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Celebrating Founder’s Day

Live music, carnival rides, delicious food—and a bit of the libations that funded Matthew Vassar’s fortune—all on hand on May 5 for Founder’s Day. As the last great hurrah before Commencement, the celebration of Matthew Vassar’s birthday is a must-attend event for students and many alumnae/i.

This year’s musical lineup had a “good mix of chill and upbeat,” and kept everyone dancing, says Hannah Cho ’18. “The theme, glitter, was so fun because people were sparkling and throwing glitter everywhere. All of this, combined with the beautiful weather, made it my most memorable Founder’s Day.”

This year, President Elizabeth Bradley celebrated her first Founder’s Day with a treat she hadn’t had in decades—cotton candy—and ended it all with the fireworks show.

“Thanks to the Vassar Student Association and many other groups for making the Founder’s Day tradition so special this year,” Bradley says.

Two days before the celebration, Vassar hosted its inaugural Founder’s Giving Day, with a goal of 1,500 donors in 24 hours. It was a smashing success, with Founder’s Giving Day parties hosted by several alumnae/i groups in cities across the country. The final tally was 3,229 donors—215 percent of the goal—who gave a total of $693,803 to help Vassar students!