Stories

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.

Nov. 3, 2020

Vassar celebrated Halloween with greetings and giveaways from the staff and some trick-or-treating at the President’s House.

Oct. 21, 2020

President Bradley and a panel of guests discussed the lessons colleges and universities have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and the pandemic’s implications for the future of higher education globally.

Oct. 9, 2020

The College’s first-ever virtual Families Weekend featured campus tours, panel discussions, and even fire juggling!

Oct. 5, 2020

A close working relationship with county officials and a culture of caring on campus have enabled Vassar to navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. That was the message President Elizabeth Bradley delivered October 1 at an online training session for county officials throughout New York State.

Sep. 24, 2020

Vassar paid solemn tribute to civil rights champion and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a candlelight vigil Monday night, two days after she died of cancer at the age of 87.

Jul. 24, 2020

We know wearing a mask reduces the spread of COVID-19. Preventive measures such as physical distancing and thorough handwashing also help slow the spread of the virus, but according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19’s primary mode of transmission is through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Health professionals unanimously agree: The most effective deterrent is a wearing a face covering.

Jul. 16, 2020

International students will no longer be forced to leave the country if they must take online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jul. 13, 2020

Vassar is supporting a lawsuit that seeks to block ICE from expelling from the United States international students who must take online classes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

May. 24, 2020

Vassar alumnus and trustee Jason Blum ’91 has become one of the most successful moviemakers in the world by scaring his audiences. His message to Vassar’s Class of 2020: Don’t be scared.

May. 20, 2020

President Elizabeth Bradley has announced the formation of a committee that will develop protocols and procedures for the campus when classes resume in the fall.

Apr. 29, 2020

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has named Vassar College President Elizabeth H. Bradley as a member of an advisory board that will help shape policies and protocols as the state plans the re-opening the economy.

Apr. 22, 2020

Vassar’s Office of Human Resources won’t be able to host a luncheon this year for the 183 employees who reached service milestones this year, but President Elizabeth Bradley sends them all a big “thank you.”

Apr. 3, 2020

Some members of the Vassar community more than 7,000 miles from the campus have united to help the college—and the community—combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mar. 27, 2020

During her inaugural “Virtual Tea with PB” event, President Bradley announced that the college has made a commitment to the Class of 2020 to throw a big celebration on campus to celebrate their graduation as soon as it is safe to do so.

Mar. 16, 2020

As the COVID-19 virus continued to change lives worldwide, Vassar’s Senior Officers were working with students, faculty, and administrators to prepare for the myriad changes triggered by the pandemic.

Oct. 25, 2019

Fourteen first-year students got a jump on their college careers this summer as members of the Summer Immersion in the Liberal Arts program sponsored by Vassar’s Engaged Pluralism Initiative (EPI). The young men and women, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college, spent four weeks on campus taking specially designed, credit-bearing courses, learning about resources the college offers, and taking part in service-based learning in the Poughkeepsie area.

Oct. 21, 2019

At a meeting on the campus on October 19, the Vassar College Board of Trustees agreed in principle to a decisive plan to move Vassar toward its goal of carbon neutrality by the year 2030. The trustees declared their support for a $13-million package of major renovations and upgrades to the college’s heating system as well as other energy-saving projects.

Sep. 16, 2019

Vassar debuted an inaugural program in China this summer, partnering with a secondary school for gifted students in Beijing who took courses taught by Vassar faculty grounded in the college’s liberal arts model.

Sep. 12, 2019

During Vassar’s Fall Convocation ceremony, Lisa Collins, Professor of Art on the Sarah Gibson Blanding Chair and Professor of American and Africana Studies, gave the Convocation Address, and the Alumnae/i Association of Vassar College bestowed awards upon six distinguished alumnae/i.