President's Page

Nelly and I head out onto campus for our long walk of the day. This is our ritual. We both get exercise, and I get a chance for some quiet time to think about everything, or nothing.(If you have a dog, you know that a dog walk can help you solve complicated problems.) Occasionally we meet up with another early walker or runner — Molly Shanley from the political science department or Bob DeMaria from English. But often, it’s just us.

This is a time when I notice the details of the exquisite landscape I get to call home. The gorgeous trees, amazingly beautiful and each so different, offer so much beauty every day and in every season. Even Nelly seems to appreciate how lucky we are — maybe for her it’s the squirrels. She’s happy out here, I know that for sure. Thinking about the rhythm of my days on the Vassar campus, I see some patterns, certainly, with regular meetings involving colleagues I know well. On most Tuesdays, like November 3, I meet with the senior officers — the deans and vice presidents who keep the college running day to day. Our agenda spans the substantial and significant to the ordinary. We support each other’s good ideas and, with a candor rooted in mutual respect, critique those that still need work.

These are people, like so many I know here, who care deeply about this place. Much of my time is also spent thinking about the future of our college. I had the pleasure that day of working with members of our science faculty, our buildings and grounds staff, and the architects who are developing plans for exciting new science facilities that will match in quality our first-rate science programs. You’ll be hearing more about these plans in the coming months.

That evening, I hosted an informal dinner at my house for a group of 20 students. I do this about once a month. The food is good (thanks to Campus Dining) and the conversation includes anything from the latest movies, to what’s going on in a course, to politics, to everyday life and events of the day. The dinner ended a little before 9 p.m. As the students moved on to the many other things that needed their attention, I turned mine to a comforting constant in my day. Nelly, and I, needed that evening walk, this one short but sweet.

Catharine Hill, President

Photo Credit: Ben Rutkowski '09

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