50th Reunion Update April, 2016

unnamedDear Classmates,

Believe it or not, our fiftieth reunion is now just about three years away. So, you might ask, exactly when IS reunion weekend? The College has not confirmed the exact dates yet, but our best guess is that it will be May 16–19, 2019. Because of the special activities for the fiftieth class, our reunion will begin on Thursday and end mid-day Sunday. Mark your calendars and we’ll confirm the exact dates as soon as we know.

Drumroll, please: we’re very happy to report that our 50th Reunion Committee is ready to rock. It’s a strong and diverse group, and we’re excited about working with these women to make our fiftieth a rewarding experience for all. Your responses to the reunion survey have been invaluable. We’re now developing an overarching theme that will both guide and link all the activities leading up to 2019, like mini-reunions and class of 2019 connections, plus everything during the weekend itself. Above all, we want everyone to feel welcome, engaged and valued, and this entire experience to be fun and memorable for each of us. Scholarships will be available to help with expenses so that everyone can participate. More on that in the fall 2018 class letter.

We’ve attached the committee roster so that you can see who has volunteered for what responsibility. Also attached is a list of the committee members with their email addresses. We hope that you’ll contact one of them and join whatever area interests you the most. We have two openings on the Committee—Memorial Event and College to Career Activities—and would appreciate any volunteers or recommendations to fill these positions.

Some chairs have already started work. Marcia Lepri Coleman and Julie Van Camp have a strong leadership gift committee and already have gifts, pledges, or matches to the Mount Holyoke Fund for the five years leading up to our fiftieth of almost $1 million. We share their hope that classmates will give generously. Also, Beth Johnson McGregor and Ginna met with the class of 2019 officers last month, and Beth is exploring ways to connect with that class. She’ll be in touch with our class soon.

When we agreed to co-chair Reunion it was with a certain amount of trepidation. Having re-engaged with the College and some of our classmates, we are now both enthusiastic and energized. MHC’s core values are the same.  However, as Ginna learned when she visited campus with her niece last summer, the changes at the College are extraordinary. For example, the student body is much more diverse, and includes a large cohort of international students. MHC has made a commitment to fully fund one internship for each student during her four years. Called the Lynk, this initiative and a strong career development office help students prepare for fulfilling lives and careers in the 21st century.

Two more changes now in the offing will make our reunion truly special. Sally recently attended a dinner meeting with the chair of the MHC Board of Trustees, Barbara Baumann. She talked about President Lynn Pasquerella’s decision to resign effective this June. The Board has appointed Sonya Stephens, the vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty, as acting president for three years. Barbara spoke at length about Sonya’s credentials, her engagement in the current strategic planning process, and her energy. After a formal search, she could be named the next president of the College. In any case, we’ll be on campus as a new president of the College assumes her/his role. Just like old times! At our graduation, a new president was appointed, admittedly, under entirely different circumstances and thanks in large part to our class.

Barbara Baumann also described the new $50 million community center that will connect to an expanded and renovated Blanchard Hall. This will be completed in 2018, and will replace all the dining facilities in the dorms on campus. We can expect to use this new futuristic center for some of our reunion activities.

Going forward we’ll be posting on our class Facebook page and again urge you to join the Facebook group: MHC Class of 1969. We also ask that each of you reach out to any classmates with whom you are still in touch. If they didn’t receive this email, please urge them to contact the Alumnae Association at ais@mtholyoke.edu to provide their email addresses and to allow us to contact them electronically. Most of our communications about Reunion will be digital, and we still have many classmates who can’t be reached by email.
   
That’s all the news for now. Please contact either or both of us with any suggestions or questions. We look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you at a mini-reunion soon!

Sally Gisel Green                 Ginna Holmes Moore
781-771-1742                     518-821-3391

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