Stories

Jun. 22, 2021

Tens of thousands of participants are expected to join the 3^rd Annual Queer Liberation March when it steps off in New York City’s Bryant Park on Sunday, June 27. Ann Northrop ’70 is a one of the chief organizers of the “alternative” march.

Jun. 16, 2021

This year, the alumnae/i association, AAVC, turns 150. Throughout 2021, the College will be celebrating this anniversary by highlighting a few of Vassar’s most notable alumnae/i in architecture, arts, business, education, entertainment, healthcare, humanitarian efforts, law, social justice, and technology.

Jun. 7, 2021

During Vassar’s 2021 Commencement Ceremony, held on Sunday, June 6, green energy technologist Jessica O. Matthews offered some profoundly unorthodox advice: You don’t need a plan to be successful. President Elizabeth Bradley marveled at the resilience of the Class of 2021. The class president assured classmates that it’s never too late to learn something new. Finally, graduates got to toss their hats and be welcomed as alumnae/i.

May. 19, 2021

Tricia Gonnella Russo ’03 wanted to have a child, and she wasn’t about to let Stage 4 cancer stand in her way. That’s the inspiring storyline of Love Always, Mom, a 90-minute documentary that Russo produced and co-directed that is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

May. 12, 2021

Vassar’s 2021 Time Out Grant recipient, Bishop Joseph Tolton ’89, has plans to infuse energy into the Pan-African movement by creating the Pan African Young Adult Leadership Program, a mentorship opportunity for activists from Africa, Haiti, Brazil, Mexico, and the U.S.

May. 6, 2021

Mortal Kombat was an overnight success at the box office, but making it in Hollywood took a little longer for its scriptwriter, Greg Russo ’03.  The journey began at Vassar.

Apr. 23, 2021

Jacob Rivkin ’07 parlayed his talent as an artist and his love of Chinese culture into his role as animator for the PBS documentary Beethoven in Beijing.

Apr. 14, 2021

With the class of 1971’s landmark Reunion approaching, Jill Troy Werner ’71 created an Endowment for Research and Teaching on Climate Change and Sustainability, and Mary Price ’71 along her husband, Nick Waser—both of whom are field ecologists—made a gift to support “people and programs” at the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve. These gifts inspired their class to fund the Class of 1971 Gateway to the Old Vassar Farm as its 50th Reunion gift.

Apr. 13, 2021

The 1971 essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” by Professor of Art History Linda Nochlin ’51, which examined the underappreciation of women artists, became required reading for art historians. The College recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the essay and the 70th anniversary of Nochlin’s graduation from Vassar with a three-part tribute.

Apr. 12, 2021

Vassar College’s ALANA Center, which provides resources and programs for students of color, will be named for Professor Jeh Vincent Johnson, the pioneering African American architect and former Vassar faculty member who designed it. President Elizabeth H. Bradley made the announcement as part of the recent African American Alumnae/i of Vassar College (AAAVC) Triennial, which celebrates the contributions of African American alumnae/i, students, faculty, administrators, and staff of Vassar College. Johnson died in January.

Mar. 29, 2021

Twin sisters Ruth Shoer Rappaport ’59 and Patricia Shoer Goldman-Rakic ’59 were trailblazers in immunology and neuroscience, respectively. Now, two endowed funds pay tribute to the pioneers and support Vassar faculty and students in STEM.

Mar. 9, 2021

This year, the alumnae/i association, AAVC, turns 150. Throughout 2021, the College will be celebrating this anniversary by highlighting a few of Vassar’s most notable alumnae/i in architecture, arts, business, education, entertainment, healthcare, humanitarian efforts, law, social justice, and technology.

Mar. 3, 2021

Alexa Mousley ’20 has won a full scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pursue her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Cambridge.

Feb. 12, 2021

During the first-ever virtual Sophomore Career Connections program, 100 alumnae/i and/or parent mentors helped more than 250 second-year students gain insight into the networking process in general and specific fields of interest.

Feb. 10, 2021

In conjunction with a Poughkeepsie nonprofit, Vassar faculty, administrators, and students are helping to shed light on the contributions of enslaved Africans and their descendants to the growth and prosperity of the Hudson Valley.

Feb. 8, 2021

A new discussion series initiated by the African American Alumnae/i of Vassar College (AAAVC) is bringing Vassar expertise to bear on specific areas of racial injustice in the United States.

Feb. 8, 2021

Throughout a wide-ranging career in the Episcopal priesthood, Rev. Canon Petero Sabune ’77 has tackled issues as global as the acceptance of women priests in Africa and as local as the food insecurity of his neighbors in Mount Vernon, NY.

Feb. 3, 2021

Judas and the Black Messiah, Shaka King ’01’s first studio film, focuses on the young Black man the FBI recruited to infiltrate and undermine the Black Panthers, leading to the harassment and killing of its leader Fred Hampton.

Jan. 12, 2021

Los Angeles attorney and film producer Brenda Feigen ’66 and Helen Pankhurst, OBE, a former Vassar College Clark Scholar and women’s rights activist, took part in “Reflections on Women’s Rights Present and Future,” an online panel discussion hosted by Vassar’s Office of Regional and International Programs on December 6, 2020.

Jan. 11, 2021

Hard work and determination, traits he acquired as a Vassar student-athlete, led Bobby Kinne ’18 to a key role in the 2020 World Series.