Hollins University



Hollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a 475 acre campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States.

Hollins has since evolved into a full university with more than 1000 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students. As Virginia's first chartered women's college, all undergraduate programs are female-only. Men are welcome in the graduate-level programs.

Known for its writing program, Hollins alumnae include Annie Dillard, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975, Natasha Trethewey, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, Mary Garber, pioneering sportswriter, Kiran Desai, who received the Man Booker Prize in 2006, and Ellen Malcolm, founder of EMILY's List.

History
Initially established in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary, a coeducational college, Hollins became a woman's college in 1852. Three years later, it was renamed Hollins in recognition of benefactors John and Ann Halsey Hollins who donated generously to the school. Hollins Institute became Hollins College in 1911 and Hollins University in 1998. Hollins University has offered coed graduate programs since 1958.

Charles Lewis Cocke is the most recognizable force behind Hollins. The young mathematics professor from Richmond wrote at the age of 19 that he wished to dedicate himself to the "higher education of women in the South." Within a few years Cocke was principal of the institute which would become Hollins College. The motivating force behind the first women's college in Virginia and one of the first in the nation, Charles Lewis Cocke is properly known as the founder of Hollins. During an era when the education of women was thought to be a futile, possibly even dangerous business, Cocke wrote in 1857: "The plan and policy of this school recognizes the principle that in the present state of society in our country young women require the same thorough and rigid training as that afforded to young men." The main administrative building is named for him.

Hollins was the first college in Virginia to name a woman president, Matty Cocke, in 1901. It was also home to the first exhibition gallery in the Roanoke region in 1948. One of the first writers in residence programs in America was established at Hollins in 1959. Hollins was home to the first graduate program focusing on the writing and study of children’s literature, established in 1993.

Hollins University Quadrangle is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Traditions
Hollins University traditions are centered around fun ways to bring the campus community together. Many of them have been in place for more than 100 years.

Tinker Day, observed since the 1880s, occurs in October. It became an official holiday in 1895. The surprise element, which was introduced in 1899, adds to the excitement of the day. Students are awakened at dawn by seniors, who bang pots and pans in their decorated graduation robes to celebrate the event. After the president's official declaration, classes are canceled and students gather to eat Krispy Kreme doughnuts before hiking Tinker Mountain in zany costumes with the faculty and staff. At the top of the mountain, students sing songs and perform skits before enjoying a traditional picnic of fried chicken and Tinker Cake.

In the weeks before the event, seniors will prank first-year students by running through the first-year dorms banging pots and pans and declaring it to be Tinker Day in the late night and early morning. These are called "Tinker Scares."

Miss Matty's Birthday is also celebrated in October. On this day, the Hollins community honors Matty Cocke, president of Hollins from 1901 to 1933, and the first woman to head a college in Virginia. She was the daughter of Hollins' founder, Charles Lewis Cocke.

White Gift Service is one of the oldest and most moving Hollins traditions. Taking place in the Jessie Ball duPont Chapel, the service is marked by the Concert Choir and Talmadge Singers heralding in the holiday season with traditional songs and scripture passages. The tradition takes its name from the white dresses Hollins students used to wear during the service and from the special offering given by the community to local, national, and global service organizations.

Class and graduation traditions
Many of Hollins's traditions center around interactions between the classes, the transition from one year to another, and graduation. Convocation welcomes new students and recognizes the start of the new year. In correspondence with this tradition is First Step, in which seniors take their first steps across the Front Quadrangle, which is off limits to underclasswomen, to signify the official start of their last year.

Ring Night is an ever-evolving tradition in which seniors secretly adopt junior ring sisters. The juniors participate in skits and other silly antics in hopes of earning their rings and discovering who their "sisters" are.

Hundredth Night marks 100 days before graduation. On that day, seniors gather at a party given by the senior class, reflect on their four years at Hollins through a slideshow and skits, and enjoy food served by sophomores and juniors.

Passing of the Robes, begun in 1996, is a relatively new tradition. Seniors who care to may pass their decorated robes down to juniors. It is also a day for other classes to pass on something special to the class below them.

The Rock, located on the lawn outside the Dana Science Building, has been called Hollins's billboard. It was first painted by the Class of 1982. Seniors spray paint colorful messages to congratulate, to celebrate, and to speak out on issues.

Secret societies and year-round traditions
ADA was founded in 1907. ADA promotes school spirit on the Hollins campus through skits, songs, announcements in the dining room, leading cheers at athletic events, and sponsoring the Red Cross Bloodmobile yearly.

