News

Tonery Rogers ’19 has won David L. Boren Scholarship for $20,000 to study Arabic in Jordan for the spring and summer of 2018. Rogers is the first Bard student to win a Boren Scholarship, a federal initiative that encourages the study of language skills in countries critical to the future security and stability of our nation.

Professor Ellen Condliffe Lagemann talks about the Bard Prison Initiative, public funding for higher education, and finding incredible students in unlikely places.

Daniel Mendelsohn writes about how his 81-year-old father wanted to study Homer’s epic, took his son's undergraduate course at Bard, and then the two sailed together for Ithaca.

Ian Buruma, Paul W. Williams Professor of Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College, reflects on Trump's recent military action in Syria and the American media reaction to it.

Bard College and the United States Military Academy at West Point present a conference entitled "Equality—More or Less?" from Wednesday, April 12 through Friday, April 14. The conference takes place in Blithewood Manor on the Bard College campus and is presented by Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Bard College; Graham Parsons, assistant professor of English & philosophy at West Point; and Robert Tully, professor of philosophy at West Point. The programs are free and open to the public and no reservations are required.

Legendary editor Robert B. Silvers died on March 20 at the age of 87 after 54 years at the helm of the New York Review of Books.

Bard professor and Hannah Arendt Center director Roger Berkowitz examines the similarities between totalitarian movements and the mass populist movement led by President Trump.

Professor Buruma explores the intricacies of Dutch politics through the populist politician Geert Wilders.

The Nature of Whiteness, by Associate Professor of Anthropology Yuka Suzuki, explores the intertwining of race and nature in postindependence Zimbabwe. Nature and environment have played prominent roles in white Zimbabwean identity, and when the political tide turned against white farmers after independence, nature was the most powerful resource they had at their disposal. In the 1970s, “Mlilo,” a private conservancy sharing boundaries with Hwange National Park, became the first site in Zimbabwe to experiment with “wildlife production,” and by the 1990s, wildlife tourism had become one of the most lucrative industries in the country. Mlilo attained international notoriety in 2015 as the place where Cecil the Lion was killed by a trophy hunter.

Yuka Suzuki provides a balanced study of whiteness, the conservation of nature, and contested belonging in twenty-first-century southern Africa. The Nature of Whiteness is a fascinating account of human-animal relations and the interplay among categories of race and nature in this embattled landscape.

Suzuki, Yuka (2017). The Nature of Whiteness: Race, Animals, and Nation in Zimbabwe. Seattle: UWashington.

Senior economics major John Henry Glascock is a captain of the men’s lacrosse team at Bard, maintains a 3.88 GPA, and has played a major role in the success of his team as the starting goalie for the past four years. Last summer he interned at Swiss financial firm UBS in Manhattan. At the end of the internship, he was offered a job after graduation, which he accepted. Glascock is a strong candidate for the Academic All-American Award in lacrosse, which would make him only the second student athlete in Bard history to receive the honor.

"For the first time in 70 years, the American people have elected a president who disparages the policies, ideas, and institutions at the heart of postwar U.S. foreign policy."

Mark Danner examines how President Trump is shattering norms and transforming the role of the presidency.

Omar Encarnación, director of Bard's Political Studies Program, discusses Donald Trump through the lens of the Latin American phenomenon of the caudillo, or populist strongman.

"[I]t is ...the demand that people be treated as rights-bearers rather than remaining invisible or as victims or recipients of charity, that makes all the difference."

Professor of Political Studies Omar Encarnación examines the future of Obama's gay rights legacy under the Trump administration.

Historian and Rachel Carson biographer Mark Lytle is a significant voice in a new documentary on the famous conservationist and author of the highly influential book Silent Spring.

Professor Armstead talks about the significant African American presence in the Hudson Valley, beginning with the colonial period, through the Civil War, and to the post–World War II era.

In this interview with NPR's Robert Siegel, Ian Buruma, professor of human rights and journalism, talks about how the institutions of liberal democracy in the West seem to be unraveling.

Bard alumnus Duane Linklater's show at NYU's 80WSE gallery engages with questions about the under- and misrepresentation of indigenous artists in galleries and museums.

Bard professor and Hannah Arendt Center director Roger Berkowitz explains why Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism has surged in popularity after the presidential election.

