Jon Stewart Mentions Vassar on The Daily Show

This week, Jon Stewart and the writers from The Daily Show did a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. I ran over right after my classes at Cardozo and met up with a Vassar friend from the Class of 2010, Emily Leimkuhler (who's working at the Barnes & Noble corporate office) . The place was packed. Hundreds of fans were there to get their books signed and hear from one of America's most famed cultural critics. I had a different goal. My friend and I plotted on how to convince him to mention our beloved college on the show.

As he signed my book, I told him that if he mentioned Vassar, we would attend his Rally To Restore Sanity -- and stop following Stephen Colbert's March to Keep Fear Alive on Twitter. I think the second promise caught his attention. I passed him a letter (left) to the same effect. Jon and the writers may have laughed at our intense Vassar pride, but they kept up their end of the bargain! At the beginning of last night's show, Jon began: "My guest tonight, a professor at Vassar... no, it's Arianna Huffington, editor in chief of The Huffington Post!" Well done, Mr. Stewart. Check it out:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Los Angeles Heat Wave
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, will speak at Vassar

Paul Volcker, internationally acclaimed economist and Chairman of the Federal Reserve under presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, will speak at Vassar on September 28. Since February 2009, Volcker has served as Chairman of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board under President Barack Obama.

Volcker served as Fed Chair during one of the most turbulent periods in American history. Known as the "inflation fighter," he helped lower double-digit inflation rates in the early 1980s and is widely credited with ushering in an era of economic prosperity. He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton in 1949, and then earned a graduate degree in political economy from Harvard. In 1952, he joined the staff of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.

I took many courses in Vassar's Economics Department, and I'm so jealous that current students will have the opportunity to speak with this leader in American macroeconomic policy. Hope they'll record the event for the Vassar YouTube Channel!

Volcker's discussion will take place on September 28 at 5 p.m. on the second floor of the Students' Building. Vassar Economics professor Robert Rebelein, who served for the last two years on the Council of Economic Advisors, will moderate. Jeffrey Goldstein (Vassar class of 1977) and current Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, will introduce the speakers. Read more about Volcker in a fascinating recent profile in The New Yorker.

Vassar leads in producing PhDs in science, engineering

Each year, the National Science Foundation compiles data on where engineering and science PhDs earned their undergraduate degrees. They then publish a list of the top 50 colleges and universities that produce the most PhDs in these fields, per capita. As always, Vassar is featured on the list. Prospective students might find this data helpful in analyzing career prospects in science and engineering from small liberal arts colleges.

Interested in science and engineering? Learn more about sciences at Vassar by looking at our ScienceWeb and reading about our first-rate science programs, including Astronomy, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science and Geography, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, and Psychology.

One of the primary advantages of studying science at a liberal arts college is the opportunity to conduct research with professors. Science students are able to become Research Assistants to faculty, participating in cutting-edge projects. Vassar's Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI) gives students the option of doing even more intensive summer-long research with faculty, often publishing papers and building their resumes. At larger universities -- which might seem appealing on first glance because of larger faculties or labs -- students have a far more difficulty getting involved in hands-on research.

Plus, Vassar alumni have long been leaders in science. To see just a few examples, read about Sau Lan Wu '63 (PhD, physics, Harvard University), Jeff Sleight '88 (PhD, appled physics, Yale University), and John Carlstrom '81 (PhD, astronomy, University of California at Berkeley).

Vassar leads in Fulbright Scholars

Ten Vassar men and women have received 2010 Fulbright Fellowships -- one of the nation's most prestigious scholarly honors. Read about this year's winners, who will conduct research all around the world, in countries including Italy, Syria, South Korea, and Iceland.

Fulbright fellows undertake self-designed study programs in disciplines ranging from engineering to business to the social sciences and humanities. Vassar has consistently ranked in the top 10 among undergraduate institutions for producing Fulbright winners. (Indeed, Vassar usually blows past the competition at Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Wesleyan, to name a few).

You can also read about last year's Fulbright winners, and be sure to check out the Office of Fellowships and Pre-Health Advising. There you can learn about how Vassar alumni earn Rhodes Scholarships, Watsons, Fulbrights, and other prestigious awards.

Virginia Smith, Vassar president from 1977-1986, passes away at 87

Virginia Smith, Vassar's president from 1977-1986, passed away last week at 87. A leader in higher education, she worked to expand access to Vassar by recruiting heavily from community colleges and low-income students. She dramatically increased the College's endowment, leading a $100 million fundraising effort. The New York Times published her obituary this morning. Catharine Hill, the College's current president, said the following of Smith:

“Virginia Smith led Vassar College during important years of its development into an exceptional coeducational institution. Her leadership of an extraordinary fundraising program to strengthen the institution and her innovative support of expanded access to liberal arts education were among the important accomplishments of her presidency, on which Vassar continues to build today."

