Bard Center Scholarly Programs
Institute for Writing and Thinking
For more than 30 years, the Institute for Writing and Thinking (IWT) has offered hands-on, experiential workshops to help prepare secondary and college teachers of all subjects to use writing as a central classroom activity—creating an environment in which students learn to read, think, and make meaning through writing. IWT workshops offer a unique place where teachers can reflect on their experiences both as learners and teachers, and explore how to adapt and incorporate diverse writing strategies into their existing curriculum.
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The workshops are led by expert faculty associates who teach a wide variety of subjects at colleges, universities, and high schools around the country. These faculty associates utilize and refine IWT practices, drawing on contemporary educational scholarship to develop the best techniques for teaching writing.
Since its inception in 1982, more than 40,000 teachers from colleges and schools across the nation have taken part in institute workshops, either at Bard or on-site at their schools. IWT is active at Bard’s MAT campuses in New York and California, and at the Bard High School Early College programs in New York City, Newark, New Orleans, and at Simon’s Rock. IWT also offers workshops and support at Bard’s partner institutions worldwide, including the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Al-Quds University in the West Bank, Central European University in Budapest, Smolny College in St. Petersburg, and ECLA of Bard in Berlin.
Bard Fiction Prize
The Bard Fiction Prize was established in 2001 and is awarded annually to an emerging writer who is an American citizen aged 39 years or younger at the time of application. In addition to a monetary award, the winner receives an appointment as writer in residence at Bard College for one semester. The prize, awarded each October, is intended to encourage and support young writers of fiction in pursuing their creative goals and to provide them with an opportunity to work in a fertile intellectual environment.
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Recipients of the prize are Brian Conn (2013), Benjamin Hale (2012), Karen Russell (2011), Samantha Hunt (2010), Fiona Maazel (2009), Salvador Plascencia (2008), Peter Orner (2007), Edie Meidav (2006), Paul La Farge (2005), Monique Truong (2004), Emily Barton (2003), and Nathan Englander (2002).
Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series
The Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series originated in 1979 when Nobel laureate physicist Paul Dirac accepted an invitation from Bard professor Abe Gelbart and The Bard Center to deliver a lecture titled “The Discovery of Antimatter.” The talk presented a view of science rarely seen by the general public—as a record of personal achievement as well as a body of facts and theories.
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Since then audiences have heard more than a hundred eminent scientists, including 45 Nobel laureates and four Fields medalists. Speakers have included Nina Jablonski, author of Skin: A Natural History and a leading researcher on the evolution of human skin color; Deborah Tannen, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University and author of You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation; Scott Gilbert, Howard A. Schneiderman Professor of Biology at Swarthmore College; Mark A. Cane, G. Unger Vetlesen Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences and professor of applied mathematics and applied physics at Columbia University; and Henri Brunner, professor emeritus at the University of Regensburg, Germany, and a preeminent contributor to the fields of catalysis and inorganic stereochemistry.
Intergenerational Seminars
A major goal of The Bard Center is to bring undergraduate students out of the generational isolation of elementary and secondary education to enrich their college experience and the experience of the community. Intergenerational seminars are offered in the evening, with Bard students and community members meeting in groups of 15 to 20 to discuss topics of common interest.
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Each seminar, led by a diverse group of scholars including Bard faculty, Bard Center fellows, and visiting lecturers, meets once a week for three consecutive weeks. Some recent seminar topics have included “Economies of Modern European Literature”; “Historical Archaeology of 18th-Century Palatines in Germantown and Environs”; “‘Limitless Spaces and Superhuman Silences’: The Poetry and Thought of Giacomo Leopardi”; and “The Troubles and Beyond: Space, Violence, and Language in Northern Ireland.”
Leon Levy Endowment Fund
The Leon Levy Endowment Fund was created in 1995 by the Bard College Board of Trustees, in recognition of more than a decade of transformative philanthropy by Leon Levy, founder of the Levy Economics Institute. Through grants in many areas, the foundation supports Bard College’s academic excellence.
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Leon Levy Scholarships are awarded annually to second- and third-year students who demonstrate exceptional merit in written and oral expression, evidence of independent thinking and intellectual leadership, and interest in a breadth of academic and artistic pursuits. The Fund also supports the Bard Music Festival and its associated book series, and makes possible many lectures and performances at Bard. The Leon Levy Professorship in the Arts and Humanities is held by Leon Botstein, president of the College.
