Commencement Remarks
May 23, 2010
by Margaret Venecek Johnson ‘84, AAVC president
It’s the job of every other speaker today to send you out into the world. But as the president of your alumnae/i association, the AAVC, it’s my pleasure to welcome you back.
Welcome to your new Vassar community, your fellow alumnae/i, 36,000 strong. We are more like you than you might expect, diverse in every way, living in every part of the world, but we still call this place “home.”
Your connection to Vassar will not look like mine did when I graduated 26 years ago. For starters, it will probably be mostly virtual. Fresh out of college, I joined a Vassar club, went to meetings, got a paper newsletter, invitations via the US mail and phone calls – not texts. You’re more likely to join our AAVC online community, get an email blast, or connect with other alumnae/i through Facebook or Twitter.You might watch a lecture streamed over the web, or gather around someone’s web-enabled TV to celebrate our sesquicentennial with a simulcast. Who knows? But the essential joys of staying connected with the College after you graduate remain the same. Let me quote from a long-ago advertisement for Vassar Clubs from the Quarterly magazine:
Are you a shrinking violet?
If so - remember that you don’t have to be a typical clubwoman to have fun at Vassar Club meetings.
You may read about alumnae, but how long is it since you’ve seen a goodly horde of Vassar women in the flesh? [Don't answer that, your parents are here.]
You may read about the college curriculum, but have you heard one of the imposing array of Vassar professors speak?
You may have read about student life at Vassar, but have you seen the latest Vassar movies?
Next time you get that Vassar Club notice, rally ‘round. You’ll love it!
So, yes, in 2010, I invite you do the old fashioned thing and rally ‘round your alma mater, in person, via the web or the next new technology. You are the next generation of our alumnae/i association. You are the newest face of our college. And you are Vassar’s best ambassadors.
Congratulations!