A Private College in the Public Interest Bard College seeks to inspire curiosity, a love of learning, idealism, and a commitment to the link between higher education and civic participation.
SCAT! The Complex Lives of Al & Dot, Dot & Al Zollar will receive its world premiere at SummerScape 2024. Photo by Rick McCullough
SummerScape 2024
Join us for eight weeks of opera, theater, dance, music, Spiegeltent, and the 34th Bard Music Festival, Berlioz and His World.
“A hothouse for the creation of uncompromising, cross-disciplinary hits.” —New York Times
Academics at Bard focus on giving students a strong scholarly foundation with our core curriculum, then encouraging them to explore individual academic interests. The College seeks to inspire curiosity, a love of learning, idealism, and a commitment to the link between higher education and civic participation. Close contact with scholars who are teachers but also active in their disciplines is a constant, and the level of academic discourse in the classroom is high. The College provides a beautiful setting in which students pursue their academic interests and craft a rich cultural and social life.
Civic engagement is at the core of Bard College’s institutional mission, reflecting the fundamental belief that higher education institutions can and should operate in the public interest. Bard uses its resources to develop partnerships that address local, national, and global problems, reach underserved populations, and tackle critical issues of education and public policy.
“At Bard, we show up. We build, paint, dig, teach, play, sing, sweat. We show up in the middle of the night, work in the rain, crawl under the car, whatever it takes. This does not mean erasing the self. It means struggling with the tension between self and collective interests, and then acting compassionately.” —Paul Marienthal, Dean for Social Action; Director, Trustee Leader Scholar Program
Watch: Annie, a premed biology major at Bard, explores the Reem-Kayden Center for Science and Computation.
Campus Life
The focus of student life at Bard College, both inside and outside the classroom, is on campus. From its historic Hudson Valley setting to its state-of-the-art science and arts facilities, the College offers an idyllic environment where students can enjoy a rich social life interwoven with their cultural and intellectual pursuits.
Bard College offers the best of both worlds: a traditional liberal arts college with exceptional programs in the fine and performing arts. In small classes taught by notable faculty, students work closely with top professionals in their fields. All students, whatever their major, are encouraged to take advantage of the same high-level arts instruction and engagement; the discipline of cultivating one’s artistic abilities has wide-ranging collateral benefits.
Bard Professor Antonios Kontos Awarded $351,951 Grant from the National Science Foundation
Antonios Kontos, associate professor and director of physics at Bard College, has been awarded a research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Kontos’ proposal, titled “Stray Light Control for Cosmic Explorer,” has been awarded a total of $351,951 in funding over a period of three years, which will also cover student salaries, travel, and equipment. “Try to imagine a telescope that can hear every collision between two stars in the universe. That is what we are creating with the Cosmic Explorer detector,” said Kontos. More >
Wihanble S’a Center at Bard College Receives $500,000 Grant and Named NEH Humanities Research Center on Artificial Intelligence
Bard College is pleased to announce the Wihanble S’a Center for Indigenous AI, directed by Dr. Suzanne Kite MFA ’18, distinguished artist in residence and assistant professor of American and Indigenous Studies, has been designated as a Humanities Research Center on AI by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This prestigious recognition will confer a $500,000 grant in support of the Center. Beginning Fall 2024, the Wihanble S’a Center will embark on groundbreaking research aimed at developing ethical AI frameworks deeply rooted in Indigenous methodologies. More >
