Vassar Athletes Ask Us to “Think Pink”

Vassar’s athletes and athletic venues will be festooned in pink later this month in observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Think Pink, an annual nationwide event, was established in 1992 to raise awareness about the disease.

Professor Mia Mask Interviewed in Washington Post Article, “In the Black Lives Matter era, Hollywood stories tackle the ‘identity crisis’ of black police officers”

Five distinguished faculty members, including a longtime scholar at the library, were honored this fall with endowed chairs

Prof. of Psychological Science Abigail Baird, Assistant Prof. of Political Science Taneisha Means, Prof. of Art Molly Nesbitt, Prof. of Philosophy Bryan Van Norden and Associate Director of the Vassar Library for Special Collections Ronald Patkus were named recipients of endowed chairs this fall.

Linda Fairstein ’69, former sex-crimes prosecutor, wrote a NY Daily News article about the problems of “corroboration” in sexual assault cases.

Mitch McConnell and a cohort of fellow Republican senators announced their plans to vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh for a seat on the Supreme Court despite the compelling statement of Christine Blasey Ford, calling her testimony an “uncorroborated” accusation. Former sex crimes prosecutor Linda Fairstein ’69 explains why the use of that term is inappropriate and offensive.

Philosophy Prof. Gains International Recognition: Christopher Raymond Cited for Paper on Aristotle

A paper by Assistant Prof. of Philosophy Christopher Raymond that analyzed Aristotle’s views on shame has been named by Philosopher’s Annual as one of the 10 best articles on philosophy published ion 2017.

The Barn Is Now Powered by the Sun: Ribbon Cutting Celebrates Vassar’s Latest Solar Initiative

Families Weekend festivities included a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Farm and Ecological Preserve to celebrate the installation of 120 solar panels on the roof of The Barn. The solar array provides power for the offices of the Vassar College Environmental Engagement Cooperative.

Professor of Astronomy Debra Elmegreen to Lead Worldwide Astronomy Group

Debra M. Elmegreen Professor of Astronomy on the Maria Mitchell Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been elected by her peers to lead the largest international organization of astronomers in the world.

Vassar receives $2.5 million Mellon Foundation Grant for consortium on forced migration—Bard, Bennington, Sarah Lawrence to share funds

Starting this fall, Vassar will lead a four-college consortium focusing on the global refugee crisis, thanks to a $2.5-million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant will support the Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement and Education, created by Vassar, Bard, Sarah Lawrence and Bennington colleges. The funds, which will be distributed over the next four years, will be used to develop curricula and other programs on the issue of forced migration.

Learning How to Bounce Back

Stress is part of everyone’s life, but there are ways to bounce back from adversity. Prof. of Psychological Science Michele Tugade has devoted her research to helping students—and even some astronauts—learn how to be resilient.

Conservation legend, Liz Putnam ’55, gets her own tree at the Ecological Preserve

Members of the Student Conservation Association had a surprise for Liz Putnam ’55, during Vassar’s annual Day or Service at the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve. They planted a tree in her honor, and the revered conservation pioneer “got a little leaky.”

Computer Coding and the Humanities: A Match Made at Vassar

More than a dozen Vassar students, all humanities and sciences majors, took part in an intensive six-week introduction to coding class over the summer. They’re now using the new knowledge to enhance their research capabilities.

College Co-hosted Rosh Hashanah Event

Members of the congregation of Vassar Temple of Poughkeepsie joined with members of the college’s Jewish community on Monday to cast bread crumbs on the waters of Sunset Lake. A component of Rosh Hashanah dating back to the Middle Ages, the service symbolized the release of mistakes and shortcomings from the past year.

Vassar’s campus is in a movie

Thirty-five years after graduating from Vassar, film producer Jeffrey Soros returns to campus to shoot some scenes for his new movies.

Convocation: honoring the craft of writing, and 2 alumnae

Novelist and English Prof. Amitava Kumar will talk about the art and craft of writing at Fall Convocation Sept. 12, and two prominent alumnae will be honored.

Welcome, Class of 2022!

Move-In Day is hectic, but for first-year students, their parents – and even veteran Vassar folks -- it’s a time of excitement and hope.

How to be smarter with your smartphone

Two dozen Poughkeepsie Middle School students are spending a couple of weeks on the Vassar campus, learning how to be more creative with their smartphones. The Digital Literacy camp is sponsored by Vassar’s Urban Education Initiative, in collaboration with Art Effect, a Poughkeepsie arts and media organization.

Making a difference all summer—and beyond

For 10 weeks this summer, seven Vassar students worked at six local non-profit organizations that combat poverty or address other vital issues in the community.

“Mini-scope” reveals workings of the brain

Assistant Prof. of Psychological Science Hadley Bergstrom and a team of faculty and students spent part of the summer using tiny microscopes to study brain activity.

Is there some danger in protecting our kids?

It’s natural for parents to want to protect their children from harm, but is there some danger in protecting them too much? Prof. of Psychological Science Abigail Baird ’91 says her research on the workings of the adolescent brain suggests that the answer is yes.

Studying Africa from the inside out

Vassar students who enroll in courses taught by History Prof. Ismail Rashid can be confident his observations about youth, conflict, peacebuilding and other issues in Africa are fresh and insightful. Every spring break and summer, he returns to meet with researchers, political leaders

Vassar welcomes new CIS chief

Carlos Garcia, Vassar’s new Vice President of Computing and Information Services, brings a wealth of experience and a love for the college’s culture, to the job.

Choral music, old factories, taxes and other things

More than two dozen students collaborated with humanities faculty this summer in research projects under the auspices of Vassar’s Ford Scholar program.

Dear Watson, Where Are You Now?

The Thomas J. Watson Foundation fellowship, which offers "college graduates of unusual promise the freedom to engage in a year of independent study and travel abroad following their graduation," turns 50 this year. We check in with a few recipients to ask how the Watson experience affected their lives.

Exoplanets, Neandertals and other cool stuff

For nine weeks this summer, Vassar students and faculty engaged in independent research projects under the auspices of the Undergraduate Research Summer Institute.

Nine Alumnae/i Receive Fulbright Fellowships

Nine recent graduates and other young alumnae/i were awarded prestigious Fulbright Fellowships this year, once again making Vassar College a “top producer” of Fulbright recipients.