This is Vassar...June 2008

Commencement 2008!

On Sunday, May 25, Vassar’s 144th commencement exercises took place, marking the grand finale of a Senior Week packed with special events to celebrate the Class of 2008.

The day before, the African American Alumnae/i of Vassar College (AAAVC) hosted its 19th annual Kente Cloth Ceremony, in which graduating seniors were presented with Kente cloths to wear in addition to their commencement robes. The Asian Pacific Alumnae/i of Vassar College (APAVC) also celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2008 in its eighth annual Lei Ceremony. Graduating seniors were given open ti-leaf leis to wear at this year’s commencement, a symbol of their contributions to the Asian American community at Vassar and beyond.

Alumnae/i were also represented in full force at Sunday’s ceremonies: almost 20 college trustees marched in the processional and AAVC President and Trustee Meg Venecek Johnson ’84 welcomed the Class of 2008 to the ranks of Vassar alumnae/i. Also addressing the crowd was Senior Class President Colin Sanders, who told his classmates, “We are students first and foremost but the beauty of a liberal arts education, of a Vassar education, is the acknowledgement that one can be a student while dancing while running while singing and it is probably best if we are doing all three.”

Vassar College Bookstore Open for Reunion

From t-shirts to coffee cups, the Vassar bookstore offers a wide array of apparel and accessories that make it easy to show your Vassar pride. The bookstore will be open this year during reunion and invites you to stop by to explore its variety of Vassar merchandise, as well as its full selection of books and periodicals. If you are not planning on attending reunion, you can still shop at the bookstore by visiting http://vassar.bncollege.com.

The bookstore also features a special section dedicated to books written about Vassar or by Vassar professors and alumnae/i. If you are a published author and would like to see your book in stock at the Vassar bookstore, please contact the manager, Cathy Black-Benson, at cablackbenson@vassar.edu.

Vassar Announces 2008 Fellowship Recipients

This year, an impressive eight Vassar seniors and one alumnus were awarded the honor of Fulbright Fellowships. In recent years, Vassar has had much success in the number of Fulbrights students have received, ranking number 4 out of the top 10 producing bachelor’s institutions. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program aims to foster mutual understanding and communication between the United States and other nations of the world.

For Emma Woelk ’08, her Fulbright award will bring her to Germany to study health care and social services for the disabled in the German Democratic Republic. Anna Volk ’08 will teach in Colombia; Maguerite O’Haire ’08 will work at the Centre for Companion Animal Health at the University of Queensland, Australia; and Morgan Warners ’08 will pursue an M.A. in American Studies at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Jacob Rivkin ’07 will travel to China where he will learn traditional Chinese landscape painting in Hangzhou at the International College China Academy of Art. Frederick Deknatel ’08 will study Modern Standard Arabic at the Arabic Language Center at the University of Damascus in Syria.

Several students will travel abroad via the Fulbright’s English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) Program. Going to Chile is Lucy Robins ’08; she plans to look for a position as a science teaching assistant in the local secondary school. Erin Bergevin ’08 will create an Internet-based program for overseas communication between German and American students learning one another’s language. And Tracey Blasenheim ’08 plans to research the Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey.

In addition, Dane Roth ’08 (pictured), a triple major in political science, Asian studies, and Chinese, has been awarded the Watson Fellowship for independent study and travel outside the United States for 2008–09. Roth was one of 50 fellows selected out of a pool of 175, and will travel to Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China to work on his project entitled “The Characters on the Wall: Graffiti as a Political Voice in China.” Through his research, Roth will attempt to examine the use of graffiti as a political and social outlet for disenfranchised groups in China.

An array of other fellowships and grants were awarded to even more Vassar students this year, including the Compton Mentor Fellowship, the James Madison Memorial Fellowship, and the Davis United World College Scholars Davis Projects for Peace Prize. The Office for Fellowships and Pre-Professional Advising also have several fellowships open to alumnae/i. Contact the director, Lisa Kooperman, at likooperman@vassar.edu for more information.

Student Black Box Theater Celebrates its Shivaversary

On May 10th, Vassar celebrated its Shivaversary — that is to say, the 10th anniversary of the naming of the Susan Stein Shiva Theater. The space, originally known as the Coal Bin Theater, has been used as a student-run black box for more than just the past ten years, but was renamed in 1998 in memory of Susan Stein Shiva ’57, a Vassar drama major. “People have done some spectacular work here and it was inspiring to see that the work we do here now is part of a tradition,” said Rachel Lee ’08, manager of the Shiva Theater. “It is the home of one of the most vibrant student theater communities anywhere,” she elaborated — a sentiment that drove Lee, along with the rest of the Shiva staff, to host the affair.

