List of Vassar College people

This is a partial list of notable alumni and faculty of Vassar College.

Notable alumni

Academics Jane Kelley Adams, class of 1875 – educator Heloise Hersey, class of 1876 – professor of literature Emily Jordan Folger, class of 1879 – co-founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library Phebe Temperance Sutliff, class of 1880 – president, Rockford College Edith Rickert, class of 1891 – medievalist, cryptologist, and novelist Anita Florence Hemmings, class of 1897 – Vassar College's first African-American graduate Katharine Blunt, class of 1898 – chemist, nutrition researcher, president of Connecticut College for Women Scottie Fitzgerald, class of 1942 – writer and journalist, only daughter of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald Ida Hill, class of 1901 – archaeologist, classical scholar and historian Belle Turnbull, class of 1904 – poet Lisa Grabarek – teacher and Baptist preacher Marion Coats Graves, class of 1907 – philosophy, first president of Sarah Lawrence College Edith Clarke, class of 1908 – America's first female professor of electrical engineering Alice D. Snyder, class of 1909 (A.B.) and 1911 (A.M.) – Vassar College English professor 1914–1943 Helen Hull Law (1890–1966), class of 1911, college professor of Latin and Greek Ruth Wendell Washburn, class of 1913 – educational psychologist Sydnor Harbison Walker (1891–1966), class of 1913 – economist Chen Hengzhe, class of 1919 – China's first female professor and a pioneer of vernacular literature Mildred H. McAfee, class of 1920 – president of Wellesley College and first director of WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) Caroline F. Ware, class of 1920 – professor of history at American University and a New Deal activist Jean Schneider, class of 1921 – Pulitzer Prize for History winner; research associate of Leonard D. White Mary Bunting, class of 1931 – microbiologist and president of Radcliffe College Millie Almy, class of 1936 – psychologist and "Grandame" of early childhood education Winifred Asprey, class of 1938 – pioneering mathematician and computer scientist Laura Sumner, class of 1942 – numismatist Nancy Nichols Barker, class of 1946 – professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin Jean Briggs, class of 1951 – anthropologist and expert on Inuit languages Barbara W. Newell, class of 1951 – first female chancellor of the State University System of Florida, president of Wellesley College Eleanor M. Fox, class of 1956 – Walter J. Derenberg Professor of Trade Regulation in the New York University School of Law Margaret Dauler Wilson, class of 1960 – professor of philosophy at Princeton University Marcia P. Sward, class of 1961 – executive director of the Mathematical Association of America Ellen Rosand, class of 1961 – musicologist, historian, and opera critic Sau Lan Wu, class of 1963 – particle physicist and the Enrico Fermi Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Sandra Lach Arlinghaus, class of 1964 – mathematical geographer; adjunct professor, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor); founder and director, Institute of Mathematical Geography Susan W. Coates, MA 1968 – psychologist, Columbia University M. R. C. Greenwood, class of 1968 – health scientist, president of the University of Hawaii Nancy Dye, class of 1969 – president of Oberlin College Jo Ann Gora, class of 1969 – president of Ball State University Vera Schwarz, class of 1969 – Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University Eugenia Del Pino, class of 1969 – developmental biologist; first Ecuadorian citizen to be elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences (2006) Susan Casteras, class of 1971 – professor of art history at the University of Washington Erica Funkhouser, class of 1971 – poet, professor at MIT Christopher W. Morris, class of 1971 – professor and chair of philosophy at the University of Maryland Gloria Cordes Larson, class of 1972 – politician and president of Bentley University Judith Malafronte, class of 1972 – mezzo-soprano on the faculty at Yale University, winner of the Grand Prize at the International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch Michael Kimmel, class of 1972 – sociologist; distinguished professor of sociology at the Stony Brook University; spokesperson of the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) Darra Goldstein, class of 1973 – founding editor of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture; professor at Williams College Molly Nesbit, class of 1974 – modern and contemporary art historian Anthony Apesos, class of 1975 – painter and professor of fine arts at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University Francisco Xavier Castellanos, class of 1975 – director of research at the NYU Child Study Center Jane Margaret O'Brien, class of 1975 – professor of chemistry and president emerita of St. Mary's College of Maryland Richard L. Huganir, class of 1975 – professor and director of the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience; investigator with Howard Hughes Medical Institute Iris Mack, class of 1975 – writer, speaker, former MIT professor Jeffrey Schnapp, class of 1975 – former director of the Stanford Humanities Lab, faculty director at metaLAB (at) Harvard Rochelle Lieber, class of 1976 – professor of linguistics at the University of New Hampshire and co-editor in chief of the Language and Linguistics Compass Jyotsna Vaid, class of 1976 – professor of psychology at Texas A&M University Carole Maso, class of 1977 – novelist and essayist, professor of literary arts at Brown University Jamshed Bharucha, class of 1978 – former president of Cooper Union; cognitive neuroscientist Seamus Ross, class of 1979 – dean and professor at the iSchool at the University of Toronto; Founding Director of HATII John Carlstrom, class of 1981 – professor at the University of Chicago, MacArthur Award-winning astrophysicist Sarah Barringer Gordon, class of 1982 – Arlin M. Adams Professor of Constitutional Law and a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania Heinz Insu Fenkl, class of 1982 – author, professor of English and Asian Studies at SUNY New Paltz Matthew Koss, class of 1983 – solid-state physicist and professor Valerie Martinez, class of 1983 – poet, retired professor of English and Creative Writing at Ursinus College, New Mexico Highlands University, College of Santa Fe, University of Miami, and founding director of Artful Life Mark Burstein, class of 1984 – executive vice president of Princeton University; president of Lawrence University Rebecca Reynolds, class of 1984 – poet, administrator and professor at Rutgers University Keith Scribner, class of 1984 – novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, essayist and professor at Oregon State University Alison Boden, class of 1984 – author, dean of religious life and the dean of the chapel at Princeton University David B. Allison, class of 1985 – distinguished professor, Quetelet Endowed Professor of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham Andrea McCarren, class of 1985 – television journalist and educator, first teacher of broadcast journalism at Harvard University Tina Campt, class of 1986 – professor of women's studies at Barnard College Jennifer Summit, class of 1987 – professor of English, former chair of the Stanford University English Department Anne Brodsky, class of 1987 – professor in psychology and gender and women's studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Seamus Carey, class of 1987 – president of Transylvania University Michael Witmore, class of 1989 – director of the Folger Shakespeare Library Steven A. Cook, class of 1990 – Hasib J. Saabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Greg Hrbek, class of 1990 – author and professor, writer-in-residence at Skidmore College Christina Maranci, class of 1990 – researcher, writer, translator, historian, and professor at Tufts University Maria Fadiman, class of 1991 – ethnobotanist and associate professor of geosciences at Florida Atlantic University Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas, class of 1991 – associate professor of ethics and society at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School Daniel Alexander Jones, class of 1991 – performance artist and playwright; assistant professor of theatre at Fordham University Sarah Churchwell, class of 1991 – professor of American literature and public understanding of the humanities at the University of East Anglia Kate Moorehead, class of 1992 – Episcopal priest and the tenth dean of St. John's Cathedral and the Diocese of Florida Matt Donovan, class of 1995 – poet, winner of a Whiting Award, chair of the creative writing department at Santa Fe University of Art and Design Erica Field, class of 1996 – economist, professor at Duke University, and winner of the Elaine Bennett Research Prize Emily Berquist, class of 1997 – assistant professor of history at California State University, Long Beach, writer, and historian Ross Benjamin, class of 2003 – translator of German literature Jason Blakely, class of 2003 – political philosopher John Figdor, class of 2006 – humanist chaplain at Stanford University Helen L. Webster (1853–1928) – philologist and educator, taught at Vassar College 1889–1890 before leaving for Wellesley College