Richard Aldous weighs in on why Hillary Clinton lost the election and how Donald Trump resembles Andrew Jackson.

Drones: Is the Sky the Limit?, the first major U.S. museum exhibition on pilotless aircraft, is set to open at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on May 10.

Elmira Bayrasli, faculty member at the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program in New York City, considers Russia-Turkey relations after the shooting of the Russian ambassador to Turkey.

Pavlina Tcherneva discusses growing European populism in light of recent terrorist attacks, and the possible implications for the European economy. Segment begins at 14:20.

The investigation into the murder of Ambassador Andrey Karlov may well bring Turkey and Russia together, mounting a united front against the U.S. in demanding justice for the killers.

James Ketterer, dean of international studies and BGIA director, takes an in-depth look at how Middle East policy could play out under the new Trump administration.

Professor Stern looks at the proposed Anti-Semitism Awareness Act and its potential to impede free speech about the Israel-Palestine conflict on college campuses.

Donald Trump is not a totalitarian, says Hannah Arendt Center director and Bard professor Roger Berkowitz, but his creation of a social movement is very dangerous—and the left is enabling it.

Much attention has been given to how the Trump administration could fail. Walter Russell Mead explores a possible path to success through energy policy.

The Wall Street Journal tours a new exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center that explores the work of Napoleon’s architect.

Bard student Elena Botts ’18 has been named the inaugural Serota fellow at the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College. The Kevin Serota Fellowship at the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College was established in June by Kendall (KC) Serota ’04 and his parents, Kim Blaine Serota and Karen Ann Serota, in tribute to KC’s brother, Kevin Daniel Serota, who died in December 2015. The Kevin Serota Fellowship at the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College honors Kevin’s passion and aptitude in the field of drone technology and creation. The fellowship is a semester-long, intensive research position awarded to a student who has demonstrated exceptional research and writing skills, as well as an academic or professional interest in unmanned systems technology and associated issues. The Serota fellow will support a variety of original research initiatives, including both short-term and long-term research assignments, and is expected to work independently under strict deadlines. In addition to assigned work, the Serota fellow will be invited to submit proposals for original research projects to be considered for publication by the Center for the Study of the Drone.
 
Kevin Daniel Serota was Lead System Engineer at Detroit Aircraft Corporation (DAC), where he engineered, created, and built drones professionally. Kevin’s interest in drones started as a hobbyist working with aerial photography, and his passion led him into his career at DAC. He became an invaluable team member and worked on projects including the creation of drones that went to Africa to aid in antipoaching efforts and a research drone that was shipped to Antarctica. Kevin was most interested in the drone’s capacity for good. Kevin’s brother, Kendall (KC) Serota ’04, has been a member of the Bard College Alumni/ae Association’s Board of Governors since 2011. He currently serves as Vice President and Cochair of the Diversity Committee. KC and his family believe that Bard’s interdisciplinary perspective on drones honors the memory of Kevin’s interests and was instrumental in their decision to create the Kevin Serota Fellowship Fund at the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College.
 
Elena Botts’18 is a Global and International Studies major with a concentration in Mind, Brain, and Behavior at Bard College. Since graduation from high school in 2014, Elena has interned and worked for local nonprofits and political campaigns, including working for local officials in the school board and state legislatures. In 2015, she interned at Lawyers for Human Rights, where she did policy research and directly assisted refugees. As a visual artist and poet, Elena explores how the psyche can influence society. Her work has been published in dozens of literary magazines and two poetry books and exhibited in local galleries.

Party People, a play by the Universes ensemble, cofounded by Steven Sapp and Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, reflects on leaders of movements for racial justice.

Bard senior and political studies major Austin Lehn interned at EducationUSA last summer, a division of the State Department that helps international students and their families navigate the college admission process in the United States. Now he's considering a career as a Foreign Service officer or an international adviser to a university. 

By Hannah Fassett ‘17
  
Austin Lehn’s interest in international relations started in high school, when he noticed a fellow student sitting alone at a cross-country practice. He walked over and introduced himself to the young man, who turned out to be a new foreign exchange student from Denmark named Mads. Later on, he would befriend another Danish student, Klara. Getting to know these two confirmed Austin’s sense that international students visiting Sehome High School in Bellingham, Washington, often had a hard time integrating with the local students. As a senior, he started a mentoring group where international students could get to know their American peers, meeting regularly to explore local hangouts, go to the movies, and spend time at the local coffee shop. The experience was enriching for everyone involved. Austin’s friendships with Mads and Klara have lasted through high school and college and included several visits to Denmark. He and Mads even went on a road trip from Seattle to New York City last year.
 
