Advance registration is required.
COVID-19 Protocols: We expect all visitors on campus to be fully vaccinated and to bring a mask with them in the event that they are asked to wear one. However, visitors do not need to wear a mask to enter buildings on campus. Those who are not fully vaccinated must receive a negative COVID test result before arriving on campus. In advance of your arrival to Bard College, we ask that you kindly monitor your current health. In the event you are not feeling well, we ask that you remain at home. If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have been in close contact with a person with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 in the past 5–10 days, please also refrain from coming to campus. The Stevenson Athletic Center gym facilities remain closed to visitors; at this time visitor access is limited to observing sporting events. Schedule is subject to change.
Friday, May 26
Registration
Check in to pick up your packets with name tags, wristbands, meal tickets, and dorm keys. A limited number of on-site barbecue tickets will be available for purchase until 6 pm Saturday. $28 per person, $12 per child 4–12, free for children 3 and under.
George Ball Lounge, Bertelsmann Campus Center
*After 11 pm: Security, Old Gym
Bard Rugby Fest and Alumni/ae Games
Join the Bard College Rugby team as they host the Bard Rugby Alumni/ae Association for the annual alumni/ae games! All are welcome.
2 pm Touch Rugby Tournament
3 pm Rugby Alumni/ae Game
Lorenzo Ferrari Soccer and Lacrosse Complex, north field
Bard College Awards
This inspiring annual event celebrates the exceptional achievements of Bard alumni/ae and friends of the College; outstanding faculty and staff who are retiring are recognized with the Bardian Award. Join fellow Bard alumni/ae, faculty, and staff for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the Sosnoff Theater patio, followed by the Bard College Awards ceremony, hosted by Bard College President Leon Botstein and KC Serota ’04, president of the Bard College Alumni/ae Association Board of Governors. The event is free, but advance registration is required. Please be sure to pick up your packets from Registration before attending. Hosted by the Bard College Alumni/ae Association.
5 pm Cocktail Reception
Sosnoff patio, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
6:30 pm Bard College Awards Ceremony
Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
Bard’s Own ’80s Band Big Noise Record Release Party
Join band members Nelson Bragg ’84, Peter Buettner ’84, Andrea Cairone ’84, John Jacobs ’84, and Brian “Buford” O’Sullivan ’84, alongside fellow alumni/ae and Bard friends for a celebration of the first-ever release of the Big Noise music catalog, Falling Underground: The Lost Album. All alumni/ae are welcome. Hear the music that kept the Hudson Valley dancing in the ’80s. There will be a screening of the classic Big Noise video, called "College Student", shot on campus in the 1980s, a slideshow, record listening, and Q&A hosted by Art Carlson ’79 and honorary Bardian Mark Kirby. The band will not be playing live. This is a listening party and Q&A.
Weis Cinema, Bertlesmann Campus Center
Annandale Roadhouse
Begin your reunion weekend on Friday night. This year the Class of 2013 hosts the Roadhouse for all returning alumni/ae. Featuring live music. Enjoy wine compliments of Justin Wines, snacks, and beer for purchase. Bring the whole family.
Kline Commons patio
Concert
Bard College soloists and composers in concert with The Orchestra Now (TŌN), with Leon Botstein, conductor. No reservations required. Seating is first come, first served.
Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
Saturday, May 27
Registration
Pick up your tickets for the weekend’s events, wristbands, a campus map, and a schedule. A limited number of on-site barbecue tickets will be available for purchase until 6 pm Saturday. $28 per person, $12 per child 4–12, free for children 3 and under.
George Ball Lounge, Bertelsmann Campus Center
Memory and History: The Legacy of Alfred Spitzer and Edith Neumann
German and Austrian paintings from the turn of the 20th century, a bequest to Bard College from Dr. Edith Neumann.
Levy Economics Institute, Blithewood
Brunch
For graduating seniors, their families, guests, and alumni/ae. $15 per person, $8 per child 4–12, free for children 3 and under.
Main Dining Room, Kline Commons
Alumni/ae Afternoon HQ
Alumni/ae and their families can meet up with classmates and friends throughout the afternoon, enjoying music, lawn games, food, and drink. Find a table and your ringside seat to the Class of 2023 procession on Annandale Road. Play on the swings, look for your old room in Tewks, or order french fries at Down the Road Cafe. The Commencement ceremony will also be livestreamed at Weis Cinema in the Bertelsmann Campus Center. Wine and beer will be available at the cash bar, alongside free popcorn, lemonade, and ping pong.
Bertelsmann Campus Center lawn
Commencement
1 pm
Tent opens for seating
Commencement Tent, Seth Goldfine Memorial Rugby Field
2:30 pm
Academic Procession
Alumni/ae from reunion classes are invited to join members of the Class of 2023, trustees, and faculty in the procession to the Commencement tent. (Academic attire is required.)
