Reunion 2025 Schedule of Events

6–8:30 p.m.

Additional details coming soon!

8:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
Barbara Walters Campus Center

8:30–10 a.m.
Barbara Walters Campus Center

9:30–11 a.m.

Time to Tinker with Merideth Frey, Physics Faculty
This hands-on seminar will provide you with a brief introduction to tinkering - where creativity and physics converge to solve practical problems with build-it-yourself solutions. We will use small group activities and engineering design challenges to explore some of the practical physics behind basic mechanical and electronic components. I will also be showcasing some of the amazing creations of SLC students who took my Time to Tinker class this past fall. Let’s get tinkering!

Black Studies and the Archive with Elias Rodriques, Literature Faculty
Traditionally, Black Studies is understood to have been borne directly from protest. Protestors at San Francisco State in the late 1960s, for instance, called for the formation of a Black Studies Department and largely won their demand. The same took place on many college campuses across the United States. But what was their vision for what Black Studies will be? This class will briefly introduce attendees to some of the early proposals for Black Studies.

Reconstructing Womanhood: Sarah Grimke’s Letters on the Equality of the Sexes (1838) with Lyde Sizer, Associate Dean of the College, History Faculty
“All history attests that man has subjugated woman to his will,” Abolitionist Sarah Grimke wrote in 1838, “used her as a means to promote his selfish gratification, to minister to his sensual pleasures, to be instrumental in promoting his comfort; but never has he desired to elevate her to that rank she was created to fill.”

Throughout the 19th and 20th century women writers worked to create a new place for women through public dialogue, fiction and other works of art, and cultural criticism. This workshop will take a sliver of my yearlong course – close reading a single letter from Sarah Grimke’s book of letters – to analyze the kinds and force of her arguments, as well as to marvel at her courage and resolve, so many years before the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 20th century.

11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

50th Reunion Lunch with President Cristle Collins Judd
Classes of ’75 and earlier.
The President’s House

Reunion Lunch
All other classes
Barbara Walters Campus Center

1:30–4 p.m.
Departing from the Barbara Walters Campus Center

Tour of the Sarah Lawrence College Center for the Urban River at Beczak (CURB)
Explore the College’s academic research facility on the banks of the Hudson River at Habirshaw Park. The center features a welcoming riverfront lawn, an easily accessible tidal marsh and a beach used for river exploration and seining. SLC CURB provides a broad educational platform, establishes a Hudson River research program, and incorporates service learning and citizen science projects in the Yonkers community.

Tour of the Edible Academy at the New York Botanical Garden
Annie Novak ’05, manager of the Edible Academy, will explain the broad range of educational programs and hands-on activities of the immensely popular edible gardening program at the New York Botanical Garden. The Edible Academy’s three-acre state-of-the-art complex offers life-changing opportunities that share the important connections between plants, gardening, nutrition, and healthy living—the foundation of the farm-to-table movement. Sustainable infrastructure throughout the campus supports maximum resource efficiency (water and energy) and active stormwater management. The 5,300 square-foot Classroom Building features a demonstration kitchen, technology lab, and a green roof and is certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Buildings Council.

2–3:30 p.m.

A Film Historian, a Psychologist, and an Artist Walk Into a Class: Laughter Across Disciplines with Leana Hirschfeld-Kroen, Film History Faculty; John O’Connor, Visual and Studio Arts Faculty; Maia Pujara, Psychology Faculty
Why is the topic of laughter so often siloed or scorned in discussions of high art, literature, and the sciences? Why don’t we take laughter seriously? How many professors does it take to teach a course on laughter? (Two more than usual...). Attendees of this session will be presented with a broad, interdisciplinary survey of laughter as a human behavior, cultural practice, and wide-ranging tool for creative expression. Each instructor will highlight key concepts on laughter through the lens of their respective fields: visual and studio arts (John O'Connor), film history (Leana Hirschfeld-Kroen), and psychology and neuroscience (Maia Pujara). Each instructor will also showcase student work that applied these principles in the form of art pieces, film critiques and audience observations, and research projects on laughter patterns in various social contexts, to demonstrate how the scholarly consideration of laughter can deepen practice in any discipline.

