Smolny College
Smolny College,
located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, is a joint venture of Bard and St. Petersburg State University (SPbU). The Smolny-Bard partnership is arguably the most significant collaboration between higher education institutions in the United States and Russia. Students studying at Smolny receive degrees from both institutions. In 2011, SPbU voted to transform Smolny into Russia's first faculty of liberal arts and sciences.
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Al-Quds Bard Partnership
The Al-Quds Bard Partnership, formed in 2008, is the first dual-degree program in Palestine between an American and a Palestinian institution. The ambitious collaboration has three components: a four-year, liberal arts honors college leading to a dual B.A. degree; a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program leading to a dual master's degree; and a network of “MAT Innovation Schools” within the Palestinian public school system.
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American University of Central Asia
American University of Central Asia (AUCA), located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, is a regional institution that serves students from throughout central Asia. Founded in 1998, it enrolls 1,100 students. In 2009, Bard and AUCA established a partnership to enhance the liberal arts components of AUCA’s teaching and curriculum, and to develop dual-degree options for AUCA’s programs in the liberal arts.
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Institute for International Liberal Education
The mission of the Institute for International Liberal Education (IILE) is to advance the theory and practice of global liberal arts education. In all of its activities, IILE seeks to realize humane and forward-looking educational politics, and in this way contribute to the just and realistic solution of global problems.
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International Human Rights Exchange
International Human Rights Exchange (IHRE) is a semester-long program in humanities-based human rights, jointly offered by Bard College and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa. IHRE draws its group of about 90 students from Wits and other universities in Africa, Europe, and the United States. It is the world’s only international, full-semester, multidisciplinary program in human rights.
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Central European University
Through Bard's collaboration with Central European University (CEU), advanced and motivated undergraduates can spend a semester or a year taking graduate-level courses in Budapest, Hungary. The program is tailored to assure student success in the graduate environment, while also introducing participants to the country and the rich mixture of cultures represented by CEU’s international student body.
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ECLA of Bard, a Liberal Arts University in Berlin
Bard College assumed ownership of ECLA European College of Liberal Arts in Berlin, Germany in 2011. ECLA enrolls an international student body and offers a multidisciplinary B.A. in the humanities. Under Bard, ECLA’s programs will expand: graduates will receive a dual degree accredited in Germany and the United States; a new study abroad program will be introduced in 2012; and several master of arts degree programs are planned.
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Student-Led Initiatives
- AWARE: Guatemala
The Guatemalan chapter of Activists Worldwide AIDS/HIV and Reproductive Education (AWARE) seeks to ensure reproductive self-determination by raising awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention and contraception in rural high schools. During the summer of 2011, AWARE: Guatemala will offer pregnancy prevention and HIV/AIDS workshops to students ages 13–15. By partnering with Centro de Investigación Epidemiológica en Salud Sexual y Reproductiva/Epidemiologial (CIESAR), AWARE volunteers will be able to identify and access communities with high teen pregnancy rates. Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of low levels of accurate knowledge concerning modern or natural family planning methods. AWARE: Guatemala hopes to support women living in rural areas so they can make informed decisions.
- Bard Leprosy Relief Project
The Bard Leprosy Relief Project is dedicated to the global effort of eradicating the ancient, curable disease of leprosy. The Leprosy Relief Project supports eco-villages in Kathmandu, Nepal, where people suffering from leprosy seek refuge and medical attention. The Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco-Foundation (KRMEF, the newly constructed eco-village in Nepal) serves not only as a place for lepers to recover, but also supports a vibrant community of conscientious thinkers and activists. All buildings have a low environmental impact; residents use solar cookers to prepare meals; organic gardens have replaced empty government lots; Waldorf-trained teachers fill the run-down schools; village residents create soap-nut jewelry and other handicrafts; and a clinic provides free biomedical and alternative treatments for the entire community. Although members of the Bard Leprosy Relief Project participate directly in Nepal's development (many members come from Nepal), the project primarily operates from abroad. Students sell village handicrafts on campus to raise funds, as well as to educate fellow students about leprosy in Nepal. Events held by the Bard Leprosy Relief Project serve to inform the Bard community of the persistence of leprosy in the world, and the creative ways that exist to eradicate it.
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- Bard Palestinian Youth Initiative
The Bard Palestinian Youth Initiative (BPYI) empowers Palestinian young people intellectually and emotionally, helping them develop the tools to build a society that lives peacefully with its neighbors. Upwards of 20 Bard students travel each summer to Mas-ha in the West Bank. They conduct summer camps for children, build libraries and playgrounds, and organize cultural exchange programs. For example, the BPYI took 20 Palestinian teenagers to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. This was the first visit from a Palestinian educational group in the museum’s history.
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- Nicaragua Education Initiative
The Nicaragua Education Initiative focuses on educational projects that empower youth and community members in the town of Chacraseca, a rural community in western Nicaragua. It began as a student-led group responding to Hurricane Mitch in 1998, when students raised money to build houses and fund small scholarships for children to attend school. Since then, Bard students have returned to Chacraseca every winter and developed strong ties with the families there. The initiative's ongoing goal is to promote self-sustainability in Chacraseca. Students have established an extensive tutoring program and built a community library (which was financed by a Davis Projects for Peace grant). Continuing work includes providing scholarships for elementary- to university-level students, and organizing teacher training seminars.
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Bard Leprosy Relief Project
Daniela Anderson discusses her experience creating the Bard Leprosy Relief Project. This endeavor was inspired by the Kevin Rohan Eco-village, founded by Krishna Gurung in Kathmandu, Nepal.
