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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.
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Upcoming Events

  • 4/20
    Tuesday

    Varied
  • 4/20
    Tuesday

    6:00 pm – 7:30 pm EDT/GMT-4 Online Event
  • 4/20
    Tuesday

    6:00 pm – 7:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
  • 4/21
    Wednesday

    6:00 pm – 7:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
  • 4/21
    Wednesday

    6:00 pm – 7:30 pm EDT/GMT-4 Online Event
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Recent Updates

Womxn's History Month Spotlight

Womxn's History Month Spotlight

Emerald Rose McKenzie ’52

Emerald Rose McKenzie was one of the first African American women to graduate from Bard. Originally from Nassau in the British West Indies, McKenzie grew up in Brooklyn and went to a school for the blind. She attended Bard College on a full scholarship, majoring in sociology and anthropology. She is remembered by her fellow students as being a beacon of courage and ambition in the face of adversity and for her selfless concern for others. McKenzie became a senior caseworker at the Jewish Guild for the Blind. McKenzie and her Seeing Eye dog, Karen, were a familiar sight on campus during the early 1950s, and her legacy lives on in the annual Emerald Rose McKenzie ’52 Scholarship. The scholarship, established by classmates as part of the 1998 celebration of “Fifty Years of Women at Bard College,” is awarded to students who display a strong commitment to humanitarian ideals. McKenzie House, part of the Bard Houses/Faculty in Residence Program, is named for McKenzie.

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

Excellence in Athletics

A Coalition to Support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Bard College Athletics

This coalition—composed of student-athletes, faculty, and staff—is charged with reviewing Bard’s Office of Athletics and Recreation in areas of accessibility as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion, taking into account existing policies, facilities, and student and staff experiences. As the coalition’s work progresses, the administration of the Department of Athletics and Recreation has undertaken the important work of creating a diversity strategic plan that includes goals for mandatory training for all student-athletes, increasing diversity in the coaching staff, increasing community engagement, and more diversity among student-athletes.

More from Bard Athletics

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.

More Campus Resources

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 (c. 1824–89), an African American who labored for 50 years at Montgomery Place, now part of the Bard College campus. Gilson became head gardener at Montgomery Place and eventually opened up his own nursery business.

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.

More about Equity + Inclusion Programs at Bard