Austin’s desire to build relationships across cultures continued at Bard College, where he majors in political studies. As a junior, he had another opportunity to mentor international students with the Center for Civic Engagement, where he connected with two visiting students from Smolny College in Saint Petersburg and the American University of Cairo. He became curious about working in international education, so last spring he underwent a rigorous and competitive application process to become an intern at the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C. Austin won a Community Action Award from the Center for Civic Engagement to support his internship. He was offered a spot at EducationUSA, operated by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which runs the State Department’s network of international student adviser centers in nearly every country in the world. EducationUSA advisers help international students and their families navigate the college admission process in the United States. They also work with U.S. colleges to help recruit international students, and with foreign institutions and governments interested in connecting with U.S. colleges.
 
EducationUSA exposed Austin broadly to the inner workings of the State Department. He attended grant proposal review panels and foreign officer country debriefings, and even met Secretary of State John Kerry. He worked on a project measuring the economic impact of international students, to see “how much money they bring into local economies when they come to the United States.” His main responsibility was helping to organize and oversee the EducationUSA Forum 2016, a three-day panel for international student recruiters and advisers. In addition to ensuring the panels went smoothly, Austin joined the events and made professional connections, particularly with advisers from Washington State. He hopes to become an international adviser to a university back home after graduation. “It’s where I belong,” he explains. He is also considering working at the State Department as a Foreign Service officer, another profession he’s encountered through EducationUSA.
 
Austin learned about the State Department internship through his academic adviser, James Ketterer, who mentored Austin through the application process. Ketterer, Bard’s dean of international studies and director of the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program in New York City, taught Diplomacy Politics, one of Austin’s favorite courses at Bard, a course that gave him the “tools to know what to expect from the State Department.” Austin’s Senior Project will be a comparative politics study examining legislation for LGBTQ rights in Russia and Spain. After his summer at the State Department, Austin has ideas about education legislation in the United States, too. During the internship, he joined discussions on inclusivity in international recruitment and training Foreign Service workers on the importance of “having a diverse body of students represented in an exchange program.”
 
After his internship, what would Austin share with his fellow Bard students? “While being openly critical about the government is a good thing, the best way for young people to influence change within the government is to join it!” About his peers, he adds, “Bard brings together a group of students with a sincere desire to positively affect the world around us. Whether these changes come through a piece of inspiring art, a scientific discovery, or a research project, Bard students are committed to making an impact on the world around them. I have had so many enlightening conversations with my peers and truly believe that many of my friends here at Bard will become leaders in their respective fields.”

This semester, a class at the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program (BGIA) in New York City includes students from a remarkable number of Bard programs and partner institutions. Bard College professor Walter Russell Mead is teaching Anglo-American Grand Strategy, a course examining the rise of British and American world power across three centuries. The class includes students from BGIA (with home institutions of American University in Central Asia, Smolny College in Russia, Emory University, and Bard), Bard College students who make the trip from Annandale, and students from Bard High School Early College in Queens.

On October 23 and 24, the Bard Globalization and International Affairs program (BGIA) in New York City hosted a conference on the history and future of the U.S. military's Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). The event was sponsored by the Mellon Foundation Project for Civil-Military Education Cooperation, which facilitates joint activities between educational institutions preparing the next generation of leaders in the civilian and military sectors. The aim is that members of each group should better understand the other, reducing the "civilian-military gap." Bard College is a member institution. This year marks the 100th anniversary of ROTC, and the conference explored the role of ROTC in training citizen-soldiers for the military, encouraging civil-military interactions on civilian campuses, a ensuring that the officer corps includes diverse experiences, perspectives, and educational backgrounds. Bard junior Jasmine Collins gave a presentation on her experiences in Junior ROTC in Atlanta. BGIA students attending the conference included those from Bard College, Oberlin College, Smolny College, and the Kellner Scholarship program that brings students from Hungary. Bard's dean of international studies and BGIA director James Ketterer oversaw the event.

