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April 2026 News for Bard Families & Friends |
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In March, Bard College's Center for Indigenous Studies held its 2026 symposium, "An Invitation to Interconnectedness: Indigenous Approaches to Information, Knowledge, Justice, and Belonging." Co-sponsored by the Stevenson Library, the symposium discussed Indigenous taxonomies in libraries, archives and museums. Photo Credit: Gaspard Bason '29. |
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Dear Bard Families,
April is an action-packed month with lots to celebrate starting with the career fair, two admitted student days, senior project submission day and celebratory events for graduating students. Here is what you need to know:
The Career Development Office (CDO) hosted their seventh annual Internship & Job Fair on Friday, March 27 in the Campus Center’s MPR. A range of companies and organizations tabled during the fair, offering paid and unpaid opportunities for students in a variety of interest fields. For unpaid or underpaid civic-related internships, the Center for Civic Engagement hosts an application for students to apply to be considered for summer funding through the Community Action Awards (CAA). The deadline for students to apply is Monday, April 6.
The Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs will be kicking off a “50 Days to Graduation” countdown celebration with a special gathering at Campus Center North on Friday, April 3. Graduating students are invited to join staff and faculty to celebrate their accomplishments and learn more about what is in store as graduation approaches. Please note that senior projects are due by 5pm on Wednesday, April 29.
The Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs and Bard’s Family Leadership Council are excited to launch a nine day online auction from April 7 to April 16 in support of Bard’s Sanctuary Fund. This fund offers displaced and refugee students at Bard assistance with costs such as room and board, books, transportation, medical and legal fees, and more. The auction items include hotel stays, restaurant gift certificates, museum tours, concert tickets, sail boat charters, biplane tours of the Hudson Valley, and more! More information about the auction will be circulated on Monday, April 6, the day before the auction is scheduled to go live. If you have any questions about the auction in the meantime, please contact Mackie Siebens '12, Assistant Director of Development for Family Programs at [email protected].
The Bard Family Network will be represented at both Admitted Student Days in April (April 11 and April 18) at the Community Fair to help answer questions about all that Bard has to offer. Special thanks to members of Bard’s Family Leadership Council for volunteering to table at these events. We’re looking forward to meeting the next class of Bardians and their families!
To continue celebrating the Class of 2026, the College is offering free sessions with professional photographers for graduating senior portraits on Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5 from 9am-12pm and 1pm-5pm at Blithewood. You will be able to download digital copies for free and order prints for purchase from our website when the photos are ready. Other celebratory events for seniors this spring include the Faculty/Staff Vs. Students Basketball Game, which took place last night!
As a reminder, the full schedule for Commencement is available online along with the registration form and an FAQs page. Please take note of the important information below and direct questions to the Events Office at [email protected].
• Commencement is not ticketed but the families of graduating students should register for commencement using this registration form.
• The barbecue following commencement is free for graduating students, but they need to be registered for commencement in advance to receive their complimentary barbecue ticket. They will be prompted to register themselves closer to commencement or families have the option to register them through the registration form.
• The commencement tent opens at 1:30pm and the procession begins at 2:30pm.
• Commencement tent seating is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
• To provide the most enjoyable experience for all of our guests, we request limiting each party to six.
• Registration closes on Monday, May 4 at midnight.
• Please bring your favorite reusable bottles to the ceremony. Bard is reducing the use of plastic bottled water on campus. Bottle-filling stations will offer water refills around the perimeter of the commencement tent.
Bardians continue to impress this April. Be sure to read the “Bardian Newsmakers” section below for highlights on their recent achievements. #bardianandproud.
Best Wishes,
Mackie Siebens '12
Assistant Director of Development, Family Programs
[email protected]
845-758-7316
P.S. Every year, support from families and friends helps make it possible for Bard to educate courageously in Annandale. Please consider a gift to Bard before our fiscal year ends on June 30.
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Dates to Remember
To view the full 2025–2026 academic calendar, click here.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 | Last Day to Withdraw from a Class
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 | Senior Projects Due (5:00 p.m.)
Thursday, May 7, 2026 | Registration for Fall Classes Opens at 8 a.m.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 – Tuesday, May 19, 2026 | Completion Days—Regular Classes and Final Exams
Monday, May 18, 2026 | Provisional Senior Grades Due in the Office of the Registrar
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 | Last Day of Spring Classes
Thursday, May 21, 2026 | Baccalaureate Service and Senior Dinner
Saturday, May 23, 2026 | Commencement |
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Family Leadership Council
Members of the Family Leadership Council (FLC) play a leadership role in the Bard community through a range of activities. FLC members develop and participate in on-campus and regional recruiting and mentoring events, promote and provide career opportunities for students, and participate in peer-to-peer fundraising. Parents on the FLC play a role in the success of the Bard College Fund through annual gifts. The Family Leadership Council meets twice each year: once during Family Weekend in the fall and once in the spring. These meetings are open so all Bard families are welcome to attend.
Interested in joining or have questions? Contact Mackie Siebens '12, Assistant Director of Development for Family Programs, at [email protected] or 845-758-7316. |
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Tschabalala Self. Photo by Paula Virta.
