Joanne V. Creighton - Mount Holyoke College

Mount Holyoke College

Creighton joined Mount Holyoke College as president in 1996. She was chosen, in part, due to her history as an advocate for the tradition of American liberal arts colleges (Creighton has commented that such an education is "at its best, revolutionary. It transforms students; it awakens them to a fuller life of the mind." ) As president, Creighton initiated the Plans for Mount Holyoke for 2003 and 2010 which "led to the creation of three new interdisciplinary centers: the Weissman Center for Leadership and the Liberal Arts, the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives, and the Center for the Environment." This involvement would later be credited as leading to the further development of Mount Holyoke: "it is a testament to the cohesive sense of purpose articulated in two strategic plans, shared across the institution, and so carefully nurtured by Joanne Creighton's artful leadership."

While at Mount Holyoke, Creighton also became involved with Women's Education Worldwide, an alliance of institutions of higher education whose goal is to advance women's education around the globe. This international initiative was founded in 2003 by Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges, two of the original Seven Sisters (colleges) of U.S. higher education.

On February 25, 2009, Creighton announced that she would step down as president at the end of the 2009—2010 academic year. On May 6, 2010, Leslie Anne Miller (Board of Trustees) announced that the New Residence Hall would thereby be named Creighton Hall (colloquially known as "NoJo" and "SoJo" or "NoJoJo" and "SoJoJo" halls, in reference to the president's common nickname among students, JoJo).