Fergusson makes mark in The Miscellany News

John Palmer Contributing Editor

President Frances Daly Fergusson has made news since arriving on campus in 1986. The Miscellany News talked with Fergusson on April 25, 2006 to reflect on the last 20 years of Miscellany News coverage. Fergusson is concluding her final school year at the College.

February 1986: Fran arrives

Then: On Feb. 10, 1986, Fergusson was announced as the ninth president of Vassar College, following President Virginia Smith’s nine-year tenure. In her first press conference, Fergusson said that one of her goals was “to be very, very clear about the fact that Vassar is a strong coeducational institution now.” She noted, “One of the things that attracts me to Vassar is the strong liberal arts tradition that goes against” a “predetermination not to be very experimental.”

Now: Fergusson reaffirmed her belief in a liberal arts tradition. Fergusson said she welcomed the chance to “come back to the roots of activism…it was a really good match.”

February 1990: Student takeover of Main Building

Then: According to The Miscellany News, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan NY-D was asked about a 1965 study that cited a matriarchal structure of the black family as the cause of greater social problems. Students objected to the comment and staged a takeover of Main Building two weeks after. Fergusson posted an open letter to the community stating that the incident “does not appear to have been in the best Vassar tradition of open and full discussion and respect for others.”

Students met with Fergusson in her office, which branched out from the initial incident with Moynihan to new demands of “a breakdown of the tuition dollar and a guarantee of student accessibility to such administrative information in the future, the creation of a Black Student Center, the creation of an Inter-Cultural Center, the hiring of a rabbi and provision of kosher dining facilities, complete campus accessibility for the differently-abled, a boycott of products of apartheid and the creation of a Task Force on Racism.”

Now: Many of the demands of students were ultimately met. The ALANA center was created in 1994 to serve as an inter-cultural center for minority students.

September 1996: Vassar completes $206 million capital campaign
Then: Vassar’s seven-year fundraising project was the largest fundraising effort at its time for a liberal arts college, coming in at upwards of $206 million. The project funded the construction of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, the new observatory, and the expansion of the Library.

Additional funds went toward scholarships, the Undergraduate Research Summer Institute, and faculty salaries. Fergusson said, “The campus is significantly different now as a result of this campaign. It’s a stronger place—ever more so now that people have a better sense of morale and purpose because they see the things they’re interested in supported well.”
Now: Although the campaign was a great success, Fergusson said it was “surprising at what didn’t get supported.” Since many donors gave only to certain projects, there was little money left for renovation of the residence halls, which is currently underway.

October 2001: Vassar ends its donations to United Way

Then: After the United States Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment protected the Boy Scouts right to discriminate based on sexual orientation, Vassar ended its participation in the United Way campaign of Dutchess County, a charity organization that supports the Boy Scouts of America.

At the time, Fergusson said that the decision was made with the College’s aim of inclusion in mind. “Just as I would not expect us to want to give to any agency that would discriminate on the basis of race or religion, we should not want to give to agencies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation,” said Fergusson.

Now: The ideological disagreement with United Way’s support of the Boy Scouts led to Vassar developing the Community Works Campaign, which gives donations to local organizations.