A message from the Institute for the Liberal Arts Committee: Request for Proposals

Dear Vassar faculty, administrators, staff, students, and community members,

All members of the Vassar community are invited to submit proposals to host a Signature Program at the Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts during the 2025/26 academic year. We expect to be able to support 4 or 5 programs next academic year, with a budget of up to $25,000 per program for all program expenses. We also encourage applicants to utilize other campus funds (departmental funds, student organization funds, appropriate endowed funds) to supplement the funding that would come from the Institute Committee.

Signature Programs in the Institute can focus on any topic/issue, but should be interdisciplinary in nature, engage a wide range of stakeholders, and be bold in their vision and impact. Our hope is that Signature Programs at the Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts will showcase the diverse array of perspectives, knowledge, and experience that Vassar faculty, administrators, staff, and students, alums, and community members have to share with the Vassar community and beyond.

Applications should include the following:

1. A brief abstract (approximately 250 words) that identifies the primary concepts/ideas/problems/questions that animate the proposed program, and how/why it would be an appropriate Signature Program.
2. A more detailed description of the specifics of the proposed program, including:
   1. The goals of the program, including post-program follow-up activities
   2. The intended audience(s), including whether/why the program will (or will not) be open to a public beyond the Vassar community
   3. The program mode: virtual, hybrid, and/or in-person
   4. Possible speakers, and their potential availability
   5. Proposed dates: both a preferred and an alternate date. (Programs may occur anytime between August 15, 2025 and June 1, 2026.)
   6. What support you will need from the College, including a preliminary budget of expected itemized costs. (Note: The cost of space rentals in the Institute should not be included in your budget.)

Feel free to review the Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts website for examples of the Signature Programs that were chosen for the 2024/25 Academic Year. Do not feel you need to replicate the programs represented at the link above—there are many ways Institute programming can embody the values of the College and the Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts. You can review the criteria on which proposals will be reviewed.

Please submit proposals (and any questions about the proposal process) via email to Wes Dixon (wdixon@vassar.edu). The Institute Committee will prioritize proposals received by November 15, 2024.

If you have ideas about ways you would like to engage with the Institute for the Liberal Arts beyond Signature Programs, please know that the Institute Committee is interested in hearing those ideas. We envision hosting conferences, workshops, book launches, meetings, lectures, exhibitions, and a variety of other events. In a sense, our community is co-creating the Institute alongside the Committee. Please contact Wes Dixon (wdixon@vassar.edu) or Bob Brigham (robrigham@vassar.edu) for more information.

Please feel free to contact any member of the Institute Committee to discuss proposals and resources to assist program planning.

Thank you,

The Institute for the Liberal Arts Committee

Colin Aitken caitken@vassar.edu
Robert Brigham robrigham@vassar.edu
Wesley Dixon wdixon@vassar.edu
Susan Hiner suhiner@vassar.edu
Elizabeth Hoffman ecornwellhoffman@vassar.edu
Dennis Macheska dmacheska@vassar.edu
Michelle Ransom miransom@vassar.edu
Christopher Raymond chraymond@vassar.edu
Mila Seifert mseifert@vassar.edu
Catherine Tan ctan@vassar.edu
Gene Waddy gwaddy@vassar.edu

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