One of the first opportunities I noticed during my transition to Bard was for greater communication with the Bard community, particularly with regards to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) issues. Although there is still much work to be done, it is essential that Bardians have reliable access to the many campus initiatives, curricular updates, strategic opportunities, and concerns experienced throughout the campus community. Your engagement, support, and guidance are important to our collective progress forward. Therefore, on behalf of the Council for Inclusive Excellence’s Communications Working Group, welcome to the first edition of Diversity@Bard. Please continue reading for progress on the various DEI initiatives on campus, including updates from the Excellence in Athletics Coalition and the President's Commission on Racial Justice and Equity. Read Dean Sablo's Letter

All academic programs are focused on racial justice and equity work this year. Efforts include: social justice training; Inclusion Challenge Grants for academic programs; the creation of DEI statements for program websites and syllabi; workshops on inclusive hiring practices; five new faculty members, all of whom will add to the diversity of curriculum and faculty at Bard; expanded curricular offerings related to DEI; and faculty professional development.

Johnstone is a speculative writer, artist, curator and pleasure activist whose work navigates intimate explorations of race, art, ecology and feminism, working to activate movements that catalyze human rights, environmental evolutions and queer identities. Johnstone will be in residence at Bard during the spring 2021 semester to teach and develop local collaborations in the Hudson Valley. Read More

The Chamber Foundation Inc. and the Women’s Leadership Alliance of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce have named Cammie Jones, Bard associate dean of experiential learning and civic engagement, a 2020 ATHENA honoree. The ATHENA award honors those who actively guide or mentor women to become great leaders. Read More

New Yorker Highlights Legal Aid Society Attorney Cynthia Conti-Cook ’03 as Part of Coalition of New York Activists Whose Work Challenged the Recently Repealed New York Law Protecting Police Disciplinary Records

Bard alumna Cynthia Conti-Cook has long focused on ways to provide greater transparency on police misbehavior. Recently, she was part of the group that revealed police department secrets in New York City.

Bard College has joined the newly established Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA), addressing racial inequities at liberal arts colleges. LACRELA, now comprising 52 colleges, was formed by a cohort of new liberal arts college presidents of color to collectively address issues of racial diversity, equity, and inclusion on college campuses. We are excited to bring this new alliance to bear on the critical, ongoing work of equity and inclusion at Bard. Read More

Bard College Joins Letter Opposing Department of Education Investigation of Princeton Based on University’s Acknowledgment of Systemic Racism Read More

Bard College acknowledges that its origins are intertwined with the systems of racial injustice that have been a part of this nation’s history from its foundations. Read More

Research Projects on the Border Crisis by Recent Bard College Graduates Featured in Special Issue of EuropeNow Read More

Watch the full concert archive of Out of the Silence: A Celebration of Music with The Orchestra Now, hosted by the Fisher Center at Bard. Featuring works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Roque Cordero, Duke Ellington, and many more. Watch Now

Reflecting on the Moment: Conversations on Racial Equity + Justice Watch Now

Protests in Perspective: On the Streets for Social Justice—Lessons from the Past Watch Now