When Vassar officially unveiled the Fearlessly Consequential campaign in 2022, the effort arrived fully formed to those who were seated in front of Main Building to celebrate its launch.

For the nine co-chairs standing behind it, however, the moment represented years of preparation and a deeply personal decision first made in 2019: Help lead the College through its largest campaign to date.

Campaign co-chairs are not unique within higher education or to Vassar. They typically play highly visible roles in fundraising campaigns, attending events and collaborating with the College’s Advancement team on strategy and support, and are, therefore, chosen with great care. While the co-chairs bring varied backgrounds and expertise, they share an extraordinary commitment to the campaign’s mission.

The College’s Board of Trustees invited Jason Blum ’91, already a dedicated supporter of financial aid and Vassar’s need-blind policy; Leslie Jackson Chihuly ’83, a philanthropist interested in bolstering health and wellness; Brian Farkas ’10, a champion of the College who was then a member of the Alumnae/i Association of Vassar College (AAVC) board; Carol Ostrow ’77, P’09,’15, an ardent alum who is unafraid of fundraising; and Cynthia Patton ’83, who was driven by a desire to contribute to something meaningful and lasting.

They also turned to accomplished volunteer fundraisers like Katrine “Cage” Ames ’69 and Katherine “Gig” Babson Jr. ’69, who led a highly successful 50th Reunion campaign in which 99 percent of their class made a gift to the College and 115 classmates were—and continue to be, in some cases—volunteers.

Rounding out the group were steadfast supporters Stephanie Hyacinth ’84, an advancement professional herself, and Elias Kim ’16—who joined in 2021—bringing the perspective of younger generations of alums to the campaign.

All nine co-chairs accepted their invitations, bringing a wide range of professional and philanthropic expertise and nearly six

decades of shared Vassar experience. Some had already met through their work on the Board of Trustees or through commitments to the AAVC, while others, like Ames and Babson, knew each other through years of working together on mini-reunions and their 50th Reunion. And though they come from very different backgrounds and experiences, according to the co-chairs, it didn’t take long for them to become a cohesive group.

“It was as if we already knew each other based on the thread that we were Vassar people, and unapologetically so,” Hyacinth said. “We’re not all the same, but we are a group that will talk to pretty much anyone.”

Though the group was, for the most part, brought together in 2019, most of their earliest meetings were held over Zoom because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The earliest discussions focused on the building blocks of the campaign, including its four pillars: The Power of the Liberal Arts, Campus Community, Vassar in the World, and A Campaign for All, and the programs or initiatives that would fall under each. Together with President Elizabeth Bradley, Vice President of Advancement Tim Kane, and other administrators at the College, the team shaped the campaign.

After the pandemic lockdowns lifted, they traveled to Ostrow and Blum’s homes where they were able to get to know each other outside of the campaign and Zoom rooms.

“[Ostrow] has been so generous in having us out to her house in the last few years,” Ames said. “To just be able to relax, go in the pool, and sit around in our flip flops. And at [Blum’s] it was really fun. We lived in a sort of cabin with a few other people. We had to climb to our bunks! I cherish those times when we were together.”

The retreats served as in-person brainstorming sessions relating to the campaign, its events, and related programming, while also providing the co-chairs an opportunity to build stronger bonds with one another.

Most of the co-chairs agreed that the single moment that brought their bond to center stage was the campaign kick-off event in October 2022. Many mentioned Patton’s impassioned remarks as a touching moment that reminded them of why they agreed to join the campaign in the first place. Abandoning her prepared remarks, Patton spoke ardently about her own Vassar experience and what it has brought to her life.

“What I had written the night before, in retrospect, felt very expected and not from the heart,” Patton said. “When I stood on that platform and looked out at the campus and the people, it inspired me to be more vulnerable and to tell my story.”

As the first in her working-class family to pursue higher education, Patton refused to be deterred when told that Vassar “wasn’t the place for someone like her.” She secured a scholarship and attended anyway. The experience proved transformative, igniting a powerful drive to succeed, give back to her community, and lift others up along the way.

In kicking off the campaign, the co-chairs helped launch a comprehensive effort with a $500 million goal that has enhanced and continues to enhance Vassar’s ability to provide students with a world-class liberal arts education. Through their work together, the co-chairs helped raise awareness and support for capital projects such as The Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts—with The Heartwood at Vassar and The Salt Line at Vassar—The Dede Thompson Bartlett Center for Admission and Career Education, the improved Library Study Commons, renovations to Pratt House, and the upcoming repurposing of the Old Laundry Building into the Center for Multidisciplinary Study.

“The newly constructed buildings and changes made to existing spaces during the campaign are going to change Vassar in a major way,” Ostrow said. “We know that they will change how students matriculate, mature, and leave Vassar.”

