Mount Holyoke College#Library

File:Mary Lyon ivory miniature.jpg]]

File:Mount Holyoke in 1837.gif

Mount Holyoke was founded in 1837 by Mary Lyon as "Mount Holyoke Female Seminary".{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3qWLyDZ8PsC&pg=PA13 |title=Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their ... | via=Google Boeken |access-date=2012-07-14|isbn=978-0870238697 |last1=Horowitz |first1=Helen Lefkowitz |year=1993 |publisher=Univ of Massachusetts Press }} Lyon developed her ideas on how to educate women when she was assistant principal at Ipswich Female Seminary in Massachusetts.

By 1837 she had convinced multiple sponsors to support her ideals and the nation's first real college for women. Mount Holyoke Female Seminary opened on November 8, 1837, in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The town had donated the land and main building.See [https://offices.mtholyoke.edu/marylyon/founding "The Founding of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary" (2022) online] Lyon's layout of the campus provided a widely imitated model for the higher education of women by providing a physical environment that supported a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum equivalent to that of men's colleges. Lyon's innovative goals set her Seminary apart from other female seminaries of the period, offering a curriculum equivalent to those at men's colleges. All the students worked in one building with little privacy. There was close contact with the all-female faculty, and daily self reports on their personal strengths and weaknesses. The college cut staff to the minimum as the 100 or so students each performed one hour of work a day, handling most of the routine chores like cooking and cleaning and maintaining the grounds.

Lyon rejected the goal of the men's colleges to promote individualism and independence and instead fostered the collective ideal of a united team of women could match the success of nearby men's colleges like Amherst and Williams. The curriculum allowed women to study subjects like geometry, calculus, Latin, Greek, science, philosophy, and history, which were not typically taught at other female seminaries in the 19th century. Lyon's efforts in founding an institution of higher education for women, despite the economic challenges of the time, paved the way for more women to have the same opportunities for higher education as their brothers.Andrea L. Turpin, "The Ideological Origins of the Women’s College: Religion, Class, and Curriculum in the Educational Visions of Catharine Beecher and Mary Lyon." History of Education Quarterly 50#2 (2010), pp. 133–58. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/40648056 online].The major study is Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, ''Alma mater: Design and experience in the women's colleges from their nineteenth-century beginnings to the 1930s' (2nd ed., U of Massachusetts Press, 1993).

File:Mount Holyoke Seminary and Ground 1887.jpg

Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was one of several Christian institutions of higher education for young women established during the first half of the 19th century. Prior to founding Mount Holyoke, Lyon contributed to the development of both Hartford Female Seminary and Ipswich Female Seminary. She was also involved in the creation of Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College) in 1834. Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was chartered as a teaching seminary in 1836{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/lifemarylyon00gilcgoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/lifemarylyon00gilcgoog/page/n474 436] |quote=mount holyoke chartered 1836. |title=First Charter of Mount Holyoke |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=1910 |access-date=2011-02-20|last1=Gilchrist |first1=Beth Bradford }} and opened its doors to students on November 8, 1837. Both Vassar College and Wellesley College were patterned after Mount Holyoke.{{cite web|url=http://www.dean.sbc.edu/crispen.html|title=Seven Sisters and a Country Cousin|author=Jennifer L. Crispen|publisher=sbc.edu|access-date=2007-07-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818074928/http://www.dean.sbc.edu/crispen.html|archive-date=2007-08-18|url-status=live}}

According to historian Amanda Porterfield, Lyon created Mount Holyoke to be "a religious institution that offered a model of Christian society for all to see."{{cite book |last1=Porterfiled |first1=Amanda |title=Mary Lyon and the Mount Holyoke Missionaries |date=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0195113013 |page=32}} Students "were required to attend church services, chapel talks, prayer meetings, and Bible study groups. Twice a day teachers and students spent time in private devotions. Every dorm room had two large lighted closets to give roommates privacy during their devotions".{{cite news |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/marylyon/life.html |title= Daily Life at Mount Holyoke |publisher=mtholyoke.edu |access-date=2006-09-01 |archive-date=January 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113220757/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/marylyon/life.html }} Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was the sister school to Andover Seminary. By 1859 there were more than 60 missionary alumnae; by 1887 the school's alumnae comprised one-fifth of all female American missionaries for the ABCFM; and by the end of the century, 248 of its alumnae had entered the mission field.{{cite journal | title=Did You Know? | journal=Christian History & Biography | date=Spring 2006 | volume=90 | pages=3–4 }}

Mount Holyoke Female Seminary received its collegiate charter in 1888, becoming "Mount Holyoke Seminary and College". The change in admission from Seminary to College included fundraising by the trustees, an overhaul of the entrance requirements, and course catalog. Entrance exams were introduced at this time, scheduled in June or September at the college. In 1889, students traveling from the midwest could take these examinations in Freeport, Illinois, and within a few years, this was expanded to other cities. Many additions were made to the course catalog, and starting in the 1889 academic year, students could choose to pursue degrees of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science.{{Cite book|title=A Hundred Years of Mount Holyoke College|last=Cole|first=Arthur C.|publisher=Yale University Press|year=1940|location=New Haven|page=219}} Within 4 years, the seminary enrollment dropped from 269 to 8. In 1893, the seminary course was discontinued, and the new title "Mount Holyoke College" was authorized.

A movement towards what was referred to as cottage-style living started in 1889 by the New York Association{{Cite web|url=http://new.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/nyc/|title=Mount Holyoke Club of NYC|website=Mount Holyoke Club of NYC|access-date=April 16, 2018|archive-date=November 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112172131/http://new.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/nyc/|url-status=dead}} after the change to Mount Holyoke Seminary and College. $15,000 was raised, and plans were put in place for Mary Brigham Cottage, with accommodations for the president and thirty students, with priority given to those in the collegiate course. At the time, two South Hadley families agreed to host boarders. President Elizabeth Mead deemed these options unsatisfactory and pushed the trustees to build yet another cottage. Mrs. Mead was ready to relieve the students of a large share of the drudgery of domestic work that had made up a good portion of their studies since Mary Lyon's conception of the seminary. From 1895 to 1996 the trustees allotted funds for the employment of four women to wash the dinner dishes that had formerly constituted the task of eight or ten students.