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Bard College Alumna Tschabalala Self '12 Interviewed in the New York Times and Elle Decor
Sculptor and painter Tschabalala Self '12 was profiled in the New York Times and Elle Decor to commemorate her piece “Art Lovers” being included on the facade of the New Museum in NYC. The piece was unveiled at the museum’s reopening earlier this year.
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L–R: Ei Arakawa-Nash MFA ’07; Lotus L. Kang MFA ’15 (photo by Seth Fluker)
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Bard Alumni/ae Will Feature in the 2026 Venice Biennale
Works by two Bard College alumni/ae, Ei Arakawa-Nash MFA ’07 and Lotus L. Kang MFA ’15, will be featured in the 2026 Venice Biennale, which will run from May 9 to November 22. Arakawa-Nash, a performance artist, will represent Japan at the Biennale, and Kang, a sculptor, has been commissioned to produce a major new installation for the inaugural Bulgari Pavilion.
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Michael Sadowski, associate dean of the College and associate professor in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program.
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Michael Sadowski Interviewed for the Teaching While Queer Podcast
Professor Michael Sadowski was interviewed on the Teaching While Queer podcast, where he discussed what it means to be an out queer educator and Sadowski’s research on queer youth, as well as his 2021 memoir and his debut novel Indiana Queer.
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A performance at the Spiegeltent. Photo by Maria Baranova
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The Fisher Center at Bard Presents Thrilling Multidisciplinary Programming in its Spiegeltent Throughout Bard SummerScape 2026, June 26 – August 15
The Fisher Center at Bard, one of the country’s leading multidisciplinary producing institutions, today announces SummerScape 2026’s Spiegeltent programming, June 26 – August 15. Curated by Jason Collins, Spiegeltent programming brings to audiences a cornucopia of wildly distinct performers working across various disciplines. Throughout SummerScape, the Spiegeltent showcases a dynamic blend of music, comedy, and cabaret, creating an inclusive gathering place for live performance, dancing, drinks, dining, and revelry all summer long in the Hudson Valley.
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Ramón Zamora. Photo by Bernardo Díaz
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Bard College and PEN America Announce the Launch of the Central America Independent Media Archive
Bard College, together with PEN America, is pleased to announce the launch of Central America Independent Media Archive (CAIMA), an initiative to safeguard and preserve independent journalism in Central America through a digital archive accessible to the public. CAIMA was built in partnership with the Russian Independent Media Archive team, and is the latest project under the umbrella of Kronika, a joint civic tech project of Bard College and PEN America which builds tools to protect endangered media against state censorship.
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Our March Supporters
Thank you to Bard families and friends who supported Bard in March. We are grateful for your generosity to the College!
#donorsmakedegreespossible.
Anonymous (6) • Russ Bailey and Jennifer Bailey • Godfrey N. Nelson and Lorraine M. Nelson Wolf • Irina Lebedeva • Bismark Pena • Thomas Cooke and Teresa Cooke • Richard J. Leider and Jane E. Leider • Peter J. White and Ellen L. White • Kimberly L. Haas • Martin Kenner and Camilla Smith • Michael Benjamin and Sandra L. Benjamin • Torsten Rohde • Asher Miller and Heather Miller • Ilya Levinson and Martine Benmann • Kenneth Miller and Julie Ries • Matthew J. Mallow and Ellen J. Chesler • Victoria H. Sutton and Jim Sutton • Anthony Cornicello and Maria Cornicello • Helena Giersz • Frank Komola • Jen A. Henriquez '98 and John Henriquez '00 • Michael S. Rosenberg and Kimberly L. Beane • Robert J. O'Neill • Evan Eisenberg and Freda C. Eisenberg • Lee Houghton and Amy Prince • Vaidya Gullapalli • Alan W. Harris and Evelyn L. Herwitz Harris • John J. Miller and Emily Altschul-Miller • James C. Krieg and Erika A. Krieg • Gregory Fields and Rozanna Leo-Fields • Alison E. Ryan and Jane J. Stephenson • Dan Junkins and Minette Junkins • Justin C. Sprinzen and Nicole H. Sprinzen • James Wilmerding • Kate E. Bright '01 • Peter W. Greenwald and Gail M. Newman • Ted Zimmerman and Mia Zimmerman • Juraj Ondrejka and Sandra Ondrejka • Keley A. Russo • Eric B. Remick and Sarah E. Morgan • Denis Duman and Alix M. Shafer '78 • Robert E. Koulish and Stephanie A. Flores-Koulish • Benjamin Polak and Stefanie R. Markovits • David W. Jacobowitz '65 and Linda Rodd • Jason T. Robison and Anne S. Robison • Krassimir Grouev • Helene Tieger '85 and Paul Ciancanelli • Jeremy Reynolds and Colleen M. Conway • Robert A. Goldfarb '59 and Beth M. Uffner • Irwin Richman and M. Susan Richman • Richard A. Shafer • Isabel Spencer • Peter Coopersmith and Heather Hart • Cheryl S Cummer • Jane Kim • David Meikle
To give to Bard today, visit giving.bard.edu/bcf. |
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