Freya was founded in 1903. Freya is the name of the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. Freya was founded in hopes of creating a society that would embody the ideals by which it wished to live. While the members of Freya have passed in and out of the shadows of anonymity, Freya has always been dedicated to anonymous service. Among other activities, Freya members oversee the Freya scholarship fund and the Emergency Loan Program, both of which help students who may have been overlooked by traditional forms of financial aid.


 * "Freya walks." When an issue or conflict strikes near to hearts of Hollins women, Freya walks in honor of those issues and concerns. While the walking time has varied anywhere from 10 pm to midnight, members have always walked in black-hooded robes to protect their anonymity and carried candles to symbolize hope. In the past, women have turned off the lights in their room to allow Freya to walk in complete darkness. Freya's motto can be found on the flyers that members post the day of a walk: "But in the discrepancy that falls between what one is and what one could be, therein lies the challenge."

Membership in both ADA and Freya is by invitation only.

Founder's Day and Hollins Medals
Hollins Medals were first presented in 1967 to commemorate Hollins's 125th year. Upon the approval of the Board of Trustees, the university awards the Hollins Medal to individuals who embody the ideals and values set forth in the university's mission statement. Hollins Medals are awarded "for distinction, service to Hollins University, and to woman's life and education in general." The medal is a personal manifestation of mutual affection to those who have shown a demonstrated commitment to Hollins.

Founder's Day, observed in February, celebrates the birth and life of Hollins's founder, Charles Lewis Cocke. Members of the senior class (dressed in their robes) and one member of the campus community chosen by the seniors walk to the Cocke family cemetery, where they place a wreath on Mr. Cocke's grave. The community participates in the celebration through the Founder's Day Convocation, a ceremony that features a distinguished speaker.

Academics
Hollins offers small classes with an 11:1 student-teacher ratio in a variety of majors. The most popular majors are English, psychology, studio art, business, and biology. Currently Hollins offers graduate programs in dance (M.F.A.), creative writing (M.F.A.), children’s literature (M.A., M.F.A.), liberal studies (M.A.L.S.), playwriting (M.F.A.), screenwriting and film studies (M.A., M.F.A.), and teaching (M.A.T.). As of 2011, Hollins offers a graduate-level certificate in Children's Book Illustration.

Hollins was one of the first colleges in the nation to establish a study abroad program, launching Hollins Abroad-Paris in 1955. Approximately half of Hollins students have an international learning experience. Hollins runs its own programs in London and Paris; non-Hollins students are free to apply to the Hollins Abroad London and Paris programs. Hollins students can study through Hollins-sponsored programs in Argentina, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Spain, South Africa, and in various other countries through the School for Field Studies. Hollins also sponsors an annual service-learning project in Lucea, Jamaica.

In January, or J-Term, students follow their own independent course of study with a sponsoring professor, take off-campus internships, or study abroad with other Hollins students. The innovative 4-1-4 calendar, established in 1968, was one of the first in the nation.

Hollins's peer tutoring center is known as the Center for Learning Excellence, situated in Middle East. The Writing Center offers students support and feedback on their writing interests, and the QR Center, established in 2002, offers support to students enrolled in quantitative courses

In 2009, Hollins was ranked among the top 100 of America's Best Colleges. Hollins was among the 372 most interesting schools according to the 2008 Kaplan/Newsweek How to Get Into College guide, and the Princeton Review named Hollins a “Best in the Southeast” college and featured the school among “The Best 373 Colleges” in its 2011 guide.

Curriculum
A liberal arts school, Hollins has designed its own Education through Skills and Perspectives (ESP) general education requirement program. Rather than focusing on the usual math, science, English, history booklist of required courses, Hollins requires each student to take a variety of skills classes (Writing, Oral Communication, Quantitative Reasoning, Information Technology) and perspectives classes (Aesthetic Analysis, Creative Expression, Ancient and/or Medieval Worlds, Modern and/or Contemporary Worlds, Social and Cultural Diversities, Scientific Inquiry, Global Systems and Languages). These requirements can be completed in as few as 8 courses but aim to help the students explore other fields of study while rounding out their basic understanding of the world.

Hollins offers majors in the fields of Studio Art, Art History, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Communication Studies, Dance, Economics, English & Creative Writing, Environmental Studies, Film, French, Gender and Women's Studies, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, International Studies, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish, and Theatre.

Other academic offerings include: Arts Management Certificate, Certificate in Leadership Studies, Education, First-Year Seminars, Three-Year Accelerated Degree Program, Pre-Law, Pre-Med, Pre-Vet, Short Term, Horizon Program for Adult Women.

