To: Wellesley College Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Celebrating Wellesley’s 150th together
Date: August 26, 2025
Wellesley College first opened its doors to students on September 8, 1875. Throughout this academic year, we will be celebrating 150 years of our remarkable history.
This milestone comes at a critical time, when higher education and some of its most foundational principles are being challenged and questioned. Polls suggest that public confidence in higher education has dropped precipitously over the last decade and has only recently shown signs of possible recovery. Many colleges and universities are facing severe funding cuts as well as increased scrutiny and attacks from elected officials about what we do and how we do it. At the same time, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is forcing all of us to rethink what higher education should be—and, beyond that, what it truly means to be human.
In a moment like this, it is worth remembering that 150 years ago Wellesley founders Henry and Pauline Durant saw higher education for women not just as a matter of fairness but also as a force for progress throughout society, essential to a thriving democracy. History has proven them right. By offering generations of brilliant women an education that has allowed them to bravely reshape whatever fields they decided to enter, Wellesley has had an enormous positive influence on the world.
Today, a Wellesley liberal arts education remains a uniquely empowering experience—one that encourages students to succeed in fields where women are traditionally underrepresented. Wellesley graduates go on to earn more Ph.D.s in STEM fields than women graduates from any other liberal arts college, and they are 90% more likely to study economics than women at co-ed institutions. In a true testament to the power of the liberal arts, our humanities and social science majors frequently rise to leadership positions in industries of all kinds, even outpacing those in STEM majors.
Wellesley graduates are not afraid to take on roles and responsibilities that others shy away from, particularly in service to others—embodying our motto, Non Ministrari sed Ministrare, “Not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Data show that our graduates are more likely than those of peer colleges to serve their communities, professions, and civil society—with many more devoting their lives to something bigger than themselves in a multitude of ways.
Throughout this 150th year, we will celebrate Wellesley’s past, present, and future both on campus and beyond, and reflect on why Wellesley’s mission—to educate women to make a difference in the world—is as relevant and urgent now as ever. I’m pleased to share here some of what is planned and to direct you to the Wellesley 150 website where you can learn much more.
Our “Wellesley at 150” kickoff
We will hold a community celebration for “Wellesley at 150” during Friends and Family Weekend on October 25. Students, parents, faculty, staff, and local alumnae are all invited. We look forward to sharing more details soon.
Meaningful conversations and connections
Throughout the year, we will offer events and opportunities for conversations across the curriculum. On October 6, this year’s Wilson Lecture, cosponsored by the Knapp Center, will be a conversation on the power of the arts with Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, and Emily Wei Rales ’98, director, co-founder, and chief curator of the contemporary art museum Glenstone. On October 25, as part of the kickoff, a faculty panel will focus on Wellesley in a world of global challenges, and on November 1, we will host “We the People: Finding Common Purpose,” the second annual symposium of the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center for Citizenship, Leadership, and Democracy. In March, we will host the inaugural Wagner Convening focused on liberal arts education and AI, in partnership with Stanford University. More details about all of these events will be coming soon.
These are just a few highlights of what is planned. If your academic department, cultural house, student organization, or other campus group will be hosting any events that fit with the 150th theme, please share the details so that we can help spread the word to the broader Wellesley community.
I hope you will also consider sharing your own Wellesley story in our special “Wellesley in 150” project and learning more about the College’s history through our 150th anniversary commemorative book and exhibits at the Davis Museum.
150th Celebration Community Fund projects
We are grateful for all the great ideas students, faculty, and staff submitted to the 150th community fund. You can learn more about the wonderfully creative upcoming initiatives and events, which include a film festival, a concert highlighting Wellesley composers, a graphic novel, an archival project on Wellesley’s iconic Hooprolling tradition, and many more.
Beyond our campus
To extend the celebration off campus, we are inviting alumnae to participate in the Sed Ministrare service challenge, which aims to complete 150,000 collective hours of service. I can’t wait to see our community’s famous dedication to service in action! The Wellesley College Alumnae Association will be in touch with alumnae clubs, classes, and shared interest groups in the coming weeks with other opportunities to host 150th events, including local gatherings and two dedicated service days in the fall and spring. Alumnae, feel free to email your ideas for additional activities to alumnae@wellesley.edu.
As Wellesley enters its sesquicentennial year, the Durants’ vision—to prepare students for “great conflicts, for vast reforms in social life, for noblest usefulness”—not only endures, but takes on new resonance.
At a challenging moment for higher education, and for the nation, we have so much to be proud of at Wellesley, so much to take strength from, and so much to look forward to. This year offers us a precious opportunity to come together to explore all that makes Wellesley such a unique and important institution and community. Let’s make this a celebration to remember.