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A Message from new Bard graduate, Jenn Woo '25. Video and editing by Wais Kakarr '26
Thanks from Bard
Why Give?
For more than a century and a half, donor support has helped Bard College change lives with discoveries that improve the world, with knowledge that enlightens and inspires, and with an educational environment that prepares students for lives of impact.
Your Gift Supports:
100% of Students
100% of Faculty and Staff
100% of Classrooms
100% of Facilities
Your Gift Supports:
100% of Students
100% of Faculty and Staff
100% of Classrooms
100% of Facilities
Photo by Chris Kayden
Faculty at the Top of Their Fields
Members of the Bard faculty inspire our students in the classroom. They are thought leaders investigating the most critical questions in their fields. Bard faculty awards and honors have included: the French Legion of Honor, GRAMMY awards, Guggenheim Fellowships, Kennedy Center Honors, MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, the National Book Award, National Science Foundation Grants, the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prizes, Rhodes Scholarships, the Royal Society of Literature, and Tony awards.
Photo by Pete Mauney ’93 MFA ’00
State-of-the-Art Science Facilities
Students taking courses in science, mathematics, and computing at Bard have use of exceptional facilities and the latest equipment. The Reem-Kayden Center for Science and Computation features seven smart classrooms and nearly 17,000 square feet of laboratory space with state-of-the-art biology and chemistry equipment. The computer science space includes cognitive systems, robotics, and hardware teaching labs.
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Excellence in the Arts
At Bard, students get the best of both worlds: an excellent liberal arts education and one of the finest arts schools in the country. Arts students study and work with active, distinguished professionals in their fields. All of the arts programs unite a study of craft with history, theory, and criticism. From the Frank Gehry–designed Fisher Center for the Performing Arts to the László Z. Bitó '60 Conservatory Building, world-class facilities support top-level artistic training in the context of a liberal arts education.
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Bard College Fund
The Bard College Fund (BCF) is the primary source of unrestricted annual support for Bard, prioritizing financial aid, student scholarships, and academic programs. Gifts to the BCF go directly where they are needed most, and nowhere is that impact more profound than in the lives of students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience a Bard education. The BCF supports students through scholarships, awards, and prizes, enabling them to pursue their academic and professional dreams while fostering an environment of inclusivity and diversity on campus. Your contribution guarantees that the College can continue to identify and support exceptional minds, fulfilling its fundamental promise to the next generation of Bardians, who will go on to continue to ask questions of the world and respond in thoughtful and creative ways.
NEWSROOM
Bard College Awarded $1.35 Million Grant in Support of Humanities Curricular Innovation Project
The Mellon Foundation grant will fund Bard’s project, “The Uses and Abuses of History,” which responds to the rise of unreliable digital, social, and other media, heightened by the proliferation of AI-generated content, which not only threatens our ability to discern fact from fiction but confounds our claims to a shared humanity.
Bard College Awarded $1.35 Million Grant in Support of Humanities Curricular Innovation Project
Clockwise from top left: Miles V. Rodríguez, Nabanjan Maitra, Robert Cioffi, and Valentina A. Grasso.
“The Uses and Abuses of History” aims to offer students the tools to exercise judgement, to act, and to guard against the erasure of history in a world that is filled with conflicting and often false narratives. The project has three central curricular goals: first, to provide an institutional structure to unite students, staff, and scholars engaged in humanistic inquiry from across Bard College; second, to strengthen students’ habits of attention and abilities to read and think critically and contextually; and third, to make use of the College’s growing collection of archives to make archival research and praxis central to its curriculum. To accomplish these goals and enhance humanities education at Bard, the project will deploy curricular development, a workshop series, and a regranting program including summer research opportunities. The final year of the grant will culminate in an exhibition featuring a broad range of artifacts underscoring the crucial role played by material culture in the shaping of historical narratives.
The principal investigator team for “The Uses and Abuses of History” includes four Bard faculty members: the principal investigator, Associate Professor of History and Latin American and Iberian Studies Miles V. Rodríguez, Assistant Professor of the Interdisciplinary Study of Religions Nabanjan Maitra, Associate Professor of Classics Robert Cioffi, and Assistant Professor of Medieval History Valentina A. Grasso. A wider advisory council of faculty and administrators will help guide the project.
