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November 2025 News for Bard Families & Friends |
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A tour of the construction of the new Performing Arts Lab designed by Maya Lin, Family and Alumni/ae Weekend 2025. Photo Credit: Karl Rabe. |
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Dear Bard Families,
What a fantastic weekend we had celebrating all that Bard has to offer during Family and Alumni/ae Weekend in October! Thank you to all of you who attended, engaged in Bard events, and gave to the College. If you missed the opportunity to donate to Bard over this special weekend, please consider giving today.
Special thanks to Bard parents, Janice and Rob Mielarczyk, for hosting the Family Leadership Council meeting on Saturday morning. If you are interested in getting involved with the Family Leadership Council, please contact me, Mackie Siebens '12, at [email protected].
We also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Bard College Conservatory of Music and Leon Botstein's 50th year as President of Bard College with a special concert at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on Wednesday, October 29. It was lovely to see so many Bard families in attendance.
Bard College is thrilled to kick off a month-long celebration dedicated to honoring our exceptional Bard Student Scholars and the generous donors who support their educational journeys. Scroll down to learn more!
The SCALE Project and the Dean of Inclusive Excellence have been hosting events all week in celebration of First Generation Celebration Week. To top off a wonderful schedule of activities, these offices are co-hosting a dinner from 7-9pm at Blithewood tomorrow evening, Friday, November 7. Students are invited to attend to support and recognize the College's first-gen Bardians. The dinner is being co-sponsored by the Black Student Organization, Caribbean Student Association, Latin American Student Organization, and Gilson Place.
Bard College is also celebrating Native American Heritage Month this November. All month, Bardians will have the opportunity to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native people in America through programming organized by Bard’s Center for Indigenous Studies. To learn more, click here.
One of my favorite things about the fall semester at Bard is the International Student Cultural (ISO) Show. The ISO is one of the largest student clubs on campus and brings the Bard community together every fall to celebrate the diverse cultures and traditions represented on the Bard College campus through dance, song, and music. The performance will take place on November 23 at 7pm at Sosnoff Theater in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.
Finally, as we approach Thanksgiving break, here are some things you need to know:
• For families with students traveling over the break, please take note of the special airport shuttles and local train station shuttles that the College provides.
• Students may stay in their residence hall over the break if they are not traveling.
• A Thanksgiving meal will be available to students staying on campus during the break. All are welcome! More information will be circulated to students directly.
Please reach out to me at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Best Wishes,
Mackie Siebens '12
Assistant Director of Development for Family Programs
[email protected] | 845-758-7316
P.S. Bard College’s third COVID + flu clinic is scheduled for Friday, November 14 from 11am-4pm in the Multipurpose Room of the new Campus Center North building. Students will receive information about signing up for an appointment directly.
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Bard College is celebrating National Scholarship Month this November. |
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Celebrating Bard Student Scholars
In alignment with National Scholarship Month, the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs is spotlighting our student scholars, illustrating how Bard has profoundly influenced their academic and personal lives and recognizing the invaluable support of the Bard community. Join us in celebrating the legacy of learning and generosity at Bard through a donation. To read student stories, click here. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs at [email protected] or [email protected]. |
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Dates to Remember
To view the full 2025–2026 academic calendar, click here.
Thursday, November 27, 2025 – Sunday, November 30, 2025 | Thanksgiving Recess (classes end at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26)
Friday, December 5, 2025 | Last Day to Withdraw from a Class
Monday, December 8, 2025 | Senior Projects Due
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | Advising Day
Thursday, December 11, 2025 | Registration for Spring Classes Opens
Monday, December 15, 2025 – Friday, December 19, 2025 | Completion Days—Regular Classes and Final Exams
Saturday, January 24, 2026 | Check-in and Financial Clearance for All Returning Students
Monday, January 26, 2026 | First Day of Spring Classes
Saturday, March 14, 2026 – Sunday, March 22, 2026 | Spring Recess |
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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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Bard College Calls for the Release of Bard Baccalaureate Student Ali Faqirzada from ICE Custody
Bard College is calling for the release of Ali Faqirzada, a Bard Baccalaureate student, from ICE custody. Bard College President Leon Botstein has mobilized bipartisan federal and state elected officials in New York and New Jersey to assist in this case. “Ali is known for his kind spirit, hard work, and dedication to learning. It is my hope that he will be able to return to Bard and resume his studies as soon as possible,” said President Botstein.
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Bard College President Leon Botstein.
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Bard President Leon Botstein Featured in New York Times Article About H-1B Visa Challenges
Leon Botstein, president of Bard College, was quoted in a New York Times article examining how the H-1B visa fees newly implemented by the Trump administration will strain higher education institutions which rely on skilled academics and researchers from abroad for critical roles. Botstein highlights that the exorbitant visa fee ultimately harms college efforts to recruit the most qualified and talented academic minds. “It’s not patriotic,” Botstein told the Times. “It harms the economy and has nothing to do with excellence.”
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Pavlina Tcherneva, president of the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College.
