Vassar Quarterly - Summer 2018 - 4

VASSAR TODAY
Vassar Says,

"Thank You, Bill!"

4

SuMMEr 2018

Plapinger addresses supporters and volunteers at a
celebration of Vassar's 150th-Sesquicentennial-
year in New York City.

all of this took place in the face of the global
financial crisis of 2008.
Plapinger led the board when it appointed
the search committee to select Vassar's 11th
president, Elizabeth Howe Bradley. One of the
co-chairs of that search committee, Anthony
J. Friscia '78 P'15, succeeded Plapinger as
Board Chair as of July 1.
"Bill has played an instrumental role in
introducing me to the Vassar community,"
said President Bradley. "During his time on
the Board of Trustees at Vassar, he has maintained a number of other impressive commitments: a very successful legal career at
Sullivan & Cromwell, the completion of a twoyear fellowship at Harvard in the Advanced
Leadership Initiative, and a number of other
major volunteer commitments, including

Samuel Stuart

O

n June 30, William A. Plapinger '74 P'10 concluded 22 years as a Vassar trustee,
the last 12 as Chair of the Board. His guiding influence and positive impact will
be felt for years to come.
The changes at Vassar under Plapinger's leadership have been profound.
He chaired the search committee that selected Catharine Hill as Vassar's 10th president,
then worked in close partnership with Hill and fellow trustees as the college significantly
expanded access to students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, with a corresponding
growth in financial aid.
The Vassar Posse Veterans Program is also particularly close to Plapinger's heart. In 2012,
he and other trustees collaborated with then-President Catharine Hill and the Posse Foundation to create the initiative. In recent years he has served on the board of the Posse Foundation
(having joined after the establishment of the Vassar/Posse partnership). Indeed, in recognition
of his service to Vassar, more than 50 current and former trustees have created a $1 million
scholarship fund in Plapinger's name. The fund will support the college's student-veterans
in the Posse Program.
Thanks to the Vassar 150: World Changing campaign-which coincided with the celebration
of the college's Sesquicentennial and raised more than $430 million-as well as four public
bond offerings that totaled more than $350 million, Vassar was able to address the key
priority of increased financial aid, build the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences, and renovate
several buildings to form Vassar's Science Commons. In addition, the college's endowment
grew to more than $1 billion over the course of Plapinger's time as Board Chair. Remarkably,



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