Dear Families,

It is wonderful to have all our students back on campus after the winter break. Despite some recent snow, the days are getting longer and the feeling that Spring will come is in the air.

The Dean of Studies Office just found out that twelve current students are Fulbright semi-finalists! This means their applications have passed the first stage of evaluation and are now being reviewed by the host countries for their final selection. Congratulations to all! Last year Bard was named a top producer of Fulbright scholars, hopefully this year the trend will continue. You can read more below.

Next month I'll be sending you a request to share your expertise as a Bard parent with newly accepted families. You can help them by volunteering to call accepted families and/or serving as a host for an Accepted Families Zoom Meeting. Please sign up here if you’re interested. You will receive information in a confirmation email from me, [email protected], with the subject line: “Confirmation - Current Parent Volunteer Form.” We are incredibly grateful for your help!

The Office of Residence Life and Housing will start the room selection process for the 2024-25 academic year. My colleagues have asked that I share the information below which has also been sent to students.

In order for students to participate in the process, they need to complete the 2024-2025 Room Selection Housing Agreement on their MyAnnandale by 12:00 PM on Friday, March 15th. Students that sign the agreement will have the opportunity to select their housing for the fall during the room selection process which takes place online starting on April 16th.

Students also have the opportunity to apply for one of special interest living communities including suites, paired singles, substance free living, women's only housing as well as the opportunity to submit a proposal for a themed community. Applications are currently online and must be submitted by March 1st.

Students interested in living off campus must sign up for and attend an off campus information session. These sessions will take place on February 21, February 29 and March 5 on Zoom. In order to be approved to live off campus students must have 60+ credits by the end of the spring semester, moderated into their major, and attend an info session. Students would need to email the Office of Residence Life and Housing at [email protected] requesting to live off campus by April 30th.

Students have received an email to their Bard email account with detailed information regarding the housing selection process. Updates regarding the room selection process will be emailed to students throughout the semester so it is important that they check their Bard email account frequently. Information about the housing selection process can also be found on the Office of Residence Life and Housing's website here: https://www.bard.edu/reslife/room-selection/.

Please feel free to contact the Office of Residence Life and Housing with any questions by calling 845-575-7455 or emailing [email protected]

Thank you to everyone who showed some love for Bard yesterday with a tax-deductible donation. If you haven't given recently, please join me in supporting Bard.

Best wishes,
Sasha Boak-Kelly

News from Bard Athletics

Recently, Bard had 34 fall sport student-athletes named to the Liberty League All-Academic team with a cumulative 3.30 GPA, and 13 student-athletes who were also named to the College Sports Communicators All-District team. Men’s and Women’s Soccer had two players each named to All-Liberty League Honorable Mention, and during their seasons, fall sports hosted theme and fundraising games, including Miles of Hope, Morgan’s Message, and Pride Night. 

Check out The Bard College Raptors website for news, upcoming games and streaming info.

News from the Career Development Office

In January, the Career Development Office, in collaboration with the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs (ODAA) and the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), hosted the BardWorks 2024 "Creating Your Own Lane" professional development conference for 48 Bard Annandale students, 25 Bard NYC students, and approximately 82 Bard alumni/ae. Our utmost gratitude to all participants, as this year, we had an extraordinary group of students who demonstrated distinctive qualities of compassion and drive. 


Registration for BardWorks D.C. is now live on the BardWorks website. The trip to Washington, D.C. trip will take place from March 19th to March 22nd during Spring Recess. Students will have the opportunity to visit various employer sites and graduate schools. Last year, the sites included Google D.C, Reuters, The World Bank, CrowdStrike, and Georgetown Law, among others. There will also be a formal networking reception with Bard Alumni/ae working in D.C.! Encourage your student to register now!

Bard College Named a Top Producer of Fulbright Students for 2023–24

Bard College is proud to be included on the list of US colleges and universities that produced the most 2023–24 Fulbright students and scholars. Each year, the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the US government’s flagship international educational exchange program.

Bard College Selected to Host a Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Center

Bard College is partnering with the American Association of Colleges and Universities to develop and host a new Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center. Guided by a common vision, each of the TRHT Campus Centers is developing and implementing a visionary action plan that engages and empowers campus and community stakeholders to uproot biases and to inspire the next generation of leaders and thinkers to advance justice and build more equitable communities.

Bard College Receives $80,379 Grant from New York State Department of Conservation to Support Removal of Invasive Plant Species on Campus

Bard’s grant will support the removal and prevent the spread of invasive species from the College’s Annandale campus in the field between the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and Robbins House on North Campus. Invasive species, including the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), are destroying the meadow by outcompeting and displacing native plant species.

The Fisher Center at Bard Announces Summerscape 2024, Featuring Eight Weeks of Opera, Theater, Dance, Music, Spiegeltent, and the 34th Bard Music Festival: Berlioz and His World, June 20 – August 18

Two preeminent New York companies premiere new work for SummerScape 2024: Elevator Repair Service and Urban Bush Women, the latter celebrating its 40th anniversary and presenting the farewell performance from legendary founder and choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Early ticket access to Fisher Center Patrons begins February 20. Fisher Center Member access begins February 27. Tickets go on sale to the general public on March 6.

Bard College Faculty and Alumna Win 2024 GRAMMY Awards

At the 66th annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony, the Recording Academy honored first-time GRAMMY award winners Bard Composer in Residence Jessie Montgomery, who won Best Contemporary Classical Composition for “Rounds,” and Bard Conservatory of Music’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program alumna Julia Bullock MM ’11, who won Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for Walking in the Dark. Artistic Director of the Graduate Vocal Arts Program Stephanie Blythe is featured on the album Blanchard: Champion, which won for Best Opera Recording.