Class of 2010 graduates at College's 146th Commencement

The Class of 2010 officially graduated from Vassar at the College's 146th Commencement on May 23. Speakers including President Catharine Bond Hill, Chair of the Board of Trustees William Plapinger '74, Member of the Board of Trustees and President of the Alumnae and Alumni of Vassar (AAVC) Margaret Vanecek Johnson '74 and Trustee Lisa Kudrow '85 celebrated the education that the graduates had received and encouraged them as they set off into the world.

The importance of education was a theme throughout the event in part because this year's senior class gift, the 2010 Endowed Scholarship Fund, will benefit financial aid. Speakers spoke of educational accessibility, the ultimate goal of the gift, throughout the morning.

"Education is the most powerful tool we have in addressing social inequality and inequity," said Plapinger in his remarks. "Your Vassar education, which has come primarily through the efforts of our extraordinary faculty, has given you the tools to make a difference in your own lives and in the lives of others."

Senior Class Gift co-Chairs Rachel Gilmer and Brian Farkas echoed these sentiments. They spoke to the crowd about the significance of the 2010 Endowed Scholarship Fund in both meaning and sheer amount. "We chose to establish an endowed scholarship fund, holding Vassar responsible in its commitment to equality through educational access and pushing our College towards a global leadership role in justice and egalitarianism," said Gilmer.

To achieve this goal, the Class raised $22,690—the highest amount ever raised by any senior class gift. However, class participation, a measure of support and class spirit, was just as important. "Ninety-two percent of our class supported the 2010 Endowed Scholarship Fund! This is the highest participation of any class since 1947 and the largest donation since the class of 1943," noted Farkas. "But that is not all as two alums have tripled this gift, dollar for dollar, so that the value of the fund will be $68,070."

Hill's remarks focused on the history of education at the College as she looked forward to the College's sesquicentennial anniversary, which will begin in 2011. She placed speeches made at Vassar during its centennial celebration in1961 in a global context. "Education provides the means to fulfill whatever promise there is in those concerns, education provides the tools to meet the challenges posed by those concerns, and education provides the perspective to understand those concerns as fully as possible, both in the current terms and in the historical context," she said.

In her commencement address, Kudrow spoke to the class about life immediately after college. With her particular mix of humility and self-confidence, she delivered an address full of humor and sincere advice to the graduates. By telling her own story of going from biology major to successful actress on the television show Friends, Kudrow demonstrated the winding, and sometimes frustrating, path that a new career may take.

She explained how seeming setbacks were actually blessings in disguise because they led her to play Phoebe on Friends. "No, I did actually hear from a little more than two of you that because I went here, you wanted to know about my experiences after graduating and I understand that because the twenties are that time in your life when (this is not a joke) you're really getting acquainted with your own adult self and seeing how you respond to self doubt when there's so much, seemingly at stake," said Kudrow. "So, let me reassure you. It's not supposed to be easy, but it doesn't have to be torture."

According to Kudrow, the decision to become an actress rather than continue with research was terrifying but could not have happened at any other time than in her early twenties. "Because this didn't exactly feel like it was a choice as much as succumbing to a compulsion, and I didn't analyze what led me to this point, whether it was divine intervention, or a lapse in judgment or sanity, I just listened to that inner voice," said Kudrow. "By the way, it's always a good move to listen to that inner voice—if it doesn't lead to a crime."

After the ceremony, the Class along with family and friends withdrew to the Library Lawn to say their final goodbyes to professors and their peers.