“The project team and I are honored to take part in the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities for All Times Initiative at Bard College,” said Rodríguez. “We are thrilled to contribute to Bard’s historical commitment to curricular and pedagogical creativity and innovation. While we recognize that the spread of false information is nothing new under the sun, we consider ourselves fortunate to respond to its present permutations with a robust collaborative project in service to our students and intellectual community.”
The Mellon Foundation’s Humanities for All Times initiative was established in 2021 to support the development of new humanities-based curricular and community projects at liberal arts colleges across the United States.
Post Date: 04-23-2026
Bard College Awarded Department of Energy Grant for Quantum Computation Research Project
The grant will support a project led by Abhinav Prem, assistant professor of physics.
Bard College Awarded Department of Energy Grant for Quantum Computation Research Project
Abhinav Prem, assistant professor of physics.
Quantum computers promise dramatic speedups for problems like materials design, drug discovery, and complex climate modeling. But unlike conventional computers, quantum bits — or qubits — are extremely sensitive to their surroundings. Small disturbances such as heat, vibrations, or stray fields can flip or erase quantum information, causing errors that quickly cascade and wreck a computation.
Instead of trying to stop every disturbance, professor Prem uses a different strategy: build “tracks” that guide errors into predictable paths where they can be caught and corrected. These tracks come from mathematical structures called symmetries and from exotic states of matter known as topological phases. By designing systems where errors are forced to behave in regular, controllable ways, this research program aims to create quantum memories and operations that are naturally resilient, reducing the overhead for constant external correction.
“Think of an error as a runaway train,” Prem explains. “If the train can go anywhere, it will crash. Our project is about building the tracks that force those errors to move along very specific, predictable pathways. By constraining how errors propagate, we can effectively 'catch' and correct them before the train goes off the rails. This approach could lead to scalable quantum devices that are inherently resilient to inevitable environmental noise."
The two-year project will combine theoretical work with practical protocols aimed at near-term quantum devices, and will support one postdoctoral researcher each at Bard and USC.
Post Date: 01-21-2026
More News
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Bard College Hosts Annual Margaret and John Bard Society Luncheon
Bard College Hosts Annual Margaret and John Bard Society Luncheon
On Monday, November 17, Bard College Margaret and John Bard Society members, staff, and students gathered in New York City for this year’s annual luncheon. The special occasion serves as a heartfelt recognition of the generous contributions made by members through their estate plans. Their forward-thinking and commitment to Bard College's mission not only enrich the lives of current students but also ensure a vibrant future for generations to come. Bard is deeply appreciative of the generosity and foresight that the members of the Margaret and John Bard Society have, and their belief in Bard’s mission and their commitment to future planning are instrumental in fostering a nurturing environment for both students and faculty alike.2025 Annual Margaret and John Bard Society Luncheon. Photo by Patrick Arias
“It is always wonderful to welcome and bring together so many generations of Bardians,” said Debra Pemstein, vice president of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs. “Margaret and John Bard Society members help the College plan for a vibrant future with their generosity.”
Post Date: 12-08-2025
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Bard College Celebrates Student Scholars
Bard College Celebrates Student Scholars
Bard College has concluded a month-long celebration honoring our exceptional Student Scholars and the generous donors who support their educational journeys. In line with National Scholarship Month, the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs shared inspiring testimonials from our students, illustrating how their Bard experiences have profoundly shaped both their academic and personal lives. A standout moment of the month was the Annual Scholarship Reception, where faculty and staff united to applaud the significant influence scholarships have on our students’ lives. One student spoke of the opportunities given to them at Bard, saying, "Everybody here has really enriched me and helped me in my journey and my educational journey—my journey as a person—and I’m just very grateful overall.”2025 Annual Scholarship Reception. Photo by Joseph Nartey ’26
Speeches from faculty and institutional leaders, including President Leon Botstein, reinforced the critical importance of philanthropy in enriching the educational landscape at Bard. This gathering served as a powerful reminder of our shared commitment to education and the incredible impact of generosity, creating a night filled with gratitude, and connection.
