Vassar College has a long tradition of interacting with our local community and the world at large through a broad range of programs. A few of the currently active programs, and their contacts, are listed below.
Contact: Andrew Meade
Several Vassar offices work with the local business improvement district (BID), participating in efforts to revitalize that district as well as find new ways to engage the Vassar community with that of its nearest neighbors. Among the events currently scheduled throughout the year are:
The Arlington Street Fair (September)
Holiday Festival (December)
Farmer's Market (June-October)
Poughkeepsie Town Day (Summer)
Contact: Andrew Meade
The Vassar Haiti Project aims to expose the campus community to the rich culture and history of the Haitian people. Toward that end, we sponsor a series of events in April that culminate in a charitable sale of Haitian art.
Contact: Sam Speers
Vassar College students have teamed up with school children and community residents in Arlington to transform an empty lot on Raymond Avenue into the "Garden Art Space," a usable green space for creative community programming. During annual "BIG Art" workshops to create large-scale public art, campus and neighborhood members have already made a mural, a community fence, and mosaic tile benches and sculptures. Plans are underway for new gardens to be planted on the site this spring and summer. The new "Garden Art Space" will be dedicated during the Arlington Street Fair next September.
Contact: Sam Speers
The Good Neighbors Partnerships at Vassar College is an initiative founded by President Frances D. Fergusson that seeks to link the goals of liberal education to the service of the College's immediate neighborhood. Good Neighbors provides small grants to selected community organizations and centers. The program also seeks to identify resources-within Vassar College and the selected neighborhood program-that both contribute to funded projects and expand opportunities for relationship building between campus and community. A student-faculty committee oversees Good Neighbors Partnerships, providing students with first-hand experiences of the challenges and rewards of engaged philanthropy. Funded projects to date include the Poughkeepsie Farm Project's food security initiatives in Poughkeepsie and the Arlington Library's own outreach efforts (including a book discussion speaker series led by Vassar faculty and free introductory training in internet technologies).
Contact: Jeff Walker
SWAPR's project goals are to reduce solid waste and recycle discarded but usable items by offering them to local not-for-profit organizations and human service agencies. SWAPR volunteers include faculty, students, staff, administrators, and entire families, all working toward the common goal of reducing waste and sharing resources with the community.