Terra Firma
The Earth Science & Geography Newsletter, Summer 2006
Letter from the Departmental Chair
As the current departmental chair, I am happy to greet you on behalf of Geology and Geography at Vassar! As you will read in this issue of Terra Firma, our biennial newsletter, our department remains a remarkable place. A talented group of faculty, staff, and students gather in Ely Hall, generating a dynamic synergy of research projects and grants, papers and publications, public lectures, field trips, and educational programs.
We now nurture four interrelated degree programs, bridging the natural and social sciences: Earth Science and Society, geography, geography-anthropology, and geology. By the end of 2005-06, departmental majors numbered 44—along with five correlates and many multi-disciplinary students. Continually we strive to broaden our appeal, since few U.S. undergraduates enter college with an appreciation for either geography or geology. Once students declare a major with us, they find distinguished faculty and valuable training in method and theory. We are proud of our many graduates, who have gone on to contribute so much in teaching, city and environmental planning, law, business, social work, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and many other fields.
Our success stems in part from updated facilities in historic Ely Hall, built with its distinctive tower in 1890, which has Terra Firma been home to geology since 1937 and to geography since 1956. This past year, we benefited from a new GIS research laboratory and a renovated A. Scott Warthin Museum of Geology and Natural History. Our administrative assistant and museum curator, Lois Horst, masterminded these projects (and edited this newsletter!) after previously reorganizing the departmental office and flat-map room, which allowed the creation of a long-sought departmental lounge. In this comfortable setting, we now gather for informal “tea” on Wednesday afternoons during the academic year. If you find yourself on campus, please visit us and see our renovated Ely Hall.
We do encourage alums to update contact information with the AAVC, from whom we get our current mailing information. Indeed, we always enjoy hearing news from our graduates, so please stay in touch!
Best wishes,
Brian J. Godfrey
Earth Science and Geography
124 Raymond Ave., Box 735, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604-0735
Phone: 845-437-5540 | Fax: 845-437-7577 | Contact
Science Web | Departments | Infosite
© Vassar College