Family and friends of a late Vassar College alumnus say they will donate $2.25 million to the Poughkeepsie college.
The donation will help support Vassar’s educational programs in the Poughkeepsie City School District. The bulk of the money will ensure the continuation of the Vassar College Urban Education Initiativefor the next decade. The program provides tutors, mentors and other assistance for the city’s elementary and secondary school students. The gift, which is contingent on $1.25 million in matching donations, was announced by Propel Capital, a New York-based social impact investment firm, and family and friends of Daniel Mindich. Mindich, a 1987 Vassar graduate, was an educator who died in a swimming accident near his home in Hawaii in 2014. He earned master’s and doctorate degrees in education from Stanford University, and was an English and history teacher at a K-12 school in Honolulu.
