Two Women’s Colleges in Virginia Exploring Cooperative Measures

Sweet Briar College and Hollins University, two liberal arts educational institutions for women in Virginia, are exploring opportunities for cooperation. Both institutions have enrollments of about 800 students.

Using a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Sweet Briar and Hollins will examine whether it is possible to cooperate in certain administrative areas that would help both institutions reduce costs. The schools will also investigate whether there are opportunities for cooperation in the schools’ study abroad programs.

Jo Ellen Parker, president of Sweet Briar College, stated, “In order to collaborate successfully, institutions need to share core educational values, have the ability to think ‘outside the box,’ and have leaders with vision and flexibility to work together effectively. Sweet Briar and Hollins have all those things.” President Parker earned a bachelor’s degree  in English from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in English from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania.

Nancy Gray, president of Hollins University in Roanoke, added, “We are and will remain competitors, but given our common emphasis on educating women for success in a global workforce and as global citizens, it makes sense to see where there is potential for cooperation on particular initiatives.” President Gray is a 1973 graduate of Vanderbilt University and holds a master of education degree from North Texas State University.