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Economist Pavlina Tcherneva Speaks About Labor Market for Marketplace
Pavlina Tcherneva, president of the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College, spoke with Marketplace about the state of the national employment market. Tcherneva says that although large firms, with 500 or more employees, added jobs last month, “this is such a small proportion of total employment, it makes no difference to the overall trends,” adding that 90% of employers have fewer than 100 workers. “It’s another look at the weakening labor market.”
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Kelly Reichardt, S. William Senfeld Artist in Residence at Bard College.
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Artist in Residence Kelly Reichardt Interviewed in Vogue and Slant
Kelly Reichardt was profiled in several magazines for the release of her newest film The Mastermind, which follows J.B. Mooney (played by Josh O’Connor) after he commits an art heist in 1970s Massachusetts. Describing the film as an “undoing story,” Reichardt says, “[like] with teaching, I approach talking about film [through] just breaking stuff down. How things are put together and how they fall apart is interesting.”
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Photo: Raph_PH, Wikimedia Commons
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“Maps” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, with Bard Alum Nick Zinner ’96, Makes Rolling Stone List of Greatest Songs of the Century
Rolling Stone has named the song “Maps” by the band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, in which Bard alumnus Nick Zinner ’96 plays guitar and keyboard, as number two in their list of the 250 Greatest Songs of the Century So Far. “What remains in ‘Maps’ is pure feeling, so much so that the song has reappeared as musical inspiration for artists from Kelly Clarkson to Beyoncé over the years,” writes Rolling Stone about the band’s 2003 song. “Still, the original has held out strongest through the decades.”
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Our October Supporters
Thank you to Bard families and friends who supported Bard in October. We are grateful for your generosity to the College!
#donorsmakedegreespossible
Anonymous (14) • John A. Ravitz and Berry Ravitz • Kevin Michki • William Newton and Carol Lashof • Mark J. Herbert and Denise Herbert • Warren A. Davis and Karen A. Schneider • Irina Lebedeva • Donald B. Sobkoviak and Jennifer L. Sobkoviak • Risa Tabacoff and Mark Hess • Timothy R. Price and Mary L. Price • Kristin M. Fandl • Rachel McKee Gibbs • John von Brachel and Susan von Brachel • Kimberly L. Haas • Lucas Verduga and Adriana Martínez Araujo • Rand Whipple and Anne Dowd • Peter M. Lindsay and Kate L. Binzen • Christopher E. Silva and Grace B. Silva • David J. Beattie and Susan R. Beattie • Jeremy Kempisty • Bonnie T. Goad and Daniel Donohue • Jane A. Brien '89 and Stewart Verrilli • Judith Joa • Mark Franklin and Marnie Franklin • James Sandler and Gretchen Iverson Sandler • David S. Haber and Mk K. Haber • Lynette S. Williams • Andrea J. Edwards and Donald Edwards • Catriona Shafer and Gurdon R. Miller • Steven C. McAlpine • Larry R. Wray and Xinhua Liu • Ellen Kiell • Richard Aldous and Kathryn Aldous • Frank Komola • Ilya Levinson and Martine Benmann • Michael F. Infanger and Denise S. Mahoney • Kenneth M. Perry and Elinore Antell • Craig C. Stuart and Susan E. Kim-Stuart • James P. Gorman • Stephanie E. Kufner and Gerald M. Kufner • Wes P. Callender and Mary P. Davis • Michael Sauder and Jean M. Littlejohn • Lee Roussel and Andre Roussel • Elizabeth Ditmars • Livy More • Tim C. Heinze and Patricia Heinze • Joanna A. Cooper • Matthew T. Distler and Rebecca M. Fishaut • Gregory Fields and Rozanna Leo-Fields • Dan Junkins and Minette Junkins • Jim Etkin and Kim Larsen • Michael S. Slane and Hilary Chartrand • Scott Kane and Emily Barr • Piotr Karpiak and Katarzyna Lesniak-Karpiak • Peter Hollaubek and Brigitta M. Hollaubek • John Bermingham and Marnie Bermingham • Peter W. Greenwald and Gail M. Newman • Lea S. McChesney '76 and Christopher J. Burnett • Thomas A. Sicurella and Liz McDonald • Brooke O'Connell • Mary McArthur • Mark E. Davidson and Lynn W. Davidson • Eryn McCourt • Doron D. Tadmor and Gal Yaguri • Benedito R. Dos Santos and Anna H. More • William Skody • Jonathan White and Molly White • Jane E. Carleton • Timothy P. Crotty and Polina Crotty • Susanna Nicholson • Richard P. Olson and Kris H. Sahonchik • David W. Jacobowitz '65 and Linda Rodd • Anthony N. Thomann and Lauren M. Beatty • Jason T. Robison and Anne S. Robison • Jason J. Olivieri • Tracey C. Gutierrez • Van Wyck Dusenbury and Wendy C. Dusenbury • Helene Tieger '85 and Paul Ciancanelli • John F. Bero and Cheryl Y. Bero • Deborah Kurlan • Clayton Ward and Jennifer Ward • Mikkel A. Svane • Elizabeth E. Aho • Jane Kim • Megan J. Bush
To give to Bard today, visit giving.bard.edu/bcf. |
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