| About Hollins > President's Profile > President's Message |
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Nancy Oliver Gray,
President
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President's Message |
“Uncommon Women Changing the World” beautifully describes the exceptional women that Hollins has educated for more than 165 years, so much so that we have enthusiastically proclaimed this as our theme for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Uncommon applies to the Hollins experience in many ways. Hollins pursues an uncommon mission to provide women the opportunity to find their own voices and seek their own individual dreams and goals. We help them gain confidence to compete in a still-unequal world and give them the tools to make the world a better place for other women, children, and men. Our first-year seminars, for example, immediately engage our students in academic challenges involving creative problem-solving and interdisciplinary work, vital skills for the twenty-first century. For her instrumental role in creating this innovative program, our Dean of Academic Services, Alison Ridley, has been selected as one of the nation’s Ten Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates. And, the Batten Leadership Institute is facilitating managerial and executive leadership training at the undergraduate level, giving students the skills to interact with a variety of people and organizations as soon as they enter the workforce.
Our mission is demonstrated by the ever-growing list of uncommon students engaged in remarkable activities. During our January 2008 Short Term, our students are interning at venues such as the Supreme Court of the United States and the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., UBS Financial Services and Sotheby’s Department of Americana in New York City, and the Centers for Disease Control and the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta. Eighty-two percent of our students perform at least one internship during their four years here, and many do two or more.
In addition, almost half of our students – many times the national average – have an international learning experience during their time at Hollins. Our students study abroad in some amazing places, including London, Paris, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and Argentina.
Guiding our students through every step of their educational journey is our uncommon faculty. Hollins students find that they are as much colleagues with their professors as they are pupils, often partnering with them in their research and writing. At the same time, faculty members encourage students to take advantage of our rich opportunities for independent study. Our small class sizes and low ratio of students to faculty contribute to this collaborative environment.
Throughout this year, we are honoring those uncommon strengths that give Hollins such a distinctive identity. We seek out women with strong personalities and ambitious goals. We welcome those who come from differing backgrounds and places all over the world. We encourage each individual to express herself in her own unique way.
Hollins women are uncommon women.
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