A great personal tidbit from the Times obituary was that Smith was chosen to lead Vassar from over 450 candidates. When asked why she had been selected, she replied matter-of-factly, “Because I was the best qualified.” Her confidence and leadership will surely be missed by all Brewers, past and present, as we move into Vassar's sesquicentennial year.

Paintings of historic Vassar buildings arrive in All-Campus Dining Center

Next time you're grabbing dinner in the All-Campus Dining Center, be sure to check out ten stunning oil paintings of historic Vassar buildings. Vassar is renowned for having one of the world's most beautiful collegiate campuses, with architectural styles ranging from Georgian to Gothic Revival to Modern. These oil paintings, hung in honor of the College's 150th Anniversary in 2011, commemorate some of the campus's most magical places and spaces. Below, here's a glimpse of Rockefeller Hall and Skinner Hall:

View all of the paintings on Flickr.

Class of 2014 is the most selective in Vassar's history

Congratulations to the 666 members of the entering Class of 2014, who will arrive on campus in just a couple days! 2014 is the most selective and academically elite class in Vassar's 150-year history. Their average GPA's range between an A- and A, and their SATs (Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing) average between 680 and 700.

It's a running joke that most alumni, if they applied to Vassar these days, couldn't get in. Indeed, nearly 80 percent of applicants are rejected, with more and more applying each year (nearly 8,000 this year). It's a scary time to be an applicant. But the reward is well worth it: the best, most enriching four years of your life at one of the country's greatest liberal arts colleges.

Read more about the astoundingly brilliant Class of 2014. And best of luck to the forthcoming Class of 2015... They'll need it!

Rankings fever

At the end of every summer, dozens of magazines and Web sites launch their "authoritative" rankings of America's best colleges and universities. There are literally thousands of colleges in the United States, and ranking them consistently is no simple task. Fortunately, no matter where you look, Vassar appears towards the top of the list.

Here are some of the highlights:

U.S. News & World Report: 12th

U.S. News & World Report (High School Counselors Ranking): 6th

Forbes Magazine: 23rd (including both colleges & research universities)

Princeton Review: 10th Most Beautiful Campus

Princeton Review: 9th Best College Theater Program

How precise, reliable, and trustworthy are all these various rankings? Well, many critics point out that ranking colleges is sort of like ranking music -- one's experience is so subjective that 'ranking' them seems irrelevant. I know plenty of miserable, slow-witted people who attend the top 20 national universities on U.S. News, and I know many really brilliant, happy and driven people who attend schools with lower rankings. College rankings are not determinative of your experience. Any school will be entirely what you make of it.

That said, many of these rankings are based on important, objective data -- for example, graduation rates, student/faculty ratios, and endowment size. (For the record, Vassar has a very high graduation rate, nearly 300 faculty, and a very large endowment). To look at one number in depth, consider the freshmen retention rate. This number is the percentage of freshmen who return the following year -- it's a pretty good indicator of student satisfaction. Here, Vassar ranks 10th in the nation with 95.8% of our freshmen returning as sophomores. In this category, we crushed schools like Wesleyan, Haverford, Middlebury and Wellesley. Now consider what U.S. News calls the "Best Value" schools -- the colleges with the greatest percentage of discounted tuition through generous financial aid packages. Here, Vassar also ranks toward the top, again beating out Wesleyan, Haverford, Middlebury, Wellesley and Carleton, to name a few. Surely, these data are important facts to consider when selecting a college.

In short, rankings have many pros and cons. You should always take them with a grain of salt and look carefully at their methodology. But it's reassuring to know that -- across many years and across many methodologies -- Vassar is consistently leading the pack.

Incidentally, my friends and I are crossing our fingers that Vassar will break into the Top Ten on U.S. News next year for the College's 150th anniversary. We're so close. We know Vassar should be there. Next year, it will be.

Watch Vassar's 146th Commencement

Coming to Vassar next fall? See what you have to look forward to in four years! Watch Vassar's 146th Commencement! It was a really incredible ceremony—lots of tearful parents, proud brothers and sisters, and spirited faculty members to send off my class.

Among the highlights: Lisa Kudrow (Vassar Class of 1985, and Emmy Award-winning actress) gave a hysterical and inspiring speech. (Her speech begins around 81 minutes into the video). And, if that isn't enough for you, watch me and Rachel Gilmer present the INCREDIBLE results of the 2010 Senior Class Gift. Rachel and I were the chairs of the Senior Class Gift, a student created endowment to support financial aid. We raised $22,849 from 92% of our class! Not only did 2010 make history at Vassar, but our results also crushed the senior class gifts of virtually all of our peer institutions. Wesleyan should just give up now. (The results start at about 35 minutes into the ceremony).

Questions about Vassar? Are you starting in 2014, or thinking about applying? E-mail me (brfarkas@alum.vassar.edu) with questions over the summer!

