Planned Giving

The Margaret and John Bard Society

recognizes and thanks those alumni/ae and friends who have included the College in their estate plans.

Consider Joining Today
Making a planned gift is a powerful way to strengthen Bard’s future. By including Bard in your estate plans, you become a member of the Margaret and John Bard Society and have the satisfaction of knowing that you are providing for the next generations of Bardians.

For Further Information, Please Contact
Debra Pemstein, Vice President for Development and Alumni/ae Affairs
845-758-7405 | [email protected]

Margaret and John Bard Society Members
Anonymous
Jamie Albright
Robert ’53 and Marcia Amsterdam
John Dennis Anderson
F. Zeynep Aricanli ’85
Judith Arner ’68
Neil and Nancy Austrian
Penny Axelrod ’63
Mary I. Backlund
Donald Baier ’67
Ian and Margaret Ball
Dennis Barone ’77 and Deborah Ducoff-Barone ’78
Barbara Barre ’69
Joseph Baxer and Barbara Bacewicz
Wendy and Alexander Bazelow ’71
Stephen H. ’74 and Laurie A. Berman ’74
Sally Bickerton ’89
Carolyn Marks Blackwood
Jack Blum ’62
Leon Botstein
Anne T. Brown
Mary Burns ’73
Stacy Lyn Burnett ’23
Hannah Rose Byrnes-Enoch ’08 and Gerald Pambo-Awich ’08
Anne Canzonetti ’84
Olivia Carino
Pia A. Carusone ’03
John and Nancy Childs
Charles B. Clancy ’69
Michelle Clayman
Peter Criswell ’89
Zachary Cutler ’94
Arnold J. Davis ’44
Matthew and Mary Deady
Brian Glenn Dean ’07 and Elizabeth I. Wand
Matthew Joseph DeGennaro ’96
Nicole de Jesus ’94
Michael ’65 and Wenny DeWitt
Malia Du Mont ’95
Michelle Dunn Marsh ’95
Gretchen Dykstra
Robert C. Edmonds ’68
Elizabeth W. Ely ’65
Kimberly and John Emerson
Randy Faerber ’73
Mark L. Feinsod ’94
Barbara Williams Flanagan ’60
Autumn Joy Florenceio-Wain ’00
Diana Hirsch Friedman ’68
Emily H. Fisher
Jeanne Donovan Fisher
Christopher H. and Helene S. Gibbs
Annette M. Gilson ’86
Eric W. Goldman ’98
Julia B. Greer
Barbara S. Grossman ’73
George Hamel, Jr and Pamela O. Hamel
Nikkya Hargrove ’05 and Dinushka DeSilva
Michaela (Misha) Harnick
Nancy Hass and Bob Roe
Helen Hecht
Marieluise Hessel
Richard Heyman
Charles F. Hollander ’65
Miranda May Holman
Elaine Marcotte Hyams ’69
Jill Jackson ’81
Henry Jarecki
Grace Judson ’79
George A. Kellner
Jessica Post Kemm ’74
Catherine Kleszczewski ’91
Peter Kosewski and John Anderson
Kenneth Kosakoff ’81
Gary and Edna Lachmund
Lawrence C. (Kit) Laybourne
Gideon Lester
Nancy S. Leonard
Cynthia Hirsch Levy ’65
Steve Lipson ’65 and Serl E. Zimmerman
Jennifer Lupo ’88
Thomas M. Maiello ’82
Margit Malmstrom ’66
Norman and Cella Manea
Bonnie Marcus ’71
Ana Paula Martinez ’97
Jonathan Massey ’85
Fredric S. Maxik ’86
Rita Katherine McBride ’82
Lew Millenbach ’64
Steven Miller ’70
Anne M. Morris - Stockton ’69
Sarah Mosbacher ’04
Anthony Napoli
Mary L. Nathan ’76
Brian Nielsen ’71
Jennifer Novik ’98
Karen Olah ’65
Daniel F. O'Neill ’79
James H. Ottaway, Jr.
Richard Pargament ’65
Edith Penty
Eric Perlberg ’69
Patricia E. Pforte ’08
Ellen Kaplan Perless ’63
Heather Petrie ’05 and Nathan Siler
Michele A. Petruzzelli ’76
Susan Diane Pilla
Stacy Pilson ’91
Jennifer Gayle Plassman
Lorna H. Power
Janice H. Rabinowitz ’51
Max Reimerdes
Lynda and Stewart Resnick
Steven Richards ’72
Irwin and M. Susan Richman
James Rodewald ’82 and Marella Consolini ’82
Catherine Ruggles ’98
Emily Sauter ’05
Alexandra Shafer ’78 and Denis Duman
Mostafiz ShahMohammed ’97
Elisabeth Semel ’72
Kendall (K.C.) Serota ’04
Sarah A Shapiro ’02 and Nicholas J. Neddo
John and Marsha Shyer
Denise S. Simon
George Smith ’82
Rebecca L. Smith ’93
Martin Sosnoff
Eve C. Stahlberger ’97
William N. Stavru ’87
Lindsay A. Stanley ’12
Albert Stwertka ’48
Geoffery Stein ’82
Kenneth Stern ’75
Charles P. Stevenson, Jr.
David H. Swanson
Walter Swett ’96
Kornelia Tamm ’00
Lance Tait ’78
Taun Toay ’05
Helene Tieger ’85
Olivier Te Boekhorst ’93
Janis H. Trachtman
Zubeida Bibi Ullah-Eilenberg ’97
Beth Uffner
Marylea van Daalen
Lisa Vasey ’84
Christine Wallich
Karen J. Watkins
Susan Weber
Wendy Weldon ’71
Tyler Williams ’19
Michael C. Wolf

