American historian and journalist Douglas Southall Freeman, whose daughter Anne was among the graduates, addressed the Class of 1945 at Commencement, and President MacCracken conferred the bachelor’s degree on its 227 members.  Five graduate students received the master’s degree in arts.

Gifts to the college during the year totaled $280,000, of which $26,200 was expendable for scholarships and $138,300 was for scholarship endowment.  President MacCracken announced two anonymous donors had given $40,000 to establish the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Scholarship Fund, the income of which was to be used to bring foreign students to the college, and $40,000 to create the Queen Marie Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit students primarily interested in international relations, preferably students of Rumanian descent.  $15,000 had also been given to establish the Louise Roblee McCarthy Scholarship Fund for the Vassar Summer Institute.  Mrs. McCarthy ’12 served as a Vassar trustee from 1933 until 1937.