Albrecht Dürer: Impressions of the Renaissance

Throughout my career as a student, I have been head-over-heals in love with history. I am a History major at Vassar, and basically live in Swift Hall, the Department's colonial-style home. But I have also had a secret affair, a clandestine crush, and secondary academic mistress. Her name? Art History. In high school, I took an amazing AP Art History course, and absolutely fell in love. As soon as my teacher turned on the projector and the slide image of the caves of Lascaux popped up, I was hooked.

Alas, a few too many people in the "real world" discouraged my passion. On the blogs, Art History routinely tops the list of the world's most "useless" and "worthless" majors. Sigh.

Fortunately, Vassar inspires students like myself to cultivate my passions. Although I am a major in History (and double in Political Science), I can also maintain my quirky, fun, and fascinating minor in Art History.

And Vassar's Art History Department is one of the best in the world. We have world-class art historians, famous in their areas of expertise. We also have one of the world's finest college art museums in the United States — The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. Our collections include more than 18,000 works of painting, drawing, sculpture and tapestry. It includes Picasso, Rembrandt, O'Keeffe, and Matisse.

And now, with the opening of Albrect Durer: Impressions of the Renaissance, we can see Vassar's incredible collection of Durer and his incomparable Northern Renaissance work.

Fall Convocation, take four

(image courtesy of The Miscellany News)

The sense of community at Vassar is rarely stronger than Fall and Spring Convocation. Twice each year, the community gathers to mark the official beginning and end of the academic year. Faculty, alumni, and students come together to listen to beautiful choral music, see long academic processionals, and hear from the President of the College and the President of the Student Association.

Usually, the event is geared toward seniors and freshmen—two classes at opposite ends of their Vassar experience. But I'll admit it; I'm a dork. I've gone to every Convocation since my first year. I usually am successful in dragging my friends along, but truth be told, I'd be there anyway. I just love the sense of tradition and community.

This year, though, was unique. For the first time, my own class marched through the Chapel in our academic dress. Hard to believe. I've seen three other classes do it, and somehow never quite imagined that black gown on myself. But alongside my friends, we processed around campus in anticipation of Commencement.

The Miscellany News, our student newspaper since 1866, produced a wonderful video slideshow of Fall Convocation. If you're curious to see some images and hear segments of the speeches, check this out:

Audio slideshow!

What's on campus?

Vassar has a constant buzz. With 2450 students and nearly 130 student organizations, plus 40+ academic departments and programs, a world-class museum, and 27 varsity sports, there is always an incredible amount to do on campus. Every day of the week, there are dozens of activities to choose from. The hard part is deciding what to do.

Well, this year, that choice has become a little bit easier. Vassar's new InfoSite puts all of the information in one synthesized place. Though it's only been running for a week or so, everyone at the College is thrilled to have their news and calendars coordinated. If you're curious about Vassar events, make the InfoSite your homepage -- maybe something will catch your eye.

Beginnings and Ends

The life of the Vassar campus goes in cycles. There's the normal buzz of the academic year, the migration to the Library around finals, and then the mass exodus shortly thereafter. There's the anticipatory hum of Senior Week, and then the explosion of sights and sounds of Commencement. Literally thousands of family members, friends and loved ones descend onto the Poughkeepsie campus, take their seats on the Outdoor Amphitheater, and watch their sons and daughters receive their Latin-inscribed diplomas.

But then, just hours after the eruption of graduation is over and President Hill hands out her final leather-clad degree, a sudden quiet falls over the campus once again. The crowds are gone, the tents are coming down, and the freshly-mowed lawns are empty; the campus is settling into the summer to await the next Vassar class.

I had the pleasure of meeting some members of the Class of 2013 at a gathering in New York City. As I watched them play frisbee in Central Park, eat their sandwiches on the Great Lawn, and discuss their intended majors and careers, I couldn't help but remember my own NYC meet-up just three years ago. And then my mind drifted the the pre-Vassar meetings that probably occurred 50 years ago, and the ones that will occur 50 years from now.

I've attended each graduation since I was a high school senior -- four in total so far. Next year I will graduate myself, which is hard to imagine. Vassar has become such a central part of my life, and I've gotten so accustomed to seeing others walk across that stage, shake the President's hand, and walk on with their diploma. The thought of doing that myself is unimaginable. Hopefully my attitude will change within the next year. Vassar students always say that they enjoy their senior year more than all of their other college years combined.

Life at Vassar -- which will turn 150 in 2011 -- is cyclical. The campus is filled with rich tradition and countless stories. Commencement always makes me look backward and forward on the school I love. The players change, but the game remains the same. Life at Vassar is cyclical.

Watch an exclusive tour of the new Davison House construction

Progress continues in the renovation of Davision House from The Miscellany News.