Writing Program
The graduate program in creative writing was founded by Louis D. Rubin, Jr., in 1960, but Hollins has offered classes in creative writing for even longer. In 2008 the Jackson Center for Creative Writing was initiated through a generous gift from Susan Gager Jackson '68 and her husband, John Jackson, of Far Hills, New Jersey.

The Jackson Center for Creative Writing is home to Hollins' esteemed undergraduate and graduate writing programs, which have produced dozens of writers of national and international acclaim, including Lee Smith '67 and Pulitzer Prize winners Annie Dillard '67, M.A. '68; Henry S. Taylor M.A. '66; and Natasha Trethewey M.A. '91. Kiran Desai M.A. '94 won both the Man Booker Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The fiction of Madison Smartt Bell M.A. '81 has been recognized by a Strauss Living Award, and numerous other Hollins writers have received NEA, Guggenheim, and countless other grants and awards for their poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, contributing to the cultural life of the nation that is disproportionate to the program's size. In fact, Hollins's creative writing program has been called "the most productive writing program in America" by Creative Writing in America..

The campus has two literary magazines. Cargoes, which has won the Undergraduate Literary Prize for content by the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and The Album, which is offered as a more alternative campus periodical. R. H. W. Dillard, Eric Trethewey, Cathryn Hankla, Jeanne Larsen, and David Huddle are among the writers who teach at Hollins.

Horizon Program
Established in 1974, The Horizon Program is dedicated to offering nontraditional women students the opportunity to earn a bachelor of arts degree. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Hollins' Horizon Program is that the degree is the same degree that all Hollins graduates earn; it’s not a separate certificate. Horizon students are fully integrated into the Hollins community and often participate in campus activities, clubs, and study abroad.

Sports programs
Hollins is a member of Division III of the NCAA and competes throughout Virginia in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Intercollegiate sports include basketball, golf, lacrosse, riding, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. Hollins also has fencing, cross-country, martial arts, and softball club sports teams.

Hollins is well known for its riding program and was named a Kaplan "Hot School" for riding in 2004-05. To date, Hollins has won 18 individual national championships, two team national championships, and four individual national high point rider championships. Hollins consistently dominates ODAC team competition.

Hollins does not have a mascot, and the sports teams do not have an official nickname.

As part of its Education through Skills and Perspectives (ESP) general education requirement program, two regular terms of physical education course work are required for graduation. Students can take classes ranging from beginner tennis and weight lifting to Chinese Kempo Karate to fulfill the requirement.

Housing
There are nine residence halls on campus. Most first-years live in Tinker and Randolph in doubles. Sophomores and juniors generally live in West or in singles in Tinker and Randolph, and primarily seniors (with a few exceptions) live in Main, or the university apartments across the street from campus. Housing choices are determined by a lottery number given after the housing deposit is paid in the spring; the lottery numbers are assigned randomly from within a preset range determined by class year.

All undergraduates are required to live on campus. The exceptions to this rule are Horizon (nontraditional) students, married students or those with children, those over the age of 23, or those whose official residence with parents or guardians is in the Roanoke Valley area.

All residence halls, houses, and apartments are smoke free.

Specialty housing
Hollins does not have sororities; instead, undergrads can choose to live in "specialty housing." Each house, or hall, with this designation operates as an independent community within Hollins and has competitive admission.

Organization and Interest-Related Houses

Near East Fine Arts, located in Near East and commonly called '"NEFA," is devoted to increasing fine arts awareness and participation among Hollins students and members of the Roanoke community.

HOP Hall, for Hollins Outdoor Program, is located in West and is devoted to bringing together people who share a common love for the outdoors, the environment, and adventure. HOP is dedicated to training effective outdoor leaders and increasing the awareness and participation of all Hollins students in activities pertaining to outdoor recreation.

Otaku is located in Tinker House. Its purpose is to create a community in which everyone feels at home and to expose others to the creative and imaginative appeal of fantasy, anime, and science fiction.

Sandusky House is devoted to increasing awareness and participation of all Hollins students in activities pertaining to community service. House members lead by example to encourage students to serve on campus and in the Roanoke Valley and to collaborate with S.H.A.R.E staff to reach this goal.

International and Language Houses

The Spanish House is situated next door to NEFA in East and is for students studying Spanish. The French House is one of the Hill Houses and houses students studying French. Carvin House, another Hill House, is for international students and students interested in international affairs.

Student body
Hollins has about 750 undergraduate students from 47 states and 14 countries; 20% are students of color. The average high school GPA is 3.5. By the time they graduate, nearly two-thirds have had internships and almost 50% have had an international learning experience. Within one year of graduation, an average of 70% are employed and 27% are attending graduate or professional school.

