Watch Paul Volcker's discussion at Vassar

Last week, Vassar hosted two of the world's most important economists—Paul Volcker and Paul Krugman. Above, watch the special event with Paul Volcker. Volcker is Chairman of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board and was Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987. The event was hosted by Vassar alumnus Jeffrey Goldstein (Vassar class of 1977), current Under Secretary of the Treasury, as well as Vassar Economics professor Robert Rebelein, who served for the last two years on the Council of Economic Advisers.

Want to learn more about economics at Vassar (and careers in finance after Vassar)? Check out the Economics Department site and the Office of Career Development site.

Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize-winning economist, speaks at Vassar

Last week was an incredible week for economics at Vassar! On Tuesday, the College hosted Paul Volcker, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and former Chairman of the Federal Reserve. And on Thursday, Nobel laureate Paul Krugman spoke at the Vassar Bookstore.

Krugman, famed economist at Princeton and New York Times columnist, discussed his book The Return of Depression Economics. In addition to economics students and professors, Vassar invited local high school and middle school students studying economics.

Read more about the event in this article in The Miscellany News, Vassar’s student newspaper.

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
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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 Wedding Proposal Goes Viral

Perhaps you've seen one of last summer's most viral videos—the Madison Square Park proposal has gotten over two million views on YouTube. Woodrow Travers '09 proposed to his long-time girlfriend Claudine Sourour '08. But in typical Vassar fashion, Travers didn't simply get down on one knee. Nope. He choreographed an elaborate dance routine, complete with music, backflips and all sorts of acrobatics. Travers and dozens of his friends surprised Sourour on what she thought was a quiet walk through the park. Check it out.

Travers, an aspiring filmmaker who graduated from Vassar with a degree in Film, is currently in the Directors Guild of America's Assistant Director Trainee Program, working on major television shows and movies. Sourour is currently in law school.

Vassar English professor makes headlines

Amitava Kumar, professor of English at Vassar, has emerged as one of the preeminent cultural critics of the decade. Kumar has received plenty of press recently for his two recently published books, Nobody Does the Right Thing and A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb. In a lengthy and gushing review in August, The New York Times called Kumar's work "perceptive and soulful."

This summer, Kumar also wrote extensively about the toxic debate over the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque," publishing an incisive piece in Vanity Fair. Learn more about Kumar by reading his blog and by checking out his recent interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Miscellany News also profiled his work this week.

Prospective students considering writing, English, or International Studies at Vassar should keep a close eye on Professor Kumar. His courses include Narrative Writing, Journalism, Transnational Literature, and Literary Nonfiction. He also teaches Freshmen Writing Seminars.

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.