A Loss to Our Community

February 27, 2024

Dear all,

It is with sadness that I write about a profound loss to our community. On Saturday, Therisa Marshall, who has worked in Dining Services since 2016, lost her five-year-old son, Adam, in a tragic drowning accident. Therisa is at home with her mother and two daughters as she and her friends and family–and all of us at Vassar–try to absorb this devastating news.

If you wish to extend support, you may contact Therisa directly by email or work with Dean Dennis Macheska, who can help now and over the weeks ahead. I am very grateful to the SEIU as they are also working to support Therisa through this unthinkable time. Many thanks also to Campus Safety, whose staff participated importantly with the Department of Police in Poughkeepsie in the wide search for Adam. If you wish to support Therisa financially, you may contribute to the GoFundMe effort.

The College has resources for anyone having difficulty coping with this news. For students on campus, the Counseling Service continues to offer support resources including individual counseling, a walk-in clinic, and other crisis resources including a 24/7 counselor on call who can be accessed by calling 845-437-7333. Employees may receive free, immediate, short-term counseling through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by calling 1-800-624-5544. Employees may also schedule free and unlimited phone or video counseling sessions through TelaDoc/HealthiestYou by calling 1-866-703-1259.

In the weeks ahead, let us keep Therisa and her loved ones in our minds and hearts, as we demonstrate what it means to be part of the Vassar family, extending ourselves to be present with each other in times of great sorrow and loss.

With a heavy heart,

Elizabeth H. Bradley, President
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@EHBVassar