In addition to current students, alumnae/i who have worked in the Shiva were invited to attend the event, where people could mingle, enjoy cocktails and appetizers, and share Shiva memories at an open mike. Although most alumnae/i were unable to make it to the celebration, many sent in photographs of work they had done in the Shiva over the course of their Vassar careers. These photographs, as well as programs and posters from productions going back to the days of the Coal Bin, were all on display at the event. Lee compiled the pictures and posters into a timeline that will become a permanent fixture at the Shiva next year.

Vassar Welcomes David Davis-Van Atta

This past October, Vassar welcomed David Davis-Van Atta as the new director of institutional research. He brings 13 years of experience as the director of institutional research at Carleton College in Minnesota to his new role at Vassar. Through surveys, data, and quantitative analysis, the Department of Institutional Research aims to have a greater understanding of Vassar’s resources and demographics. As the director of such a department, Davis-Van Atta will oversee the organization of all data and centralized institutional research in order to effectively inform the primary decision makers of the college on such issues as endowment, budget, admissions, financial aid/affordability, and overall assessment of the institution. Vassar has never had a director of the department before, and Davis-Van Atta is thrilled to be the first. “Carleton’s department is so well developed,” he explained. “There was buzz about this position [at Vassar] — the opportunity to be creative and make something that doesn’t exist was really exciting.”

In addition to the enthusiasm David Davis-Van Atta has for his job, he is also has a deep passion for lepidoptery, the study of butterflies and moths. He is a member of the North American Butterfly Association, and recently established a chapter in Poughkeepsie for the annual NABA Butterfly Count, which he is excited to begin this summer.

Photo Credit: Craig Burdett

Five Students Honored at Athletics Banquet

Every May, athletes and coaches gather to honor their own at the annual Department of Athletics and Physical Education banquet. The evening consisted of a season recap video, remarks by President Hill, and the following five special honorees:

Male Athlete of the Year: Lawrence Avitabile ’08
Avitabile was Vassar’s "do-everything" player and the most complete basketball player in Vassar history. On Vassar’s all-time list, he ranks third in scoring and second in rebounding.

Female Athlete of the Year: Christine Castellan ’08
This women’s lacrosse player has been an All-Liberty League selection each season. This season, she became Vassar’s all-time leader in goals.

Athletic and Fitness Alumnae/i Award: Ashish Patil ’08
AFAVC recognized Patil for his academic and athletic achievement as well as team spirit and leadership. Patil’s tennis career records are 40-25 in singles and 36-29 in doubles. As both a junior and senior he was named First-Team All-Liberty League.

Frances D. Fergusson Coaches Award:
Colin Sanders ’08
Senior class president and men’s cross-country and track athlete Colin Sanders earned NCAA Division III All-America status after finishing 19th out of 279 runners at the NCAA Championships as a junior — the second in Vassar cross-country history. Sanders was the cornerstone of the men’s cross-country program the last two years.

Betty Richie Award: Emilie Kraft ’10
Named in honor of the longtime Vassar coach and administrator, this award was presented to Kraft of women’s squash. Kraft posted an impressive 10-4 record at the No. 1 singles position and was Vassar’s representative at the CSA National Championships.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo, Inc.

JJ Jackson Steps Down as Dean of the College

This spring Dean of the College JJ Jackson announced that she has accepted the position of Vice President for Institutional Diversity at the University of Kentucky, effective July 1, 2008. Jackson has served as Vassar’s dean since 2004. The dean of the college oversees those offices that assist students with all aspects of their life on campus, including academic and career advising, off-campus study, religious and spiritual life, campus security, and health and disability services. As a national search is underway for a new dean, Associate Professor of Education and Dean of Studies Chris Roellke will step in as acting dean for the 2008–09 academic year.

Roellke earned his B.A. degree in political science from Wesleyan University and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in educational administration from Cornell University. His research interests are in the politics and economics of education, teacher education, and secondary school reform. He is the founding director of the Vassar College Urban Education Initiative, an urban education outreach and professional development project funded by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.