"Please accept my congratulations on your acceptance to Bard College," writes Bard president Leon Botstein. "I want to welcome you into a college community that cherishes the life of the mind but also seeks to link the spirit of inquiry to public service and engagement with life in society."
Bard regards learning as a joy. As the Roman philosopher Seneca put it, true joy is a serious thing. But we also believe that institutions of higher education have a duty to address problems that affect our country and the world, particularly in the realm of education. That belief is manifest in programs such as the Bard Prison Initiative, which restores opportunities for higher education for inmates, and our nine Bard High School Early Colleges, public schools that rethink the traditional model of high school education.
In the next couple of weeks, you will probably be visiting several campuses, including Bard. Some of you may have already decided to come to Bard, and some may have decided to attend other institutions. In the end, each of you should feel excited about as well as comfortable in the place you pursue your undergraduate education. We hope each of you will choose Bard. Of course every institution thinks of itself as special, but few campuses possess a truly distinctive character and spirit. Bard is particularly proud of the atmosphere of seriousness and enthusiasm that is generated at the College with respect to the experience in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community at large.
I am sure each of you will flourish in your college years. The purpose of a college education is to reframe your ambitions, heighten your expectations, and place yourself on the path to realizing your highest aspirations. What you accomplish in college is far more important than where you go. I again congratulate you on being admitted to Bard. And I assure you that should you choose Bard, I and my colleagues will do everything in our power to make sure that you have the most challenging and constructive experience we can provide.
With best wishes, I am,
Cordially,
Leon Botstein
Bard College's Policy on COVID-19 Vaccinations
As the 2020-2021 academic year comes to a close and we look forward to the graduation of the Class of 2021, we are grateful to the Bard Community for keeping campus safe. Through adherence to the College's comprehensive COVID-19 safety protocols, Bard has seen an extremely low number of COVID-19 cases throughout this academic year. With vaccines now widely available, the College has been working to help community members get vaccinated as quickly as possible, by organizing shuttle buses to local vaccination sites and offering an on-campus vaccination clinic. As a result, a large percentage of students and employees are already fully vaccinated.
Welcome Class of 2025!
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Students will need to answer the membership questions and agree to the group rules before their membership will be approved.
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Language and Thinking Program
The Language and Thinking Program is an intensive introduction to the liberal arts and sciences attended by all incoming Bard students for three weeks in August of their first year.
Virtual Event Recordings
Below are the recordings of virtual events: Bard's president in conversation with faculty; faculty readings; students, parents, and alumni/ae series!
Bard Connects Through Photos
Bard community members from across the network, the globe, and from right here in Annandale-on-Hudson shared photos of a peek at their view of spring!
Discover More
Explore the offices below or visit our Campus Life pages to learn about the system of academic and extracurricular support at Bard.