FALL 2025

As the College celebrates its sesquicentennial, we offer 150 glimpses into Wellesley’s inspiring story. Together, they illuminate the corners of campus, brilliant scholars, trailblazing alumnae, and moments of joy that have shaped this extraordinary community and proved the wisdom of our founders’ radical idea: Educating women leads to progress for everyone.

A new report affirms that Wellesley graduates rise to the top of their fields and drive meaningful change across society.

The Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, celebrating 100 years, foster both scientific and humanistic engagement with plants.

From College Hall (1875) to the Vivian A. Kao ’04 Health and Counseling Center (2025), Wellesley’s buildings include a wide range of architectural styles, thoughtfully integrated into the campus’s landscape.

From the first Flower Sunday to the College Hall fire to the creation of Ethos to the COVID pandemic, these are some of the moments that tested and built Wellesley. In the photo above from May 1914, the sophomore class forms the senior class numerals with College Hall ruins in the background.

How well do you know Wellesley’s traditions, current and defuct? Take our quiz!

Leaders in their fields and deeply committed teachers, Wellesley’s faculty have shaped generations of students and the College itself.

Astronomers, journalists, artists, lawyers, filmmakers, civil servants—Wellesley alumnae have broken barriers in countless fields.

The power of the Wellesley community is both the deep connections forged on campus and the ties built across generations.

Residential and deeply community-based, student life at Wellesley may have changed a great deal over 150 years (parietals? what are those?) but a constant is the blend of academic rigor with a supportive, close-knit environment.

After 150 years, a college is bound to have accumulated some things. Here is a small sampling of some of our favorite treasures from around campus.

Wellesley College has long been home to interdisciplinary centers, conferences, and institutes that extend learning beyond the classroom and connect students with global ideas and leadership opportunities—and bring Wellesley into the world, leading to progress and change.

The award-winning Wellesley landscape is a laboratory, a source of inspiration, a place to build community, and a jumping-off point for students who go on to support sustainable practices around the world.

Pets, legends, accidents, and campus treasures—basically, cool facts that didn't really fit in any other section!