​Conover focuses his astute comedy on the election in “The Adam Ruins Everything Election Special” on truTV, a taped version of a live stage show he performed in 15 cities.

Has the rapid rise of safe space rhetoric on college campuses done more harm than good? Does the increasing number of safe spaces contribute to the sheltering of students or to respectful community awareness? The Bard Debate Union and the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College hosted a debate titled, “Resolved: The rapid rise of ‘safe space’ rhetoric on college campuses has done more harm than good” on the evening of Tuesday, October 18 in the Campus Center.

After five years of preparation, the Sussman Rare Book Collection will open in the Stevenson Library on October 29 with such treasures as a 1556 copy of the Magna Carta.

On Friday, October 14, Bard’s Women and Leadership course, taught by Deirdre d’Albertis, visited the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where they met with Brigadier General Cindy Jebb, the academy’s first female dean. They also joined West Point cadets for a class in behavioral science and leadership, followed by a tour of the academy's historic campus. Next month they will head to the United Nations to meet with ambassadors Samantha Power and Michele J. Sison.

Students have designed projects for the course ranging from staging a Shakespeare play with an all-female cast to exploring sexism in the music industry. D’Albertis has assigned students to research women leaders from backgrounds that differ from their own in order to explore intersectional identities. The Center for Civic Engagement supports the course, with community building and civic engagement as core concepts.

On Friday, October 14, Bard’s Women and Leadership course, taught by Deirdre d’Albertis, visited the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where they met with Brigadier General Cindy Jebb, the academy’s first female dean. 

The Colombian people narrowly voted down a peace deal with the rebel group FARC that would have ended 50 years of war. What went wrong?

In this new book, BHSEC Queens faculty member Michael Woodsworth traces federal efforts in the 1960s to combat urban decay in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Jurgens, fellow of the Bard Prison Initiative and Hannah Arendt Center, who has been studying Germany's migration wave, emphasizes areas of common concern between locals and asylum-seekers.

Buruma asks whether the French government has the right to ban Muslim women from wearing the modest "burkini" swimsuit in public.

The "liberal arts comedy" of Bard alumnus Adam Conover's TruTV series, Adam Ruins Everything, aims not only to entertain but also to educate.

Professor James Romm coedits the collection and translates two of the featured plays in the new Greek Plays. Professor Daniel Mendelsohn contributes an important appendix essay.

Professor Lindner and Bard College students excavated the hearth of a 19th-century slave quarter in Germantown, New York, and discovered a concealed West African cosmology diagram. Excavation of the Germantown parsonage building continues as part of Professor Lindner's course Historical Archaeology: Mohicans, Colonial Germans, and African Americans near Bard.

“A BaKongo dikenga cosmogram has been recognized on the vertical woodframe of a cellar fireplace in a slave quarter along the Hudson River 110 miles north of Manhattan. The etched cross within a circle is 3.5 in. in diameter, and 30 in. above the hearth at its northeast corner.
[...]
“Numerous angular sandstone rocks pack the space beneath the fireplace slabs down to bedrock of greywackle and shale, but many liters of sediment were excavated in 2015 from beneath the middle of the five front hearthstones, and under the two outside corner slabs.
[...]
Bard College students excavated beneath the hearthstones in the front corners and middle by 2 in. arbitrary levels, except where stratum changes intervened, plotting around one hundred notable items to the nearest half inch, picking many more out of the sediments without the use of a sifter, saving the numerous fill rocks, and archiving the sediment for flotation analysis.
[...]
“In February the class, ‘Historical Archaeology: Mohicans, Colonial Germans, and African Americans near Bard,” will resume study of the hearth and yard at the parsonage.”
 

Lindner, Chris (2016). “West African Cosmogram Recognized Adjacent to Probable Hearth Concealment at 19th-Century Slave Quarter in Mid-Hudson Valley Settlement of Early German Americans.” Society for Historical Archaeology Newsletter 49(1): 28-9.
 

"President Erdoğan will celebrate his deliverance as a triumph of "democracy," but we need not join the celebration," writes Sean McMeekin on last week's attempted coup.

Professor McIntosh parses through the facts of Orlando, Judith Butler’s theory on frames of war, and the domestic origins of the attack.