On February 28, 1987, the United States Postal Service's Great Americans series issued a postage stamp featuring Mary Lyon, in honor of Mount Holyoke's Sesquicentennial (Mount Holyoke's 150th anniversary).{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE0DB1239F932A15751C1A960948260|title=Stamp for Holyoke Founder|agency=AP|date=1986-12-21|newspaper=New York Times|access-date=2011-02-20}}{{cite news|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/%7Edalbino/fdcs/mlyon.html|title=The Mary Lyon Stamp|access-date=2006-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060219234157/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/%7Edalbino/fdcs/mlyon.html|archive-date=2006-02-19|url-status=live|publisher=mtholyoke.edu}}

In the early 1970s, Mount Holyoke had a long debate under the presidency of David Truman over the issue of coeducation. On November 6, 1971, the board of trustees voted to remain a women's college.{{cite news|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/detailed.shtml|title=Mount Holyoke: A Detailed History|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222407/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/detailed.shtml|archive-date=2007-09-26|url-status=live|publisher=mtholyoke.edu}}

At Convocation on September 2, 2014, President Lynn Pasquerella announced a new policy allowing the admission of transgender individuals of both sexes to the college,{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/transgender-applicants-welcome-mount-holyoke-womens-college|title=Students react to decision to admit transgender students at Mount Holyoke|date=October 15, 2014|website=PBS NewsHour}} as well as the admission of students whose gender identities are non-binary.{{cite web|title=Admission of Transgender Students|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/policies/admission-transgender-students|website=Mount Holyoke College|access-date=2015-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116134430/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/policies/admission-transgender-students|archive-date=2015-01-16|url-status=live|date=2014-09-02}} Of the Seven Sisters that had remained women's colleges, Mount Holyoke was the first to implement such policy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/09/03/watch-first-seven-sisters-schools-admit-trans-women|title=Mt. Holyoke Becomes First 'Seven Sisters' School to Admit Trans Women|date=2014-09-03}}

At Convocation on September 3, 2024, the College launched TGNC10 @ MHC, described as "a trans and gender nonconforming (TGNC)-led, student-led project sponsored by Mount Holyoke College (MHC) in commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of MHC’s gender-inclusive admissions policy, which was established as the result of student activism through the 'Open Gates' initiative."{{Cite web |title=TGNC10 @ MHC |url=https://events.mtholyoke.edu/tgnc10-mhc#tabs-47365351174281-47365351180428 |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=Mount Holyoke College Events |language=en}}

The 2020 annual ranking by U.S. News & World Report categorizes Mount Holyoke as "more selective".{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/mount-holyoke-college-2192 |title=Mount Holyoke College |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=May 21, 2020}}

For the Class of 2028 (enrolling fall 2024), Mount Holyoke received 5,226 applications, accepted 1,881 (36%), and enrolled 532.{{cite web |title=The class of 2028 by the numbers |url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/news-stories/class-2028-numbers#:~:text=Application%20records%20were%20shattered%20for,selective%20in%20the%20College's%20history. |publisher=Mount Holyoke College}} The middle 50% range of SAT scores for enrolled students was 1360–1470 for the composite, 690–750 for evidence-based reading and writing, and 660–750 for math, while the middle 50% range for the ACT composite score was 31–33.

{{Infobox US university ranking

| USNWR_LA = 34

| Wamo_LA = 16

| Forbes_NU = 244

| WSJ_NU = 282

}}

U.S. News & World Report{{'}}s 2025 rankings ranked Mount Holyoke tied for the 34th-best liberal arts college in the nation, and tied for 35th for "Best Undergraduate Teaching".{{cite magazine |year=2023 |title=U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings: Mount Holyoke |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/mount-holyoke-college-2192/overall-rankings |magazine=U.S. News & World Report}} In 2023, according to a ranking by the Princeton Review which assessed students' perceptions of their faculty, Mount Holyoke's faculty was ranked #9 in the nation.{{Cite web |title=Colleges with the Best Professors {{!}} The Princeton Review |url=https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=professors-get-high-marks |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=www.princetonreview.com |language=en}} The ranking was based on students' level of agreement or disagreement with the statement, "Professors are interesting and bring their material to life."{{Cite web |title=The Princeton Review's College Ranking Methodology {{!}} The Princeton Review |url=https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/ranking-methodology |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=www.princetonreview.com}} As of 2023, Mount Holyoke was ranked #6 in the Princeton Review's ranking of the "Top 20 Best Schools for Making an Impact".{{Cite web|url=https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=top-20-best-schools-for-making-an-impact-private-schools|title=Top 20 Best Schools for Making an Impact (Private Schools)|date=2021-06-05}}

Forbes ranked Mount Holyoke 244th out of the top 500 rated private and public colleges and universities in America for the 2024–25 report. Mount Holyoke was also ranked 134th among private colleges and 88th in the northeast.{{Cite web |title=Mount Holyoke College |url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/mount-holyoke-college/?list=top-colleges |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

Mount Holyoke College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.{{Citation|title=Massachusetts Institutions – NECHE|publisher=New England Commission of Higher Education|url=https://www.neche.org/institutions/ma/|access-date=May 26, 2021}}

In 2025, the college ranked 205 out of 257 top colleges in a free speech ranking by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and "College Pulse," after ranking at 155 in 2024 and 159 in 2022/2023.{{Cite web |title=Free Speech Rankings |url=https://rankings.thefire.org/rank/school/mount-holyoke-college |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=rankings.thefire.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=2024 College Free Speech Rankings {{!}} The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression |url=https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/2024-college-free-speech-rankings |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.thefire.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=2022-2023 College Free Speech Rankings {{!}} The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression |url=https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/2022-2023-college-free-speech-rankings |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.thefire.org |language=en}}

File:Pioneer Valley South From Mt. Sugarloaf.jpg and Connecticut River]]

Mount Holyoke offers 50 departmental and interdepartmental majors, including the option to design a special major. The most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduates, were:{{cite web |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Mount+Holyoke&s=all&id=166939#programs |website=nces.ed.gov |publisher=U.S. Dept of Education |title=Mount Holyoke College |access-date=February 14, 2023}}

::Experimental Psychology (45)

::Biology/Biological Sciences (44)

::Econometrics & Quantitative Econometrics (34)

::English Language & Literature (33)

::Computer Science (26)

::Neuroscience (21)

::International Relations & Affairs (20)