Clubs and organizations
Campus organizations on Hollins campus serve to bring the community together and help students find their niche. Hollins has nearly 30 clubs and organizations. The vast majority of Hollins organizations have open membership. Honor societies, Freya, and ADA are closed societies.

Hollins has a number of organizations that are open to all students.

Hollins Outdoor Program
The Hollins Outdoor Program, or HOP, is an open campus organization that teaches students how to enjoy their surrounding environment, push themselves in high-adventure activities, and become effective outdoor leaders. Those who participate in HOP can expect to join and even lead white water canoeing trips, outdoor rock climbing trips, and caving, hiking, and backpacking trips.

Student publications and literary societies
Hollins has two award-winning campus literary journals. The Album, printed twice a year, provides an alternative outlet for both traditional and experimental literary works. Cargoes is the annual Hollins literary magazine of student work and Nancy Thorp Memorial Poetry Contest winners. In July 2005, Cargoes was awarded the Undergraduate Literary Prize for content by the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP). Grapheon, which is unaffiliated with other literary organizations, arranges programs of literary interest to the community, such as readings, teas, and socials.

Hollins Columnsis the student newspaper.

Spinster, the annual yearbook, preserves the memories and events of Hollins students. Hollins also has its own closed-circuit television station, HUTV.

Arts-focused Organizations
Arts Association is a group of artistically inclined students interested in sharing their work and contributing to the Hollins art scene. All members of NEFA are members of the Arts Association. Alpha Psi Omega - Hollins has a very loud and active branch of Alpha Psi Omega, a national theater honor society. Foundation 42 is for sci-fi, fantasy, or horror enthusiasts. Founded in 1999, it allows members to explore their favorite aspects of the genre. Hollins Repertory Dance Company (HRDC) offers the opportunity for creative dance study, increased technical ability, composition, and performance by producing two major dance productions each year.

Religious Organizations
Spiritual and Religious Life Association provides activities and opportunities that nurture spiritual growth, education, and service such as informal programs relating world, personal, and intellectual issues to spiritual life, and annual community service projects such as White Gift Offering, Golden Rule Dinner, and Thanksgiving Food collection. SRLA also provides opportunities for students to gather for fellowship with each other and with students from other colleges. Hollins has two more specifically focused organizations. Bell, Book, and Candle is focused on the different branches and aspects of Pagan spirituality. It was formed in 2005. Hollins Christian Fellowship provides fellowship with other Christians of every denomination at weekly meetings where local pastors and students lead discussion and Bible studies.

Political and Cultural Groups
Hollins has both a branch of the College Republicans and a College Democrats. In addition to these umbrella organizations, Hollins has a number of politically and culturally focused groups dedicated to more specific causes. The Black Student Alliance (BSA) is dedicated to providing an awareness of the African American culture in Hollins and Roanoke through programs and service. They seek to advance diversity, creativity, self-expression, unity, independence and self confidence. They hold frequent campus-wide parties and "melt da mike" nights. The Global Interest Association (GIA) seeks to cultivate and promote an understanding and appreciation of the contributions, values, views and traditions of diverse cultures from around the world. OUTloud is the Hollins Gay-Straight Alliance. Members of this organization seek to work collaboratively both in and out of the Hollins community, educating and increasing awareness about sexual orientation. OUTloud seeks to provide a confidential forum for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) concerns in an open and positive environment, and to increase awareness of queer issues. Voice, the campus activist organization, concentrates on issues concerning consumerism, social justice, human rights, and the environment. Voice members strive to raise awareness for these issues. WA^2 (Women Who Appreciate Anime) promotes the viewing and appreciation of Japanese animation. The shortened version of the name is pronounced "WA squared." This club generally goes to two anime conventions each year: Nekocon and Katsucon. The group also runs a "J-Con" during the short term with anime viewing and events.

Community Service Organizations
Hollins has Circle K, Colleges Against Cancer, and Habitat for Humanity branches on campus in addition to other, more tightly focused campus community service organizations. Hollins H4H was started in 1989 by a Hollins student and since then has funded/sponsored one house and has sent builder teams to numerous others over the years—every year. Hollins H4H works closely with the local affiliate, Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley. CASA, short for Coalition Against Sexual Assault, is a student-run peer-counseling service with walk-in office hours five days a week. They also sponsor events like Take Back the Night, an emotional event with an open-mic, candlelit march and SlowWalk by HRDC; educational events for the campus community in classes, dormitory hall social events, and other outreach, advocacy and awareness-raising events. Students Helping Achieve Rewarding Experiences (SHARE) coordinates students who wish to serve as volunteers in the Roanoke area and internationally and to gain a deeper self-understanding through service to others. They assist with volunteer placements in the areas of: youth, elderly, homeless, crisis intervention, hospital assistance, and school systems/tutoring. SHARE also offers qualified students the opportunity to participate in a mini Peace Corps-like project in Jamaica during Short Term and Spring Break.

