At the May 2023 board meeting, the Hollins Board of Trustees unanimously approved an updated mission statement for the university. The new mission states:

Hollins University is dedicated to academic excellence, creativity, belonging, and preparing students for lives of purpose. Hollins provides an outstanding and academically rigorous undergraduate liberal arts education for women and entrepreneurial and innovative graduate programs for all in a gender-inclusive environment. We lift our eyes, Levavi Oculos, to create a just future as we build on our past.

In the most important ways, our updated mission statement is merely a condensed version of our prior, much longer, mission statement. As we met with several hundred stakeholders over the course of  just under a dozen mission feedback sessions held from 2021 to 2023, I heard clearly the charge to preserve the best of who we are, emphasize the power of Levavi Oculos, and, importantly, craft a mission statement that is concise enough that we can all carry it in our hearts and minds. I am so grateful to have heard your hopes, aspirations, and concerns for our beloved Hollins.

The aim of this new mission is to spotlight and honor the essence of what Hollins as an institution has always valued and prioritized; to acknowledge the scope of what we currently represent; and to remind the world that we are always striving to look upward and forward with what we do in the world.

This summer, as we prepared for the roll-out of our new mission statement, I was repeatedly struck by how it, and Hollins overall, is more relevant and resonant than ever at this cultural moment.

For example, this summer, “Barbenheimer”—that mashup of the two summer blockbusters, Barbie and Oppenheimer—quickly became a cultural touchstone that seemed to be exploring territory connected to Hollins’ own mission. Issues of gender roles, stereotypes, struggles for equality and self-acceptance, of men in positions of power, and scientific legend.

I am keenly aware that our mission has everything to do with so many of the topics and themes these two movies explore. The complex issues around gender in society. The role of science and technology in shaping our future. And the historic (and, arguably, continuing) paucity of opportunities for women to engage in and influence those spaces. Community and our duty to one another and ourselves are central to our empowering liberal arts education.

As I watched these films, my hope was that Hollins will continue to build a world where women will play a more substantial, central, role in the plot. Not only as a doll who symbolizes what is possible (Barbie), but as an expert on the cutting edge of discovery and exploration who has lived out what is possible (Oppenheimer).

What you will read in this issue touches on all these themes. Our “Women in STEM” feature celebrates just a sampling of Hollins alumnae/i who have made a major impact in the world of science. Our features on the legacy of lacrosse at Hollins, on the memories of the Williamson Road apartments, and this summer’s Reunion Weekend remind us that the bonds formed here really do last a lifetime and are themselves part of the power a Hollins education provides. And we conclude the issue by celebrating a song inspired by our motto, Levavi Oculos, written by a 2023 graduate, the newest cohort entering the long green and gold line of alumnae/i. A song about looking up, looking forward, and believing in yourself.

May you all lead lives of purpose with your eyes lifted!