The primary degree conferred is the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, for which students complete 128-semester credits (one standard course equals 4 credits). At least 68 credits must be earned from coursework outside the major department, across the three curricular divisions: humanities, science and mathematics, and social sciences. Study of a foreign language and completion of a multicultural perspectives course is also required.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/degrees.shtml |title=Degrees and Requirements | Mount Holyoke College |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |date= 2012-04-18|access-date=2012-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811071206/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/degrees.shtml |archive-date=2010-08-11 |url-status=live }}

Mount Holyoke's membership in the Five College Consortium allows students to enroll in courses at nearby Amherst College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. They may also complete one of 12 Five College Certificates—among them African studies, Buddhist studies, coastal and marine sciences, cognitive neuroscience, international relations, and Middle Eastern studies—in lieu of a minor.{{cite web|url=http://www.fivecolleges.edu/|title=Five College Consortium|date=2012-06-22|publisher=www.fivecolleges.edu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716230828/https://www.fivecolleges.edu/|archive-date=2012-07-16|url-status=live|access-date=2012-07-14}}

In addition to the BA, Mount Holyoke offers three master's degrees: a coed Master of Arts in Teaching,[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/graduateprograms/teaching Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) | Mount Holyoke College] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222233126/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/graduateprograms/teaching/# |date=2013-02-22 }}. Mtholyoke.edu. Retrieved on 2013-09-07. a Master of Arts in mathematics teaching,[http://mathleadership.org/programs/master-of-arts-in-mathematics-teaching Master of Arts in Mathematics Teaching] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021053129/http://mathleadership.org/programs/master-of-arts-in-mathematics-teaching/# |date=2013-10-21 }}. Mathleadership.org (2012-05-14). Retrieved on 2013-09-07. and a master's in psychology.[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/psychology/masterofarts Master of Arts in Psychology | Mount Holyoke College] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223005012/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/psychology/masterofarts |date=2013-02-23 }}. Mtholyoke.edu. Retrieved on 2013-09-07. Other programs include dual-degree programs in engineering with the California Institute of Technology, the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst;{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/engineering/ |title=Dual-Degree Engineering Options |publisher=Mount Holyoke College |date= 2012-04-18|access-date=2012-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013074418/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/engineering/ |archive-date=2012-10-13 |url-status=live }} the Frances Perkins Program,{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/fp/index.shtml |title=Frances Perkins Program |publisher=Mount Holyoke College |access-date=2012-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115165545/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/fp/index.shtml |archive-date=2010-01-15 |url-status=live }} for women over the age of 24 who wish to complete the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree; and the Postbaccalaureate Studies Program,{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/prehealth/postbac.html |title=Postbaccalaureate Pre-Medical Program |publisher=Mount Holyoke College |access-date=2012-07-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129212248/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/prehealth/postbac.html |archive-date=2012-01-29 }} for students who have already earned an undergraduate degree and wish to complete additional course work in preparation for graduate work in medicine, nursing, veterinary medicine, dentistry, or physical therapy science.

Four academic centers—the Weissman Center for Leadership,{{cite web|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/6571.shtml |title=Mount Holyoke College :: Weissman Center for Leadership |access-date=2009-07-22 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623040136/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/6571.shtml |archive-date=2006-06-23 }} the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives,{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/global/index.shtml |title=McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives | Mount Holyoke College |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |access-date=2012-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119062617/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/global/index.shtml |archive-date=2010-01-19 |url-status=live }} the Miller Worley Center for the Environment,{{cite web|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/ce/5598.shtml |title=Mount Holyoke College :: Center for the Environment |access-date=2009-07-22 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630064303/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/ce/5598.shtml |archive-date=2007-06-30 }} and the Intergroup Dialogue Center{{Cite web |title=Intergroup Dialogue Center {{!}} Mount Holyoke College |url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/academics/centers-and-facilities/intergroup-dialogue-center |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=www.mtholyoke.edu |language=en}}—support the academic program through public lectures by visiting scholars, conferences on issues of pressing concern, mentoring and internship opportunities, and hands-on learning experiences. The Weissman Center's Speaking, Arguing, and Writing (SAW) Program{{cite web|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/wcl/11260.shtml |title=Mount Holyoke College :: Speaking, Arguing, & Writing Program (SAW) |access-date=2009-07-22 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704150254/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/wcl/11260.shtml |archive-date=2007-07-04 }} provides opportunities for developing leadership and communication skills, including the ability to effectively frame, articulate, and advocate positions. The Community-Based Learning Program{{cite web|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/wcl/11261.shtml |title=Mount Holyoke College: Community-Based Learning |access-date=2009-07-22 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704143104/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/wcl/11261.shtml |archive-date=2007-07-04 }} links students with community-based organizations in courses that combine analysis and action.

Mount Holyoke has study abroad programs and exchanges for full-year or semester study in France, Senegal, Costa Rica, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as a summer program in China and January term programs in Georgia and South Africa. The college is also affiliated with more than 150 study abroad programs in more than 50 colleges and students have the opportunity to petition any programs with which the college is not already affiliated. The college also encourages international internships and research for the semester, year, summer, or January terms. Each year more than 200 Mount Holyoke students, representing approximately 40 percent of the junior class, study for a semester or academic year at universities and programs abroad.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/global/11622.shtml |title=Mount Holyoke College :: Study Abroad |access-date=2009-07-22 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424091331/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/global/11622.shtml |archive-date=2010-04-24 }}

Through the school's membership in the Twelve College Exchange program, Mount Holyoke students can study at one of the following 12 other schools for one semester or a full year:{{cite web |title=Twelve College Exchange Program |url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/academicdeans/twelve_college |publisher=Mount Holyoke College |year=2019 |access-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501170259/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/academicdeans/twelve_college |url-status=dead }}

• Amherst College
• Bowdoin College
• Connecticut College
• Dartmouth College
• National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
• Smith College
• Trinity College
• Vassar College
• Wellesley College
• Wesleyan University
• Wheaton College
• Williams/Mystic Seaport Program in Maritime Studies

A number of faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for their research and writing achievements, including Christopher Benfey (literary scholar), Joseph Ellis (historian), Susan Barry (neurobiologist), Mark McMenamin (geologist and paleontologist) and Becky Wai-Ling Packard (psychologist). Mark McMenamin's Hypertopia Option has been called one of only two methods "by which planetary temperature can be stabilized."{{cite journal |author1=McPherson, G. R. |author2=Sirmacek, Beril Kallfelz |author3=Massa, J. R. |author4=Kallfelz, W. |author5=Vinuesa, R. |title=The commonly overlooked environmental tipping points |journal=Results in Engineering |volume=18 |year=2023 |pages=101118 |doi=10.1016/j.rineng.2023.101118|s2cid=258399831 |doi-access=free }}

