Stories

Mar. 17, 2020

On Thursday October 30, 1969, at 2:45 a.m., thirty-four Black women successfully barricaded the elevator and the doors of Main Building, taking over the building. In this act of civil disobedience, these students stood up to demand to be included in the fabric of Vassar College. Watch two of these women, Claudia Lynn Thomas '71 and Maybelle Bennett '70, as well Dr. Milfred Fierce, the first director of Vassar's Africana Studies Department, talk about the experience.

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.

Mar. 5, 2020

When Cristina Lopez ’20 was in elementary school in suburban Baltimore, her mother founded a recreational field hockey program. Lopez loved soccer, but she was something less than enthusiastic about playing field hockey. “Mom played when she was at Middlebury College, and she kind of dragged me to practices in the new league she started,” Lopez recalled.

Mar. 2, 2020

Vera Rubin ’48 will be honored for her achievements in astronomy – including her groundbreaking studies of dark matter – by having a major observatory named after her.

Mar. 2, 2020

Vassar College is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with a variety of exhibitions and programs that will examine the women’s suffrage movement—including some Vassar alumnae who were leaders in the fight for the right to vote.

Feb. 27, 2020

Three-time Academy Award-nominee, two-time Emmy Award winning producer and Vassar College alumnus and Trustee Jason Blum ’91, will deliver this year’s address at the college’s 156th Commencement.

Feb. 25, 2020

Professor of Physics Cindy Schwarz and Assistant Professor of Physics Juan Merlo-Ramirez are working on various initiatives, including writing children’s books in English and Spanish, to inspire Latinx children to learn about science.

Feb. 25, 2020

In his new role as Senior Associate Dean of the College for Professional Development, Pittman is using these decades of experience to help staff and administrators find ways to better relate to Vassar students and to their coworkers.

Feb. 21, 2020

Emmy Award-winning musician, author and philanthropist Peter Buffett and cellist Michael Kott will host an interactive performance, titled “A Concert and Conversation,” March 3 in the Villard Room.

Feb. 20, 2020

Vassar College has announced an agreement with its energy provider to purchase electricity generated solely by renewable sources.

Feb. 17, 2020

George Washington University Professor Nemata Blyden delivered a lecture at Taylor Hall February 6 on her new book, African Americans and Africa.

Feb. 14, 2020

The third annual Brewers Fund Challenge, Brew3D, begins at 9:00 am February 27, with some new twists that include a three-division system for team competition and prizes for the most creative team videos.

Feb. 10, 2020

Vassar College has been named a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright Fellowships for 2019-20, the U.S. State Department announced. Seven Vassar graduates were awarded Fulbright Fellowships for the current academic year and are currently studying or conducting research overseas.

Jan. 30, 2020

Andrea Roberts ’96, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning at Texas A & M University, is focusing her research and much of her teaching on the thousands of historically black settlements, often called “freedom colonies,” that sprung up in Texas and almost every other state in the nation following the Civil War.

Jan. 28, 2020

More than 150 members of the Vassar Community paid tribute to the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the college’s Second Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Breakfast. In addition, three members of the Vassar community received the college’s 2020 MLK Service Awards.

Jan. 24, 2020

At Vassar’s sixth annual Sophomore Career Connections, held on the weekend of January 17, 248 sophomores gained invaluable insights from 103 alumnae/i and parents who spent the weekend helping them envision their futures. The event was co-hosted by the Career Development Office and the Office of Alumnae/i Affairs and Development.

Jan. 3, 2020

Sarah Kozloff, Professor of Film on the William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair, spent the first 57 years of her life not considering herself creative and not writing novels. Less than seven years later, she’s written four of them.

Dec. 18, 2019

The Vassar community witnessed some remarkable events and achievements in 2019. Here are some of the highlights:

Dec. 17, 2019

Vassar students, faculty, administrators, and staff make the holiday season a little brighter for many in the community.

Dec. 13, 2019

Vassar alumna Diana Pearson ’78 has donated more than 80 manuscripts and other material from her late husband’s rare book and manuscript collection to Special Collections at Thompson Library. Some students in a medieval history class spent an hour viewing one of the manuscripts, and more students and scholars will benefit from the generous donation in the future.