Hollins University
Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States.
Former names | Valley Union Seminary (1842–1852) Roanoke Female Seminary (1852–1855) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Latin: Levavi Oculos |
Motto in English | Lift thine eyes |
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1842 |
| Endowment | $174.6 million (2020) |
| President | Mary Dana Hinton |
Academic staff | 105 |
| Undergraduates | 613 |
| Postgraduates | 181 |
| Location | Roanoke , Virginia , United States |
| Colors | Green and gold |
| Mascot | None |
| Website | www |
Hollins College Quadrangle | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
Virginia Landmarks Register | |
| Location | Hollins College Campus, Hollins, Virginia |
| Area | 6 acres (2.4 ha) |
| Built | 1856 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival, Greek Revival, Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 74002145 |
| VLR No. | 080-0055 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 5, 1974 |
| Designated VLR | May 21, 1974 |
Hollins enrolls about 800 undergraduate and graduate students. As Virginia's first chartered women's college, undergraduate programs are female-only. Men are admitted to the graduate-level programs.
Hollins is known for its undergraduate and graduate writing programs, which have produced Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Annie Dillard, former U.S. poet laureate Natasha Trethewey, and Henry S. Taylor. Other prominent alumnae include pioneering sportswriter Mary Garber, 2006 Man Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai, UC-Berkeley's first tenured female physicist (and a principal contributor to theories for detecting the Higgs boson) Mary K. Gaillard, Goodnight Moon author Margaret Wise Brown, author Lee Smith, photographer Sally Mann, and Ellen Malcolm, founder of EMILY's List.