Mount Holyoke administrator and art professor Rie Hachiyanagi made international headlines when she was charged with the attempted murder of a regular member of the faculty on 23 December 2019.{{cite news |last1=Flynn |first1=Meagan |title=An art professor allegedly went to a colleague's home to admit her feelings. She ended up attacking her with a fire poker, police say. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/06/mount-holyoke-professor-attacks-colleague-with-fire-poker-garden-shears-rock-after-admitting-feelings-police-say/ |access-date=11 October 2021 |newspaper=Washington Post |publisher=Jeff Bezos |date=6 January 2020}} Hachiyanagi used a fire poker, large rock, and a gardening shears to attempt to beat and kill her victim.{{cite news |last1=Holcombe |first1=Madeline |last2=McDonnell |first2=Giulia |title=A confession of love ended in a professor attacking her friend with a fire poker, police say |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/07/us/mount-holyoke-professor-attack/index.html |access-date=11 October 2021 |work=Cable News Network |agency=Warner Media |date=7 January 2020}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/06/mount-holyoke-professor-attacks-colleague-with-fire-poker-garden-shears-rock-after-admitting-feelings-police-say/|title=An art professor allegedly went to a colleague's home to admit her feelings. She ended up attacking her with a fire poker, police say.|first=Meagan|last=Flynn|newspaper=Washington Post|date=January 6, 2020}} Hachiyanagi's alleged victim survived the attack.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/mount-holyoke-prof-tried-kill-colleague-case-unrequited-love-police-n1111146|title=Mount Holyoke professor tried to kill colleague in case of unrequited love, police say|website=NBC News|date=January 6, 2020 }} Hachiyanagi pled guilty to the charges and on October 20, 2021, was sentenced to a term of 10 to 12 years in prison.{{cite news|url=http://www.mountholyokenews.com/news/2021/11/7/former-professor-rie-hachiyanagi-sentenced-10-12-years-following-guilty-plea|access-date=2022-01-04|date=2021-11-09|publisher=Mount Holyoke News|title=Former Professor Rie Hachiyanagi Sentenced 10–12 Years Following Guilty Plead|first=Tara|last=Monastesse}}

File:Gate of Mount Holyoke College.jpg

File:WoodbridgeHouseSouthHadleyMA.jpg, 'Sycamores', a former dormitory for the college]]

File:Mount Holyoke College Mary Lyon Hall.jpg

File:John Payson Williston Observatory, Mount Holyoke College, ca. 1945-1955.jpg

File:Seminary Building, Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, 1886.jpg

The {{convert|800|acre|km2|adj=on}} campus was designed and landscaped between 1896 and 1922 by the landscape architecture firm of Olmsted and Sons. The campus includes a botanic garden, two lakes, several waterfalls, tennis courts, stables, and woodland riding trails. It is also home to the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum which is part of the Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield and the Museums10. An independent bookstore, The Odyssey Bookshop, is located directly across from the campus in the college-owned Village Commons.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/travel/escapes/16North.html?_r=1&oref=slogin|title=In the Valley of the Literate|last=Mummert|first=Roger|date=2007-11-16|work=The New York Times|access-date=2011-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118214451/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/travel/escapes/16North.html?_r=1&oref=slogin|archive-date=2012-01-18|url-status=live}} Mount Holyoke has instituted "The Big Turn Off" energy conservation campaign.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/stories/4821124 |title=Mount Holyoke College :: News :: MHC's New Energy Conservation Campaign |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |date=2006-11-13 |access-date=2011-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606142650/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/stories/4821124 |archive-date=2011-06-06 |url-status=live }} It also focuses on "green" building with five LEED certified buildings on campus.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/es/8442.shtml |title=Env Responsible Building: Environmental Stewardship: Mount Holyoke College |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |access-date=2011-02-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108062435/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/es/8442.shtml |archive-date=2011-01-08 }} It has reduced its environmental impact by recycling 40% of waste and composting as well as using produce grown in the student-run organic garden in dining halls.{{cite web |url=http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009/schools/amherst-college |title=Amherst College – Green Report Card 2009 |publisher=Greenreportcard.org |date=2007-06-30 |access-date=2011-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215020257/http://greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009/schools/amherst-college |archive-date=2010-12-15 |url-status=live }}

The Seminary Building (1837) contained classrooms, parlors and rooms for students and faculty, the original library, and a periodical reading room. A south wing was added in 1841, a north wing in 1853, and a gymnasium and laundry in 1865. All were destroyed by fire in 1896.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hatlas/fires/seminary/index.htm|title=The Great Fire of 1896: Mount Holyoke Women Remain Calm and Courageous|website=www.mtholyoke.edu|access-date=2018-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102153228/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hatlas/fires/seminary/index.htm|archive-date=2018-01-02|url-status=live}} Upon the burning of the college building in September 1896, Treasurer Williston announced the pressing need for a new chapel building, a new gymnasium, and a series of cottage dormitories in the modern style. This style of separated buildings allowed for flexibility in fundraising that was attractive to the trustees, while still providing the students with the resources and accommodations they needed. In 1897, Mary Lyon Hall and Mary Lyon Chapel were built, as well as dormitories Brigham, Safford, Porter, and Pearsons. Blanchard Gymnasium was completed in 1899.{{Cite news|url=https://blog.mtholyoke.edu/mhcforever/2015/02/03/building-community-fact-2-blanchard-campus-center|title=Building Community Fact #3: Blanchard Campus Center|last=MHC Advancement|date=February 3, 2015|work=The Gates|access-date=April 16, 2018|archive-date=November 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125235928/https://blog.mtholyoke.edu/mhcforever/2015/02/03/building-community-fact-2-blanchard-campus-center|url-status=dead}}

John Payson Williston Observatory, completed in 1881, was given in memory of the Willistons' eldest son and built to be ready for the rare transit of Venus in 1882. It is the oldest academic building on campus.{{Cite news|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/astronomy/williston-observatory|title=Williston Observatory|date=2017-08-29|work=Mount Holyoke College|access-date=2018-01-29|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220223302/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/astronomy/williston-observatory|archive-date=2018-02-20|url-status=live}}

