MHC Forward momentum
How we’re turning our strategic vision into action
President Danielle R. Holley reflects on the progress made across MHC Forward’s four pillars during the 2024–2025 academic year.
2024-2025
- Faculty growth: Over the past three years, added 31 new tenure-track faculty across disciplines.
- New endowed chairs: Established two new professorships — the Debra Martin Chase Chair in Film Media Theater and the Susan-Lori Parks Chair in Creative Writing — honoring distinguished alums.
- Innovation Fund launched: Supports imaginative, interdisciplinary teaching with a focus on project-based learning.
- Carnegie Foundation recognition: Mount Holyoke was designated as a research college, affirming our commitment to faculty-student research.
- Deep mentorship: Faculty continue to serve as the heart of student growth.
- Sophomore Institute expansion: Transformed into a three-day immersive program with support from 200+ alums, focusing on career readiness and mentoring.
- BOOM! learning symposium: Featured 50+ sessions and a keynote from Angela Davis, reinforcing our DEI values through dialogue and engagement.
- TGNC10: We marked 10 years of Mount Holyoke’s gender-inclusive admissions policy with a yearlong student-led initiative.
- Athletics refresh: Welcomed new assistant coaches, secured team wins and unveiled a new mascot identity for Paws.
- Positive student feedback: Spring 2025 surveys showed an increased sense of campus community and recommendation rates from students that exceed pre-pandemic levels.
- Revamped Experience MHC: Our admitted students day became a vibrant, all-campus event, and admission saw an increase from last year in yield.
- Comprehensive Campus Plan launched: Aligns physical infrastructure with academic programs, student life, alum engagement and employee experience.
- Major facility investments: Renovations began on North and South Rockefeller Halls and Mead Hall; upgrades made to athletics facilities with more planned.
- Geothermal project: Entered Phase 3, advancing both sustainability and accessibility goals.
- Internal operations strengthened: Overhauled our staff onboarding process and launched new employee appreciation initiatives.
- Service improvement through Summit project: Enhanced Workday functionality, selected a new alum and donor platform and began the transition to a new learning management system.
- Strengthened alum engagement: Expanded in-person and virtual donor and alum programming; launched the “Made Here” storytelling series.
- Renamed Alum Association: Reflects the diversity and identity of the Mount Holyoke community.
- MHC Forward Fund launched: Gifts made support urgent needs, academic freedom and the College’s inclusive mission.
- Forged in Dissent initiative: Highlights MHC’s ongoing efforts to challenge injustice and invites community involvement.
- Exceptional fundraising year:
- Total dollars raised (comprehensive number): $41,044,999
- Total number of donors: 9,949 alum, parents, friends and student donors
- Record numbers of faculty and staff contributed.
- The Mount Holyoke Fund closed the year with outstanding numbers: $9,888,742
- The MHC Forward Fund: $558,038 raised from 678 unique donors. For 52 alum donors it was either their first gift in at least 6 years or their first gift ever. Trustees combined gave 26% of the total.
- March4MHC and Athletics Day of Giving campaigns saw record participation.