On President Emerita Kennan ’60

“The Kennanization of Liz.”- Students of Mount Holyoke College

To an outsider, this phrase may be extremely hard to interpret. However, for students who attended Mount Holyoke College during Elizabeth Kennan’s presidential tenure (1978-1995), it couldn’t be more simple: President Elizabeth Kennan stood as a symbol of resilience and strength. Her first statements for the College exemplified these qualities: “Only here can women develop the strength and resilience to enable them to deal with the discrimination which still remains and with the crosscutting responsibilities of family life which will always remain” (Kennan, 1978).

Her ambitious presidential projects were far-ranging: the renovations of Blanchard Hall, Clapp Laboratory and the Kendall Sports & Dance Complex, as well as taking on the expansion of new horse facilities in the Equestrian Center, stemming from her personal interest in horse riding, to overseeing the construction of both the Willits Hollowell Conference Center & Hotel and the beloved Village Commons, while still having the time to lead the Five College Consortium during the entirety of her tenure.

With each of these expansions for the school, President Kennan found it necessary to bring a hands-on approach. She even fine-tuned the dinner menus that were brought to her by the Willits chefs and made sure that they were the best that they could be for each and every person who stayed at the hotel. After a fire caused the former South Hadley town center to disintegrate, President Kennan led the charge to re-develop the shopping area that generations of Mount Holyoke students would come to love.

Although this is only naming a few of the many accomplishments of President Kennan, one of her most profound contributions would be the pioneering of the Frances Perkins Scholars program. With her teaching background, Kennan thought it to be imperative for each and every single person to have an education no matter the background or time at which they started.

She brought to campus the understanding that it is with community that we come closer to the immense possibilities for the future. She said in her first Convocation speech in 1978: “We are all sharply attentive to our individual futures. We are under great pressure to achieve, no matter what the cost. But because we are at Mount Holyoke there are certain costs we do not have to pay. We do not have to abandon the world of ideas and the ability it brings to comprehend and to communicate. Nor do we have to stand alone in the world. Not entirely of women but for women” (Kennan, 1978).

Mount Holyoke College has challenged the once-exclusive notions of who a women’s college is for and has had inclusive admissions for more than 10 years. Yet these ideas of community that President Kennan put forth are still foundational to how we connect as former or current Mount Holyoke students. Her legacy continues to manifest itself through students and faculty alike. If anyone were to ask now what the phrase “The Kennanization of Liz” means, it is that through resilience, confidence and ambition, we can all strive to achieve great things, like the beloved Elizabeth T. Kennan.