Mount Holyoke has been recognized for its campus beauty by Huffington Post,{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/11/worlds-most-beautiful-universities_n_3578402.html |title=World's Most Beautiful Universities|date=2013-07-11}} The Princeton Review,The Princeton Review ranks it #4 as "Most Beautiful Campus" and #17 for "Dorms Like Palaces." {{cite book|author=Robert Franek|title=The Best 376 Colleges|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HkWxc1vu3ukC&pg=PA40|year=2011|publisher=Princeton Review|isbn=978-0-375-42839-5|pages=40–41}} and Architectural Digest.{{Cite web|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/most-beautiful-colleges-in-america|title=The 50 Most Beautiful Colleges in America|website=Architectural Digest|date=November 5, 2018 }} Its oldest building dated back to the school's opening in 1837, but it burned down in 1896 and was replaced by buildings that opened the following year. Additional buildings were constructed, remodeled, torn down, and expanded at various points from the 1870s to the 2010s, most recently with a new residence hall in 2008 and the construction of a centralized dining hall in 2018.{{cite web |url=https://lits.mtholyoke.edu/archives-special-collections/asc-research/asc-research-guides/architects-mount-holyoke-buildings |title=Architects of Mount Holyoke buildings |author= |date= |website=mtholyoke.edu |publisher=Mount Holyoke College Archives & Special Collections |access-date=2023-07-12}}

The school owns an 18-hole golf course, The Orchards, which was designed by Donald Ross and which hosted the U.S. Women's Open in 2004.{{cite news|url=http://www.uswomensopen.com/2004/press/course-ideal.html|title=Location Ideal For 2004 Women's Open: Championship Course Was Built For A Woman, Owned By All-Female College|last=Shefter|first=David|access-date=2006-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060414050102/http://www.uswomensopen.com/2004/press/course-ideal.html|archive-date=2006-04-14|url-status=live|publisher=uswomensopen.com}}

File:Williston Library, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley MA.jpg

Mount Holyoke's library includes more than 740,000 print volumes, 1,600 periodicals, and more than 140,000 electronic resources. Its first librarian was an alumna Mary Nutting. Through the Five College Consortium, students have access to more than 9 million volumes.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/library.shtml |title=Library | Mount Holyoke College |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |date= 2012-04-18|access-date=2012-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001094737/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/library.shtml |archive-date=2010-10-01 |url-status=live }} Computer support is provided.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/tech.shtml |title=Computers and Technology | Mount Holyoke College |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |date= 2012-04-18|access-date=2012-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528025329/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/tech.shtml |archive-date=2010-05-28 |url-status=live }} The MEWS (Mediated Educational Work Space) supports collaborative multimedia learning with group project rooms, wall-mounted plasma displays, a digitization center, and a faculty development area.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/lits/16244.shtml |title=Library, Information, and Technology Services | LITS |access-date=2009-07-22 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606142247/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/lits/16244.shtml |archive-date=2011-06-06 }} In 2013, "Clear and Gold Tower", a glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly, was installed in the Williston Library's atrium.Weir, Emily Harrison, [https://www.mtholyoke.edu/media/dale-chihuly-sculpture-debuts-at-mhc Chihuly Sculpture Debuts at MHC | Mount Holyoke College] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217223945/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/media/dale-chihuly-sculpture-debuts-at-mhc# |date=2013-12-17 }}. Mtholyoke.edu (2013-08-23). Retrieved on 2014-04-12.

The college has 21 residence halls as well as apartments and "annex" spaces in which to house students, and an overwhelming majority of students live on campus (98%). Each residence hall reserves a quarter of its rooms for housing first-year students.{{cite web|title=Residence Halls|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/residence_halls|access-date=8 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203062424/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/residence_halls|archive-date=2013-12-03|url-status=live|date=2012-04-18}}{{cite web|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/reslife/residence-halls|title=Residence Hall Descriptions|date=2016-11-29|access-date=30 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120220630/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/reslife/residence-halls|archive-date=2018-01-20|url-status=live}} Most residence halls house students from all four class years at any given time. In January 2018, Mount Holyoke opened a new centralized dining commons within the previously existing Blanchard Community Center. Previously, six dormitories on campus had dining areas inside of them, but the plan to consolidate these into one dining hall was made so that the college could shift to accept an unlimited meal plan and offer extended hours.{{cite web| title=Dining| url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/dining| access-date=8 March 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203010313/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/dining| archive-date=2013-12-03| url-status=live| date=2012-04-18}}

Mount Holyoke is a member of the Pioneer Valley's Five College Consortium,{{Cite web |url=https://www.fivecolleges.edu/consortium |title=The Consortium |website=Five College Consortium |language=en |access-date=2018-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030092226/https://www.fivecolleges.edu/consortium |archive-date=2018-10-30 |url-status=live }} the Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges,{{Cite web |url=https://www.liberalarts.org/members/ |title=Institutions Archive |website=Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges |language=en-US |access-date=2018-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106210746/https://www.liberalarts.org/members/ |archive-date=2018-11-06 |url-status=live }} the Annapolis Group,{{Cite web |url=https://www.annapolisgroup.org/members |title=Member Institutions |website=The Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges |language=en |access-date=2018-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916022644/https://www.annapolisgroup.org/members |archive-date=2018-09-16 |url-status=live }} the Oberlin Group,{{Cite web |url=http://www.oberlingroup.org/group-members |title=Oberlin Group Institution Members |website=The Oberlin Group of Libraries |language=en |access-date=2018-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107010222/http://www.oberlingroup.org/group-members |archive-date=2018-11-07 |url-status=live }} and the Consortium on Financing Higher Education.{{Cite web |url=http://web.mit.edu/cofhe/ |title=Consortium on Financing Higher Education |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |access-date=2018-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621150427/http://web.mit.edu/cofhe/ |archive-date=2018-06-21 |url-status=live }}

In 2023, Mount Holyoke's undergraduate student body was 50% white, 22% international, 7% Asian, 9% Hispanic, 5% black, and 5% multiracial.{{cite web |title=Enrollment by Racial/Ethnic Category |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YIIXWxHiCp6Y4T_Jl9YUtcxt9kV-LHn8/view |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=28 June 2024 |website=Mount Holyoke College Common Data Set 2023-2024 Part B |publisher=Mount Holyoke College}}