Giving Online

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Investing in Future Bardians

“We loved our undergraduate years at Bard, but it was neither nostalgia nor a sense of duty that inspired us to include the College in our estate planning. The College ceaselessly works to bring the liberal arts to underserved communities, and the commitment to the link between higher education and civic participation seems increasingly important. We hope you’ll join us in adding Bard to your estate plans.”
—Marella Consolini Rodewald ’82 and James Rodewald ’82

“The best [we] can do is to support Bard throughout [our] lives, in whatever ways [we] can, and make sure that when [we] die, [our] legacy is in part defined by the place that defined us.”
—Pia Carusone ’03
“I decided to join the Margaret and John Bard Society because Bard is an institution that changes lives; for me the Bard Early Colleges (BEC) changed my life forever. I know that students and alumni/ae from every Bard program, whether it be the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), the Clemente Course, or The Orchestra Now (TŌN), have felt the meaningful impact that Bard makes.” - Tyler Williams ’19 MAT ’21

“It’s so important to me to make sure that I know where my assets will go and not let a stranger direct them.”
—Eve Stahlberger ’97

The Margaret and John Bard Society Annual Luncheon held each year in December

Posing here as a young man, John Bard was born in 1819 to a distinguished family of doctors and educators and Margaret Taylor Johnston Bard, ca. 1855.

Did You Know?

In 1860, St. Stephen’s College, a theologically based institution, was created thanks to a bequest made by John and Margaret Bard, in association with the leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. St. Stephen’s would later become known as Bard College, and were it not for this generous bequest, Bard College might not exist today.

Making Your Planned Gift

Planned Giving Information Sheet

Declaration of Intent Form

Retirement Assets
Tax-deferred savings plans such as Individual Retirement Accounts, Keogh Accounts, 401(K) and 401(B) plans, and others were created as savings tools for retirement, not as inheritance plans. When the plan ends (often at the end of the plan participant's life or that of a spouse), the proceeds are potentially subject to several forms of taxation: income tax, estate tax, and generation-skipping tax (if grandchildren are included in the estate settlement). An estate or inheritance tax may also be added, depending on where the participant lives.

By naming Bard College as a plan beneficiary, tax-deferred retirement plans pass directly to the College outside of the estate and are not subject to income or estate taxes. This can be accomplished on a Change of Beneficiary form indicating the amount or percentage of assets to be contributed to Bard. The beneficiary can be changed again at any time.

