Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, Appoints Four Women Scholars to Endowed Chairs

Vassar College, the highly rated liberal arts educational institution in Poughkeepsie, New York, has announced the appointment of four women to endowed chairs.

Eve Dunbar was named to the Jean Webster Chair. She has taught at Vassar since 2004 and teaches courses on American literature, creative writing, and drama. Dr. Dunbar is the author of Black Regions of the Imagination: African American Writers Between the Nation and the World (Temple University Press, 2012). Dr. Dunbar is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin.

Shona Tucker, chair of the drama department, was named to the Mary Riepma Ross ’32 Chair. Professor Tucker joined the Vassar faculty in 2007. Professor Tucker is an actor, director, and writer with credits in theater, television, and film. She has a bachelor’s degree in speech from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a master of fine arts degree in acting from New York University,

Myra Hughey was appointed to the Mary Clark Rockefeller Chair in environmental studies. She has taught at Vassar since 2017. Her research focuses on microbiome diversity and disease and she teaches courses on evolutionary genetics, ecology, and ecosystem ecology. . Dr. Hughey is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans. She earned a Ph.D. at Boston University.

Michele Tugade, professor of psychological sciences, was named to the William R. Kenan Jr. Chair. Dr. Tugade joined the faculty in 2004 and teaches courses in health psychology. Her research focuses on psychological resilience. She is the director of the Affective Science Laboratory at Vassar. Professor Tugade is a 2004 graduate of Vassar College. She earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.