Skip to main content.
Bard
  • Bard College Logo
  • Academics sub-menuAcademics
    • Programs and Divisions
    • Structure of the Curriculum
    • Courses
    • Requirements
    • Academic Calendar
    • College Catalogue
    • Faculty
    • Bard Abroad
    • Libraries
    • Dual-Degree Programs
    • Bard Conservatory of Music
    • Other Study Opportunities
    • Graduate Programs
    • Early Colleges
  • Admission sub-menuAdmission
    • Applying
    • Financial Aid
    • Tuition + Payment
    • Campus Tours
    • Meet Our Students + Alumni/ae
    • For Families / Familias
    • Join Our Mailing List
    • Contact Us
  • Campus Life sub-menuCampus Life
    Living on Campus:
    • Housing + Dining
    • Campus Services + Resources
    • Campus Activities
    • New Students
    • Visiting + Transportation
    • Athletics + Recreation
    • Montgomery Place Campus
  • Civic Engagement sub-menuCivic Engagement
    Bard CCE
    • Engaged Learning
    • Student Leadership
    • Grow Your Network
    • About CCE
    • Our Partners
    • Get Involved
  • Newsroom sub-menuNews + Events
    • Newsroom
    • Events Calendar
    • Press Releases
    • Office of Communications
    • Commencement Weekend
    • Alumni/ae Reunion
    • Fisher Center + SummerScape
    • Athletic Events
  • About Bard sub-menuAbout
      About Bard:
    • Bard History
    • Campus Tours
    • Mission Statement
    • Love of Learning
    • Visiting Bard
    • Employment
    • Support Bard
    • Open Society University Network
    • Bard Abroad
    • The Bard Network
    • Inclusive Excellence
    • Sustainability
    • Title IX and Nondiscrimination
    • Inside Bard
    • Dean of the College
  • Giving
  • Search
Bard Commencement Weekend, May 23–25, 2025
Information For:
  • Faculty + Staff
  • Alumni/ae
  • Families
  • Students

Giving to Bard
Quick Links
  • Apply to Bard
  • Employment
  • Travel to Bard
  • Bard Campus Map

Join the Conversation
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Read about us on Threads
Bluesky
Watch us on You Tube
Photo by Samuel Stuart Hollenshead

Commencement 2025

News Menu
  • Newsroom
  • Events Calendar
  • News Archive
  • Press Releases
  • special sub-menuSpecial Events
    • Commencement + Reunion
    • Family + Alumni/ae Weekend
    • Fisher Center
    • Bard Summerscape
    • Bard Athletics
  • Home
  • Schedule
  • Registration
  • Awards
  • Honorary Degrees
  • FAQs
  • Home
Image of Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis, this year's Commencement Speaker
Photo by Josué Azor

Bard Announces This Year’s Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients

The Commencement address will be given by former Prime Minister of Haiti (2008–09) and President/Founder of Fondation Connaissance et Liberté (Foundation for Knowledge and Liberty, or FOKAL) Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis, who is also a professor at Université Quisqueya in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Honorary degrees will be awarded to Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis, lawyer Jack Arthur Blum ’62, artist and performer Justin Vivian Bond, philanthropist and art collector Maja Hoffmann, academic and journalist Josef Joffe, photographer Cindy Sherman, and endocrinologist Yaron Tomer.
More About Honorary Degree Recipients →

Graduates in red standing and celebrating.

Registration Is Now Closed

Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
We look forward to celebrating this year’s graduates at Bard College’s 165th Commencement on May 24.

Join Us

Download the Commencement invitation today!
Download the Invitation
A graduate and friend hugging.
Photo by Karl Rabe

Bard College Will Hold Its 165th Commencement on Saturday, May 24, 2025

Join us!
We look forward to welcoming you for an entire weekend of celebration. Check out this year’s schedule here. If you have any questions about the weekend, please review the FAQs page or contact the Office of Special Events at [email protected]. 

Highlights Include

    • A Commencement concert with The Orchestra Now (TŌN) on Friday evening
    • The Bard College Awards, an annual event celebrating the exceptional achievements of Bard alumni/ae and friends of the College
    • Senior Project Exhibitions in photography and studio arts
    • A post-commencement barbecue on the lawn of Blithewood
    • Dancing and fireworks

Commencement Flipbook

Learn more about the highlights of the weekend, including information about events and awardees.

A Few Things to Note

    • There are no tickets to Commencement. Seating is first come, first served. The tent opens at 1 pm. The procession begins at 2:30 pm.
    •  We ask that you indicate the number of guests in your party in the registration form so we can get an estimated number of attendees (seats are not guaranteed).
    • To provide the most enjoyable experience for all our guests, we request limiting each party to six.
    • Bring your favorite water bottle! Bottle filling stations are positioned around the perimeter of the Commencement tent and offer free water refills.
    • Both Commencement and the barbecue are under grand tents, which are not climate controlled. Guests who prefer to watch Commencement in an air-conditioned environment are encouraged to take advantage of livestreaming locations on campus.
    • Please bring comfortable walking shoes. Buses will be running campus loops and a limited number of accessibility golf carts will be available to shuttle those needing assistance, but most guests walk. 
    View All FAQs

Join the Conversation

        
#bardcollege #bard25

Questions? Email [email protected].

Follow @bardcollege on Instagram!

Powered by Curator.io
Bard College
30 Campus Road, PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York 12504-5000
Phone: 845-758-6822
Admission Email: [email protected]
Information For
Prospective Students
Current Employees
Alumni/ae 
Families

©2025 Bard College
Quick Links
Employment
Travel to Bard
Search
Support Bard
Bard IT Policies + Security
Bard has a long history of creating inclusive environments for all races, creeds, ethnicities, and genders. We will continue to monitor and adhere to all Federal and New York State laws and guidance.
Like us on Facebook
Follow Us on Instagram
Threads
Bluesky
YouTube