Vassar College

On June 29, 2023, Vassar's President issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action which reads in part as follows: "We are especially concerned about the potentially far-reaching impacts...The rule of law is of paramount importance to our democracy, and Vassar will fully abide by the Supreme Court’s decision while continuing efforts to enroll a diverse student body in keeping with our long-standing values...Vassar strives to pursue a rich intellectual and cultural environment in which all members, including those from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, are valued and empowered to thrive. We will not relent in the pursuit of that mission."

As part of the Engaged Pluralism Initiative, Vassar College’s Inclusive Pedagogies and Curriculum Group plans to foster inclusive pedagogy and inclusive curriculum initiatives at the college.

The school has a “Report a Bias/Hate Incident” tool. A Bias Incident Response Team has been established by the Dean of the College Division.

Vassar College committed to creating “five new tenure-track faculty positions in the area of race and racial justice, across multiple departments and programs.”

As part of Vassar College’s quest for racial justice, the college has undertaken many efforts towards racial diversity and equity since 2020 including additions to the curriculum, creation of five new tenure-track faculty positions in racial justice, establishment of the $800,000 Olive Thurman Endowed Fund for Racial Justice, and many other anti-racism initiatives.

Vassar offers the Grand Challenges curriculum pathway which “fosters inclusive excellence.”

The Vassar Campus Safety Department’s officers undergo “[officer] training and education/professional development regarding bias-based profiling.”

The college will be offering a free lecture on "how to survive the white supremacist threat", by Professor Jasmine Syedullah, who teaches “Abolitionist Theory” and “Policing the Planet."

Vassar College’s Anti-Racism, Equity, and Justice (AREJ) organization hosts multiple events, workshops, podcasts, discussions and lectures on Anti-Racism, White Privilege Awareness, Defunding the Police, and Abolishing Prisons.

The school is collecting donations for “racial and social justice.”

The Jeh Vincent Johnson ALANA Cultural Center “offers opportunities for leadership development, intra-cultural and cross-cultural dialogues, lectures, big sister/big brother and alum mentoring programs.”

The school hosted a workshop in 2022 on “Breaking Down & Building Up: Anti-Racism and Community.”

The school has a Committee on Inclusion and Equity made up of students, administrators, and faculty. The committee is a presidential advisory committee that “works with the President each year to identify college practices and issues that would benefit from a clearer articulation of the institution’s stance pertaining to diversity, inclusion, and equity.”

The Dean of the Faculty has a Candidate Diversity Statement.

On April 28-29, Vassar College will be hosting a conference on Racial Literacy to reflect on K-12 educational experiences with race and to engage in furthering anti-racist works.

The Vassar College Counseling Service released a Statement of Solidarity, saying “[we] join others in our commitment to social justice and will continue to engage in anti-racist work towards building an equitable, inclusive, and just society.”