This past Friday, March 3rd, marked the 2 year anniversary of the attempted closure of my alma mater, Sweet Briar College.....
During these 2 transformative years, the entire Sweet Briar community -- alumnae, current students, faculty, staff and friends of the college -- have worked collectively to position our school on a thriving successful path and elevating Sweet Briar into a global spotlight.
Our fight to keep the gates of Sweet Briar open for future generations of women has set an example not only for other women's colleges, but co-ed schools & universities throughout the country -- Never underestimate the power of your Alumnae/Alumni!
Recent exciting news at Sweet Briar:
- President Meredith Woo has just been named our 13th president. President Woo's credentials are exceptional with previous posts at U of Michigan & UVA; professor at Michigan, Northwestern & Columbia. Most recently, President Woo has been in London working as director of the Higher Education Support Program for the Open Society Foundations. President Woo received a B.A. from Bowdoin College and a M.A. in international affairs & Ph.D. in political science, both from Columbia. President Woo will start at Sweet Briar in April.
- We are crushing our fundraising campaign towards our goal of $20 million to be raised by June 30th. On March 1st, we set a 1 day challenge of raising $500,000. We met that amount and exceeded it by nearly an additional $100,000. Currently, we are in the midst of our 2nd $500,000 challenge, to be met by Friday March 10th. As of this afternoon, we are about $42,000 away from meeting that goal. AND, super exciting news, an anonymous visionary donor has promised to match EVERY gift up to $500,000 received before midnight on Friday, March 10th.
We are writing a new chapter in Sweet Briar's history and blazing a trail for the enduring future of Women's Education. Please consider a gift of support by donating here -- thank you!
*Image included, Sweet Briar Quad in Autumn, by artist Jill Steenhuis. Originally from Atlanta, Jill is a 1980 Sweet Briar graduate and has lived in Aix-en-Provence, France for over 30 years.