Mount Holyoke offers a number of student groups and organizations. Themes include Art, Academics, Club Sports, Entertainment & the Performing Arts, Politics & Activism, Governing Organizations and Religious organizations.{{cite web |author=Mount Holyoke College |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/student-programs/org_lists/index.shtml?Type=x |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040811100402/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/student-programs/org_lists/index.shtml?Type=x |url-status=dead |archive-date=2004-08-11 |title=Org Directory :: Student Programs :: Mount Holyoke College |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |access-date=2011-02-20 }}

Among these student groups is Mount Holyoke News, the college's independent, student-run publication which has been in print since 1917.{{Cite web |title=Mount Holyoke News looks back on 100 years of journalism |url=http://www.mountholyokenews.com/campus-life/2017/9/14/mount-holyoke-news-looks-back-on-100-years-of-journalism |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=Mount Holyoke News |date=September 14, 2017 |language=en-US}} Mount Holyoke News, or MHN, publishes on a biweekly basis throughout the academic year with new issues going out in print form every other Friday. A digital edition of each issue is also made available online through the publishing platform Issuu.{{Cite web |title=mhnews Publisher Publications – Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/mhnews |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=issuu.com}}

WMHC (91.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to serve South Hadley, Massachusetts. The station is owned by Mount Holyoke College and is one of the oldest stations run by women.{{cite web |work=WMHC 91.5FM |title=About |url=http://www.wmhcradio.org/about/ |access-date=2008-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706161101/http://www.wmhcradio.org/about/ |archive-date=2008-07-06 |url-status=live }}

{{more citations needed|section|date=November 2018}}

File:Talcott Greenhouse Interior I.JPG

Mount Holyoke classes have been voting on class colors and mascots since the late 1800s, but the colors currently in use were not adopted until 1901.{{Cite web|date=2016-09-19|title=Class Colors and Symbols|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/class-colors-and-symbols|access-date=2022-02-03|website=Mount Holyoke College|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203011428/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/class-colors-and-symbols|url-status=dead}} The class of 1901 chose hunter green, and the classes of 1902, 1903, 1904 voted for crimson, golden yellow, and royal blue, respectively. In 1909, the students voted for lion, griffin, sphinx, and pegasus as their class symbols. They also decided that even-year classes would use pegasus and lion and their colors would be red and blue, and odd years would use griffin and sphinx, with green and yellow as their colors. This system has persisted to this day. Each class proudly displays their class color at class-related activities such as Convocation.

• The Kathryn Irene Glascock Awards grants The Glascock Prize to the winner of this annual event (which has been held at Mount Holyoke since 1924).{{cite news| url=http://www.dartmouth.edu/~vox/0506/0515/kudos.html| title=Kudos:Recognition for Dartmouth faculty, staff, and students| publisher=dartmouth.edu| access-date=2006-12-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222082002/http://www.dartmouth.edu/~vox/0506/0515/kudos.html| archive-date=2007-12-22| url-status=live}}
• The Faculty Show takes place once every four years, around April 1; faculty members create a show which parodies themselves and their students.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/news/7373.shtml |title=Photo Gallery | Mount Holyoke College |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |access-date=2012-07-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606142328/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/news/7373.shtml |archive-date=2011-06-06 }}
• The Junior Show (also known as J-Show) refers to a show created by Juniors (and a few professors) who parody life at Mount Holyoke. A common feature is a sketch mocking the president and dean of the college, along with well-known professors.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/news/6124.shtml |title=Photo Gallery | Mount Holyoke College |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |access-date=2012-07-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606142338/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/news/6124.shtml |archive-date=2011-06-06 }}
• Mountain Day begins with the sound of ringing bells from Abbey Chapel on a beautiful autumn morning secretly chosen by the president of the college, all classes are canceled for the day and many students hike to the summit of nearby Mount Holyoke.{{Cite web|date=2016-09-14|title=Mountain Day|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/mountain-day|access-date=2022-02-03|website=Mount Holyoke College|language=en}}{{cite news| url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/961004/mtday.html| title=Heading for the Hills on Mountain Day: It's Been a Mount Holyoke Tradition Since 1838| publisher=mtholyoke.edu| access-date=2006-09-01| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304210709/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/961004/mtday.html| archive-date=2006-03-04}}
• Holiday Vespers is an annual Christmas concert that has been held each year since 1899.{{Cite news|url=https://blog.mtholyoke.edu/thegates/an-enchanting-entrancing-tradition?_ga=2.162612796.1423063489.1517238528-2049492601.1475066453|title=An enchanting, entrancing tradition|last=College|first=Mount Holyoke|date=2017-11-20|access-date=2018-01-29|language=en-us|archive-date=November 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125235928/https://blog.mtholyoke.edu/thegates/an-enchanting-entrancing-tradition?_ga=2.162612796.1423063489.1517238528-2049492601.1475066453|url-status=dead}} In addition to the free performance held on campus in Abbey Chapel, each year the students perform in either Boston or New York City.
• M&Cs, originally called Milk & Crackers, is now referred to as Milk & Cookies.{{cite news| url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/campuslife/love-it.shtml?num=3| title=Traditions: M & Cs (milk and crackers)| publisher=mtholyoke.edu| access-date=2006-09-16| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901213233/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/campuslife/love-it.shtml?num=3| archive-date=2006-09-01| url-status=live}} M&Cs are a nightly snack provided by dormitory dining halls, but also refer to a student a cappella group, The M&Cs (Milk and Cookies).{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/org/milkandcookies/about.html |title=About the M&Cs |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |access-date=2012-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013122041/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/org/milkandcookies/about.html |archive-date=2012-10-13 |url-status=live }}
• Big/Little Sibling is a reference to the pairing of juniors and "firsties" (or first-years) who are paired up to take part in organized events together. Coordinated by the junior class board.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-17|title=Big/Little Program|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/big/little-program|access-date=2022-02-03|website=Mount Holyoke College|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203011450/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/big/little-program|url-status=dead}}
• Pangy Day, originally called Pangynaskeia, has been a springtime tradition at Mount Holyoke for decades, but its origin is not totally clear.{{Cite web|date=2020-06-26|title=The history of Pangy Day|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentprograms/specialprogramming/pangy-day/history|access-date=2022-02-03|website=Mount Holyoke College|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203011417/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentprograms/specialprogramming/pangy-day/history|url-status=dead}} It's about celebrating spring after a long winter, and festivities including music, games, face-painting, ice cream, and more take place.{{Cite web|date=2013-03-26|title=Pangy Day|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentprograms/specialprogramming/pangy-day|access-date=2022-02-03|website=Mount Holyoke College|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203011439/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentprograms/specialprogramming/pangy-day|url-status=dead}}
• Elfing is a tradition shared between sophomores and first-years. Secret sophomore "elves" leave presents and treats for their first years throughout the week-long event. On the final day, the first-years get to meet their elves in person at a special M&Cs.
• Founder's Day is held on the Sunday closest to 8 November (the date of the opening of Mount Holyoke in 1837). It was begun by Elizabeth Storrs Mead in 1891. The current version of the tradition includes ice cream being served early in the morning near Mary Lyon's grave. The current president of the college and select faculty are invited to scoop ice cream for the senior class who dons their gowns.{{Cite web|date=2020-10-02|title=Founder's Day: the legacy lives|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/founders-day|access-date=2022-02-03|website=Mount Holyoke College|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203011439/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentlife/founders-day|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hatlas/traditions/founders.htm |title=Traditions: Founder's Day |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |access-date=2011-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606142500/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hatlas/traditions/founders.htm |archive-date=2011-06-06 |url-status=live }}
• Convocation is a spirited celebration of community marking the beginning of the academic year. All students attend wearing their class colors, and seniors wear their graduation gowns to celebrate the start of their final year.{{Cite web|date=2016-08-10|title=Convocation|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/convocation|access-date=2022-02-03|website=Mount Holyoke College|language=en}}
• Canoe Sing is an event that takes place prior to commencement in which canoes are decorated with lanterns and paddled by seniors singing Mount Holyoke songs. They are joined by fellow graduating seniors on shore.
• Baccalaureate is held in Abbey Chapel; the medieval German ode to Academe, "Gaudeamus Igitur", is sung by berobed Seniors and Faculty during the procession. Following convocation, Faculty line the path to Mary Lyon's grave. Seniors walk through this throng, to the grave (to place a wreath). The Baccalaureate Ceremony is a celebration that honors members of the graduating class. This traditional ceremony is for seniors only and holds a deep meaning: students are given a final charge and hear from their selected faculty and classmates. Academic regalia and a cap is worn.
• The Laurel Parade takes place the day before commencement. Graduating seniors wear white and carry laurel garlands, in a parade to Mary Lyon's grave. They are escorted by approximately 3,000 alumnae, also in white, who thereby welcome them into the Alumnae Association. Once at Mary Lyon's grave, the garland is wound around the cast-iron fence, and the Mimi Fariña song "Bread and Roses" is sung by all in attendance. White is a tribute to those who fought for women's suffrage.{{cite news| url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/051900/Laurel.html| title=100 Years of Laurel and Other Commencement Customs| publisher=mtholyoke.edu| access-date=2006-09-01| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304210646/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/051900/Laurel.html| archive-date=2006-03-04}} In 1970 students voted to replace the laurel with signs protesting the Vietnam War.{{cite web| url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hatlas/traditions/parade.htm| title=100 Years of Laurel and Other Commencement Customs| publisher=mtholyoke.edu| access-date=2012-05-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909134526/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hatlas/traditions/parade.htm| archive-date=2011-09-09| url-status=live}}