The Miscellany News is really making a concerted effort to produce multimedia each week to enhance our coverage of the Vassar campus.

Check out the video above, our second tour of Davison House this year. Davison, one of Vassar's nine primary dormitories, is undergoing a $19 million renovation. Walking through the construction site, I could really see a unique blend of old and new. In fact, the Project Manager showed us a fluted iron column (modeled after a Greek temple-style column) that had not been seen since Davison was first built in 1902. Interestingly, high-speed ethernet cables were being installed right behind this antique monument. How times have changed!

For an even longer look at what Vassar's newest dormitory will look like, check out the Miscellany's first video tour of Davison from November.

Watch Vassar's Men's Tennis team discuss recent success

Men's tennis nets victory against Coast Guard from The Miscellany News.

YouTube Winner!

Check out the winning video in the Vassar YouTube Contest:

Coming Home to Vassar, and to a new homepage, www.miscellanynews.com

As I unloaded my car this year, I felt a twinge of deja vu. This was not the first, not the second, but the third time that I would be making those multiple voyages between the back of my trunk and my cozy Cushing room. I first moved into Cushing House as a freshman, and continue to live there now. But as I unloaded the boxes and bins, pillows and suitcases, clothing and computer equipment, a small feeling of sadness hit me; I don't have that many 'unloadings' left. College is a funny thing; you obsess about it throughout high school, you get there, and before you know it, you're half-way through. So, in the short span of being in school, it is important to make your mark on the institution.

Along with my fellow editors, that is exactly what we plan to do with the Miscellany News. This year will boast a number of major changes to the paper. Perhaps the most notable is our online presence:
www.miscellanynews.com — Over the summer, I pushed a major overhaul of our Web site. While our old site was clunky and outdated, our new site is sleek, user-friendly and flexible. Photos and articles can be quickly rearranged depending on the news of the day. For example, we were able to post our coverage of Fall Convocation within an hour, and soon afterwards posted a gallery of photos from the event. Very cool, considering last year, that same coverage would have taken a week to get into our print edition. The Miscellany can now be as flexible as a blog, as timely as a daily paper, but as creative as a weekly publication. This online overhaul has been incredibly difficult, but once we see it through, I believe it will revolutionize news at Vassar—and revitalize our almost 150-year-old publication.

Hopefully, my fellow editors and I will also have time to be students this semester. My full course roster is not yet decided. Thankfully, Vassar gives students several weeks to add and drop courses before having to commit. This is one of my favorite parts of academic life here, since it gives you time to find professors with whom you really click. I have, however, definitely settled on a few interesting gems. I'll be taking The American Presidency in the political science department, and then The British Empire in the history department. I'm also going to take Childhood in Modern England, a seven-person history seminar that looks really interesting. It will be a nice change to take a class on such a specific topic and develop a deeper mastery of the material. (In high school, we had to take classes spanning all of world history! No time for details.)

Overall, I'm looking forward to a fantastic year, both academically and on the Miscellany — now, which of those requires more of my time, I couldn't tell you!

Founder's Day

Today is Founder's Day! Founder's Day is one of our oldest and most exciting traditions, which began as a surprise birthday party for the College's Founder, Matthew Vassar. No blog post can quite do it justice, but I'll explain it as best as I can: On the first Saturday in May, the entire College becomes a gigantic carnival, complete with live music, dancing, rides, inflatables, free food, and prizes. People flock out of the Library, stop studying for finals, put down their unfinished theses, and just play for hours on end.

Professors and staff come too, and the entire College community gathers around to celebrate Vassar's past, present and future. Even alumni attend, often bringing their families. This afternoon, I met a man who had graduated from Vassar in the 1980s. While waiting for his wife and children to make their way through one of the bouncy castles, he told me about his own memories of Founder's Day. It's pretty cool how this one day can unite people from all different stages of the College's history.

The tradition began on April 29, 1866 (Matthew Vassar's 74th birthday), when then-President Raymond organized a day of surprise festivities. Students greeted the Founder with cheers and songs. After the excitement, Vassar, with tears of joy in his eyes, is thought to have said that "This one event has paid me for every cent I have spent for the College." Though Vassar passed away two years later, the event has lived on for nearly 150 years; by tradition, the President of the College leads a toast to the Founder to begin the day's events.

I had SUCH a great time. My friends and I went early and got free candy and balloon animals. We also went on this funky spinning ride. Then we listened to Lola Bluegrass, this crazy singer from Vermont, who kept dancing around and rolling down hills. She was a little nuts. She said she's going to the fireworks tonight (in just a couple hours!) so maybe I'll see her there. Anyway, Founder's Day 2008 was WONDERFUL!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

PS - Read about this year's Founder's Day in The Miscellany News here!
http://misc.vassar.edu/archives/2008/05/founders_day_pr.html