Vassar receives $10 million to fund admissions and career education center

A $10 million gift from Vassar alumna Dede Thompson Bartlett will fund a new "state-of-the-art" admission and career education center at the north side of its Poughkeepsie Campus. 

Bartlett, a philanthropist and former senior executive of Mobil Corporation and Altria Group, said she sees the building as a vehicle for "ushering the college into a new era."

"I want to see Vassar students represented throughout the emerging world of different careers," Bartlett said. "The exciting thing for me is to see how Vassar students have the opportunity to be represented across the board in all sectors of society, in the arts, in entertainment, in business, in science and in tech. To me it's very exciting."

The building will be constructed at the north end of campus near the North Gate in the area of Collegeview Avenue. Construction is expected to begin in 18 months with a duration of 15 to 20 months, Vassar President Elizabeth Bradley said. It will house the college's career education program and admission offices. 

Bradley said the project is in its planning stages, but a schematic design was recently completed. 

"The new Center will meet the needs of students and the whole Vassar community at two key points in their Vassar lives – when they first consider making Vassar their home, and when they leave campus and go out into the working world," Bradley said. "This project will amplify the work of our Admission and Career Education offices, which are keystones to the outcomes that graduating Vassar students have been able to achieve, of which we are so proud."

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Creating a new era

When Bartlett graduated from Vassar's business school in 1965, the only job available to her was typing letters for a trade company. Women's colleges didn't have career education programs then, she said.

"The situation was pretty bleak back then, the situation is much betterm thank goodness, today, but there is no question things still need improvement," Bartlett said, noting that she hopes the center will give Vassar students an opportunity and tools needed to successfully enter the workforce and build their careers. 

Over the past decade, Bartlett developed a long standing partnership with the college including internship and scholarship programs that gave her the opportunity to witness the work of the career education office firsthand. She said the cramped offices left little room for expansion. 

She said since retiring from Altria she traveled to colleges around the midwest and east coast discussing career education. 

"I saw some schools that were doing a very good job at this and schools that could use improvement, so I had some ideas for how it could work," she said. "I became very interested in what Vassar was doing on career education and they were in extremely crowded quarters. I thought if there was ever an opportunity where I could help expand I would do so."

Bradley said the building will give the college the ability to "enhance the services we can provide to current students who are seeking internships and employment, both through interactions with our alumni and through relationships we have with employers."

She noted that 96% of Vassar students are employed, continue education, or pursue volunteer experience or a fellowship within six months of graduating. 

On the admissions side, the new space will allow for more room to conduct interviews and group information sessions to prospective students. Bradley said the college has seen higher numbers of applicants in recent years that its current space cannot accommodate. 

"By housing Admission and Career Education in the same building, we are reinforcing in a tangible way to prospective students and their families, that the College is committed to serving its students not just while they are enrolled but as members of the Vassar community throughout their lives," she said. 

Katelyn Cordero is the education reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal: kcordero@poughkeepsiejournal.com; Twitter: @KatelynCordero.