Bard College: Creating the leaders of tomorrow

25 Sep 2018

The Bard College campus lies in Annandale-on-Hudson, located 90 miles north of New York City.

Here, leaders of tomorrow – and of course today – refine the ability to think critically, collaboratively, honestly and openly, enriching the world outside the classroom with brand-new forms of knowledge.

Bard College’s Engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences (ELAS) courses seamlessly blend coursework and critical thinking with valuable engagement activities.

These specialized programs challenge students to develop creative yet practical approaches to social, cultural, and scientific issues, while the college also ties liberal arts to the workplace through Bard Works and its dedicated Career Development Office.

Civic action is making leaders of tomorrow

The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) at Bard embodies the fundamental belief that education and civil society are inextricably connected. Civic action at Bard includes student-led initiatives, volunteer opportunities, electoral politics, participation in social movements, public education, work with government service and NGOs, and participation in institutional campus-community partnerships.

Source: Bard College

To create and motivate powerful leaders, it’s more important now than ever that citizens be educated and trained to think critically while actively engaging with issues that affect public life.

Standing with CCE is also the Trustee Leader Scholar Program (TLS); the formal civic leadership development program for undergraduate students at Bard. The Bard Prison Initiative – a scheme that cultivates, supports, and establishes college-in-prison programs – was created by a Bard undergraduate in the TLS program.

Civic action also occurs at the international level. Students at Bard form part of an International Network that links undergraduate institutions in a series of overlapping activities, fostering the exchange of ideas and mutual learning.

Hear from Bard’s students and alumni about their engaged liberal arts experience

Morgon Kanter graduated in the Class of ’09, but now serves as a senior software engineer at Google – arguably the world’s most influential company. Morgon studied Computer Science at Bard before going on to Dartmouth to pursue a PhD.

“The academics at Bard are rock-solid,” he says. “The Bard Computer Science Program should prepare anyone for anything. Judging by the number of peers I have in good places in the industry and at Google from Bard, I’m not alone in this opinion!”

Kanter urges new students not to wait to consider their future career development, and get right on it now. Bard hosts a range of summer internship and scholarship opportunities for students to take advantage of, ensuring every learner enters the working world as worldly-wise professionals.

Emmett Dienstag, Class of ’18, studied Spanish and Pre-Med, but currently resides in the Masters of Arts and Teaching Program (MAT) program at Bard.

“From the moment I came to Bard I wanted to study science and continue towards my goal to become a doctor,” he explains.

“Luckily being pre-med allowed me to pursue other majors. While I haven’t become a doctor yet, I think that Bard gave me all the necessary tools for accomplishing any goal that I set for myself.”

Source: Bard College

Thea Piltzecker, Class of ’11, went on to become a graduate student at Columbia Journalism School, Class of ’17. Now, she works as a respected Associate Producer, freelancing for revered media organizations like PBS, NBC and Vice.

“After graduation, I worked at Al-Quds Bard College for a formative and illuminating year,” she says.

“I came back to NYC and found a job on a PBS show. I’ve been freelancing for PBS, NBC, and Vice ever since! My Bard education gave me a broad base of knowledge to draw on, and the ability to make connections (across cultures, eras, and fields of study). On a daily basis, I use the good research skills and clear writing I learned in college.

“I spent four years as a TLS student, and loved every minute of my work. And of course, I made fabulous friends!” – Pranjal Ghate, Class of ’18, studied Economics at Bard.

“Bard is the home of the Levy Economics Institute and as a student of Economics, I knew that it would always be useful to study in the same campus with an esteemed think tank,” Ghate explains.

“The educational experience here is not just about what kinds of disciplines I was exposed to,” he concludes, “or about what kind of knowledge I was able to surmount but it was about how I formed the basic idea of who I am as a person, what is my purpose in life, and how these things have matured me enough to tackle the real life issues that I will face in the future.”

Bard is a place that nourishes thought, for both the creative and critical minds. If you want a world-class international study experience, your journey begins at Bard.

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