Musical Organizations
Chapel Music Students are invited to prepare musical offerings for weekly chapel services, Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Student-led vocal and instrumental music enhance each service. The Hollins United Gospel Singers (T.H.U.G.S.) seeks to minister to the Hollins community and the Roanoke Valley. The Gospel choir is open to all students, faculty, staff and administration.

Language Groups
Hollins has both a French Club and a Spanish Club. Neither require members to speak fluently. Both focus on the cultures surrounding their language of choice.

Scholarly Societies
Hollins also has three major honorary and scholarly societies. Omicron Delta Kappa is an honorary leadership society to which fosters the development of responsible leadership and promotes involvement in the college and surrounding community. Phi Beta Kappa, Iota chapter, was established in 1962 and recognizes outstanding scholarship and broad cultural interests in liberal studies. Pinnacle is a national honor society for adult undergraduate students which seeks to support leadership and scholarship.

Eleanor D. Wilson Museum
Founded in 2004, The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University is a premier arts destination in the Roanoke Valley featuring the work of internationally renowned artists, emerging figures, and regional names. The museum presents work from the permanent collection and mounts exhibitions that explore currents in contemporary art. Through these activities, the museum provides a forum for art and the creative process to enhance the life of the university and the community beyond.

The museum's benefactor, Eleanor D. "Siddy" Wilson, desired that her alma mater have a world-class art museum. The museum is the culmination of Siddy's philanthropic generosity and benefits both the Hollins and greater Roanoke communities. The museum was named in her honor.

Students and faculty greatly benefit from the Wilson Museum's educational resources and research opportunities. Senior studio art majors present work from their final undergraduate portfolio in an exhibition at the end of the term. Students also have the opportunity to participate in student-curated exhibitions and utilize the museum's permanent collection for original research.

List of Firsts

 * first chartered women’s college in Virginia
 * first college in Virginia to name a woman president, Matty Cocke, 1901
 * the nation’s first women’s intramural sports team established at Hollins, 1917
 * Presser Hall, 1926, the first of numerous music buildings nationwide donated by the Presser Foundation of Philadelphia
 * first exhibition gallery in the Roanoke region, 1948
 * Hollins Abroad-Paris among the first abroad programs in the country, 1955
 * first women’s college in Virginia to offer coed graduate programs, 1958
 * one of the first writers in residence programs in America was established at Hollins, 1959
 * with the 4-1-4 calendar, Hollins established one of the first Short Terms to be used for innovative classes, research, independent study, internships, and study abroad, 1968
 * first liberal arts college in region to network all residence halls, a port per pillow, 1992
 * first graduate program focusing on the writing and study of children’s literature established, 1993
 * Wyndham Robertson Library named the first National Literary Landmark in Virginia, 1999

Notable alumni

 * Mary Wells Ashworth, Pulitzer Prize winning historian, 1924
 * Margaret Wise Brown, author of Goodnight Moon, 1932
 * Eleanor D. Wilson, actress and Tony Award nominee, 1930
 * Mary Garber, first woman sportswriter in the Atlantic Coast Conference, 1938
 * George Butler, documentary filmmaker and writer, M.A. 1968
 * Amanda Cockrell, children's book author, 1969, M.A. 1988
 * Ann Compton, ABC News White House correspondent, 1969
 * Kiran Desai, author and recipient of the Man Booker Prize in 2006, M.A. 1994
 * Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize winning writer, 1967, M.A. 1968
 * Dorothy Dix, American journalist, 1882
 * Tony D'Souza, author of Whiteman, M.A. 1998
 * Madison Smartt Bell, author of Ten Indians, M.A. 1981
 * Ruth Hale, feminist and founder of the Lucy Stone league
 * Cathryn Hankla, American poet, 1982
 * Ellen Malcolm, Founder of EMILY's List, 1969
 * Sally Mann, photographer, 1974
 * Jill McCorkle, author, 1981
 * Donna Richardson, fitness and aerobics instructor, author and television sports commentator
 * Pamela Jo Howell Slutz, career diplomat and current US Ambassador to Burundi, 1970
 * Lee Smith, author and winner of many awards including the Southern Book Critics Circle Award and two O. Henry Awards, 1967
 * Ellen Stokes, Emmy nominated and CableACE Award winning producer and director, 1972
 * Henry S. Taylor, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, M.A. 1966
 * Carol Semple Thompson, golf champion, 1970
 * Natasha Trethewey, American poet and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, M.A. 1991