Letter from the President of the AAVC

I am just back from an invigorating time on campus with the AAVC Board and the Board of Trustees. Some of the trees that we all know so well on the quad and near the Chapel, the ones that catch the sun in just the right way, were resplendent with fall colors. It was lovely to be surrounded by such beauty and camaraderie.

We celebrated the rededication of the Bridge building, now the Winton Evans Bridge for Laboratory Sciences, thanks to an extraordinarily generous gift from Rowland Evans ’75. Among his many talents, Rowland is a gifted jazz pianist and performed with members of several Vassar student jazz ensembles during the dedication ceremony. We also honored Philip Jefferson ’83, Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve, a distinguished and highly esteemed economist and devoted Vassar alum, with the AAVC Distinguished Achievement Award, and Sally Clement ’71, P’09, with the AAVC Outstanding Service to Vassar Award, for her remarkable contributions to the Vassar community. Suffice it to say, it was a very special weekend!

As for the theme of this issue of VQ, I cannot count the number of times someone has described their study-abroad experience as “life-changing.”  Whether students have traveled frequently or it is their first experience going overseas, spending extended time immersed in a new culture is life-altering. Alas, the notion of spending an entire year studying abroad is almost a relic, but living and studying overseas for a semester, or even a few weeks, is truly an education—the academic environment, the transportation system, the food, customs and behaviors, the languages, and so many other aspects of daily life are different.

Study abroad is also a personal passion, as it brings together my interests in education and international relations. (Full disclosure: I am a long-standing board member of an independent nonprofit that provides education overseas for U.S. and international students. Vassar is a member of our academic consortium.)

My passion in this regard far predated my involvement with this group, however, as I was effectively a foreign student at Vassar. My family had moved to the U.S. just a year before I came to Vassar. So when many of my friends went overseas for their junior years, I went to Washington, DC, as part of my “international” adventure. Even though I had attended an American school in New Delhi, being in the U.S. and living and studying here was an entirely new experience, one that entailed a great deal of learning in various ways.

I am proud that Vassar is a proponent of international experiences and a supporter of students who wish to study abroad and work around the world as fellows and interns. I am sure many of you have stories from your time overseas, so please share them with your class correspondent for the next issue of VQ!

Until then, I send you all good wishes for a healthy and happy winter season!