Welcoming family and friends back to campus

A sea of red, orange and yellow trees adorned the campus as Mount Holyoke College welcomed back the students’ families and friends for the first time this academic year since Move-in weekend. The annual weekend-long event is a chance for students to show their families and friends some of what makes the Mount Holyoke experience special.

On Saturday afternoon, representatives from various campus departments welcomed students and their families and friends on Pageant Green for a Fall Fest celebration, which included cider donuts, apple blossoms and a pumpkin-painting contest. A selfie camera, Batch Ice Cream and a chance to unwind in the midst of a busy semester were welcome reprieves on a sunny fall afternoon.

“I showed my family my residence hall, of course. I was also excited to show them the Language and Culture Commons, which is one of my favorite places to study,” said CeCe Stowe ’28 of Litchfield, Connecticut. “I’m there a lot, because I’m taking two different languages this year. So it’s definitely a favorite of mine. We also went canoeing, which was so nice and beautiful!”

Including Fall Fest, the weekend was packed with events, including an equestrian show, observatory night and a Q&A panel with President and Professor of Politics Danielle R. Holley and the College’s senior leadership. The panel, which was held in Gamble Auditorium, was a chance for students and their families and friends to hear about MHC Forward, the College’s new 10-year strategic plan, and to ask questions on a range of topics.

“We’ve spent about two years in really intense conversations around campus, and over 1,000 people participated in the crafting of the strategic plan, including students who had a very important voice in putting together a lot of our new strategic plan,” Holley said. “Over the next 10 years, you will see Mount Holyoke seek to elevate and extend our legacy in terms of our academic reputation and the academic programs that we're offering.”

Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Marcella Runell further highlighted the work the students did on the strategic plan and how they considered the impact they will have on future generations of Mount Holyoke College students.

“A lot came out of the last strategic plan, including our community center with dining. And for students that are here now, it’s hard to imagine what life was like before we had that space,” Runell said. “I think for me, the a-ha moment was just thinking from a student lens of what it looks like to be part of a legacy and to see things happen that you may not benefit from but future students will benefit from.”

Students at Mount Holyoke benefit from being able to take classes at Five College Consortium members — University of Massachusetts Amherst and Smith, Hampshire and Amherst colleges.. Transportation between the members of the Five College Consortium, whether through fleet cars, PVTA buses or Zipcars, broadens the horizons of the students of each campus. However, attending classes on another campus does come with the challenge of needing time to get to and from each campus, which is something Provost and Dean of Faculty Lisa Sullivan discussed during the panel.

“We're trying to see where the greatest cross-registration is between students at each campus and drive those courses to the first or last period of the day,” Sullivan said. “That will ensure that the pressures of a longer commute will be limited to a single conflict rather than having to get to another campus and back during the middle of the day.”