file:Mhc athletics mark.png

Mount Holyoke's teams are nicknamed the Lyons. The college offers 13 varsity sports programs and six competitive club sports teams. Mount Holyoke is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) as well as the New England Rowing Conference (NERC).{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/athletics/welcome.shtml|title=Mount Holyoke College Athletics Overview|website=www.mtholyoke.edu|access-date=2016-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811033250/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/athletics/welcome.shtml|archive-date=2010-08-11|url-status=live}}

Facilities include a lighted synthetic multipurpose turf field surrounded by an eight-lane track with a nine-lane straightaway; Kendall Sports and Dance Complex housing a swimming pool and separate diving well; gymnasium with basketball, volleyball, and badminton courts; weight room; cardiovascular area; {{convert|1|acre|m2|adj=on|spell=in}} field house with indoor track and tennis courts; squash courts; racquetball courts; and three studios for dance, aerobics, yoga, and other activities; The Orchards, an 18-hole golf course (home to the 2004 U.S. Women's Open) designed by Donald Ross; and a 60-stall equestrian center with two indoor arenas (100' × 256' and 70' × 130'), an outdoor show ring, permanent fibar dressage arena, outdoor cross-country courses, and a boathouse finished for Spring 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/athletics/facilities.shtml |title=Mount Holyoke Athletics : Mount Holyoke Athletics Facilities |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu |access-date=2012-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812211300/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/athletics/facilities.shtml |archive-date=2010-08-12 |url-status=live }}

{{Main|List of Mount Holyoke College people}}

{{Cleanup gallery|date=April 2023}}

File:Frances Perkins 1936.jpg|Frances Perkins, U.S. Secretary of Labor under Franklin D. Roosevelt, first woman to hold a U.S. Cabinet position

File:Emily Dickinson daguerreotype (cropped).jpg|Emily Dickinson, poet considered to be one of the most important figures in American literature

File:SuzanLoriParksByEricSchwabel.jpg|Suzan-Lori Parks, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter

File:Chloe Zhao by Gage Skidmore.jpg|Chloé Zhao, Academy Award-winning director/filmmaker

File:Rep Nita Lowey (cropped).jpg|Nita Lowey, U.S. Congresswoman for New York's 17th congressional district, first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee

File:Jane Garvey by Jim Wallace (Smithsonian Institution).jpg|Jane Garvey, first female administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

File:Helen Pitts Douglass.jpg|Helen Pitts Douglass, abolitionist and suffragist, wife of Frederick Douglass

File:Caroline Ransom 1908 Yearbook Bryn Mawr College.jpg|Caroline Ransom Williams, the first female Egyptologist in North America

File:Sm lucy stone 3d02055r.jpg|Lucy Stone, prominent abolitionist and suffragist, founder of the Women's Journal, the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree

File:CLARA HARRISON STRANAHAN A woman of the century (page 708 crop).jpg|Clara Harrison Stranahan, founder of Barnard College

File:Sheila Lirio Marcelo.jpg|Sheila Lirio Marcelo, founder, chairwoman and CEO of Care.com

File:Constance McLaughlin Green.jpg|Constance McLaughlin Green, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian

File:Sho Madjozi March 2019.png|Sho Madjozi, South African rap artist

File:Mary Mazzio Headshot.png|Mary Mazzio, documentary filmmaker and former Olympic athlete

• Wendy Wasserstein's 1977 play, Uncommon Women and Others, is based upon Wasserstein's experiences at Mount Holyoke of the early 1970s. The play explores the lives of the fictional characters Carter, Holly, Kate, Leilah, Rita, Muffet, Samantha, and Susie as they gather for lunch five years after graduation and reminisce about their collegiate days. The play was adapted into a television movie starring a then-unknown Meryl Streep.{{Cite news|url=https://www.rewatchclassictv.com/products/copy-of-chaplin-the-movie-mp-1992|title=Uncommon Women and Others (PBS 1978) – (Meryl Streep/Swoosie Kurtz)|last=|first=|access-date=2018-11-02|language=en-us}}
• In Tayari Jones's 2011 novel, Silver Sparrow, the two protagonists, Dana and Chaurisse, apply to Mount Holyoke College.