Punk with Martin Goldray, Music Faculty, Marjorie Leff Miller Faculty Scholar in Music
A survey of punk music from the 1960s through the 1990s against the background of the social, political and artistic currents of the time. We will begin by looking at the various twentieth-century art movements that spawned punk, such as futurism, dadaism, surrealism, Fluxus, and the minimalist and electronic composers. We will then examine the New York scene in the 1970s, move to the UK with the explosion of punk in 1977, follow the rapid transition into postpunk in the UK, then back to the US for postpunk there, followed by the rise of hardcore in the 1980s and the Riot Grrrl movement in the early 1990s. We will end with a quick look at Nirvana, which broke through on a massive scale and changed the punk and rock environment for everyone.

Contemporary American Poetry with Jeffrey McDaniel ‘90, Writing Faculty
We will look at contemporary American poetry (1980 to the present) through the lens of work published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, including poems by Sharon Olds, Etheridge Knight, Larry Levis, Billy Collins, and Dean Young, as well as some work by more recent Pitt authors.

4:00–5:00 p.m.
The HUB: A Center for Humanity, Understanding, and Belonging

Join us for an Interfaith Blessing in the newly opened Spiritual Space.

5–6 p.m.
The HUB: A Center for Humanity, Understanding, and Belonging

The Sarah Lawrence community remembers alumni, trustees, faculty, and staff who passed away during the academic year.

6:00–8:45 p.m.

25th Reunion Dinner with President Judd
Class of ’00. Classes of '99 and '01 are welcome.
The President’s House

Reunion Dinner and Drinks
All other classes
Bates Terrace

10:30 p.m.
Barbara Walters Campus Center Living Room

Enjoy drinks and snacks while watching this beloved classic!

9–10:00 a.m.
Barbara Walters Campus Center

11:15 a.m. –12:15 p.m.
Barbara Walters Campus Center

First published to widespread acclaim nearly 40 years ago, Joel Sternfeld's contemporary photography—capturing a complex and, at times, darkly ironic vision of the American landscape. Supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship and inspired by photographers like Walker Evans and Robert Frank, Sternfeld embarked on an ambitious cross-country journey from 1978 to 1983 to document the essence of America. The result is a body of work that remains as thought-provoking today as it was at its debut, offering a layered and evocative portrait of the nation.

In this special Reunion seminar, Sternfeld will take you behind the scenes of his seminal work, sharing the stories behind some of its most striking images. Though first released in 1987, American Prospects continues to resonate in today’s shifting landscape, reflecting enduring themes of political uncertainty, environmental fragility, and the contradictions of American identity.

12:30–2:00 p.m.
Barbara Walters Campus Center

Join us for the Annual Meeting of the Alumni Association, followed by a celebratory luncheon in honor of our remarkable Citation Award winners for Achievement and Service to the College. The luncheon will conclude with "A Year in Review" featuring President Cristle Collins Judd.

4:00–5 p.m.
Departing from the Barbara Walters Campus Center

5:00–6:30 p.m.
Heimbold Visual Arts Center

Celebrate the work of alumni artists during our 20th Annual Alumni Art Exhibit and Reception at Reunion.

This year, we are also honored to feature Selections, a special retrospective celebrating the work of faculty emeritus Ansei Uchima (1921–2000). Renowned for his mastery of traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking, Uchima taught at Sarah Lawrence from 1962 to 1982 and was deeply committed to nurturing the artistic growth of his students. Selections showcases the breadth and beauty of Uchima’s prolific career. His work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Sarah Lawrence College, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. This exhibit commemorates the 25th anniversary of Ansei Uchima’s passing and was curated with the assistance of Anju Uchima ’80.

Class of ’75
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Barbara Walters Campus Center, Second Floor

After dinner, join us for dancing on the lower level of the Barbara Walters Campus Center.

10 a.m.–12 noon
Barbara Walters Campus Center

Close the weekend with a delicious champagne brunch!

Merideth Frey, Physics Faculty

This hands-on seminar will provide you with a brief introduction to tinkering - where creativity and physics converge to solve practical problems with build-it-yourself solutions. We will use small group activities and engineering design challenges to explore some of the practical physics behind basic mechanical and electronic components. I will also be showcasing some of the amazing creations of SLC students who took my Time to Tinker class this past fall. Let’s get tinkering!

