Dear Bardian,

Happy Back to School. We are having the hottest days yet—here in the HV—remember cooling off in the falls…ahhh.  I hope everyone is safe and well. Hang in there. 

L&T finished up with the Matriculation Ceremony last week at the Fisher Center. Thank you to Emiljana Ulaj '12 for coming back as the alumni/ae speaker—her story was inspiring, from Albanian refugee to running for office in Westchester. Bardians are amazing. 

The entering class of 498 includes the first Posse Puerto Rico cohort as well as almost a hundred transfer students, the largest transfer class ever,  joining us from the Bard Early Colleges, the OSUN network campuses, as well as Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan. 

And last week there was a ribbon cutting for the ninth Bard High School Early College—BHSEC Bronx. I remember when we opened the very first one in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This school is special as it is a collaboration between Bard, the City of New York Department of Education, and Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The school will be science-focused and students will have opportunities to take classes at Albert Einstein and hands on public health training. No doubt we need more Bardians in Public Health! 

Tonight at 7pm in Bryant Park, President Botstein will conduct the American Symphony Orchestra in a free concert as part of the Picnic Performance series. The program highlights the different forms of expression and musical languages that emerged in the 1920s, including new elements of dance, theater, and jazz. Can’t make it in person? Watch the livestream.

Thank you to everyone who has responded to our Back to School appeal—all gifts of $100 or more or a monthly gift of any amount get a copy of one of this year's FYSEM texts, Euripides, Bacchae: A New Translation by Robin Robertson with a preface by Bard professor Daniel Mendelsohn. 

This year's FYSEM theme is “The Commons”. (Not Kline Commons, although, if those walls had ears that might make for a fantastic sociology class…). ‘After years of pandemic-induced social isolation, and as pressing global and national challenges—from climate change to racial justice—demand collective action, we are confronted anew by the perennial problem of how to live together, how to build a life in common.'  

And not unrelated to building a life in common is the theme of this year's Hannah Arendt Conference—Friendship and Politics, on October 12th and 13th. These conferences can be attended in person or virtually, and I highly recommend them, especially this one. You can sign up to be a member of HAC at any level and attend for free or sign up just for the conference. 

Friendship to me is at the heart of all my Bard experiences. 

Be seeing you,

Jane

P.S. Family and Alumni/ae Weekend—Friday, October 27th-Sunday, October 29th— is coming up, so save the date. The schedule and registration will be open soon, but this is always a great weekend to come back to the valley. You can take classes, meet professors and students, as well as hear from Leon at “Ask the President”. There will be readings and performances, soccer games, and, new this year, the Bard Market that includes makers from the Bard Community. There will be tours of new buildings, an Open House at the Bard radio station (WXBC), and a special tour of the Bard Cemetery. 

Also during the weekend, there will be a concert with Bard Conservatory students celebrating faculty members Joan Tower and Marcus Roberts. The program includes Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman and Duke Ellington’s New World A-Comin’ featuring jazz pianist Marcus Roberts with members of his jazz ensemble, and Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. For tickets visit the Fisher Center website.

Bard High School Early College Opens Its Bronx Campus

On Wednesday, August 30, community leaders, government officials, school administrators, teachers, and students gathered in the Bronx for the ribbon-cutting of the newest Bard High School Early College (BHSEC). A branch campus of Bard College, the new high school early college is a collaboration between the City of New York Department of Education, Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Bard College to create a science-focused public high school where students can earn up to an associate’s degree from Bard, tuition free, alongside their New York State Regents diploma.

Bard Prison Initiative Accepts Transfer Students and Expands as Two Colleges Close

In response to two coinciding college-in-prison program closures, the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) at Bard College has undertaken an unprecedented transfer and enrollment project to ensure no incarcerated college student is left without the ability to complete a degree. 

In Memory of Chinua Achebe, Bard College to Host Celebration of Contemporary African Writing on September 22

On Friday, September 22, Bard College is hosting After Chinua Achebe: African Writing and the Future, an event honoring the memory of the late Chinua Achebe (1930–2013), former Charles P. Stevenson Jr. Professor of Languages and Literature. A symposium in the afternoon in Weis Cinema at the Bertelsmann Campus Center will examine the current flowering of writing by African authors, in Africa and in the diaspora.

“Shaping the Future” Conference Hosted by TEDxBard College on September 30

Bard College is hosting its first independently organized TEDxBard College conference, “Shaping the Future,” a day-long event featuring insightful talks from students, faculty, alumni/ae, and members of the broader Bard community. The student-run conference considers how the advancements of the modern age have shaped and will continue to influence human progress across various disciplines, including technology, science, art, politics, and culture. 

Bard College Professor Kerri-Ann Norton ’04 Awarded $31,657 by the National Institutes of Health to Study Cancer

Kerri-Ann Norton ’04, assistant professor of computer science, has been awarded $31,657 as part of a larger study funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study uses computer models to investigate the potential success of novel drug combinations for clinical cancer treatment.