it would not save the Mills we all know and love. It would still not be able to make payroll in the very near future. And it would still have a significant structural deficit that would limit its ability to thrive and grow.

The lawsuit has created delays that have prevented the College from reaching an agreement with Northeastern University, which would immediately alleviate its current financial stress. Additional delays could make it difficult for the College to meet its financial obligations, including payroll for both faculty and staff. Delays could also result in layoffs and the selling of its assets.

Given the College’s dire financial circumstances, we believe that the proposed merger with Northeastern University is the best available option to avoid closing the College. And we believe that keeping the College open under the name of Mills at Northeastern University has the best chance of not only benefiting the current Mills students, staff, and faculty, but also making it possible for our educational legacy to continue to evolve and thrive.

That said, while we believe that a merger is perhaps the only path forward, at this moment, we have no details about what the merger will look like and the administration continues to refuse to include us in any negotiations. If the Board of Trustees approves the merger, we must insist upon the preservation of faculty and staff jobs and full faculty involvement in the development of a new Mills. If we work together, we believe that we could be a powerful force of good, that together we could pressure the current administration to negotiate a merger that would preserve what makes Mills unique; and that we could insist that Northeastern not just maintain, but also develop our commitments to gender justice, and an anti-racist, inclusive education.

We badly need your support in this pivotal moment. And we hope that you are willing to work with us on how to sustain the best of Mills in this new environment.

Sincerely,
Juliana Spahr, Professor of English and
David Bernstein, Professor of Music

Like so many Mills alumnae I was deeply saddened by the idea that Mills would no longer continue as a degree-granting institution. Mills has played a very central role throughout my personal and professional life. But, unlike more recent graduates, I have seen so many changes at Mills over the 64 years since I graduated that I have become inured to the possibility of further, more drastic change.

I served on the Board of Governors of the AAMC in both the ‘60s and the ‘90s. While living In the East I attended New York Mills Club events and, upon returning to California, I was asked to be an Alumna Trustee. My first meeting of the board was the infamous vote on co-education. Although I did not yet have a vote, I was allowed to speak - one of only seven who favored remaining a women’s college. The shock and disappointment of students, faculty, and alumnae that followed President Metz’s announcement of coeducation amazed everyone. The community mobilized and in less than two weeks the vote was overturned, promises were made by all constituencies, and a new era began. We believed that our urban location would make real growth possible and Mills’ imperiled finances would improve.

Now, thirty years later, it is clear that our predictions were wrong. Young women have not enrolled in women’s colleges in sufficient numbers to sustain the institutions. Despite the many changes designed to boost Mills enrollment (increase in non-resident and transfer students, tuition repositioning, curriculum development in new areas of professional interest, and a strong emphasis on diversity) the numbers declined. I believe that the current administration and the board of trustees have acted in good faith to save Mills’ reputation and legacy. Northeastern University is currently a more selective institution than Mills, in spite of its size. The high academic standards for which Mills is known can be retained and current students and faculty will have improved opportunities if this relationship is established.

I strongly support the initiative to move forward with Mills College at Northeastern University.

Patricia Taylor Lee, Class of 1957

As the current Director of the Center for Transformative Action at Mills College, a professor of practice at Mills, Mills MBA alumna class of 2011, and two-decade-long resident of District 6 in East Oakland, the future of Mills means everything to me. I am pleased to add my voice to the many letters of support for the alliance between Mills and Northeastern University. 

Mills has been a large force behind my personal growth and professional empowerment—it remains the first academic institution where I have felt seen and heard as a Black woman and I know this feeling is particularly true for many of the first-generation, people of color, lgbtq+, and intersectional identities that comprise our student body. Everyone in the Mills community has a unique experience that informs their feelings around the problem we are facing and the potential solutions. Some people are focused on the outcomes for tenure-track and tenure professors, some nostalgically wish for Mills to retain the original character that inspired their devotion, and some are willing to delay the future of Mills because the transitioning process has not been as transparent or collaborative as it could have been. 

