News & Events - News and Events

In the Footsteps of Maria Mitchell: Professor Debra M. Elmegreen Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Posted 4/22/2019

Debra Elmegreen, Professor of Astronomy on the Maria Mitchell Chair, has been elected to the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, joining such luminaries as Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr.—and Maria Mitchell herself.

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The Iconic Shakespeare Garden Gets a Makeover

Posted 4/22/2019

More than 100 years since it was built, Vassar’s Shakespeare Garden is getting a much-needed refresher. The work is being spearheaded by renowned landscape architect Ed Hollander ’76 and funded by a member of the class of 1969.

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Nora Zaki: Meet Vassar’s Advisor for Muslim Student Life

Posted 4/22/2019

Nora Zaki brings an ecumenical background to her new role as Vassar’s Advisor for Muslim Student Life.

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Russian Studies Students Wow at State Competition

Posted 4/17/2019

Vassar’s Russian Studies students have always scored high in the New York State Competition of Spoken and Written Russian. This year was no exception.

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Straight From The Vassar Political Review: Michael Wolff ‘75 discusses ‘Fire and Fury’ and the possibility of Trump’s resignation

Posted 4/14/2019

Editors-in-Chief Alexander Barzacanos and Andrew Solender got the opportunity to sit down with the writer to discuss his approach to writing, as well as his views on the administration and the state of politics today.

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Vassar Conference Draws Scholarly Examinations on Topic of “Passing”

Posted 4/12/2019

“Quiet as It’s Kept: Passing Subjects, Contested Identities,” a scholarly conference on “passing,” held April 5-7 on the Vassar College campus, advanced the dialog about racial, ethnic, and gender identity in substantial ways.

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What Can You Do with a Liberal Arts Degree?

Posted 4/11/2019

What can you do with a liberal arts education? At the new career program Major Palooza, mentors in a wide array of fields showed that the outcomes are unlimited.

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Vassar Forges Partnership with Innovative Medical School in Rwanda

Posted 4/11/2019

Vassar College and the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), an innovative medical school in Rwanda, have forged a partnership that will help the medical school blend the liberal arts into its curriculum.

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Free Public Walking Tours of Vassar College. (4/27)

Posted 4/11/2019

Free public walking tours of the architecturally renowned Vassar College campus will be held on two upcoming Saturdays: April 27 and June 1. On each day, tours will begin at 10:00am and 1:00pm from the front entrance of the college’s Main Building, and run for approximately 90 minutes. Highlights will include such historic locations as Main Building, Thompson Memorial Library, and the Vassar Chapel.

Announcement

Dean Pittman Named Middle States Peer Evaluator

Posted 4/9/2019

Edward Pittman ‘82, Senior Associate Dean of the College, has been named a Peer Evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

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Watson Fellowship to Send Julie Morel ’19 Around the World

Posted 4/5/2019

Julie Morel ’19, a Science Technology and Society major from Brooklyn, is one of 41 college students in the country to be awarded a 2019 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which provides graduating seniors the opportunity to conduct 12 months of independent study outside the United States. She’ll examine the roles that culture, religion, spirituality and family play in maternity care in four diverse nations.

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Fast Friends: It All Began on Accepted Students Day

Posted 4/5/2019

Dana McRae ’22 first met Emmett O’Malley at Accepted Students Day five months before he enrolled at Vassar. Since then, the two have become good friends.

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ARTnews article highlights T. Barton Thurber’s appointment as new director of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

Posted 4/4/2019

Thurber will take over from James Mundy, who is retiring after 28 years. He will begin on August 5.

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Straight From The Miscellany News: Vigil grieves, honors victims of New Zealand shootings

Posted 4/4/2019

Students, faculty and Poughkeepsie locals gathered on the Library Lawn to mourn the deaths of 50 Muslims killed in shootings taking place on March 15.

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Artist Yun-Fei Ji will deliver an Agnes Rindge Claflin Lecture entitled, “Making Visible.” (4/23)

Posted 4/2/2019

Yun-Fei Ji’s paintings are often inspired by the stories of people living in rural China.

