About DEI

Professor Ann Seaton. Photo by Scott Barrow

At Bard, diversity is an ongoing practice.

We embrace plurality, respect divergent viewpoints, and are committed to understanding the rich spectrum of experiences that make up our community. We firmly believe in upholding the value of critical thought and ethical engagement that this process necessarily demands. To accomplish this mission, we are dedicated to generating dialogue that fosters respect and collaboration between people from a wide field of backgrounds, talents, values, and passions.

Our Staff

Myra Young Armstead

Vice President for Academic Inclusive Excellence and Lyford Paterson Edwards and Helen Gray Edwards Professor of Historical Studies

armstead@bard.edu
845-758-7235
Office: Fairbairn 10

Myra Young Armstead
She received her doctorate in history from the University of Chicago where she interned under the late Dr. John Hope Franklin and concentrated in three fields: U.S. urban history, U.S. diplomatic history, and African colonial history.

She holds a master’s in international relations with a concentration in African affairs, and a bachelor’s from Cornell University, where she majored in government. Professor Armstead’s book publications include “Lord, Please Don’t Take Me in August”: African Americans in Newport and Saratoga Springs, 1870–1930 (University of Illinois, 1999); Mighty Change, Tall Within: Black Identity in the Hudson Valley (SUNY Press, 2003); and Freedom’s Gardener: James F. Brown, Horticulture, and the Hudson Valley in Antebellum America (New York University Press, 2012). Currently, she is completing two research projects: a book-length study of cultural reforms during the Progressive Era, and a study of class divisions and cross-class connections regarding economic issues among evangelical Protestants in North America. In 2014–15 she received a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to undertake research at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture for the Progressive Era project. Her study of economics and religion is supported by a three-year (2015–18) grant from the Louisville Institute.

At Bard, Professor Armstead has taught broadly in U.S. history with a concentration in 19th-century social and cultural history.
Ann Seaton

Director of the Difference and Media Project, Director of Multicultural Affairs, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities

aseaton@bard.edu
845-758-7047
Office: Albee Basement

Ann Seaton
Ann earned her BA from Wellesley College and PhD from Harvard University. She has been a visiting scholar at Columbia University; a Faculty Publishing Fellow, City University of New York; and Du Bois Fellow, Harvard. Assistant professor, English, CUNY.
Claudette S. Aldebot

Director of Equity and Inclusion Programs

caldebot@bard.edu
845-758-7605
Office: Kappa House 107

Claudette S. Aldebot
She was born and raised in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and moved to the Hudson Valley in 1995. She earned her BA in women’s studies and Spanish, and her MPA in humanistic and multicultural education with a focus on diversity and inclusion from SUNY New Paltz.

Claudette’s higher education experience is in the areas of residence life, assessment, student development, and teaching. She also brings an array of skills that were gained from her experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. As a first-generation student, she is passionate about paying it forward and guiding the next generation of BEOP scholars.

Photo by Karl Rabe

In the Classroom and Beyond

Bard College has historically been a sanctuary from ethnic, political, religious, and other forms of intolerance. We embody this legacy today with a strong investment in both local and global initiatives, from our Center for Civic Engagement to the Bard Prison Initiative and Early Colleges, as well as with our programs in Bishkek, Berlin, East Jerusalem, and St. Petersburg. Our curriculum encourages students to deepen their understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion through the distribution requirement, Difference and Justice, and Engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences courses, as well as programs of study that create space for historically marginalized voices in the academy.

More about Academics

About DEI

Our Staff

Myra Young Armstead

Ann Seaton

Claudette S. Aldebot

In the Classroom and Beyond

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Practice

Inclusive Pedagogy

Center for Faculty and Curricular Development

Additional Bard Resources

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources