Fighting to Save Mills
for Future Generations
The Save Mills Coalition formed after the College leadership's shocking March 17, 2021 announcement that the historic women's college would close, followed by a sudden "deal" to sell the College to Northeastern University, which would force an end to its 170 year history as a women's college.
The destructive Northeastern "deal" would mean sacrificing Mills' mission of women's education, and hand over billions of dollars in Mills' assets and property to Northeastern, all just for paying off Mills' small level of debt of around $30M.
Please support our fight to stop this hostile takeover in higher-education - and help us hold this administration accountable. We are fighting to bring light to what is happening. We demand an investigation and a halt to this unethical acquisition.
Mills College, women's education since 1852.
We are fighting to keep it that way.
Join Us
What is Happening TO MILLS
During her tenure, President Hillman bloated administrative spending until it exceeded all other budgets, even the budget for instruction - despite declaring a financial emergency.
In the K-12 system in many states, this would be illegal. All while Mills’ faculty have been denied a cost-of-living increase for over a decade.
Further, Hillman’s administration carelessly overspent - by millions - on external contractors, far above rates that colleges right next door pay for similar services. The Trustees have also not even tried to refinance Mills’ debt in many years, which would save the College millions.
The truth is - Mills can be saved and its deficit more than corrected just with cuts in administrative and auxiliary enterprises spending.
Based on audits and tax filings, Dr. Hendricks talks about Mills’ spending irregularities and their solutions - and gives important perspective on how Mills compares to peer colleges across the US. The series of Dr. Hendricks' videos is available on our YouTube channel.
Matthew Hendricks, Ph.D. is Chair of the Department of Economics at the University of Tulsa. After watching his own university struggle, he made it his mission to uncover the reasons smaller colleges are in peril and to create true solutions.
The Northeastern deal is NOT a "Merger"
It’s an Acquisition.
This isn’t an equitable merger like President Hillman claims. Mills College is being absorbed by Northeastern, which is described in the merger agreement as the “surviving entity.” It’s an outright GIVEAWAY of all Mills' assets, and if this deal goes through, nothing of Mills will survive.
“Let it be understood that Mills College is not a private institution, but that it belongs to the young women of California and of the world.”
Susan T. Mills, Last Living Will and Testament, 1911
About the Save Mills College Coalition
The Save Mills College Coalition believes that Mills College, founded in 1852 as an independent, historic women’s liberal arts college located in the heart of Oakland, California, has long been and must continue to be an irreplaceable educational resource.
Our ongoing purpose is to preserve Mills’ 170-year mission of educating and empowering women - to nurture Mills' unique, independent identity and broad educational focus - and to restore the college to financial viability with sound leadership and the needed resources to continue serving its historic mission for generations to come.