Sunday, May 24, 2026
by Demetrius Eudell, Dean of the Faculty

Thank you, President Bradley. Commencement is a day of transition for more than just our graduating seniors. Today, we recognize seven members of Vassar’s faculty who have completed their long and dedicated tenure of service to the College. This is a moment to celebrate their accomplishments and to express our gratitude for their many contributions to the Vassar community during the decades they have spent on our campus, during which they have touched the lives of many graduates.

To my colleagues who are in attendance today, when I read your name, I ask you to stand to be recognized. To the faculty, students, I ask for your applause at the conclusion of my remarks.

Lisa Brawley, Senior Lecturer in Urban Studies and American and Native American Studies. Professor Brawley has been teaching at Vassar since 2000. Brawley earned a BA from Davidson College; an MA from New York University; and a PhD in the Analysis of Ideas and the Study of Methods at the University of Chicago. Her research lies in the fields of critical urban studies, feminist theory, and American studies. Brawley is the author of a bilingual book on Frederick Law Olmsted D’après Nature: Frederick Law Olmsted et le Park Movement Américain, as well as journal articles and book chapters on urban food systems, food sovereignty, and neoliberal urbanization. Brawley taught courses on urban theory, gender and social space, visual urbanism, and critical social design. She also served as an Associate Dean of the Faculty, Tatlock Chair of Multidisciplinary Studies, and Director of both Urban Studies and American and Native American Studies. Beyond Vassar, she has also worked in facilitation with community organizations, including the International Network for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

Professor Gwen Broude couldn’t be with us today. Professor of Cognitive Science, she began teaching at Vassar in 1976. She received an AB in anthropology from Hunter College and an MA and PhD in social anthropology from Harvard University. Her research interests include the application of evolutionary theory to human mind and behavior. She is the author of Marriage, Family, and Relationships: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia and Growing Up: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia, as well as more than 40 journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries. As a member initially of the Psychological Science Department, Professor Broude taught courses on developmental psychology, evolutionary theory, and altruism. She was one of the earliest faculty members to participate in the Cognitive Science program at Vassar, which in 1982 became the first institution in the world to grant an undergraduate degree in cognitive science. In the department, she taught introductory cognitive science as well as courses on knowledge, perception, and consciousness.

Professor Eve D’Ambra, also not with us today, Professor of Art on the Agnes Rindge Claflin Chair, joined the Vassar faculty in 1990. She received her BA from the University of Arizona; an MA from the University of California, Los Angeles; and a PhD from Yale University. Her research focuses on Roman sculpture and portraiture. In addition to numerous seminal essays and book chapters, she is the author of Private Lives, Imperial Virtues: The Frieze of the Forum Transitorium in Rome, as well as Roman Art, and Roman Women. She is also the co-editor of The Art of Citizens, Soldiers, and Freedmen in the Roman World. She taught courses on the history of art and architecture in Greece, Rome, and ancient Egypt. Her courses also contributed to the Medieval and Renaissance Studies and Urban Studies programs. She is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Getty Research Institute, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Rebecca Edwards, back there, Professor of History on the Eloise Ellery Chair, came to Vassar in 1995. She received a BA in English from the College of William and Mary and an MA and PhD from the University of Virginia. Professor Edwards is the author of Angels in the Machinery: Gender in American Party Politics from the Civil War to the Progressive Era and New Spirits: American in the Gilded Age, 1865–1905. She is also the co-editor of America: A Concise History and an associate editor of The Concise Princeton Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History. Professor Edwards taught courses on politics and democracy in the 19th century, the American West, the history of elections, and the politics and history of sex and reproduction. She assumed several leadership positions at Vassar, including Chair of the History Department, Faculty Director of Teaching Development, and Secretary of the Faculty. More recently, she has assumed another leadership position as Poughkeepsie’s very own Town Supervisor.

Professor Tom Ellman, not in our presence, Associate Professor of Computer Science, has been teaching at Vassar since 1998. Professor Ellman received a BA in physics from Wesleyan University and an MS, MPhil, and PhD from Columbia University. His area of research lies in specification, design, and automated synthesis of interactive media systems and applications of these techniques in role-playing games, interactive documentaries, and digital art. He has published many refereed journal articles and conference papers in his area of expertise. At Vassar, he has taught introductory computer science courses as well as courses on data structures, networks, databases, graphics, animation, game design, and media production. He is the recipient of substantial external funding from agencies including the National Science Foundation, the NASA Ames Research Center, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He served as Director of the Media Studies program and Chair of Vassar’s Community Works Committee.

Professor Brian Godfrey, Professor of Geography, began teaching at Vassar in 1995. He received his BA in history from Pomona College and his MA and PhD in geography from the University of California, Berkeley. His scholarly interests include urban and regional change, public space, race and ethnic geography, memory and heritage, and urban political geography. He is the author of Neighborhoods in Transition: The Making of San Francisco’s Ethnic and Nonconformist Communities, as well as Rainforest Cities: Urbanization, Development, and Globalization of the Brazilian Amazon, and Preserving Whose City? Memory, Place, and Identity in Rio de Janeiro. Professor Godfrey taught on global geography and world cities, sustainable urban landscapes, and the urban crisis in Brazil. He has provided extensive service to the College, including multiple terms as Chair and Associate Chair of the Department of Earth Science and Geography, and multiple terms as Program Director of Urban Studies and Director of Latin American and Latinx Studies.

And, finally, Stephen Rock, also not in our presence, Professor of Political Science, began teaching at Vassar in 1987. He received his AB in political science from Miami University, and an MA and a PhD in government from Cornell University. His research interests include the origins of great power reconciliation and the efficacy of interstate influence strategies, including deterrence and appeasement. Professor Rock has scholarly interests also in the intersection of religion and politics. He is the author of Why Peace Breaks Out: Great Power Rapprochement in Historical Perspective, Appeasement in International Politics, and Faith and Foreign Policy: The Views and Influence of U.S. Christians and Christian Organizations. He has taught courses on international politics, US foreign policy, defense policy and arms control, the causes of war, and just-war theory. Professor Rock has assumed significant leadership positions, including interim Dean of the Faculty and multiple terms as Chair of Political Science, and has served on many other important College committees.

Please join me in thanking these professors for their long and dedicated tenure to Vassar.