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The University

Hollins University was founded in 1842 as Virginias first chartered womens college. Today, Hollins is an independent arts and sciences university that enrolls approximately 1,100 students in its undergraduate programs for women and its coed graduate programs. Hollins is proud of its creative writing program, career internships, leadership opportunities, small class size, and study-abroad opportunities. Hollins prepares its students for career excellence in the social sciences, sciences, humanities, fine arts, and business. A 9:1 student-faculty ratio enables students to work closely with their professors both inside and outside the classroom. In addition to the Bachelor of Arts degree in twenty-seven major fields, Hollins awards a Master of Arts degree in childrens literature, liberal studies, screenwriting and film studies, and teaching and a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing, childrens literature, dance, playwriting, and screenwriting. Hollins coeducational graduate creative writing program has long been acknowledged as one of the best of its size in the country.

Hollins structures the academic year to give students the month of January to focus on an internship, innovative course work, senior thesis, independent study, or travel/study abroad.

Hollins internship program gives students a head start on their careers while they earn academic credit. Eighty-two percent of Hollins students do at least one internship before graduation. Students have interned at the New York Stock Exchange; CNBC in London; Centers for Disease Control; ABC News; National Geographic Society; Time, Inc.; the London Times; National Zoological Park; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and the Peace Corps, to name a few.

Through Hollins innovative Batten Leadership Institute, undergraduate students can earn a Certificate in Leadership Studies through a combination of classes, skills-building groups, seminars, and student-designed leadership projects. Guided by the philosophy that leadership cannot be separated from the individual, the institute helps each student develop her potential through personal growth. The Certificate in Leadership Studies (20 credit hours) gives students the opportunity to gain both practical and academic experience in leadership studies that serves as a perfect complement to any major field of study.

Situated on a 475-acre campus in the Shenandoah Valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Hollins is a quiet campus for the serious student looking to broaden her mind through a rigorous academic program. Students come to Hollins from forty-three states and eleven countries and bring with them cultural and ethnic diversity. Women returning to college can earn a bachelors degree in the Horizon Program.

Because approximately 89 percent of Hollins women live on campus in dormitories, language houses, or University apartments, a large family of friends develops in the first year and replaces the need for sororities. For those interested in group activities, there are more than thirty-five clubs and organizations, including a multicultural club, Black Student Alliance, literary societies, and political, environmental, womens, and volunteer organizations. Each year, many students volunteer in social service agencies locally and internationally, including a Hollins-directed Jamaica service project. The Wyndham Robertson Library features state-of-the-art technology and is a National Literary Landmark. The well-equipped athletic complex enables Hollins to compete and train its athletes effectively for NCAA Division III competition in basketball, golf, lacrosse, riding, soccer, swimming, and tennis. Hollins strong riding program offers top facilities, including stables where collegiate riders may board their horses. The academic program is enriched by guest lectures, dance and theater productions, and the annual Literary Festival.

Location

Hollins is located on the outskirts of Roanoke, a cosmopolitan center with a population of approximately 236,000. Roanoke has its own opera, ballet, and orchestra. Mill Mountain Theatre, the Science Museum, the Art Museum of Western Virginia, and the Center in the Square cultural center provide entertainment for the area. The historic downtown market, with fresh flower and fruit stands and specialty shops, is a favorite spot on the weekends. Hollins is a 3-hour drive from both Washington, D.C., and Richmond; 5 hours from Virginia Beach; and within easy driving distance of more than a dozen other colleges. The Roanoke Regional Airport is a 10-minute drive from the campus. The campus has been described as achingly picturesque. The Front Quadrangle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Blue Ridge Mountains are minutes from campus and ideal for hiking the Appalachian Trail, camping, caving, and skiing.

Majors and Degrees

Hollins grants the Bachelor of Arts degree in art history, biology, business, chemistry, classical studies, communication studies, dance, economics, English, English and creative writing, environmental studies, film and photography, French, history, interdisciplinary studies, international studies, mathematics, music, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religious studies, sociology, Spanish, studio art, theater, and womens studies. Hollins grants the B.A./B.F.A. degree in dance and the B.S. degree in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and psychology. Minors are offered in most major areas, and preprofessional programs are offered in education, law, medicine, and veterinary science. The Rubin Writing Semester offers women from other colleges and universities an opportunity to become visiting student writers.

Hollins has an agreement with Monterey Institute of International Studies that streamlines entry in their M.B.A, M.P.A., translation and interpretation, and policy studies programs.

Academic Programs

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree normally follow a four-year program. They are required to complete 128 credits of academic work and 16 January Short Term credits.

Candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts normally follow a four-year program. They are required to complete a minimum of 158 semester credits of academic work, four Short Term activities (16 Short Term credits), and two physical education courses. Included in the 158 credits are 90 credits in dance and general education skills and perspectives.

In order to give all first-year students the opportunity to share a common academic experience in their first term at Hollins, the University designed First-Year Seminars that focus on collaborative and active learning, critical thinking, creative problem solving, research, writing, and oral communication skills. Each seminar is limited to 15 first-time, first-year students and is designed to build a community of scholars who share a common interest in academic excellence and intellectual curiosity. Seminar instructors also serve as first-year academic advisers who help students with both course selection and academic goal setting. All advisers are able to answer questions about any academic discipline, but they also introduce students to faculty members in other departments so that they can begin to build an academic network in their first term at Hollins. In addition to the instructor/academic adviser, each seminar has an upper-class peer mentor called a Student Success Leader who attends seminars, helps students with advising, and answers academic questions.

Candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Science normally follow a four-year program. They are required to complete a minimum of 140 semester credits of academic work, four Short Term activities (16 Short Term credits), and two physical education courses. Included in the 140 credits are 60 credits in the major (biology, chemistry, mathematics, or psychology) and general education skills and perspectives.

First-year students are required to take a seminar on campus during Short Term. Students may spend subsequent Short Terms pursuing career internships, independent study, study-abroad experiences, or service projects. Instead of a standard general education program, Hollins has ESP: Education through Skills and Perspectives. Students choose from a wide variety of classes that reinforce the basics of a liberal arts education. In addition, two regular terms of physical education or varsity sport participation are required.

Students must choose a major by the end of their sophomore year and complete a minimum of 32 credits in the major field prior to graduation. Each first-year student must meet a writing requirement. Hollins grants 4 academic credits for Advanced Placement examination scores of 4 or 5 and in some cases for a score of 3. Hollins grants 8 academic credits for International Baccalaureate scores between 5 and 7 and up to 32 credits for an I.B. diploma with a score of 30 or higher.

Off-Campus Programs

In 1955, Hollins was one of the nations first colleges to establish a program that enabled students to study overseas. For semester or full-year study, Hollins has its own programs in England and France and affiliated programs in Argentina, Ghana, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain as well as with the School for Field Studies. About half of Hollins students have an international learning experience before graduation. Domestic exchange programs are possible with members of the six-college exchange.

Academic Facilities

Opened in spring 1999, the Wyndham Robertson Library, a national literary landmark, houses a collection that consists of more than half a million items, including books, print periodicals, e-texts, musical scores, recordings, videos, screenplays, incunabula, rare books, and manuscripts. The library offers extensive media facilities, including a forty-seat screening room, a television studio, and a video-editing suite featuring nonlinear editing stations. Hollins houses a notable selection of childrens books, including items from the personal collections of Francelia Butler, former editor-in-chief of Childrens Literature, the fields leading scholarly journal, and former poet laureate William Jay Smith. The Universitys Archives and Special Collections includes books and manuscripts from many famous faculty members and alumnae/alumni of Hollins, including Richard Dillard, George Garrett, Eudora Welty, Margaret Wise Brown, Lee Smith, and Annie Dillard. Through a Web-based catalog shared with Roanoke College, readers are offered access to the combined materials in both collections.

Windows XP/Professional and Macintosh-based computers are available in dedicated computer labs as well as various common areas around the universitymany open 24 hours a day. Wireless access is abundant on campus.

The Dana Science Building houses accessible labs and research facilities for computerized recording and analysis of physiological and behavioral data, plant and animal tissue culture, animal learning laboratories, photomicroscopy, biochemistry and molecular biology, chromatography, spectrophotometry, electrochemistry, gas kinetics, centrifugation, and EEG and biofeedback equipment.

The Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center, which opened in fall 2004, houses the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, which has been named a Museum Partner by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), a designation that helps bring world-class exhibitions and other arts programming to the campus.

Hollins also has a career center, writing center, theater, dance studio, and health and counseling center.

Costs

The 200809 costs are $26,500 for tuition and $9650 for room and board, which includes telephone, cable television, and computer network connections for each students room. The Student Government Association fee is $275, and the student technology support fee is $280. The University estimates a budget of $1000 for books, $800 for transportation, and $1000 for other expenses.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is awarded on the basis of both academic merit and need. Seventy percent receive need-based aid in the form of grants, merit scholarships, low-interest loans, and campus jobs. The average award in 2007 was $20,581. The types of scholarships and grants available to undergraduates are Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), state grants, University scholarships and grants, private scholarships and grants, academic merit scholarships, and aid for undergraduate students who are members of a minority group. Federal Perkins Loans, Federal PLUS loans, and Federal Stafford Student Loans are also available, as well as a tuition payment plan with Sallie Mae. A financial aid form should be filed with the financial aid office by February15. Notification of awards is on a rolling basis.

Faculty

Faculty members are committed to teaching and are dedicated to their students. Although scholarly research and writing are emphasized, primary attention is placed on education. Currently, there are 72 full-time and 36 part-time faculty members, of whom 56 percent are women; 96 percent of the full-time faculty members hold the doctoral or corresponding terminal degree in their fields. With a student-faculty ratio of 9:1, students have considerable opportunity for personal attention. A few courses are taught by graduate assistants.

Student Government

Each year, students sign the honor code, pledging not to lie, cheat, or steal. Hollins is thereby able to conduct daily operations with a great deal of trust. Final exams are freely scheduled and administered by students under the Independent Exam System. The campus judicial system is run by the students. Students who are elected to the Student Government Association have the authority to administer all student-related activities. Weekly Senate meetings are open to the entire campus. Students are represented on policymaking faculty committees and the Board of Trustees.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission, a student must have completed a minimum of 16 secondary school units in English, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign language. All students must take the SAT or the ACT. In addition to standardized test scores, the Admissions Committee takes into account an applicants secondary school record, class rank, essay, recommendation, and personal interview. Transfer students are accepted in both semesters. International applicants can submit TOEFL scores in place of the SAT or ACT.

At Hollins, the application process is very personal. The admissions officers go to great lengths to ensure that Hollins and the applicant are a good match.

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