Many of us have been aware of the dire financial situation at Mills for more than a decade as this was highlighted and made public under the transparent leadership of Alicia DeCoudreaux. Of course, the closure announcement was jarring and felt like it was out of nowhere; As a parent, I’m acutely aware of how things rarely feel like the right time—including parenthood—and how change is generally met with resistance. 

I was part of a Mills optimization committee in 2019 that reviewed a range of development plans, with the goal of finding a path to financial solvency and sustainability. Sadly, none of the comprehensive plans proposed by leading community developers from San Francisco to Black-led firms based in Oakland were able to develop a successful financial model that would come close to shrinking the growing deficit. The proposed options would have also likely changed the culture of the Mills campus while not adding the long-term cash flow needed for survival.

Looking to partnerships for a path forward when I learned about the Northeastern opportunity, I was optimistic that talks of closing Mills as a degree-granting institution might cease. When I learned about Northeastern’s philosophy around experiential learning I was even more excited about the opportunity to partner and double down on applied learning that enables internships and pathways into quality jobs and career opportunities. 

I look at the larger implications of having a thriving Mills in relation to East Oakland. I hope that Northeastern, a potential partner with a proven track record and resources, will remain committed to Mills mission of gender justice and anti-racism, help us continue to center underserved identities, and show that development without displacement is possible. 

Best,
Carrie Maultsby-Lute, MBA Class of 2011
Assistant Professor of Business Practice

Hi Viji, Alexa, and other remaining AAMC board members,

I am withdrawing my support from the AAMC's lawsuit. Looking over the court documents between the College and the AAMC, and reading comments from folks for and against the NEU merger, I feel strongly that the AAMC's lawsuit is no longer a useful endeavor. I initially supported the lawsuit during conversations re: UC Berkeley and the Institute, but the situation has evolved. We are not in March 2021 anymore. The AAMC says it is fighting for Mills to remain a degree-granting institution. NEU merger is a path toward that—likely the best option that will come our way.

Since my time as a student at Mills starting in 2010, during my tenure as an employee from 2012-2016, and during my time as an active and involved alumna, the College has been in a dire financial situation. During my time as an employee in the Office of Institutional Advancement I went through two layoffs—layoffs which have continued to occur every few years since I left. While I disagree with a number of the decisions the Board of Trustees have made (and a strong distrust of trustees who have served for longer than five years)—cutting admissions and fundraising staff in particular—I do believe their decision to announce a teach out plan and solicit negotiations with NEU to be the right move for the College at this time.

I encourage you to do your best to regain a working relationship with the College and ensure that alumnae voices are heard during the merger discussions. We should be careful not to burn the bridge the AAMC so recently rebuilt with the College in developing and adopting the 2017 MOC.

I encourage the AAMC to return to the roots. Listen to alumnae, rejoin the conversations in good faith, and continue to advocate for alumnae interests. Dragging alumnae, the College, and the AAMC through a prolonged lawsuit is not in anyone's best interest. Don't let your pride become *our* fall.

Respectfully,
Allison Marin, Class of 2012

Hi Viji,

I am a loyal member of '65.

I hope you reconsider your efforts as my thoughts have evolved over time, and I hope you consider them.

I wasn't there, but I agree Hillman's announcement seemed precipitous, especially not having an option firmly in hand.

I even sent a generous check to the AAMC efforts.

But as time has passed, the AAMC protest you lead has no plan, and no funds, to continue Mills, especially after the death knell was sounded. It is very hard to revive an institution and the loud alum who says she is a crisis manager admits resurrecting a reputation takes time. That is time that Mills realistically does not have.

The appearance of NU as a suitor in my mind, and I believe in fact, really changes things and offers a chance to keep the campus an educational institution with significant pockets to continue some of Mills' lead in innovation.

