AAMC Special Meeting & Town Hall

Follow-up to the Tuesday, February 8, 2022 Meeting

 

The AAMC recently hosted a successful Special Town Hall Meeting on February 8th via Zoom. The meeting was originally requested by those petitioning to end the lawsuit, who gave presentations alongside Board of Governors members about the history and outcomes of the lawsuit. The meeting also covered the future of the AAMC and heard reflections from AAMC President Viji Nakka-Cammauf.

Presentations from the Special Town Hall Meeting and other post-meeting materials are posted below.

 
 

Post-Meeting Materials from the Special Town Hall Meeting

Special Town Hall Meeting Agenda
(with links to post-meeting materials)

 
 
 

Notification of Special Town Hall Meeting Sent to Alums

Jan 12, 2022 via Postal Mail
Jan 14, 2022 via email to College shared list

 

Dear Alumnae Community,

We hope you enjoyed a happy and peaceful holiday season. This past year has been a year of tremendous change and challenge, and there is much work to be done in 2022. Mark your calendars for a combined Special Meeting and Town Hall meeting being held on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 5:30pm PT.  Members of the alumnae community have submitted a petition calling for a vote to withdraw AAMC participation and funding from any lawsuit against Mills College, and will be heard at this meeting. The meeting will also include an update by the AAMC Board of Governors about the lawsuit and the College’s countersuit. Please note: both lawsuits were dismissed by the AAMC and the College without prejudice on January 11, 2022. Also at this meeting, the Board of Governors will share our negotiations with the College, a synopsis of the events of 2021, and an introduction to next steps in the evolution of the Alumnae Association.  The agenda may be adjusted to accommodate new developments.

As there will be a great deal of information to be shared during this Special Town Hall, the only questions we will be able to answer will be those submitted in advance. To submit questions for consideration at this meeting, email aamc@mills.edu by January 31, 2022 with the subject: “Special Town Hall Question.” We will group questions by similarity and address the top 8-10 questions/issues during the meeting, and create an FAQ page to address other questions by category.

For many years, the AAMC has been dependent on the College for its infrastructure. As the merger proceeds, we are working towards a more independent infrastructure. This includes both staffing and technology. While the nature of our future working relationship with Mills College at Northeastern University remains to be seen, the AAMC Board of Governors is negotiating in good faith with Mills College to reaffirm our access to the Reinhardt Alumnae House and the database of alumnae originally created by the AAMC, which was later assumed by the College.

Additionally, we are pleased to announce that an AAMC Summit will be held on Saturday, February 26, 2022 to discuss how the AAMC will define itself and in what ways it may change once Mills College completes its merger with Northeastern. The summit will address new ideas for the mission and vision of the AAMC, and include discussions of membership and the legacy of Mills College alumnae. Eighteen to twenty-five representatives from the broader alumnae community will be invited to participate in this full day effort led by Jim Langley, who led our last summit with President DeCoudreaux in 2015.

For up-to-date information on the Special Town Hall meeting, the history of the lawsuit, and all things related to the AAMC, please see our new website at aamc-mills.org. If you have not already done so, please sign up to be on the AAMC-managed email list at: aamc-mills.org/subscribe. Information about past Board of Governor meetings, financials, and committee reports still resides on the website managed by the College: tinyurl.com/aamc-minutes. One of our goals in 2022 is to migrate all relevant content from the Mills College-owned pages to the pages on the AAMC’s new website.

This Special Town Hall will be held on Zoom, and a synopsis will be posted to our website afterwards. You may register for the 90-minute virtual Special Town Hall meeting at: tinyurl.com/feb-townhall.

If you prefer a written copy of any of the information available on the AAMC website, please call (510) 430-2110 or email aamc@mills.edu.

In Gratitude for Your Engagement and Participation,
The Board of Governors of the Alumnae Association of Mills College

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Background Information for Special Town Hall Meeting

 

Lawsuit Update

The AAMC lawsuit and the College countersuit were dismissed by mutual agreement without prejudice on January 11, 2022. Conversations about the future between the AAMC and the College will begin the week of January 17, 2022. 

For many years, the AAMC has been dependent on the College for its infrastructure. As the merger proceeds, we are working towards a more independent infrastructure. This includes both staffing and technology. While the nature of our future working relationship with Mills College at Northeastern University remains to be seen, the AAMC Board of Governors is negotiating with Mills College to reaffirm our access to the Reinhardt Alumnae House and the database of alumnae originally created by the AAMC, which was later assumed by the College. 

Summary of Financials Related to Litigation

Costs for Pursuing Litigation Amount Covered by Fundraising Amount Funded by AAMC General Fund & Other Income
Costs up to Oct 31, 2021 Invoice (paid in Nov 2021) $1,006,527 $221,195 (22%) $785,332 (78%)

Read AAMC Meeting Minutes, Financial & Committee Reports

You can read information about past Board of Governor meetings, financials, and committee reports that still reside on the website managed by the College.

One of our goals in 2022 is to migrate all relevant content - like meeting minutes and reports - from the Mills College-owned pages to this website.