Ashwani Vasishth Memorial Scholarship

Ashwani retired from Ramapo in 2025, as Professor of Sustainability, after 16 years of steadfast dedication to ecological stewardship and student mentorship.

Ashwani joined Ramapo College in 2009 as an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies in the School of Social Science and Human Services. He received a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, a Master’s in International Development from MIT, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Planning from the University of Southern California.

Beyond the classroom, Ashwani was a passionate champion for institutional change and a leader in shared governance, serving on the Faculty Assembly Executive Council and the Shared Governance Task Force. As long-standing Chair of the President’s Committee on Campus Sustainability, he spearheaded local campus greening initiatives.

Ashwani’s commitment to change animated every level of his work. On campus, he co-founded the Ramapo College Fair Trade Group, secured Foundation grant funding to create self-replicating student composting teams in the Village Apartments, and organized major events such as the RCNJ Campus Sustainability Convergence.

His vision naturally expanded far past our campus borders. As President of the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS), he worked to build partnerships across colleges and universities to establish New Jersey as a national leader in sustainability.

In recognition of his long-standing commitment to environmental education, Ashwani was honored with the prestigious 2020 William T. Hornaday Award Gold Certificate for Distinguished Service in Conservation from the Boy Scouts of America.

Ashwani will live on in the programs he built, the contributions he made to a greener and more sustainable world, and in the countless students and colleagues he inspired. He will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.