Dear Families,

Happy New Year and greetings from a chilly Annandale!

Before sharing news about campus happenings, I want to acknowledge the devastating wildfires in California. Our thoughts are with the Bard families and community members who have been impacted and I encourage anyone with resources to share them on the Bard Families Facebook Group. 

Looking ahead to 2025, we have much to look forward to this month with a new cohort of spring transfer students arriving on Tuesday, January 21 and all returning students arriving for check in on Saturday, January 25. Spring classes start on Monday, January 27. Be sure to check out the calendar below my message for the list of upcoming important dates as well as a link to Bard’s full academic calendar. 

Many student athletes are already on campus competing in winter sports. Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Squash, Swimming and Men’s Volleyball are all in season and enjoying games, matches, and meets this month! Check out the calendar of athletic events on the Bard Athletics and Recreation website. Of note, Bard’s new Director of Athletics, Stefanie Carrington, wrapped up her first semester in the Director role in December after a great fall season. Stefanie brings extensive coaching and administrative experience to the position and we look forward to working with her in this new capacity. 

BardWorks 2025 kicks off in Annandale on January 21 and ends in New York City on January 24. This is an annual program designed to help Bard students prepare for professional life beyond graduation. BardWorks includes dynamic workshops as well as two networking events (listed below) where all student participants have the opportunity to connect with Bard alumni/ae and parents/guardians working in a variety of professional fields. If you would like to participate in one of the two networking receptions listed below, please contact me at [email protected] to learn more. 

January 23, 2025 6-8pm, Annandale Networking Reception
January 24, 2025 4:30-7pm, New York City Networking Reception

January 29 starts the year of the snake according to the Chinese zodiac. I invite you to celebrate with the Director of Bard’s US-China Music Institute, Jindong Cai, as he conducts The Orchestra Now (TŌN) on January 25 at 3pm in the Sosnoff Theater at Bard’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Now in its sixth year, The Sound of Spring is an authentic Chinese New Year concert featuring world-class Chinese instrument soloists presenting festive Chinese music specially selected to welcome in the Lunar New Year. Click here to purchase tickets. For more information about all that the Fisher Center has to offer in the new year visit fishercenter.bard.edu.

Finally, if you are planning a visit to campus this spring, The Inn at Bellefield in Hyde Park, NY is offering a special guest package now through March 31, 2025, to any Bard student family members. 10% of the proceeds of a stay at the inn will go towards the Bard College Fund. Bard guests will enjoy special perks including late check out and complimentary breakfast. To make a reservation at The Inn at Bellefield using the “Bard College Give Back” program, please use this registration link. We hope to see you on campus this spring for a visit!

Best Wishes for a Happy New Year,

Mackie Siebens '12

Assistant Director of Development for Family Programs
[email protected] | 845-758-7316

P.S. A heartfelt thank you to all who included Bard in their giving plans in 2024! Every contribution matters and it's never too soon to start planning for the 2025 tax year. Please think about making a gift in 2025 to help support Bard students.

Five Bard College Students Win Gilman International Scholarships to Study Abroad

Five Bard College students, Ezra Calderon ’25, Adelaide Driver ’26, Dashely Julia ’26, Nyla Lawrence ’26, and Brenda Lopez ’26, have been awarded highly competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships by the US Department of State. Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000, or up to $8,000 if also a recipient of the Gilman Critical Need Language Award.

Bard Student Radio Station WXBC Recognized in 2024 Spirit of College Radio Awards

Bard College’s radio station WXBC was one of 10 student radio stations internationally to win a 2024 Spirit of College Radio Award. Out of hundreds of participating stations, WXBC joined the other nine winners as an example of the “passion and mission of college radio.”

Lotus Kang MFA ’15 named a New York Times Breakout Star of 2024

Lotus L. Kang MFA ’15 was included in the New York Times’s list of breakout stars of 2024. Nominated for her sculpture and site-responsive artwork, Kang’s 2024 exhibits included In Cascades at the Whitney Biennial, featuring sculptures made from purposefully exposed film, and Receiver Transmitter, a greenhouse located at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto.

Chase Sinzer ’11 Receives Michelin Sommelier Award

Bard alumnus, restaurateur, and sommelier Chase Sinzer ’11 has been awarded the Michelin Guide New York 2024 Sommelier Award, alongside Ellis Srubas-Giammanco, who is the wine director of Sinzer's raw bar restaurant Penny, which he opened earlier this year in New York City. After serving as wine director of the two-Michelin star restaurant The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Sinzer opened Claud and Penny, overseeing both wine programs. In conversation with Michelin Guide, Sinzer discussed sustainability in their wine menus, wines worth splurging on, and the advice he has for aspiring sommeliers.

Dinaw Mengestu’s Someone Like Us Named One of Obama’s Favorite Books of 2024

The latest book by Dinaw Mengestu, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of the Humanities and director of the Written Arts Program at Bard College, has been featured on a list of art that inspired former president Barack Obama in 2024. Mengestu’s novel, Someone Like Us, tells the story of the son of Ethiopian immigrants who seeks to understand a hidden family history and uncovers a past colored by unexpected loss, addiction, and the enduring emotional pull toward home.