BARD COLLEGE CLEMENTE COURSE IN THE HUMANITIES TO HOLD GRADUATION CEREMONY TODAY.

New York, N.Y - June 24,1999 - The Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities will hold its graduation ceremony today, Thursday, June 24, at The Wadleigh School, 215 West 114th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, at 6:45 p.m. Giving the graduation address will be the Honorable David N. Dinkins, former mayor of New York City and Professor in the Practice of Public Affairs, Columbia University. Other speakers include Dr. Martin Kempner, national director of the Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities; Earl Shorris, founder of the Clemente Course; Starling Lawrence, editor in chief, W. W. Norton and Co., Inc; and Ms. Michaele White, co-executive director, The Door. Dr. Robert Martin, dean of graduate studies and associate dean of Bard College, will confer certificates of achievement on the students of the class of 1999.

ABOUT THE BARD COLLEGE CLEMENTE COURSE IN THE HUMANITIES: The Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities has two principal goals: To create a bridge to higher education for low-income residents of the inner city and other poor communities; and to promote intellectual development, thereby preparing individuals for full and active participation in the economic and political life of our society. Toward these ends, the BCCCH provides economically and educationally disadvantaged students with one year of college-level instruction in the humanities-American history, moral philosophy, history and theory of the visual arts, literature and poetry, and creative writing. Students participate at no cost. Tuition, books, child care, and transportation are provided by philanthropic and governmental organizations. Bard College grants a certificate of achievement to all students completing the course and six college credits to those who have participated at a superior academic level.

During the first three years of operation in lower Manhattan, one hundred students enrolled in the BCCCH, of whom forty-nine completed the full course of study, forty-four earned college credit, and thirty-eight went on to college or plan to do so in the near future. Five BCCCH graduates are currently full-time scholarship students at Bard College. During the current academic year, the BCCCH operated out of seven community-based sites: three in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn, and three more in New Jersey, Washington State, and Alaska. Approximately eighty-five students will graduate during 1999. An additional seven sites located nationwide will open in fall 1999.

This event was last updated on 03-02-2001

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