Yes, it's coed, and I was among the alum who said I'd stop donating if Mills went coed in 90 because I thought the only men it would attract would be in the arts -- not a balance.

OK, I'm older now, and have fought/seen many battles -- some wins, some losses, some compromises. Some were non-trivial: several IBM court cases.

In 65, there was a speaker (I didn't attend) whose message was: "take pie when pie is passed."

Please, take the NU pie, and be sure it is the best it can be.

Your options are: be seen as killing the use of the campus for educational purposes with a Mills identity OR withdraw the claims and let the partnership proceed, thereby preserving a Mills identity (albeit different).

I know there are a few VERY VOCAL alum who support you; but I think you'd find they are few if you surveyed all alum because there is a viable option on the table.

I am impressed with the marketing talent and creativity the alum have shown and credit them for a good job (this doesn't apply to some loud FB posters).

I believe most Alum, once the rage has passed, are rational, practical people.

I do NOT support the efforts of you and TSingh (is she Andrea's daughter?) and hope you can be a force that keeps Mills alive in some guise by taking pie when it is passed.

(I know well the price of not taking pie.... I told a suitor I'd give an answer in 3 months....I am still single.)

Sincerely,
Molly Upton, Class of 1965

To the Board of Trustees:

I am writing as an alumni of Mills, both an alum as a student, and an alum as a Staff member. I am also a signatory of the letter that went to the judge, in support of the college, and as an individual against this lawsuit.

Here are the facts, as I understand and understood them, as there were CAMPUS-WIDE meetings between the presidents, both past and current, regarding the financial state of the college.

When President DeCoudreaux came into office in 2011, the College announced a $3.5 Million Dollar deficit.

Every quarter the fiscal problems increased. When I left in 2017 it was close to $10 million deficit. This increasing deficit was and is unsustainable, and things Pres. DeCoudreaux, the board of trustees, the faculty and staff did was not lessening the deficit.

President DeCoudreaux had campus-wide meetings with staff, faculty, and students. Every quarter we had these meetings. We also had rolling layoffs, whereby on Monday you didn’t know if you were going to have a job by the end of the day.

There was a massive departure of staff, most of whom were not replaced due to a hiring freeze.

In 2017, the year I left Mills as a staff member, departments were reorganized and many beloved tenured faculty were let go. There were faculty and staff who asked about the endowments, those same questions asked by the complaint. Yes, the college had money then, in RESTRICTED FUNDS. If you do not understand what Restricted Funds are and how they are earmarked for a certain type of spending only, then perhaps you might want to have a discussion with someone in the Finance Department, pick a college, any college-they are all the same. They are Restricted by the donor, meaning it cannot be spent on operating expenses unless that is what it is earmarked for.

The fiscal crisis was not hidden, as stated in the Complaint. It made the news! KRON4 aired it as did other news outlets.

I was hopeful, as many of my friends still working at the college, by the announcement of a merger with Northeastern University. Northeastern is a fantastic college - my cousin graduated from there with an engineering degree. I read into that announcement, as many of us did, that a merger meant change. Please don’t be afraid of change. Change is a part of life, kind of like death and taxes-it’s painful but it happens. Look at many businesses during the pandemic, the ones who didn’t change and adapt are gone. I really don’t want Mills to go the way of the Dodo bird.

I am afraid all this lawsuit will accomplish is making Mills file for bankruptcy, sell all of its assets-yes, this means the land as well-most likely to developers, and close for good. They cannot sell assets that are restricted. This means there are two options - merge or go bankrupt. Mills would no longer be a tranquil oasis in the heart of Oakland.

The alumni have proven resourceful by fundraising for this lawsuit, if they truly don’t want the merger, then how about fundraising not for $5million, but $500 million a year for the next 5. Maybe Mills will still be a women’s undergraduate degree granting institution then, otherwise, please vote YES for the merger and give the staff, faculty, and current students HOPE.

Respectfully,
Joyce, Class of 2012