Frances Fergusson
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Frances Daly Fergusson (born October 3, 1944) served as president of
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
from 1986 to 2006. A graduate of
Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...
, Fergusson earned her AM and
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
in
Art History Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
before starting her teaching career at Newton College.


Life

Frances Daly Fergusson was born on October 3, 1944, in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts. In 1975, she began teaching at University of Massachusetts at
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, where she later became assistant chancellor. Fergusson continued her career in academic administration from 1982 until 1986 at
Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...
, where she served as Provost and
Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
of the university. She left Bucknell to become Vassar's president. Fergusson has published extensively in the field of architectural history, including an award-winning article on the iconography of St. Charles' Church in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. An avid and effective fundraiser, she raised more than $750 million for
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
. Her administration oversaw extensive renovation of the campus, including refurbishment of the library, the creation of a new art center, and construction of a modern drama and film center. Both the
Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, commonly known as The Loeb, is a teaching museum, major art repository, and exhibition space on the campus of Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It was founded in 1864 as the Vassar Colleg ...
and the
Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film The Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film is the home to Vassar College's drama and film departments. Before its 2003 renovation, the building was known as Avery Hall, and before that, the Calisthenium and Riding Academy. It was originally designed ...
were designed by architect Cesar Pelli. While serving as Vassar's president, Fergusson also contributed her administrative talents as a member of the Boards of Trustees of the Ford Foundation from (1989–2001) and the Mayo Foundation /
Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...
from 1988 to 2002. She was chair of the board of the Mayo Clinic from 1998 to 2002. She has also served on the boards of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the Foreign Policy Association, The Noguchi Museum, WNET/Thirteen, and the
Society of Architectural Historians The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment worldwide. Based in Chicago in the United States, the Society's 3,500 members include ...
of the United States. She was the president of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University (2007–2008), and has been a member of the boards of the Getty Trust, The Ringling Museum of Art, the National Humanities Council, and The Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Currently, she also serves on the boards of The School of American Ballet, Second Stage Theatre, The American Council of Learned Societies and the Sarasota Opera. She is also a member of the Board of Trust of The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was elected to the American Academy in 2002. In the corporate world, she served on the boards of
Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...
and
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
,
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Wyeth, LLC was an American pharmaceutical company. The company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1860 as ''John Wyeth and Brother''. It was later known, in the early 1930s, as American Home Products, before being renamed to Wyeth in ...
, Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation and
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. On February 16, 2005, Fergusson announced her intention to step down as president of Vassar College after twenty years as head of the institution.
Catharine Bond Hill Catharine "Cappy" Bond Hill is the former president of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. She began in 2006, after former president Frances D. Fergusson retired. Before coming to Vassar, Hill was provost at Williams College. In September 2016 ...
assumed the position of president at the end of the 2005 2006 academic year. Fergusson served on the search committee that brought Drew Faust to the presidency of Harvard, on a subsequent governance committee that brought about changes in the Corporation of Harvard, and for a dozen years was the chair of the Visiting Committee to the Harvard Library.She received the Centennial Medal from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard and the Harvard Medal for Outstanding Service to the University.


Awards

* Doctor of Literature degrees (honorary) from the University of London * Centennial Medal of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University (1999) * Honorary doctoral degrees from Bard College, and the University of Hartford * Harvard Medal for "outstanding service to the University."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fergusson, Frances D. Living people Wellesley College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni American art historians Presidents of Vassar College Newton College of the Sacred Heart faculty University of Massachusetts Boston faculty Bucknell University faculty 1944 births American women historians Pfizer people Women art historians Women heads of universities and colleges 21st-century American women