Vassar College

Vassar College, opened in 1865 for the higher education of women, lies to the east of Poughkeepsie, New York, in grounds extending to 210 acres—the gift, along with $800,000, of the founder, Matthew Vassar (1792–1868), who came a child from Norfolk, and died a wealthy brewer at Poughkeepsie. The main building provides accommodation for 300 students, and there are also a museum, an observatory, a laboratory, and a library of 16,000 volumes. Schools of painting and music were established in 1878. In the regular studies for the degree of A.B. elective courses are followed in the third and fourth years; and the degree of A.M. or Ph.D. is given for post-graduate work. In 1887 the first honorary degree, LL.D., was granted. See works by Lossing (1867) and Raymond (1873).