Declaration of Intent Form
Life Insurance

Life Insurance
If you own a life insurance policy and no longer require its protection, you may wish to consider transferring ownership of the policy to Bard College. It is also possible to purchase a new policy and transfer ownership to the College. Either gift will generate a charitable income tax deduction roughly equal to the cash surrender value of the policy on the date of the gift. In addition, any premium payments that are made on behalf of Bard College entitle the donor to additional charitable income tax deductions for the amount of the premiums. An alternative is to name Bard College as beneficiary (but not owner) of a new or existing policy. This would allow revocation of the gift should circumstances change. If completed, the eventual gift to the College would qualify as a federal estate tax deduction. The gift of a life insurance policy may allow you to make a larger donation to Bard than otherwise possible.
Bequest Intention form
Bequests
A bequest, the most common way for donors to provide for the future of Bard College, offers several advantages.

Our partnership with FreeWill enables you to build a legacy with Bard College in just 20 minutes.

A donor may be able to make a larger gift than otherwise possible, the estate may save on estate taxes, and the arrangement is revocable, allowing for changes as needed. You may designate a bequest for a specific purpose or leave it unrestricted. An unrestricted bequest provides general support for Bard and allows the College to use the gift where it is most needed at the time. You can make a bequest to Bard College by preparing a new will or revising an existing one. You can provide for the College in your will by:
- Making a specific bequest of cash, securities, or other property by designating an exact dollar amount, a particular asset, or a fixed percentage of your estate.
- Making a bequest of all or portions of your residuary estate after it has provided for all other beneficiaries by specific bequests.
- Making Bard a contingent beneficiary of the estate by stipulating that the College will receive all or a portion of the estate if named beneficiaries do not survive you.
- Making the College the remainder beneficiary of a trust established in the will to provide income plans previously described or a marital trust that pays all income to a spouse for life.
Sample language to include in a will or in a codicil to a will:
- For an unrestricted bequest: I give (the sum of ______ dollars) or (all or ______ percent of the residuary of my estate) to Bard College of Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, for its general purposes.
- For a restricted bequest: I give (the sum of _____ dollars) or (all or _____ percent of the residuary of my estate) to Bard College of Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, to be used for the following purpose: (state the purpose).
- For the bequest of residuary estate: I give (whatever remains) or (_____ percent of whatever remains) of my estate to Bard College of Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, after all specific bequests have been made and all expenses of administering my estate have been paid.
These descriptions provide general information only. For specific information on your personal situation, please consult your legal and financial advisors.

Bequest Intention form
Charitable Lead Trust
Charitable Lead Trust
A Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) is an irrevocable trust designed to provide financial support to one or more charities for a period of time, with the remaining assets eventually going to family members or other beneficiaries. Benefits of a CLT:
- May eliminate or reduce the estate tax liability of heirs
- When the original trust ends, the remainder of the trust can either pass to your heirs, or other designated beneficiary, or revert back to you.
- Can provide either a fixed or variable annual income stream
- Most effective in a low-interest-rate environment
Charitable Remainder Trust
Charitable Remainder Trust
A Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is a tax-exempt irrevocable trust designed to reduce the taxable income of individuals. There are two basic types of CRTs:
- Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust (CRAT) - provides a fixed income stream based on the value of the trust when it was established. No additional contributions can be made to this fund.
- Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT) - provides a variable income stream based on the annual valuation of the assets in the trust. Additional contributions can be made to this trust.

For further information, please contact

The Margaret and John Bard Society or Planned Giving

Debra Pemstein, Vice President for Development and Alumni/ae Affairs
845-758-7405
[email protected]

Planned Giving

The Margaret and John Bard Society

Giving Online

Investing in Future Bardians

The Margaret and John Bard Society Annual Luncheon held each year in December

Did You Know?

Making Your Planned Gift

Retirement Assets

Life Insurance

Bequests

Charitable Lead Trust

Charitable Remainder Trust

For further information, please contact