February 17, 1971

Acting on authorization by the board of trustees at their October meeting to “make appointments in education, on the regular faculty line,” the faculty endorsed the recommendation of the dean of the faculty, Professor Marion Tait, to form a department of education. Involved in one way or another in teacher preparation for at least 40 years and currently offering a program in teacher preparation, the college addressed two possible courses of action, the formation of a new department or continue instruction under the direction of a sub-committee of the Committee on Curricular Policy. “The program at Vassar,” said Dean Tait, “is large enough for a department, but probably too cumbersome for a committee.”

The Miscellany News

The department of education was introduced in 1972, with the former director of teacher preparation, Emma McConnell, as its first chair.