Announcement

T. Barton Thurber named new director of Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

Posted 4/2/2019

Thurber will succeed James Mundy, who is retiring after directing the Art Center for 28 years. He will assume his new position August 5.

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A Q & A with newly appointed Dean of Studies Debra Zeifman

Posted 3/26/2019

Professor of Psychological Science Debra Zeifman talks about her appointment as Dean of Studies.

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Professor of Religion Marc Epstein to create a Scroll of Esther with students in “intensives” course

Posted 3/19/2019

Illuminating the Book of Esther. Creating a new kind of Megillah—using the historic Birds’ Head Haggadah as inspiration.

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Vassar to Collaborate on Summer Program for Gifted Students in China

Posted 3/11/2019

Vassar has formed a partnership with a school for gifted students in China, and three faculty members will kick off the alliance by teaching courses there this summer.

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Cracking the Codes: Vassar Alumnae Deciphered WWII Enemy Communications

Posted 3/8/2019

They were recruited from women’s colleges like Vassar, from Maine to California, to work on a project so secret, most didn’t speak about it until 50 years after the fact. They were the women who helped win WWII—breaking enemy codes for the U.S. Army and Navy.

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Urban Education Initiative Celebrates 15 Years of Community Partnerships

Posted 3/7/2019

Students, educators and supporters of Vassar’s Urban Education Initiative gathered with Poughkeepsie school officials and staff at the Alumnae/i House March 1 to celebrate UEI’s 15th anniversary.

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A Q&A with newly appointed Dean of the College Carlos Alamo-Pastrana

Posted 3/5/2019

Last month, President Elizabeth Bradley announced that Carlos Alamo-Pastrana, who was appointed Interim Dean of the College last summer, had been named to the position permanently following a nationwide search.

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Spirit of Vassar Awardee: Civil Rights Icon Sherrilyn Ifill ’84

Posted 3/2/2019

AAVC Spirit of Vassar Awardee Sherrilyn Ifill ’84, head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, warns of threats to democracy.

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Jesse Ecklund Selected For NCAA Championships

Posted 2/28/2019

Jesse Ecklund ’22 (Missoula, MT) of the Vassar College women’s swimming & diving team becomes the first Brewer selected for the NCAA Championships since Julia Cunningham in 2016.

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Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center offers series of art-themed story hours for children ages 3-5.

Posted 2/14/2019

“Storytime at the Museum” is taking place on February 15, March 29, and May 3, at 2pm in the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. Each month has a different theme.

Announcement

The Vassar Haiti Project's Art & Soul Gala honors Robert Morgenthau and Lucinda Franks. (4/25)

Posted 2/14/2019

On April 25 from 5:30–8pm in the Vassar College Alumnae House (161 College Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY), the Vassar Haiti Project will honor Robert M. Morgenthau and Lucinda Franks for their extraordinary achievements in the fields of international social justice and literature.

Announcement

In Search of the Unknown: David O’Leary ’02 and His Star-Studded UFO Series

Posted 2/14/2019

David O’Leary ’02 has long been fascinated by stories about UFOs and other unexplained phenomena. Now, he’s parlayed his passion for the unknown into a new series for the History Channel called Project Blue Book, about a U.S. Air Force project that investigated reports of UFO sightings and related phenomena in the 1950s and early 1960s.

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Vassar Caps Successful #27Brew2 Giving Challenge, Smashing Targeted Goals

Posted 2/8/2019

After the success of last year’s giving challenge, the Vassar College Athletic Department, in conjunction with the Office of Alumnae/i Affairs and Development, conducted its second 27-hour crowd-funding challenge on Feb. 7-8.

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Miss Black America Performance Inspired by Northern Migration

Posted 2/7/2019

The migration of millions of African American families from the Deep South to northern cities in the first half of the 20th century is one of the most significant, and largely untold, stories of American history. On Saturday, February 16, harpist and Adjunct Artist in Music Ashley Jackson will relate this story, through music and the spoken word, in the performance Miss Black America.

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Ready. Set. Go!

