In this issue we look to the past and to the future. President Gray sets the tone in her essay, “Progress and Prognosis: Both Positive,” in which she celebrates advancements made in four key areas for Hollins—all of which are covered by the Alumnae Engagement Initiative umbrella, and all of which will help secure Hollins’ future.

By definition, reunion celebrates the past, but it happens very much in the present, as alumnae return to campus to celebrate their Hollins experience and the friendships that grew from it. Enjoy the photos in this online issue and also here, with the hope that they inspire you to come back for your own reunion.

If you haven’t been to campus in a while, you can take a virtual trip by looking at the “Favorite Places” alumnae remember from their time here. A posting on Hollins’ alumnae Facebook page elicited these memories.

As Jeff Hodges M.A.L.S. ’11 explains in “From Gatekeeper to Guide,” libraries of the 21st century must adapt to their users’ needs, and the Wyndham Robertson Library is doing just that, by embracing technology without losing the human touch.

In “Art Appreciation,” we look back at 10 years of exhibitions at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, through representative images selected by Janet Carty ’87, M.A.L.S. ’99, manager of exhibitions. The museum’s past augurs a strong and exciting future.

A postcard Ashleigh Gill received some years back about Hollins’ M.F.A. in Children’s Literature inspired a dream she realized when she became a student in the program in the summer of 2013. This summer she found out she was a cowinner of the Manchester Writing for Children Prize, as Marcie Flinchum Atkins M.A. ’05, M.F.A. ’11 explains in “A Postcard and a Dream.”

Why is Hollins called Hollins? As Brenda McDaniel HON ’12 tells us in “Mother Hollins,” it’s because of the persuasive powers of Ann Hollins, who convinced her husband, John, to make significant and foundational gifts, starting in 1855, to keep the small school for women alive.

—Jean Holzinger M.A.L.S. ’11
Editor