Formation at Annandale Road, south of the Chapel of the Holy Innocents
Livestreaming of Commencement
Weis Cinema, Bertelsmann Campus Center; and Olin Auditorium, Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building
3 pm
Celebrate the Class of 2023 and the awarding of honorary degrees. James C. Chambers ’81, chair of the Board of Trustees of Bard College, presiding, and the Right Reverend Andrew M. L. Dietsche, officiating. A professional photographer will take photos of graduates receiving their degrees. Families of graduates will be contacted by Genesee Photo Systems to purchase images. For safety reasons, standing in the aisle is prohibited during the ceremony.
Commencement Tent, Seth Goldfine Memorial Rugby Field
Reunion Class Photos
Individual class photos for classes from ’88, ’93, ’98, ’03, ’08, ’13, and ’18. Don’t miss your class photos! (Note: All other reunion classes will have their photos taken in Blithewood during the cocktail reception.)
Bertelsmann Campus Center lawn
Alumni/ae Reunion Cocktail Hour 1940s–1983
Reunion classes from the ’40s, ’53, ’58, ’63, ’68, ’73, ’78, ’83, and fellow alumni/ae from 1940–1982 come together for the annual reunion cocktail reception. Reunion class photos will be taken. Advance reservations required.
Blithewood Manor
Alumni/ae Reunion Cocktail Hour 1988–2018
Reunion classes from ’88, ’93, ’98, ’03, ’08, ’13 and ’18 and fellow alumni/ae from the classes of 1984–2022 come together for the annual reunion cocktail reception. Reunion class photos will be taken. Advance reservations required.
Bertelsmann Campus Center lawn
Alumni/ae Reunion Dinner 1940s–1983
Reunion classes from the ’40s, ’53, ’58, ’63, ’68, ’78, and ’83 come together for the annual reunion dinner. Surrounding years are welcome to join. Class photos will be taken during the cocktail reception. $75. Advance reservations required.
Blithewood Manor
Alumni/ae 50th Reunion Dinner 1973
The Class of 1973 gathers to celebrate their milestone reunion. Class photos will be taken during the cocktail reception. $75.
Blithewood Manor
Alumni/ae Reunion Barbecue 1988–2018
Reunion classes from ’88, ’93, ’98, ’03, ’08, ’13 and ’18, make your way to beautiful Blithewood to enjoy your meal with classmates and friends. Look for your class year tables under the tent. Surrounding years are welcome to join. Pick up your barbecue, or feel free to bring your own picnic. $28 per person, $12 per child 4–12, free for children 3 and under. Advance reservations recommended. Cash bar.
Blithewood south lawn
Dance to Eight to the Bar
Bard’s favorite graduation dance band gives it up for new graduates, alumni/ae, and families.
Blithewood north lawn
Jazzfest
Annual gathering of jazz-loving alumni/ae musicians and friends. Alumni/ae wishing to participate should email [email protected]. Everyone is welcome.
Blum Hall, Edith C. Blum Institute, Avery Arts Center
Fireworks
Stake your spot on the lawn and lie back for the best fireworks show in the Hudson Valley.
Blithewood west lawn
Stereo Moonrise Vinyl Lounge: The Al Fresco Alumni/ae After-Party
Coming back to main campus, follow the sounds of pop, rock, soul, funk, disco, and hip-hop, courtesy of DJs ARM 18 (Andrew McIntosh ’97) and Boogie Knight (Pablo Salinas ’97). Dance with friends, relax on the benches or by the fire pits, and visit the magic bus. All are welcome. Cash bar.
Anna Jones Memorial Garden (Rain Location: Fisher Studio Arts)
Sunday, May 28
Alumni/ae Memorial Service
In honor of alumni/ae, faculty, and special friends of the College who died during the past year.
Officiants: Bard College Chaplaincy
Chapel of the Holy Innocents
Alumni/ae Brunch
Join Bard President Leon Botstein and KC Serota ’04, president of the Bard College Alumni/ae Association Board of Governors, for a celebration brunch. All are welcome. Remarks at 11:30 am. $25 per person, $8 per child 4–12, free for children 3 and under.
Advance registration recommended.
Kline Commons
Meeting of the Bard College Alumni/ae Association Board of Governors
Alumni/ae interested in volunteering for alumni/ae committees and programs are cordially invited to attend.
Faculty Dining Room, Kline Commons
Land Acknowledgment for Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson
In the spirit of truth and equity, it is with gratitude and humility that we acknowledge that we are gathered on the sacred homelands of the Munsee and Muhheaconneok people, who are the original stewards of the land. Today, due to forced removal, the community resides in Northeast Wisconsin and is known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. We honor and pay respect to their ancestors past and present, as well as to future generations, and we recognize their continuing presence in their homelands. We understand that our acknowledgment requires those of us who are settlers to recognize our own place in and responsibilities toward addressing inequity, and that this ongoing and challenging work requires that we commit to real engagement with the Munsee and Mohican communities to build an inclusive and equitable space for all.
This land acknowledgment, adopted in 2020, required establishing and maintaining long-term, and evolving, relationships with the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. The Mellon Foundation's 2022 Humanities for All Times grant for “Rethinking Place: Bard-on-Mahicantuck” offers three years of support for developing a land acknowledgment–based curriculum, public-facing Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) programming, and efforts to support the work of emerging NAIS scholars and tribally enrolled artists at Bard.