The Vassar Institute will serve as a “public classroom” and academic launchpad hosting programming, inspired by faculty and students and run by a faculty director, that will advance bold and wide-ranging discourse on crucial topics of local, national, and global interest. The Institute will be a regional draw for intellectual thought and original discussions.
Don’t miss our new podcast, Conversations @ The Salt Line.
Programming
The Institute will accommodate a wide variety of gatherings, including lectures, classes and training sessions, conferences, and meetings of varying sizes. The Institute will play an important role in fostering dialogue about contemporary challenges, creating a stimulating ecosystem for intellectual pursuit, and drawing together the finest minds and most curious souls.
Conversations @ The Salt Line
Welcome to Conversations @ The Salt Line, a podcast where we explore subjects that stimulate, reflect on the world’s grand challenges, and find common ground while embracing diverging perspectives because we understand that pursuing honest dialogue and debate nurtures an intellectual curiosity that leads to understanding and connection.
The Summer Institute
The Summer Institute was established to enable Vassar to play a key role in fostering dialogue about higher education and contemporary challenges, globally, nationally, and locally.
Art and Public Space at Vassar and in Poughkeepsie
July 27–28, 2021
From Protest to Progress: Higher Education, Cities, and Racial Justice
August 17–18, 2020
Summer Institute for the Liberal Arts: A Workshop (PDF, 171 KB)
August 20–21, 2019
The Inaugural Summer Institute for the Liberal Arts
July 7–10, 2018
Design and Sustainability
Designed by renowned architects Frederick Fisher and Partners, the Institute complements the spirited Vassar vibe and shared belief in the importance of the inclusive exploration of the liberal arts. The Los Angeles-based architecture firm has been involved in projects at Princeton, the University of Southern California, Caltech, and Otis College of Art and Design among others. Fisher’s firm brings an enthusiasm for light, space, and art integration to projects around the globe. Fisher’s mission is simple: improve life through architecture. They are committed to inspiring wonder, discovery, and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds.
The design of the building preserves the domestic scale of the surrounding neighborhood with inventive, discrete elements; a three-story gable roof inn, a two-story Institute with a restaurant below, and a glass lobby to create the notion of a public living room.
Maintaining the strong commitment to being a neighborhood partner, Vassar has committed to maintaining the majority of Alumnae lawn in perpetuity and enhancing the space with water and electrical services. This will further aid the dozens of annual complimentary community events that the community hosts there each year.