The Vassar community lost two influential leaders in the Africana Studies Program this month: Professor Emeritus Milfred Fierce, largely considered the “godfather” of Africana Studies (previously Black Studies) at Vassar and Professor Emeritus Norman Hodges, the first tenured Black professor in History and Africana Studies.
Vassar College President Elizabeth H. Bradley and Town of Poughkeepsie Supervisor Jay Baisley officially opened the College’s 40-unit faculty and staff housing building in a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 12.
Three years after a global pandemic interrupted their normal college experience, members of Vassar’s Class of 2023 were lauded for their remarkable resiliency at the College’s 159th Commencement exercises on Sunday, May 21.
Assistant Professors Tamyka Jordon-Conlin, Deon Knights, Ashanti Shih, and Payton Small are members of a cohort of tenure-track Vassar faculty members who will be working together to take some aspects of the College curriculum in a new, multidisciplinary direction.
The Engaged Pluralism Race and Racism in Historical Collections Working Group hosted an event three days before Founder’s Day that asked members of the Vassar community to examine the racist elements that were present during Founders Day’s in the past.
Vassar recently hosted a three-part webinar titled “Innovation in Higher Education: Building Capacity for Inclusive Leadership” that featured conversations with people in the academic and business worlds. All agreed that transforming global society into a more equitable one will require today’s students to engage in a broad, liberal arts education.
Students, administrators, alums, and others in the Vassar community enjoyed a plethora of events in observation of Black History Month, included exhibitions, a panel on STEM-related fields, a dinner, and an update of the Buildings and Belonging project, focused on the history of African Americans on campus.
