Bard College Joins the Future Universities Alliance
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Bard College has been selected for the inaugural cohort of the Future Universities Alliance, a global network incubated by Duke University that connects forward-thinking institutions for shared learning and collective experimentation. The Future Universities Alliance brings together 49 institutions from 23 countries across 5 continents to advance ambitious, institution-shaping innovations in higher education. Bard will work with global peers to explore how high-impact innovations can be extended through adaptation and partnerships. It will focus on leveraging the Global Higher Education Alliance for the 21st Century (GHEA21) and the Bard Global Degree program to expand opportunities for displaced students.“Our participation in the Future Universities Alliance reflects Bard’s commitment to integrate international education more fully into undergraduate studies and to make rigorous liberal arts education accessible to communities where it was previously underdeveloped, inaccessible, or absent,” said Jonathan Becker, Bard executive vice president and GHEA21 vice chancellor. “We look forward to exchanging ideas with our global peers on ways to broaden our impact.”
GHEA21 has reenvisioned international education as a full curriculum of regular undergraduate courses taught by faculty around the world to students across five continents. More than 2,700 students across 21 partner institutions enroll in 150+ courses annually. About half of the enrollments consist of displaced students. GHEA21 enables Bard students, regardless of their circumstance, to pursue international education throughout their four years of undergraduate study. To learn more, please visit ghea21.org.
“Bard is eager to see the GHEA21 model replicated or adapted to provide opportunities for many more displaced students than GHEA21 alone can serve,” said Daniel Calingaert, GHEA21 managing director and Bard dean for Global Programs. “The Future Universities Alliance will give us a structured space to test our ideas with fellow innovators around the world and share what we have learned through developing GHEA21.”
The Bard Global Degree is a synchronous, online degree program for students displaced or threatened by conflict, crisis, or political repression who have little or no access to a rigorous liberal arts education. Students enroll in the same Associates and Bachelors of Arts degree programs as on Bard’s main campus, earn academic certificates, and graduate with accredited Bard associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. To learn more, visit globaldegree.bard.edu.
More information about the Future Universities Alliance is available at futureuniversities.org.
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About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place and Massena properties, Bard’s campus consists of more than 1,200 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs; advanced degrees through 14 graduate programs; 10 early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 166-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at the main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place and Massena properties, Bard’s campus consists of more than 1,200 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs; advanced degrees through 14 graduate programs; 10 early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 166-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at the main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.
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This event was last updated on 06-10-2026
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