The United States of America is one of the countries where women’s universities were founded at the earliest time with greatest achievements. Since the foundation of the world’s first women’s university - Wesleyan College in 1836, women’s universities have continued to emerge in multitude not only in America but also in the whole world. In the 1960s, in America there were nearly 300 women’s universities which were the main stream of the higher education for women in America at that time. After that, with the further development of feminist movement and the implementation of equal education rights for both men and women, the amount of women’s universities has been gradually reduced. However, there are still plenty of women’s universities with outstanding achievements and diversified styles like Mount Holyoke College—leader of the Ivy League women’s universities, and Scripps College etc.

During President Luo Ting’s academic visit to University of Chicago, she made relatively deep investigation to the two universities in succession at the invitation of Professor Lori Bettison-Varga - president of Scripps College, and Professor Lynn Pasquerella – president of Mount Holyoke College. President Luo Ting had amiable and friendly talks with the two presidents on the future development and cooperation of women’s universities.

From August 20 to August 21, 2013, Professor Lori Bettison-Varga - president of Scripps College warmly received President Luo Ting. Two presidents had a formal talk in the beautiful office building. They gave an introduction to the school running history, achievement and future development of each other’s university and expressed their own viewpoints on the developing trend of the world’s women’s higher education and the hot spots & difficult problems of women/gender research fields. They both hope to search for channels of cooperation in the disciplinary fields such as women’s education, women/gender research, music, art, English and economics. Two presidents both expressed their own cooperation intention. At the invitation of President Luo Ting, President Lori Bettison-Varga made it clear that she would lead a delegation to pay a visit to Hunan Women’s University in April 2014 and would formally sign an agreement on cooperation between two universities. Those who attended the meeting also included deans of the Overseas Department, the Music Department as well as the Engineering Department and several professors from the Music Department and the Art Department. President Varga also arranged President Luo Ting to visit the campus of Scripps College and the Claremont University Consortium nearby. President Luo Ting paid a visit to the library of Scripps College and carefully browsed the richly historic classical literature storehouse and excellent books storehouse. She also had a tour of the art gallery where hundreds of Chinese paintings since the Ming and Qing Dynasty were collected. It is also the second largest Chinese painting museum in Los Angeles. Due to its strong artistic and cultural atmosphere and elegant campus landscape, Scripps College enjoys the reputation of “One of the Most Beautiful Campuses Worldwide”.

Scripps College which is located in Claremont, California, west of America, was founded in 1926. As an excellent women’ college, it is famous for its unique three-semester core curriculums and beautiful campus environment. It focuses on humanistic study and there are more than 30 departments such as Department of Anthropology, Art, Classic, Dance, Music, Economics, Gender/ Women Research, Cross Cultural Research, Politics & International Research, Psychology, Neuroscience and so on. Moreover, it shares the teaching and curriculum resources with other four universities of the Claremont University Consortium in California and they train doctors and masters together. The mission of Scripps College is to “develop in its students the ability to think clearly and independently and the ability to live confidently, courageously and hopefully” (By Ellen Browning Scripps 1836-1932) and its motto is “Incipit Vita Nova”. It advocates liberal arts education, emphasizes the comprehensive qualities and overall development of students and encourages the students to think independently and challenge themselves. In this college, there is strong consciousness of feminist and the achievements of women/ gender research are extraordinary.

President Luo Ting and President Lori Bettison-Varga of Scripps College

At the warm invitation of Professor Lynn Pasquerella – president of Mount Holyoke College, President Luo Ting paid a visit to Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, northeast of America from August 29 to August 30 2013. This is the two presidents’ second meeting after their acquaintance in the Fifth Conference of Women’s Education Worldwide held in June 2012. In an amiable and friendly atmosphere, two presidents not only shared their experience of school running, but also exchanged their own opinions on such issues as the special rules of talent cultivation, the challenge and opportunity of women’s universities as well as the internationalization development trend of women’s higher education. They also expressed their wish of friendly cooperation in talent cultivation, academic research and international program etc. Those attendees also included the assistant of the president, director of Global Affairs Center and several professors in the fields of Asia study, Chinese culture and history study, East Asia and Chinese politics study and so on.

Mount Holyoke College, founded in 1837, is not only the oldest Ivy League women’s university in America, but also the headquarters of Women’s Education Worldwide. There are more than 40 departments in this top women’s university, which is famous for such majors as humanity, finance and economics, art, international relations, psychology, biology and chemistry. It has a student enrolment of over 2200 and the students are from various states of America and more than 70 countries and areas in the world. Since its foundation, with the mission of “Train first class mind, spirit and conception” and with the target of "Go where no one else will go, do what no one else will do", Mount Holyoke College has cultivated plenty of extraordinary female talents, for instance, Emily Dickenson, the famous American poet, and Francis Perkins, the first female appointed to a president's cabinet.

President Luo Ting, President Lynn Pasquerella and Some Professors of

Mount Holyoke College

During the visit in University of Chicago, President Luo Ting also investigated some other well known universities like Wellesley College, Harvard University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwest University and so on. Therefore, she has had deeper and wider understanding of the higher education in America especially women’s higher education, and the successful experience of running a university. (Translated by Ms.Long Min from the Foreign Affairs Office)