On the afternoon of Wednesday, Sep. 3, members of the senior class gathered by the President’s House in cap and gown, rushing around to take pre-ceremony photos and say hello to friends under the bright sun. After they quieted and slowly filed into the Chapel—passing through a corridor of professors and first-years sitting cramped on pews—the annual Convocation ceremony began. Held in the Chapel since its erection in 1904, Convocation is an enduring tradition that celebrates the start of a new academic year. The ceremony is primarily attended by first-year students and seniors, as it both acknowledges and honors the life cycle of a Vassar student, from Orientation week to the final walk across the graduation stage.
Beyond commemorating the journey of the senior class and newly-minted first-years, there are a variety of awards and speeches honoring both current professors and alumni alike. After remarks from President Elizabeth H. Bradley and Dean of the College Carlos Alamo-Pastrana, Eddie Gamarra ’94 and Stephanie Goldberg ’14, Chair and Vice Chair of the Alum Recognition Committee, respectively, welcomed Elise Shea ’19, the 2025 Young Alum Achievement Award recipient. Shea, who also completed a Master of Public Policy at Oxford University, spoke about classes she took while at Vassar—like Subaltern Politics with Professor of Political Science Himadeep Muppidi—that shaped her professional, extracurricular and academic journey. Shea founded Conversations Unbound while an undergraduate at Vassar, a non-profit organization that provides displaced people with opportunities to serve as language tutors. Shea’s speech was followed by remarks from Mariya Novosad ’26, President of the Vassar Student Association (VSA), who stressed the importance of maintaining awareness of world and political events which occur outside of Vassar’s grounds, but still affect—whether directly or indirectly—its student body.
Additionally, this ceremony honored the 2025 Faculty Endowed Chairs, which included Brian Daly, Professor of Physics on the Alexander and Ethel Klemin Chair in Physics; Deon Knights, Assistant Professor of Earth Science and Environmental Studies on the Mary Clark Rockefeller Junior Chair; Molly McGlennen, Professor of English on the Alexander and Ethel Klemin Chair in English; Thomas Parker, Professor of French and Francophone Studies on the Louise Boyd Dale and Alfred Lichtenstein Chair; and Zachary Donhauser, Professor of Chemistry on the Mary Landon Sague Chair.
The Convocation address was made by Dr. Jodi Schwarz, Professor of Biology, with participation in the Biochemistry and Environmental Studies multidisciplinary programs. Schwarz discussed the marvelous symbiosis of coral and algae, explaining, “After all, the coral and the algae are from different biological universes.” Schwarz went on to note that this symbiosis creates a collaborative entity, not unlike each class at Vassar, made of students from different locations across the world with varying lived experiences, and the event of Convocation itself, which honors students, professors and alumni from across generations. Moreover, Schwarz emphasized the importance of seeking out new experiences and places, stating, “The most profound moments of our lives can happen when we place ourselves into a state of dislocation and see things in new ways, learning to recognize what others have to offer and discovering new parts of ourselves.” As Schwarz finished her speech, the audience erupted with applause, creating a boisterous, heightened awareness of just how many people lined the chapel pews.
This year, the ceremony was extremely well-attended by the senior class. When asked why she chose to attend, senior Mette McKinney said, “I went to Convocation because I like those little, tradition-y things. I went freshman year, even though so many people were like, ‘I don’t want to be in there and it was a million degrees.’” She continued, “I like the little tradition to kick off my year. My friends were going, I think my whole house went except for one who was sick.”
Senior Frances Pope also recalled the sweltering start to his first year, recalling, “I felt very emotional because I kept thinking about when I was a freshman, I was so tired, so overwhelmed, I kept falling asleep… And now as a senior, I was very present, very excited to be there. And I was just thinking about how different it was this time around and how much I’ve changed in these last four years.”
Ciara Tate also reflected on the passage of time, saying, “It was also nice to be surrounded by a lot of people I got to know over the four years, and just to be super grateful and aware of just how a small community can really connect you to way more people than I think even going to a bigger school might.” Tate also commented on VSA President Mariya Novosad’s speech, explaining, “It was like, this place [the College] isn’t perfect for these reasons, but it is still special to be here, you know what I mean?”
Other seniors did not quite feel the emotional air to the event. Lucy Hultquist ’26 noted, “I felt like it felt a little bit gimmicky, and I wondered if it was because of the internet and being connected to the wider world and not fully immersed in Vassar’s academic culture.” She added, “My peers seemed really lighthearted and like it was kind of a big joke, which is fine, but I don’t think it’s probably how it felt 50 years ago. It wasn’t very somber at all.”
Although the experience of Convocation may have changed over the years, Pope maintains that it is an important marker of time. “I was walking over with Professor Bob Brigham and he was like, ‘I know it feels corny, but you’re going to look back on it as special,’” she noted, adding, “If you get the chance to go to Convocation, go, obviously.”
The speeches concluded, and a still silence hung throughout the Chapel before being interrupted by rows of Vassar College Choir members shuffling into place. They rose—some in cap and gown, some in denim and T-shirts—and began to sing the ceremonial “Gaudeamus Igitur,” a song that has been a part of the Convocation ceremony since at least the 1920s. The seniors processed out, high heels and leather boots marching in time to the tune, before silence swallowed the Chapel once more.