Bard Vice President Malia Du Mont ’95 and Professor Chris Gibson Discuss How Students Think About Civic Responsibility and Public Service on Radio Kingston
Launching in the 2027 Spring semester, “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” will introduce new curricula, foster partnerships with other colleges and universities, and encourage public service. Photo by Kay Bell ’26
On Radio Kingston, Malia Du Mont '95, senior fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center (HAC) and Bard’s vice president for strategy and policy, was joined by former New York Congressman Chris Gibson, HAC senior fellow and a professor of political practice, to discuss the HAC’s new initiative, “A Republic, If You Can Keep It.” Appearing on Afternoons with Jami, they discussed the initiative’s mission to help students think deeply about citizenship, civic responsibility, public service, and productive engagement at a time of intense polarization.
Launching in the 2027 Spring semester, “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” will introduce new curricula, foster partnerships with other colleges and universities, and encourage public service. At a particularly challenging moment in American history, the new initiative was described as reflecting the optimism inherent in teaching and learning, and the work of changing both oneself and society for the better.
“We want to help students have a sense of what the possibilities for the future are,” said Du Mont. “We believe we can keep [the republic]. It’s hard work, we don’t think we’re about to lose it, we’re concerned, but we fundamentally believe and are dedicating ourselves to moving forward together.”
The mission of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College is to create and nurture an institutional space for bold, risky, and provocative thinking about our political world in the spirit of Hannah Arendt. Its vision is to empower people to discover their unique opinions and political agency and also find common ground to build together a shared world through thinking, listening, and talking with one another.
Post Date: 09-03-2026
Launching in the 2027 Spring semester, “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” will introduce new curricula, foster partnerships with other colleges and universities, and encourage public service. At a particularly challenging moment in American history, the new initiative was described as reflecting the optimism inherent in teaching and learning, and the work of changing both oneself and society for the better.
“We want to help students have a sense of what the possibilities for the future are,” said Du Mont. “We believe we can keep [the republic]. It’s hard work, we don’t think we’re about to lose it, we’re concerned, but we fundamentally believe and are dedicating ourselves to moving forward together.”
The mission of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College is to create and nurture an institutional space for bold, risky, and provocative thinking about our political world in the spirit of Hannah Arendt. Its vision is to empower people to discover their unique opinions and political agency and also find common ground to build together a shared world through thinking, listening, and talking with one another.
Post Date: 09-03-2026