Virtual Tour
Ash retired from Ramapo College in 2025 as Professor of Sustainability, concluding 16 years of dedicated teaching, student mentorship, and sustainability stewardship. He joined Ramapo College’s School of Social Science and Human Services in 2009, bringing expertise informed by studies at the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, MIT, and the University of Southern California.
A committed leader in shared governance, Ash served on the Faculty Assembly Executive Council and the Shared Governance Task Force. He also chaired the President’s Committee on Campus Sustainability for many years, spearheading local campus greening initiatives. Additionally, he co-founded the Ramapo College Fair Trade Group, secured Foundation support for student composting teams in the Village Apartments, and organized the RCNJ Campus Sustainability Convergence.
Beyond Ramapo, he was a founding advisor, Board Secretary, and key strategist for Sustainable Jersey City, Inc., a nonprofit focused on education and green civic engagement. Ashwani was also an influential voice in uniting New Jersey’s higher education community around sustainability. Through his leadership of the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS), countless people across the state have deepened their understanding, formed meaningful connections, and been inspired to advance sustainability at their own institutions.
In recognition of his longstanding dedication to environmental education and conservation, Ash received the Boy Scouts of America’s 2020 William T. Hornaday Award Gold Certificate for Distinguished Service in Conservation.
His legacy lives on in the programs he created, the communities he strengthened, and the many students and colleagues he inspired. The Ashwani Vasishth Scholarship Fund is being established to honor his remarkable life and work by supporting future Sustainability Studies students who will carry forward his enduring commitment to a greener, more sustainable world.
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