Lyde Sizer, Associate Dean of the College, History Faculty

“All history attests that man has subjugated woman to his will,” Abolitionist Sarah Grimke wrote in 1838, “used her as a means to promote his selfish gratification, to minister to his sensual pleasures, to be instrumental in promoting his comfort; but never has he desired to elevate her to that rank she was created to fill.”

Throughout the 19th and 20th century women writers worked to create a new place for women through public dialogue, fiction and other works of art, and cultural criticism. This workshop will take a sliver of my yearlong course – close reading a single letter from Sarah Grimke’s book of letters – to analyze the kinds and force of her arguments, as well as to marvel at her courage and resolve, so many years before the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 20th century.

Leana Hirschfeld-Kroen, Film History Faculty; John O’Connor, Visual and Studio Arts Faculty; Maia Pujara, Psychology Faculty

Why is the topic of laughter so often siloed or scorned in discussions of high art, literature, and the sciences? Why don’t we take laughter seriously? How many professors does it take to teach a course on laughter? (Two more than usual...). Attendees of this session will be presented with a broad, interdisciplinary survey of laughter as a human behavior, cultural practice, and wide-ranging tool for creative expression. Each instructor will highlight key concepts on laughter through the lens of their respective fields: visual and studio arts (John O'Connor), film history (Leana Hirschfeld-Kroen), and psychology and neuroscience (Maia Pujara). Each instructor will also showcase student work that applied these principles in the form of art pieces, film critiques and audience observations, and research projects on laughter patterns in various social contexts, to demonstrate how the scholarly consideration of laughter can deepen practice in any discipline.

Martin Goldray, Music Faculty, Marjorie Leff Miller Faculty Scholar in Music

A survey of punk music from the 1960s through the 1990s against the background of the social, political and artistic currents of the time. We will begin by looking at the various twentieth-century art movements that spawned punk, such as futurism, dadaism, surrealism, Fluxus, and the minimalist and electronic composers. We will then examine the New York scene in the 1970s, move to the UK with the explosion of punk in 1977, follow the rapid transition into postpunk in the UK, then back to the US for postpunk there, followed by the rise of hardcore in the 1980s and the Riot Grrrl movement in the early 1990s. We will end with a quick look at Nirvana, which broke through on a massive scale and changed the punk and rock environment for everyone.

Jeffrey McDaniel ‘90, Writing Faculty

We will look at contemporary American poetry (1980 to the present) through the lens of work published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, including poems by Sharon Olds, Etheridge Knight, Larry Levis, Billy Collins, and Dean Young, as well as some work by more recent Pitt authors.

The Office of Alumni Relations has arranged discounted hotel rates for alumni attending Reunion from Thursday, June 5 through Sunday, June 8, 2025. Rooms in these hotel blocks are available on a first-come, first-served basis, while availability lasts. Demand for accommodations in the area is expected to be high, and rooms may sell out quickly.

In many cases, the College has negotiated flexible cancellation policies—so we encourage you to book early. Please be sure to review your hotel's cancellation policy carefully before confirming your reservation. Sarah Lawrence is not responsible for non-refundable room cancellations.

Hyatt Place New York/Yonkers (1 mile away)
7000 Mall Walk, Yonkers, NY 10704
(888) 492-8847
Rooms start at $199/night
Click here to reserve or enter G-RUSR in the corporate rate box when making a reservation.
Reservations must be made by May 5, 2025.

Hampton Inn & Suites Yonkers (1.9 miles away)
559 Tuckahoe Road, Yonkers, NY 10710, (914) 963-3200
Rooms start at $159/night
Click here to reserve or enter SLR in the group code box when making a reservation. Reservations must be received no later than May 21, 2025.

A limited number of on-campus residence hall rooms are available to Reunion alumni on a first-come, first-served basis. If you opt for campus housing, your room is yours for the full weekend—unlike hotels, we are unable to turn over rooms daily.

Staying on campus means returning to dormitory living. Rooms are basic singles with twin-sized beds and minimal furnishings. There are no private bathrooms. Each guest will be provided with a set of basic sheets, a light blanket, a pillow, and a towel—but we recommend bringing an extra blanket, pillow, and towel, toiletries, and any other comforts that will make your stay more pleasant. Items you might find helpful include soap, hangers, a hair dryer, a mirror, an iron. Please note: there are no phones, desk lamps, air conditioners, or fans in the rooms.