Activists and philanthropists Mary Louise Frost, class of 1866 – peace activist, editor Mary Boyce Temple, class of 1877 – preservationist and philanthropist Susie Forrest Swift, class of 1883 – editor, Salvation Army worker, Catholic nun Ethel Moore, class of 1894 – civic, education, and national defense work leader Marion Cothren, class of 1900 – suffrage and peace activist, children's author Emma Waldo Smith Marshall, class of 1900 – missionary in Burma, taught Greek at a Baptist seminary Gertrude Crocker, class of 1907 – suffragist Gertrude Gogin, class of 1908 – YWCA national secretary for girls' programs, 1918–1927 Eliza Kennedy Smith, class of 1912 – prominent suffragist and government watchdog Eleanor Fitchen, class of 1934 – landmarks and environment in New York State Lucy Kennedy Miller, class of 1902 – prominent suffragist Sylvia McLaughlin, class of 1939 – environmental pioneer Patsy Bullitt Collins, class of 1942 – prolific donor and philanthropist June Jackson Christmas, class of 1945 – founder of community psychiatric program Harlem Rehabilitation Center Anne Hendricks Bass, class of 1963 – philanthropist, art collector, documentary filmmaker Phyllis Lambert, class of 1947 – philanthropist and member of the Bronfman family Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam, class of 1955 – conservationist and winner of the Presidential Citizens Medal Barbara Coombs Lee, class of 1969 – activist and president of Compassion & Choices Jonathan Granoff, class of 1970 – president of the Global Security Institute Jessie Gruman, class of 1975 – author, founder and president of the Washington-based Center for Advancing Health Urvashi Vaid, class of 1979 – political activist Simon Greer, class of 1990 – president and CEO of Nathan Cummings Foundation, president and CEO of the Jewish Funds for Justice Ilyse Hogue, class of 1991 – former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America Ronit Avni, class of 2000 – filmmaker, founder and executive director of Just Vision Emily Kunstler, class of 2000 – activist and documentary filmmaker

Adventurers and athletes Alice Huyler Ramsey, class of 1907 – first woman to cross the continent driving a car Ethan Zohn, class of 1996 – Survivor: Africa winner and philanthropist

Artists and architects Patty Prather Thum, class year unknown (19th century) – painter and art critic Elizabeth Coffin, class of 1870 – first person in the United States to receive their Master of Fine Arts Ruth Maxon Adams, class of 1904 – architect Margaret Burnham Geddes, class of 1929 – architect and urban planner