In the Media
The Poughkeepsie Journal featured Lisa Evans ’14 (pictured, far left), a volunteer EMT, and three others who were honored for their role in saving the life of a 19-month-old boy.
The Washington Post ran an op-ed by President Catharine Hill examining rising college prices and the role of federal support for higher education.
The Council for European Studies awarded its 2012 book award to history professor Paulina Bren for her book The Greengrocer and His TV: The Culture of Communism after the 1968 Prague Spring. Awarded once every two years, the CES Book Award recognizes the best first academic book on any subject in European Studies.
The Chronicle of Higher Education featured English professor Amitava Kumar, who read a selection from Salman Rushdie’s banned The Satanic Verses at the Jaipur Literary Festival in India as a form of protest.
Hudson Valley Magazine ran a story about the architecture of Vassar’s Dexter M. Ferry Cooperative House.
WALB News (NY) noted that nearly 60 students from Vassar and other Northeast colleges helped to build four Habitat for Humanity homes in Albany.
The Atlantic Wire named the Guardian column by Michael Wolff '75 (pictured) about an Obama-Santorum matchup one of the five best Thursday columns in its “Today’s Best” roundup. Poynter included Wolff’s Guardian column about the state of storytelling in journalism in a roundup of “stuff worth reading.” Bloomberg, CNN, NPR’s All Things Considered, and the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) interviewed him about Rupert Murdoch and the News Corp. phone hacking scandal.
CBS New York’s 2 in the Kitchen featured Lee Zalben '95 and a recipe for peanut butter granola in honor of National Peanut Month (March). Foodbeast ran a story about Zalben and his Peanut Butter & Co., imploring peanut butter enthusiasts to go out and “grab a jar. Or two. Or five.”
Hudson Valley Almanac Weekly ran a story about Vassar’s Mary McCarthy '33 centennial exhibition.
Mid-Hudson News Network reported that some 65 Vassar students and 30 Dutchess Community College students walked out of their classes in unison to protest what they said were cuts to education funding across the country.
The San Francisco Examiner named men’s basketball standout Johnny Mrlik '15 in a story about “prep basketball stars thriving at the next level.”
CBS This Morning interviewed Lisa Kudrow '85 about her popular show Web Therapy. The Daily Mail (UK) ran a story about Kudrow and a New York screening of her show Who Do You Think You Are?, while Anderson featured an interview with Kudrow about the show and what she discovered about her own family history. StreamingMedia.com wrote about Kudrow’s appearance at SXSW, where she talked about producing creative content for the web.
Hattiesburg American (MS) noted that actress Tanya Wright ’89 (pictured) directed her first feature film, Butterfly Rising, based on her novel of the same name. Wright has a recurring role as "Kenya" on the popular HBO series, True Blood.
The Sun Herald (MS) noted that Vassar’s Night Owls all-female a cappella group spent spring break entertaining Gulf Coast audiences.
The Washington Post invited psychology professor Abby Baird '91 to co-author a post about sleep deprivation and teens. The Association for Psychological Science’s Observer invited Baird to blog about effective teaching strategies.
The White House announced the nomination of Dorothea-Maria (Doria) Rosen '72 for U.S. Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia.
HuffingtonPost featured Brett Singer ’74 in article about the impact of great writers on the generations of writers that follow them. Laura Paull ’74 wrote the story, which recalled Vassar’s creative writing program.
HuffingtonPost featured geography professor Joe Nevins in an article about the deadly grounding of the cruise ship Costa Concordia.
The Poughkeepsie Journal noted that the Vassar women’s soccer team joined other area volunteers in the second annual “Christmas in February” celebration at the Castle Point Veterans Affairs healthcare center in Fishkill.
Yahoo! News quoted Leonard Steinhorn '77 in an article about the prospect of Sarah Palin emerging as the Republican nominee from a brokered GOP convention. CBS News’s Political Hotsheet interviewed Steinhorn in an article about what high gas prices mean for the White House in an election year. The Washington Examiner (DC) quoted him in an article about the role of candidates’ spouses on the campaign trail. U.S. News & World Report quoted him in an article about why older citizens are more likely to vote. Westminster Patch (MD) interviewed Steinhorn in an article about the relative efficacy of “slacktivism” and the Kony 2012 viral video.
Maine Antique Digest wrote about the catalog for the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center’s recent exhibition “Thomas Rowlandson: Pleasures and Pursuits in Georgian England,” which closed in June 2011.
