She saw a space that would allow caregivers to care for others

“I loved attending University of Redlands, and coming here made all the difference in my life.”

Eight decades ago, an eighth-grade student stepped onto University of Redlands campus for the first time. Trailing her mother and older sister, Sylvia Hobart Mack ’53 turned and made a promise: “When I grow up, I want to go here.” 

Not only was that promise kept, but on September 9, Hobart Mack, now 95, became part of the campus fabric, as the School of Education cut the ribbon on the Sylvia Hobart Mack Wellness Hub.

Built to do something different

More than a decade ago, Counseling and Human Services professor Janee Both Gragg began work on what would become the Wellness Hub — a dedicated place where students, faculty, staff, and members of the Inland Empire community could practice wellbeing. The journey began with founding the Alliance for Community Transformation and Wellness (ACTW), a collective built to engage in conversation about and action toward mental health and wellness in the Inland Empire. Through the ACTW, community festivals were held, mural tours were offered, and eventually, the Inland Empire Mental Health Training and Integration Center was established to prepare the region’s mental health workforce.

“Even then, the vision was never just to talk about wellness — we wanted to do wellness,” Both Gragg said.

When the center’s federal funding was unexpectedly pulled, then restored, she and her team refused to take the setback lying down and fought for the funding to continue. Hobart Mack’s generosity helped turn the space into reality.

“The philanthropy that made the Sylvia Hobart Mack Wellness Hub possible represents such an important turning point in this journey,” Both Gragg said. “This gift did not simply give the work a space; it changed the conditions in which the work can happen.” As she put it, the question was no longer what the team could do with what it had — but what becomes possible when wellness is truly resourced.

Bearing more than a name

Hobart Mack’s connection to Redlands runs deeper than her diploma. Born in China to American Baptist missionary parents, Hobart Mack spent her earliest years overseas before her family returned to California. Though she grew up in Berkeley, it was that eighth grade visit to Redlands to see her sister Eleanor that set the course for the rest of her life. As a U of R student, Hobart Mack threw herself into campus organizations, including Spurs, Alpha Sigma Phi, and Mortarboard. She earned a reputation as the fastest kid on campus for her ability to sprint from the Administration Building to the Commons in under five minutes.

That same energy carried into her 52-year teaching career — she didn't just teach, she showed up for the profession the way the Wellness Hub now asks its visitors to: fully. As Dean Vajra Watson puts it, where our heads, our hearts, and our feet meet.

“The Sylvia Hobart Mack Wellness Hub is more than the transformation of hundreds of square feet,” School of Education Dean Vajra Watson said. “It is a wellness and training space designed for our graduate counseling students, faculty, staff, and the wider community. Sylvia, we are so profoundly grateful for your generosity that helped make this vision a reality.”

Provost Adrienne McCormick echoed that gratitude, framing the full-circle moment.

“Decades later, because of Sylvia’s generosity and belief in education, students will continue to find support, encouragement, and belonging here,” McCormick said. “That is a remarkable legacy, and we are deeply grateful.”

For Hobart Mack, the vision for the space that bears her name is simple and is one she's carried since first setting foot on campus.

“It is my hope that this Wellness Hub will be a place where aspiring educators can come to relax, unwind, renew, and restore balance,” Hobart Mack said. “I loved attending University of Redlands, and coming here made all the difference in my life.”