Welcome

Greetings from Bennett College for Women, an oasis for African American women, a place where sisters are educated, celebrated, and molded into 21st century contributors. Welcome to our website!

David Dallas Jones, the ninth President of Bennett College for Women was known for walking up to young women on campus and asking them, “Young lady, what is your purpose”. It is our intention to help young women discover their purpose, embrace their dreams and possibilities, and move forward, with distinction, into our ever-changing world. And it is our intention to create a space that is safe, wholesome, nurturing and sisterly, an oasis in our rapidly changing society.

Our academic program fits the needs of students with both academic promise and academic prowess. Our dynamic faculty and dedicated staff work together to create a phenomenal experience for those women who chose Bennett as their academic home.

For many, it is more than an academic home. It is an emotional anchor, an oasis. As I travel the country, I am always pleasantly affirmed by the strong attachment that Bennett alumnae feel toward their school. Whether they were part of the class of 1957 or the recently graduated class of 2007, Bennett alums care passionately about their college, and about their sisters. Many form endearing relationships that have endured through the years, bonds of sisterhood, caring and cooperation that provide Bennett College for Women with a strong foundation of support.

Bennett is important to alumnae, but it ought to also be important to all people. One of two historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that focus solely on women, Bennett College has a special role in our nation’s civil rights history, as Bennett Belles were jailed when lunch counters were integrated in Greensboro. Bennett’s President Willa B. Player visited students in jail, taking them their assignments, supporting their decision to be both scholars and activists.

It is in this tradition of scholar activism, a tradition exemplified by the work of W.E.B. DuBois, Ida B. Wells, David Dallas Jones, Willa Player and Johnnetta B. Cole that I take on the mantle of leadership at Bennett College for Women. I’ve been President for just one month, and it has been an exciting month for me and for the College. I’m on FIRE for Bennett, for our energy and possibilities, and for the many things that our students will accomplish in years to come.

Enjoy this website, and check back in from time to time. We plan regular updates as we move toward the opening of the fall semester and an exciting and dynamic series of academic programs for the year. We are blessed to have a new Provost, Dr. Marilyn Mobley, who will join us later this month and will have an opportunity to share her thoughts with you on the site. We will add a pod cast to the site sometime in the early fall and feature students, faculty, and staff on the site.

For the moment, though, feel free to peruse our site, and to get to know us. If you are a new friend of the college, we invite you to learn more about us. If you are an alumna, we invite you to revisit our alma mater, not only through the site, but also in person. Friends and Family Weekend is October 4-7, 2007. You are welcome to join us! We need your continued interest, energy and support. You are a critical part of the Bennett family. If you are a prospective student, we are delighted at your interest in Bennett College for Women. Check us out! Come see us! Let us know that you would like to join this family, become part of this oasis, this place where we educate and celebrate 21st century contributors.

On behalf of the faculty, staff, students and Trustees of Bennett College for Women, again, I welcome you to this website and this opportunity to explore our phenomenal institution.

On fire for Bennett,

Dr. Julianne Malveaux
President