President Sonya Stephens

Sonya Stephens reflects on career at Mount Holyoke, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion

Sonya Stephens reflects on career at Mount Holyoke, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion

“I wake up in the morning … I see the sun rising behind the buildings and the outline of the College, and I think, ‘What will I do today to advance Mount Holyoke,’” College President Sonya Stephens said.

College Cabinet holds open town hall meeting for student questions

Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Marcella Runell Hall and other members of the Mount Holyoke Cabinet held a town hall meeting open to students on Monday, April 26. In notifying students of the event, Hall wrote that the town hall would be “an opportunity for [students] to learn and ask questions about how the college works and about the present and future of Mount Holyoke.”

College announces fall opening plan, tuition increase

College announces fall opening plan, tuition increase

Mount Holyoke students will return to a full residential experience in the fall 2021 semester per an email sent to the College community by College President Sonya Stephens.

BOOM! 2021: Coming together, apart

Mount Holyoke held its fifth annual BOOM! Conference, a collection of workshops and panels on racial justice, on Tuesday, March 23. The program focused on understanding bias in the distribution of land, resources and communities.

College To Hold Reunion 2021 Virtually; Decisions on Commencement To Be Announced This February

On the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 9, the College sent out an email containing updates on the plans for Commencement and reunion 2021. With a vaccine seemingly on the way, plans may change depending on how the COVID-19 pandemic develops over the coming months. However, as COVID-19 restrictions on outdoor gatherings continue to tighten in the state of Massachusetts, an official decision on the class of 2021’s commencement ceremony has yet to be made. Over the following months, the College will continue to monitor the state of the pandemic and inform decisions based on the safety guidelines regarding in-person gatherings and travel. An official decision about Commencement 2021 will be announced by the end of this February.

Mountain Day 2020 To Be Held Virtually During Module Break

On Sept. 30, Mount Holyoke announced that Mountain Day, a tradition nearly as old as the College itself, would be held during the fall break between Module 1 and Module 2. This decision was taken by the administration to “best maximize the academic schedule for curricular content and the break for time to rest and rejuvenate,” according to the College webpage. This year, like with all of the challenges of remote school, the much-awaited tradition will look different.

Guneet Moihdeen ’21 expressed sadness about how her last Mountain Day is happening during the module break. “I’m kinda sad. The whole point [of Mountain Day] for me is dropping everything and having fun or self-care,” Moihdeen said.

College loses $7.6 million in COVID-19 pandemic response

College loses $7.6 million in COVID-19 pandemic response

On Tuesday, April 7, the Mount Holyoke College community received an update from President of the College Sonya Stephens briefing community members on the College’s financial situation. “Over this time period, we have focused on our emergency response and continuity of operations,” Stephens wrote.

Mount Holyoke evacuates campus due to COVID-19 pandemic

Mount Holyoke evacuates campus due to COVID-19 pandemic

“All students must move out of their on-campus housing beginning on Saturday, March 14, and must be moved out by Friday, March 20, at the latest,” read a campus-wide email sent from College President Sonya Stephens on Tuesday, March 10. “Students should not expect to live on campus for the remainder of this semester.”

Sonya Stephens inaugurated as College’s 19th president

Sonya Stephens inaugurated as College’s 19th president

BY EMMA RUBIN ’20

“It’s a tradition,” said Momo Jin ’19. “I mean, this only has happened 19 times in the history of Mount Holyoke.” On Saturday, Sept. 29, Sonya Stephens was officially inaugurated as the 19th President of Mount Holyoke College.