Mount Holyoke College history

After Mary Lyon's death in 1849, the principles she had labored so long to establish—high academic standards and commitment to service—remained vigorous and alive.

In 1861, as Lyon had planned, the three-year course of study was extended to four.

The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, founded in 1876, is one of the oldest collegiate art museums in the nation.

In 1888, during the principalship of Elizabeth Blanchard '58, the institution obtained collegiate status and was named Mount Holyoke Seminary and College.

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.

In 1893, the seminary course was discontinued, and the new title Mount Holyoke College was authorized.

When fire destroyed the original seminary building in 1896, Mead initiated an extensive building plan that included the construction of a physics and chemistry building, a gymnasium, and several residence halls based on the cottage system.

The Mount Holyoke chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established in 1905.

On November 6, 1971, after reviewing an exhaustive study on coeducation, the board of trustees decided unanimously that Mount Holyoke should remain a women's college, and a group of faculty was charged with recommending curricular changes that would support the decision.

In 1978, Elizabeth Topham Kennan '60 became the first alumna in the twentieth century to serve as president of Mount Holyoke College.

Chloé Zhao, original name Zhao Ting, (born March 31, 1982, Beijing, China), Chinese filmmaker who was known for absorbing and closely observed movies about journeys of self-discovery set in the American West.

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).

Under Kennan's leadership, the College's endowment grew from $52.5 million to $246.6 million in 1995.

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, as well as the admission of students whose gender identities are non-binary.

Zhao’s second movie, The Rider (2017), was inspired when she met rodeo bronco rider and horse trainer Brady Jandreau on the Pine Ridge reservation.

For Nomadland (2020), she became the first person of colour to win the Academy Award for best director.