Learn more about Giving at Bard:
giving.bard.edu/donor-impact/
giving.bard.edu/scholarships/
giving.bard.edu/stories-of-impact/
Post Date: 12-02-2025
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New York State Assembly Honors Bard College President Leon Botstein
New York State Assembly Honors Bard College President Leon Botstein
In a proclamation presented on August 8, the opening night of the 35th Bard Music Festival, the New York State Assembly honored Leon Botstein for transformative accomplishments in innovative education and the contributions to the arts over his 50-year tenure as president of Bard College. Assembly member Didi Barrett presented the honor in person at the Fisher Center’s Sosnoff Theater on Bard’s Annandale campus, citing the launch of the Bard High School Early Colleges, the Bard Prison Initiative, the opening of the Levy Economics Institute, and the founding of Fisher Center, as well as the Bard College Conservatory of Music and The Orchestra Now (TŌN), as extraordinary achievements that have led to Bard’s growth and educational reach in the region and beyond. “Leon Botstein is a rare individual whose intellectual curiosity, passion for the arts, and dedication to learning has not only shaped Bard College into an elite institution, but continues to inspire those who engage with him,” said Barrett.Assembly member Didi Barrett presented the honor in person at the Fisher Center’s Sosnoff Theater on Bard’s Annandale campus. Photo by Matt Dine
Post Date: 08-13-2025
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Afghan Students at American University of Central Asia to Receive $500,000 in Financial Aid
Afghan Students at American University of Central Asia to Receive $500,000 in Financial Aid
The American University of Central Asia (AUCA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Azizi Group, a leading UAE-based real estate and investment company, to provide $500,000 in financial support for the AUCA Afghan students whose education has been disrupted by the suspension of international funding. The agreement, signed by Jonathan Becker, executive vice president of Bard College and a member of the AUCA Board of Trustees, and Mirwais Azizi, chairman of Azizi Developments, marks a significant commitment to advancing equitable access to higher education for the Afghan students, many of whom are women and members of marginalized communities.The agreement was signed by Jonathan Becker (right), executive vice president of Bard College and a member of the AUCA Board of Trustees, and Mirwais Azizi (left), chairman of Azizi Developments.
The purpose of this partnership is to support eligible Afghan students currently enrolled at AUCA, particularly those whose studies have been affected by the loss of foreign assistance. The funding will enable them to complete their degrees either in-person or online, and will cover a comprehensive range of academic and living expenses. AUCA will continue to seek additional funding to replace the terminated financial support, but the support provided by the Azizi Group, together with other charitable commitments, has enabled AUCA to reassure its Afghan students caught midway through their degree programs that they will be able to finish their degree at the university.
“This generous contribution arrives at a time when many Afghan students are left vulnerable due to lost international funding,” said Becker. “Thanks to Mr. Azizi’s extraordinary support, these students now have renewed hope and stability.”
“We would like to also thank the government of the Kyrgyz Republic for their continued support of the education of Afghan students: they have shown tremendous leadership in welcoming Afghan students and in recognizing the long-term value of forging connections with the next generation of leaders.”
Post Date: 07-16-2025
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Beto O’Byrne Receives New York City Small Theatres Fund Award
Beto O’Byrne Receives New York City Small Theatres Fund Award
Beto O’Byrne, visiting artist in residence in theater and performance at Bard College, along with the collective he cofounded, Radical Evolution Performance Collective, has received a New York City Small Theatres Fund Award. The award, in the amount of $15,500, is bestowed by ART/New York, an arts service organization dedicated to supporting New York City’s community of nonprofit theaters, and the Howard Gilman Foundation, which provides funding and support to New York City–based performing arts organizations that are reflective of its vibrant cultural community. One of 17 recipients elected from 182 applications, O’Byrne and Radical Evolution will receive two years of flexible funds to support their theater operations. Since its founding in 2011, Radical Evolution has been committed to creating artistic events that seek to understand the complexities of mixed-identity existence in the 21st century. The collective collaborates with people from many different identities to break down barriers between cultures and creative practices, and aims to seed the field of experimental and collaboratively created theater with practitioners who celebrate the intersectionality of perspectives and aesthetics of New York City.Beto O’Byrne, visiting artist in residence in theater and performance at Bard College.
Post Date: 07-15-2025