But it’s not all about the campus footprint. The campaign and its co-chairs have also focused on funding financial aid so the College can continue its need-blind policy, scholarships, and initiatives for students who are first-generation and low income as well as Vassar veterans, giving students from a broader range of backgrounds the opportunity to attend.

“I want the many generations that come after me to have the ability to have the same experience and be lucky enough to get the great education that I had at Vassar,” Blum said. “[Joining the campaign] was a way to pay it forward so that, hopefully, for a long time to come, many students will graduate from Vassar and help make the world a better place.”

Campaign support has helped fund faculty positions, including new department chairs and research opportunities. Another focus has been bolstering access to mental health infrastructure for students, providing resources to cover co-pays, deductibles, and fees for students who do not have the means to pay for professional services.

“Mental health and wellness is not one and done. It has to do with getting to the emotional, spiritual, and psychological needs of our community, and we’re not avoiding difficult conversations. We’re saving and improving lives by that work,” Chihuly said. A fierce advocate for mental health, her gift at the beginning of the campaign gave a giant boost to mental health and wellness programs on campus.

By attending, hosting, and sometimes speaking at events and dinners, rallying their peers, and shedding light on how Fearlessly Consequential was already supporting students, the co-chairs helped build enthusiasm for the campaign and demonstrated its tangible impact across the Vassar community.

“This campaign is about taking a big step and not changing the College but shepherding it into the 21st century in a really important way,” Kim said. “It’s making sure that Vassar is set up for success for the next 20 years and making sure students have a framework for pursuing what they want to do.”

Being the faces and leaders of the campaign, the co-chairs also attended, spoke at, and hosted Celebrate Vassar events that helped bring the campaign discussions to where alums now live. Throughout 2023 and 2024, these events took place across the country, as well as in London, bringing alums together to learn more about the campaign and what it means for the College’s future. Many of the co-chairs attended multiple events—Ostrow attended almost every single one!

As it enters its final phases, a continued sense of community has carried the co-chairs throughout nearly a decade of service to the campaign. But they’re not done; they are still working tirelessly to help reach and even exceed Vassar’s campaign goals while also shifting their gaze toward Vassar’s future and getting alums excited for what’s next.

“What I love about Vassar is we’re on that precipice of total excellence,” Farkas said, “I see what Vassar could be and what it is. I see what it will be if we all work hard enough and align behind this campaign and what it’s trying to achieve.”

In the end, the campaign is focused not on buildings and big ideas, but the students and the changes they will make on the world once they graduate. Additionally, Babson hopes the campaign has been a way for alums to become reacquainted with their alma mater and that it has given them a reason to reconnect and engage with one another.

“Whether it’s contributing to the Vassar Fund, joining their local clubs, or participating in webinars through the College,” Babson said. “I just like to see that alums feel a connection to the College and that Vassar is able to reach out and make them feel a part of the Vassar that we now have. …”

When the campaign ends in 2027, the co-chairs are excited to continue working together for the College in some capacity and hope that they will remain a close-knit group for years to come. Keeping nine engaged co-chairs for the duration of the campaign is almost unheard of in fundraising.

“The co-chairs have been essential to the success of the Fearlessly Consequential campaign,” Advancement VP Kane said.

“By the conclusion of this campaign, they will have built more than a team; they will have built trust, partnership, and lasting friendships. Their collaboration, dedication, and shared commitment over nearly nine years is a remarkable testament to the strength of this group and to the impact this campaign will have on generations of Vassar students.”

—Heather Mattioli

To learn more about the Fearlessly Consequential campaign, visit campaign.vassar.edu.

Brian Farkas ’10

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“The Dede Thompson Bartlett Center for Admission and Career Education is the culmination of a vision of Vassar that means a lot to me. It fixes the problems Vassar has had since I was a prospective student and it does so in an artistic, beautiful, almost philosophical way where a student will experience that building on the way in and on their way out of the College.”

Stephanie Hyacinth ’84

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“The fact that this group has stayed together. We bring people back into the fold, and attend gatherings that have come together because of the generosity of the people who have the resources to do that. The campaign has given us the ability to connect with more people.”

Elias Kim ’16

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“The strategic decisions about how to prioritize resources has been the thing that I’ve been most proud of. There’s always been this consensus-based but collaborative and lively process to figure out these issues, which has been fun.”

Cynthia Patton ’83

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“I have found that my biggest growth, professionally and personally, has always come when I have been most vulnerable. After my speech [at the launch event], the connection I had, not only to the other co-chairs, but to staff at Vassar, changed dramatically because I let people know me. When you let others know you, they let you know more about themselves.”