This issue isn’t only about reunion, but much of it is. If you weren’t able to be here for the occasion in June, please celebrate it with us here.

Sarah Achenbach ’88, who was chosen by her class to deliver remarks on the occasion of their 25th reunion, summed up what many alumnae feel when they return to campus: “Every five years your feet need to touch Front Quad to recalibrate.” In this issue you’ll see photos of alumnae doing just that.

The heart of reunion, of course, is friendship. In “Best Friends Forever,” Sarah Achenbach teamed up with photographers Olivia Body ’08 and Kerry Kinnison ’12 on a photo essay that captures in words and photos the lifelong satisfactions in lifelong friendships formed at Hollins.

You’ll also read what this year’s winners of the Distinguished Alumnae Award have to say about how their experience at Hollins influenced their life choices. These women have racked up impressive lists of accomplishments, and they speak about their lives with insight and eloquence.

In the spring 2013 issue of the magazine, we celebrated several retiring faculty members, and we recognize three more in this issue: Juergen Fleck (economics), Arthur Poskocil (sociology), and Eberly Smith (sociology), with tributes written by former students.

Speaking of celebration, President Gray writes about her experience in Jamaica last spring with Hollins’ longest-running service project, directed by Jeri Suarez, dean of cultural and community engagement. The program celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.

The essence of dance is movement, and there’s been lots of movement in Hollins’ M.F.A. program this summer, with new affiliations forming with the Forsythe Company in Frankfurt, Germany, and the University of Music and Performing Arts, also in Frankfurt. The graduate program has attracted some stellar students over the years. In “Ready for Challenge and Change,” you’ll read about five of them.

Now that we’re on the topic of summer graduate programs: are you ready to take a quiz? In “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” you’ll see a list of places on the painted signpost created by faculty in our summer graduate program in children’s literature. Match the places with their respective books to prove your kid/lit/cred.

We look to the future in “Engaging Alumnae and Friends to Rally for Hollins.” If you are interested in helping Hollins succeed on a variety of fronts (and we hope you are), please let us know which of the areas (admission, career, alumnae engagement) appeals most to you.

Finally, we said goodbye to this year’s senior class—and at the same time welcomed them into your ranks at last May’s commencement ceremony. Maybe the “words to live by,” compiled from advice shared on the Alumnae Association’s Facebook page, will provide help and inspiration.

Jean Holzinger M.A.L.S. ’11
Editor