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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Photo by Pete Mauney '93 MFA '00

We embrace plurality, respect divergent viewpoints, and are committed to understanding the rich spectrum of experiences that comprise our community.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Bard seeks to materialize our commitment to plurality, dialogue, and rigorous study. We strive to create a learning environment that upholds the College’s mission to meaningfully include the voices, works, and ideas of communities and cultures historically marginalized in liberal arts and sciences education. DEI at Bard aims to work at the systemic as well as the interpersonal level to address the implicit and explicit ways racism, sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and religious discrimination impact the learning process.

Bard College's Response to the


Killing of Unarmed Black Individuals

Acknowledging Bard's Origins

  •    
    Bard College acknowledges that its origins are intertwined with the systems of racial injustice that have been a part of this nation’s history from its foundations.
    Read about Bard's History

Reflecting on the Moment

Reflecting on the Moment is a collaborative initiative spearheaded by the Dean of the College in consultation with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The new series invites alumni/ae, current undergraduates, faculty, and staff to have honest conversations about the current moment we are living in the wake of a global pandemic and systemic police brutality. The aim is to present models of inclusive dialogue, to draw from the rich personal experiences and expertise of our ever-developing and ever-changing community, and to present approaches for community activism and engagement in the name of racial equity and justice.

Conversations on Racial Equity and Justice

  • The Making of Hothouse
    Dancers and choreographers Sam Pratt '14—Bard alum and double major in dance and philosophy—and Amadi Washington discuss their new project Hothouse with Maria Simpson, director of the Dance Program at Bard College. Amadi and Sam collaborate as the duo Baye & Asa. Hothouse responds to the reillumination of the country's practice of systemic racism by way of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Engaging Local Communities
    Cammie Jones, associate dean of experiential learning and civic engagement, and Peter Klein, assistant professor of sociology and environmental and urban studies, speak about institutional and educational collaborations with local communities in Kingston, New York, and how they are rethinking community engagement in light of the current moment.
  • Mentorship and the University
    Dariel Vasquez, cofounder and codirector of Brothers@Bard and Brothers@, as well as a member of the Class of 2017, and Drew Thompson, Assistant Professor of Africana and Historical Studies and Director of Africana Studies, speak about the role of mentorship and the university in the wake of the global pandemic and police brutality.
What We Do

What We Do

DEI collaborates with faculty, staff, and students on learning, teaching, student development, institutional functioning, and engagement in local and global communities. In an increasingly intertwined and rapidly changing world, we are dedicated to a rigorous examination of the institutions and structures that sustain inequality. Above all, we maintain an ongoing commitment to decreasing the distance between these ideals and our everyday realities.

The Council for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) sponsors and cosponsors campus-wide events such as speakers, panels, and movie screenings that relate to social justice, intercultural communication, equity, and inclusion. The council is committed to making Bard an environment that is supportive of communities historically marginalized in liberal arts and sciences education. 

Campus Resources

Student Clubs
Chinese Calligraphy Club at the Bard College Club Fair. Photo by Sarah Wallock '19.

Student Clubs

Student clubs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the College include the Bard Christian Fellowship, the Latin American Student Organization, and the Trans Lyfe Collective. For more information about these and other clubs, visit student.bard.edu/clublist.

  • Student Government
    Student Government provides leadership for students interested in making Bard College a better place, and is always ready to support students working on issues of diversity and inclusion.
  • Center for Student Life and Advising
    Housing the Dean of Student Affairs Office, CSLA provides support to students struggling to figure out what diversity means, what they want it to mean, and how to bridge the gap between the two.
  • Photo by Scott Barrow
    Office of Student Activities
    The OSA helps students plan programs, organize events, and lead clubs in an effort to make Bard a more diverse and accepting place, all while keeping students engaged and making sure they have fun.
Center for Civic Engagement
Bard College Community Action Award Winners

Center for Civic Engagement

The CCE connects students with opportunities on and off campus to empower them to become active citizens. It can help students find and finance internships, start organizations, and attend or lead conferences.

Center for Civic Engagement

Gilson Place: Dedicated in Support of Students of Color 
Ribbon-cutting ceremony at the dedication of Gilson Place. Photo by Najwa Jamal '21

Gilson Place: Dedicated in Support of Students of Color 

Gilson Place, formerly Grey Stone Cottage, is a space dedicated to the advancement of students of color. Bard faculty and student leaders collaborated on its recent renovation and redesign. Gilson Place supports the academic, personal, and social success of members of the Bard community historically underrepresented in liberal arts and sciences education and fosters dialogue about race and culture on campus. The space is named for Alexander Gilson, a freed African American slave who became the head gardener at Montgomery Place, now part of the Bard College campus, and eventually opened up his own nursery business.

 

Accessibility at Bard

In service of its mission, Bard College is committed to being a fully accessible community in which all students, staff, faculty, alumni/ae, and visitors are valued, engaged, and empowered to participate. The College strives to continually improve physical, educational, and programmatic access and identify barriers that would otherwise limit full participation in the life of the College. The College encourages all community members to be actively engaged to advance this mission.

More about Accessibility

Brothers at Bard

Brothers at Bard

Brothers at Bard began as a campus club and has grown to an institutional initiative with four objectives: to offer a safe space for men of color studying at Bard College; to mentor men of color in high school; to facilitate career development among alumni of color; and to play an active role in the national coalition of organizations dedicated to lifting up young men of color in their academic, personal, and professional development.

More about Brothers at Bard

Discover More
Candlelight vigil at Bard College hosted by Bard Chaplaincy. Photo by Claire Debost.

Discover More

Bard Early Colleges
Bard Educational Opportunity Programs
Bard Prison Initiative
Chaplaincy
Chinua Achebe Center for African Writers and Artists
Clemente Course in the Humanities
Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities
Institute for International Liberal Education
La Voz
Posse Program

Spotlight on the Posse Program
Posse graduates. Photo by Pete Mauney '93 MFA '00.

Spotlight on the Posse Program

The Posse Foundation recruits talented public high school students who might have been overlooked by traditional college selection processes, forming them into supportive Posses and connecting them with participating colleges. Every year Bard accepts a Posse of 10 students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential, offering them full-tuition scholarships.

possefoundation.org