Faculty News

26_05_06_faculty_celebration_lpo_001.jpg

During a year-end celebration of scholarship at Vassar, faculty and administrators highlighted books, grants, and community initiatives spanning environmental science, youth sports, accessibility, local history, and more.

1940s image of a woman sitting at executive desk.

Vassar professors and local community leaders were determined to get Poughkeepsie-born Jane Bolin—the first Black woman appointed judge in the U.S.—the recognition she deserved. To spotlight Bolin’s life, work, and legal legacy, city officials proclaimed April 11 (Bolin's birthday) Jane Bolin Day.

A young woman with a halo adorns a mural with a gold-colored background.

Four Vassar students took a deep dive into Mexico’s history and culture in a six-week, intensive course last fall taught by Colleen Ballerino Cohen, Professor of Anthropology and Women, Feminist, and Queer Studies and Chair of Anthropology. During Winter Break, students augmented what they had learned by taking a nine-day excursion to Mexican cities, towns, and villages, sampling the country’s rich culinary tradition and visiting museums, artists, and craftsmen.

Headshot of Amitava Kumar

Amitava Kumar, Professor of English, is author of the recently published The Social Life of Indian Trains (Aleph Book Company, 2025), part of Aleph’s “Essential India” series.