Several feature films reference Mount Holyoke. Prominent among them are:

• Dirty Dancing (1987), which is set at a summer resort in the Catskills in the summer of 1963. The protagonist, Frances "Baby" Houseman (named after Mount Holyoke graduate Frances Perkins), plans to attend Mount Holyoke in the fall to study the economics of underdeveloped countries and then later to enter the Peace Corps. The film is screened annually for first-year students.{{Cite news|url=https://blog.mtholyoke.edu/thegates/a-very-mount-holyoke-move-in-day|title=A very Mount Holyoke move-in day|last=College|first=Mount Holyoke|access-date=2018-11-02|language=en-us|archive-date=December 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203204509/https://blog.mtholyoke.edu/thegates/a-very-mount-holyoke-move-in-day|url-status=dead}}
• National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), which is set in 1962. It satirizes a common practice up until the mid-1970s when women attending Seven Sister colleges were connected with, or to, students at Ivy League schools. In the film, fraternity brothers from Delta house of the fictional Faber College (based on Dartmouth College{{cite interview|title=Live from the Headlines – Interview with John Landis|last=Landis |first=John |subject-link=John Landis |interviewer=Soledad O'Brien |url=http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0308/29/se.09.html |date=2003-08-29 |work=Live from the Headlines |publisher=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311042218/http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0308/29/se.09.html |archive-date=2007-03-11 }}) take a road trip to the fictional Emily Dickinson College (Mount Holyoke College).{{Cite web|url=http://notesfrommynotebooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-favorite-movies-whats-up-doc.html|title=Notes From My Notebooks|date=2013-02-24}}{{Cite web|url=https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/427a2a42-5e61-4b2c-adc7-be0c96261638|title=New math. Mount Holyoke.|website=Yarn}}

An urban legend says that the characters of the hit 1960s cartoon Scooby Doo Where Are You! are said to be modeled after the Five College Consortium. Scooby Doo is meant to be University of Massachusetts Amherst, Shaggy is Hampshire, Fred is Amherst, Daphne is Mount Holyoke and Velma is Smith. These characterizations are made under the assumptions of stereotypes of the students from the Five Colleges.{{Cite web|url=https://sophia.smith.edu/blog/smithipedia/smith-in-popular-culture/|title=Smith in Popular Culture « Smithipedia|website=sophia.smith.edu}}

• A 1968 article in the Columbia University student newspaper Columbia Daily Spectator repeated a line from the 1964 movie Sex and the College Girl: "Smith to bed, Mount Holyoke to wed". This referred to the reputation of students from the two Seven Sisters Colleges.{{Cite web|url=http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs19681017-01.2.13&|title=Columbia Daily Spectator|date= 17 October 1968 |website=spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}} In the 1980s, Mount Holyoke students launched a campaign against a dating book and article written by two Princeton graduates that tell men how to pick up female students at women's colleges. Under the "Pickup Strategy" category, the article states: '"Low Key. Recall the Smith saying, 'Holyoke to bed; Smith to wed.''{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/12/14/Students-at-Mount-Holyoke-College-have-launched-a-campaign/6974471848400/|title=Students at Mount Holyoke College have launched a campaign...|agency =UPI}}
• The Mount Holyoke song, "We're Saving Ourselves For Yale", alludes to the Ivy League-Seven Sisters relationship, which amusingly relates tales of women who hold onto their virginity long enough to catch a Yale graduate to marry. The song features prominently in Wendy Wasserstein's "Uncommon Women and Others".{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/wendywasserstein00clau|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/wendywasserstein00clau/page/97 97]|quote=we're saving ourselves for yale mount holyoke.|title=Wendy Wasserstein: A Casebook|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9780815329534|last1=Barnett|first1=Claudia|year=1999}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O6Ztf7-C3SYC&q=we%27re+saving+ourselves+for+yale+mount+holyoke&pg=PT403|title=Modern Dramatists: A Casebook of Major British, Irish, and American Playwrights|date=2013|isbn=9781136521195|last1=King|first1=Kimball|publisher=Routledge }}{{Cite web|url=https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=33743|title=Lyr Req: Mildred Maud and Mabel (Yale Song)|first=Max|last=Spiegel|website=mudcat.org}}

{{reflist}}

• Allmendinger, David F. "Mount Holyoke Students Encounter the Need for Life-Planning, 1837–1850." History of Education Quarterly 19#1 (1979): 27–46.
• Butchart, Ronald E. "Mission Matters: Mount Holyoke, Oberlin, and the Schooling of Southern Blacks, 1861–1917." History of Education Quarterly 42#1 (2002): 1–17.
• Harwarth, Irene B. "[http://www.ed.gov/pubs/WomensColleges/index.html A Closer Look at Women's Colleges]." National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and Lifelong Learning, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, 1999.
• Harwarth, Irene B., Mindi Maline, and Elizabeth DeBra. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20050204110037/http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/PLLI/webreprt.html Women's Colleges in the United States: History, Issues, and Challenges]: Executive Summary." U.S. Department of Education National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and Lifelong Learning.
• Horowitz, Helen Lefkowitz. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3qWLyDZ8PsC&dq=alma+mater&pg=PP1 Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s], Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1993 (2nd ed.).
• {{cite journal | last1 = Turpin | first1 = Andrea L | year = 2010 | title = The Ideological Origins of the Women's College: Religion, Class, and Curriculum in the Educational Visions of Catharine Beecher and Mary Lyon | journal = History of Education Quarterly | volume = 50 | issue = 2| pages = 133–58 | doi = 10.1111/j.1748-5959.2010.00257.x | s2cid = 143159340 }}

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