Posted 2/1/2019

Last year, the Brewers athletes, alumnae/i, and fans raised $190,284 in 27 hours in support of our 27 teams. We hope to reach even greater heights this year! On Thursday, February 7, Vassar will host another 27-hour fund raising challenge #27Brew2. Go Brewers!

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To Kill a Mockingbird: Broadway’s Biggest Hit and its Vassar Ties

Posted 2/1/2019

Shona Tucker, Associate Professor and Chair of the Drama Department, tells us what it’s like to be in the hottest show on Broadway—To Kill a Mockingbird. But Tucker is not the sole member of the cast who is part of the Vassar community.

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Sophomore Career Connections: Fifth Annual Event Continues Tradition of Jump-Starting Careers

Posted 1/31/2019

More than 230 students and over 90 mentors from a wide array of fields gathered on campus to network and share information at the fifth annual Sophomore Career Connections, hosted by the Career Development Office and the Office of Alumnae/i Affairs and Development in January.

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Van Jones to speak at Commencement

Posted 1/30/2019

Political commentator, author and social justice leader Van Jones will deliver this year’s commencement address, Sunday, May 26, 2019.—The Miscellany News

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Helping Students Cope: Counseling Service Offers 4 Workshops

Posted 1/24/2019

Based on the most common reasons students seek help from the Counseling Service, therapists there have developed a series of four-week, drop-in workshops.

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Annual Community Works Campaign to Provide Grants to 10 Local Nonprofits in 2019

Posted 11/1/2018

Vassar’s 18th annual Community Works campaign kicks off today with a goal of $75,000 for 10 local agencies that serve families throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley.

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All News

In the Footsteps of Maria Mitchell: Professor Debra M. Elmegreen Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The Iconic Shakespeare Garden Gets a Makeover

Nora Zaki: Meet Vassar’s Advisor for Muslim Student Life

Russian Studies Students Wow at State Competition

Straight From The Vassar Political Review: Michael Wolff ‘75 discusses ‘Fire and Fury’ and the possibility of Trump’s resignation

Vassar Conference Draws Scholarly Examinations on Topic of “Passing”

What Can You Do with a Liberal Arts Degree?

Vassar Forges Partnership with Innovative Medical School in Rwanda

Free Public Walking Tours of Vassar College. (4/27)

Dean Pittman Named Middle States Peer Evaluator

Watson Fellowship to Send Julie Morel ’19 Around the World

Fast Friends: It All Began on Accepted Students Day

ARTnews article highlights T. Barton Thurber’s appointment as new director of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

Straight From The Miscellany News: Vigil grieves, honors victims of New Zealand shootings

Artist Yun-Fei Ji will deliver an Agnes Rindge Claflin Lecture entitled, “Making Visible.” (4/23)

T. Barton Thurber named new director of Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

A Q & A with newly appointed Dean of Studies Debra Zeifman

Professor of Religion Marc Epstein to create a Scroll of Esther with students in “intensives” course

Vassar to Collaborate on Summer Program for Gifted Students in China

Cracking the Codes: Vassar Alumnae Deciphered WWII Enemy Communications

Urban Education Initiative Celebrates 15 Years of Community Partnerships

A Q&A with newly appointed Dean of the College Carlos Alamo-Pastrana

Spirit of Vassar Awardee: Civil Rights Icon Sherrilyn Ifill ’84

Jesse Ecklund Selected For NCAA Championships

Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center offers series of art-themed story hours for children ages 3-5.

The Vassar Haiti Project's Art & Soul Gala honors Robert Morgenthau and Lucinda Franks. (4/25)

In Search of the Unknown: David O’Leary ’02 and His Star-Studded UFO Series

Vassar Caps Successful #27Brew2 Giving Challenge, Smashing Targeted Goals

Miss Black America Performance Inspired by Northern Migration

Ready. Set. Go!

To Kill a Mockingbird: Broadway’s Biggest Hit and its Vassar Ties

Sophomore Career Connections: Fifth Annual Event Continues Tradition of Jump-Starting Careers

Van Jones to speak at Commencement

Helping Students Cope: Counseling Service Offers 4 Workshops

Annual Community Works Campaign to Provide Grants to 10 Local Nonprofits in 2019