Karen Clopton ’80, then co-chair of the African American Alumnae/i of Vassar College (AAAVC), presented Professor Johnson with a kente cloth during an honorary 2017 brunch. Photo credit: Yassine El Mansouri.
Vassar College’s ALANA Center, which provides resources and programs for students of color, is being renamed the Jeh Vincent Johnson ALANA Cultural Center in honor of the former Vassar professor and pioneering Black architect who designed it. The Center, which opened in 1993, and was later given the acronym ALANA for African-American/Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American students, is one of several buildings on campus that Jeh Johnson designed.
President Elizabeth H. Bradley announced the renaming of the ALANA Center to honor Professor Johnson at the April 2021 African American Alumnae/i of Vassar College (AAAVC) Triennial, which celebrates the contributions of Black alumnae/i, students, faculty, administrators, and staff of Vassar College.
“Throughout his nearly four decades at Vassar, Jeh had enormous impact on our campus, the field of architecture, and even national policy,” Bradley said. “He loved Vassar deeply, and with the renaming of the Jeh Vincent Johnson ALANA Cultural Center, we can demonstrate how deeply Vassar loved him in return.”
The Vassar Community is invited to celebrate and honor Professor Johnson with gifts in support of The Jeh Vincent Johnson ALANA Cultural Center Fund. The Fund has been established to assist in covering the costs of renovations to the Center, including renovations to the entrance that will result in an improved arrival experience, new recognition signage at the entrance, way-finding signage, much-needed air conditioning, an upgraded kitchen, paint, new furniture, and other important improvements.
We are deeply grateful to the hundreds of alumni, employees, and friends of the college who met the $125,000 matching challenge made by Lucey Bowen ’68, Karen Clopton ’80, and Paula Williams Madison ’74 by the July 8, 2021 deadline. With over $320,000 committed to date from over 150 donors, we need to raise at least $80,000 more to fully fund The Jeh Vincent Johnson ALANA Cultural Center project.
An on-campus dedication celebration for The Jeh Vincent Johnson ALANA Cultural Center will follow completion of the renovation work in Fall 2022.
Should you have any questions about making a gift or pledge, please contact Kristen Andersen at kandersen@vassar.edu.