The College’s faculty are in equal measure accomplished classroom teachers and renowned scholars. It is paramount that Vassar continue to attract, recruit, and retain the best faculty. Their research, which is at the core of their scholarship, requires funds for proper equipment, travel, professional conferences, technology, and paid student assistants.

For further information, contact Tim Kane at tkane@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5401.

Recognizing one of Vassar’s most important resources—our tenured faculty—with named endowed chairs provides financial resources that enhance compensation while conferring recognition and providing additional research funds to the chair holder. A robust slate of endowed chairs helps us effectively recruit and retain the very best faculty. Among the many areas of study that could benefit from such chairs are Urban Studies, Cognitive Science, Anthropology, Computer Science, and Africana Studies.

For further information, contact Tim Kane at tkane@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5401.

Multidisciplinary programs have been a hallmark of a Vassar education for decades, as the College has pioneered new and multilayered approaches to complex subjects through programs such as Environmental Studies, Media Studies, and our new Data Science and Society program. Bringing faculty from across the College together to address the issues of our time has never been more relevant. A Center for Multidisciplinary Study permanently housed in Old Laundry Building would provide a much-needed space for Vassar’s 17 collaborative and cross-disciplinary programs to convene in a central location on campus.

Learn more about the Center for Multidisciplinary Study.

For further information, contact Tim Kane at tkane@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5401.

One of Vassar’s most deeply held values is reflected in its commitment to sustain the rich diversity of our student body at one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the country. Significantly increasing endowment funds for financial aid to support and retain our students will address the considerable and rising cost of supporting a student body that is 20% Pell Grant-eligible (full-need).

Learn more about financial aid.

For further information, contact Tim Kane at tkane@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5401.

The First-Generation, Low-Income (FLI) Program (formerly the Transitions Program) supports first-generation and low-income students with the resources they need to thrive at Vassar and become campus leaders. Foundation Week, which welcomes incoming FLI students each summer, is a key part of this effort. Through the Vassar Veterans Initiative, the College also supports U.S. Armed Forces veterans by guiding them through the admission process, providing specialized advising, and fostering a strong campus community. To sustain and grow these programs—and to expand emergency funds for extraordinary expenses—we seek new gifts to endow and support them.

Learn more about the Vassar Veterans Initiative.

Learn how donor support impacts the First-Generation, Low-Income (FLI) Program and the Vassar Veterans Initiative.

For further information, contact Molly Katz at margaretkatz@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5435.

Construction has already begun on the state-of-the-art Dede Thompson Bartlett Center for Admission and Career Education along Collegeview Avenue, designed to meet the growing number of visitors to campus each year. It is crucial that we provide a welcoming and accessible space for prospective families. Vassar’s Career Education program, which has outgrown its current facility, will soon have a larger, more thoughtfully designed home to support its work. The new building will offer dedicated spaces for large-group sessions and ample parking, strategically located near the Arlington business district.

Learn more about the new Center for Admission and Career Education.

For further information, contact Gregg McCarty at gmccarty@vassar.edu or (914) 227-8985.

The College has boldly rebalanced its curriculum to provide students and faculty more opportunities to delve deeply into important topics in a small-group environment. Classes known as Intensives emphasize independent work and incorporate innovative learning methods. Additional funds are vital to sustain this and other curricular innovations.

For further information, contact Gregg McCarty at gmccarty@vassar.edu or (914) 227-8985.

To stay at the forefront of academic excellence, Vassar’s Libraries continue to evolve. Recent upgrades include a new Learning Commons, enhanced study spaces, and improved accessibility in the Thompson (Main) Library. The expansion will support dynamic student collaboration, provide state-of-the-art technology, and highlight Vassar’s extraordinary Special Collections. With ongoing projects, such as faculty collaborations and expanded digital archives, the Libraries remain a vibrant center for learning and research, serving both students and faculty alike.

For further information, contact Tim Kane at tkane@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5401.

Nothing changes more rapidly or frequently than technology. Across campus, Vassar’s classrooms and public spaces continually need upgrades for high-speed data transfer, video streaming capabilities, acoustical enhancements, and other tools for 21st-century learning.

For further information, contact Gregg McCarty at gmccarty@vassar.edu or (914) 227-8985.

Our refocused campus health and wellness program aims to bring heightened awareness, new programs, additional human resources, and modern athletics and wellness facilities to Vassar for students, staff, and the entire College community. Of particular significance, Vassar plans to enhance our existing mental and health care facilities and services. Recognizing that mental health and wellness issues have reached a critical stage in the younger generation across the country, our faculty and administration are supportive of this commitment.

Learn more about Vassar’s holistic approach to campus health and wellness.

For further information, contact Kristen Andersen at kandersen@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5597.

The Walker Field House has exceeded its useful life. With more than 22% of Vassar students playing on 29 intercollegiate athletic teams, 25% of our student body utilizing our fitness center, and more than 100 hours per week of physical education courses, fitness classes, and intramurals, we are in need of a more modern and functional facility. This will include: a 200-meter competition track to have a three-season track program, new indoor tennis courts, an improved swimming pool, locker rooms, a sports medicine hub, and additional multipurpose space. Currently one of the most energy-inefficient buildings on campus, a new field house would meet our Green Building Standards.