The Detroit Free Press featured a Q&A with Benjamin Busch '91 (pictured), author of Dust to Dust, which the Free Press called “a contemplative and haunting memoir.” ExpressMilwaukee.com called Busch’s work a “stunning new memoir” that is “much more than a war memoir … an extraordinary tale about ordinary things.” BookPage called his writing “a thoughtful meditation on life, death, and family.” The New York Journal of Books praised Busch’s book as “a work of extraordinary merit.” HuffingtonPost and the Star-Ledger (NJ) featured Q&As with Busch. FoxNews and Fox & Friends both ran interviews with him as well.
National Parks Traveler ran a story about Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam '55 and her Student Conservation Association.
New York Magazine named FUZZ, a monthly concert promotion event by Emily Lichtenberg ’10 and Lizzy Plapinger ’10, in its Best of New York 2012 roundup.
Chronogram ran a story about the Vassar Haiti Project.
The Chicago Tribune noted that Vassar ranks among the top 10 in colleges with the highest four-year graduation rate. At 90 percent, it is more than double the national average.
The Daily Beast featured a video of Meryl Streep '71 introducing Hillary Clinton at the Women in the World 2012 conference. The Kind Life noted that Streep went green on the red carpet with an eco-certified gold dress. The Los Angeles Times reported that the Berlin Film Festival awarded her the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement. Entertainment Weekly noted that Streep will appear alongside Julia Roberts in the film adaptation of August: Osage County. Forbes ran a story about her quiet philanthropy, including her support of Vassar.
ParisCherie featured Hung Huang '84 (pictured) in an article about Paris Fashion Week.
The Daily Beast included both Streep and Hung in its roundup, “150 Women Who Shake the World.”
The San Antonio Express-News (TX) featured Paco Underhill '75 in a story about shopping at the grocery store. The Jerusalem Post (Israel) similarly featured Underhill in a story about how to avoid marketing mistakes that scare off customers. Techvibes mentioned him in a story about accelerating the search for a cure to cancer. World of Business Ideas featured him in a video interview about what makes stores, banks, and other public environments female friendly. The American Entrepreneur talked with Underhill in an Internet radio interview about the science of shopping. The Detroit Free Press (MI) asked him about the pros and cons of cash mobs. The New York Times quoted Underhill about the distinction between a mall and an “all.”
The Poughkeepsie Journal featured political science professor Molly Shanley in a story about her gift of listening.
Northeast Public Radio interviewed dance professor John Meehan about the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre’s 30th Annual Bardavon Gala. The Times Herald-Record (NY) also covered the Gala, calling it “the best-kept dance secret in the Hudson Valley.”
MTV News quoted a Stacy London '91 tweet in an article about Jennifer Lopez’s Oscar fashion and the potential for a wardrobe malfunction.
The Kansas City Star (MO) mentioned Patrick Martins '94 in an article about Midwestern cuisine and beef. New York Examiner mentioned Martins in a story about the availability of sustainable meat at Greenmarkets.
Stanford Arts Review (CA) featured artist Alexa Meade '09 and her work.
Jambands.com noted that Rachael Yamagata '96 appeared as a guest artist on Rhett Miller’s new album, The Dreamer.
The Washington Post remembered the life of Ann (Bradford) Mathias ’51, noting that the education proponent overcame dyslexia with the help of a Vassar English professor.
Fox News noted that Andrew Zimmern '84 was nominated for a 2012 James Beard Award for best on-location television program. Eater noted that The Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods America—starring Zimmern—visited Boston. Eater also talked to him about the prospect of running for public office in Minnesota. The Detroit News, My Fox Detroit, and the Detroit Free Press all weighed in on Zimmern’s visit to the Motor City. CNN’s Eatocracy featured him in a video alongside other prominent foodies dishing about their favorite ingredients and kitchen tools. Eatocracy also featured him dishing on “five foods that can change the world.” Minnesota Public Radio’s MPR News featured an interview with him about American cuisine and innovation in the food business. HuffingtonPost featured a Q&A with him about getting kids to eat adventurously. And PRI’s The World featured an interview with Zimmern about the “power of porridge.”
The Brooklyn Paper quoted Joanna Oltman Smith ’92 in an article about street safety and the borough’s Prospect Park.
NewsWise reported that biology professor Jennifer Kennell gave a lecture about fruit flies for the annual Drosophila Research Conference in Chicago. The conference links undergraduate students with prominent researchers.
Compiled by Peter Bronski
Lisa Evans image courtesy the Poughkeepsie Journal / Spencer Ainsley. Michael Wolff image © Vassar College / Evan Abramson '00. Tanya Wright image courtesy the subject, by Roxy Moranyan. Benjamin Busch image courtesy Ecco, by Raquel Krelle. Hung Huang image courtesy the subject.