Mission Statement
History
Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts,
was founded by Mary Lyon in
1837, a time when higher education for women was a radical idea
and teaching science to women was nearly unheard of. Not only does
this liberal arts college flourish today with nearly 2000 undergraduates,
but the chain of commitment by excellent faculty members to teach
science to women has also continued unbroken to the present time.
 One of these teachers was Lydia Shattuck,
professor of botany from 1851-1889. Under her guidance the campus
was designated a botanical garden in 1878, and the first head gardener
was employed. Construction of the greenhouse complex was completed
in 1899 with the stated purpose of adding the needed opportunity
for a broader range of botanical study.
Two missions stand out consistently in the horticultural
history of Mount Holyoke College: to increase diversity of plants
on campus in order to perpetuate and expand Mary Lyon's vision of
the campus as an outdoor teaching laboratory, and to arrange plants
on campus in a visually pleasing manner.
These two missions remain valid today and are the
core concepts for the current Mission Statement.
Mission
The primary mission of the Mount Holyoke College
Botanic Garden is to maintain a diverse, well-documented and accurately
labeled living plant collection that supports and enhances teaching
and research for the faculty and students of Mount Holyoke College.
The plant collection should be displayed in a well-designed, visually
pleasing manner that promotes knowledge and interest in plants.
The Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden should also promote conservation
of the world's natural resources and a better understanding and
appreciation of the relationship between humanity and the rest of
the natural world.
Audience
The main audience is the entire Mount Holyoke College
community and the secondary audience is the general public in the
surrounding area.
Facilities
The Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden includes
a 6000 sq. ft.glasshouse complex, a solar greenhouse, a 250 acre
collection of living woody and herbaceous plants and 550 acres of
relatively undisturbed natural communities.
Programs
Educational programs utilizing the resources of the
Botanic Garden outside of the regular academic curriculum of the
college will be developed by the staff with input and assistance
from interested faculty, students and volunteers. Additional activities
using the garden's facilities may be allowed providing they do not
interfere with the goals of the Botanic Garden.
Researchers are
studying the growth of Mangrove
plants
in varying levels of water.
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