For further information, contact Gregg McCarty at gmccarty@vassar.edu or (914) 227-8985.

Vassar’s system of House Fellows and House Advisors has played a key role in solidifying and strengthening our residential community. While we have made important investments recently in Residential Life, we now need to secure these advances for the future. Funding to help support our House Fellows/Advisors program, to make ongoing upgrades and improvements to the dorms and apartments, and to maintain and improve the residential and public student spaces in Main Building are all part of this initiative.

For further information, contact Gregg McCarty at gmccarty@vassar.edu or (914) 227-8985.

Barriers to accessibility come in many forms: attitudinal, organizational or systemic, architectural or physical, informational or communicational, and technological. Vassar will invest in educational programs, consultation, and campus infrastructure improvements with a goal of eliminating all of these barriers.

For further information, contact Molly Katz at margaretkatz@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5435.

Vassar’s campus-wide Engaged Pluralism program unites groups of students, faculty, and administrators of varying backgrounds and opinions to explore questions about inclusion and belonging. Together, they create programming focused on building community and making the College a better place to live, learn, and work. With the polarizing nature of society today, it is important that we maintain and expand these programs.

For further information, contact Molly Katz at margaretkatz@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5435.

Having successfully funded the Dan Mindich ’87 Teacher Training Program and Urban Education Initiative, we are focused on the Vassar Education Collaboration, connecting Vassar with the Poughkeepsie Public Schools through programs that support K-12 students, enhance teacher training, and foster community engagement. From after-school mentoring for middle and high school students to college exploration on the Vassar campus, the College is deeply committed to supporting and engaging with the local community.

Learn more about teacher education and our work in the local schools.

For further information, contact Molly Katz at margaretkatz@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5435.

The Office of Community-Engaged Learning offers our students an experiential educational opportunity that combines work in a non-profit organization, a government agency, or a business with academic work. From health and legal services to media and cultural organizations, hundreds of Vassar students are bringing their skills and energy to the Mid-Hudson Valley through these programs. New funds are required to meet current demand, and to expand opportunities throughout the region.

Learn more about community-engaged learning.

For further information, contact Gregg McCarty at gmccarty@vassar.edu or (914) 227-8985.

Funds for additional resources, staffing, internships, travel, programming, and fellowships have helped sustain Vassar’s Center for Career Education, which has developed award-winning programs with students and alums. To take this work to the next level will require additional endowments and expendable funds.

Learn more about career planning and mentoring at the Center for Career Education.

For further information, contact Gregg McCarty at gmccarty@vassar.edu or (914) 227-8985.

Vassar is reducing its carbon footprint through energy efficiency upgrades, such as LED retrofits and improved HVAC systems. It is standard practice that all new construction and renovation projects at Vassar follow green building guidelines. The College also sources 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, cutting emissions by over 2,500 metric tons annually. The College is expanding its electric vehicle fleet and supporting alternative transportation, while enhancing waste management and land use projects to further reduce environmental impact.

For further information, contact Elizabeth Hoffman at ecornwellhoffman@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5488.

This initiative has been fully funded. The Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts, opened in October 2024, serves as a hub for policy, learning, debate, and ideas on contemporary issues. Designed by award-winning architect Frederick Fisher, the state-of-the-art building houses The Heartwood at Vassar, a 50-room boutique hotel, and The Salt Line at Vassar, a restaurant. The Institute hosts a variety of events, including conferences, workshops, and discussions, to foster dialogue on pressing local, national, and global issues.

Learn more about The Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts.

Vassar is a global campus with a global reach. We have established partnerships with the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, University of Edinburgh, and IIT Bombay to advance higher education in the liberal arts through knowledge exchange, convenings, and co-development of novel educational programming.

For further information, contact Tim Kane at tkane@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5401.

The Vassar Fund provides nearly $10 million of unrestricted operating funds annually, the equivalent of a $200 million endowment. The Vassar Fund is an essential ingredient to our balanced budget, ensuring that the necessary funds are available to operate the full range of Vassar’s programs.

For further information, contact Lane Sulzer at lsulzer@vassar.edu or (845) 437-7898.

Gifts to the endowment can be dedicated to specific programs to provide support in perpetuity. Gifts of unrestricted endowment can be used most flexibly, as they reduce the dependence on tuition to meet costs. These funds provide long-term support for all aspects of Vassar’s operating budget.

For further information, contact Gregg McCarty at gmccarty@vassar.edu or (914) 227-8985.

Gift planning through trusts and estates is a powerful means to leave a perpetual legacy to Vassar. These deferred gifts can be for unrestricted support to the College, for faculty support, student support, or a number of other areas of interest.

For further information, visit our gift planning website or contact Alexas Orcutt at alorcutt@vassar.edu or (845) 437-7773.