Our online network is designed to connect current Bard parents, grandparents, and guardians. Annandale Insider, a monthly e-newsletter containing the latest campus news, notifications of family events, and volunteer/mentorship opportunities, keeps our families informed about student life in Annandale.
Annual Events
Family Leadership Council
Members of the Family Leadership Council (FLC) play a leadership role in the Bard community through a range of activities. FLC members develop and participate in on-campus and regional recruiting and mentoring events, promote and provide career opportunities for students, and participate in peer-to-peer fundraising. Parents on the FLC play a role in the success of the Bard College Fund through annual gifts. The Family Leadership Council meets twice each year: once during Family Weekend in the fall and once in the spring. These meetings are open so all Bard families are welcome to attend.
Visiting Us
Bard College campus grounds in Annandale are open to the community. Visitors who are vaccinated and boosted are welcome in campus facilities (except residence halls and the gym, which remain off limits to visitors) with advance approval from the Response Team.
Donna Ford Grover, visiting associate professor of literature and American studies. Photo by Chris Kayden
Faculty in the News
Bard’s extraordinary faculty are dedicated to the philosophy of teaching. Today and throughout Bard’s history, members of the faculty have effected change in medicine, the arts and letters, international affairs, journalism, scientific research, and education, among other endeavors.
Academic Calendar
The Bard Academic Calendar is an important resource for use throughout the year.
Stay in Touch
Keep your records up to date. If you have updates or changes to your contact information, please email [email protected].
The Family Programs Office sends out a monthly e-newsletter, Annandale Insider, as well as important messages from the College and news on networking events, student and faculty achievements, and more.
The Family Programs Office sends out a monthly e-newsletter, Annandale Insider, as well as important messages from the College and news on networking events, student and faculty achievements, and more.
News and Events
Bard Prison Initiative Graduate Allen Porter ’26 Sits Down with Spectrum’s Errol Louis
Porter discussed his fight for justice, the role education played during his incarceration, and the challenges of rebuilding life after incarceration.
Bard Prison Initiative Graduate Allen Porter ’26 Sits Down with Spectrum’s Errol Louis
Bard Prison Initiative graduate Allen Porter ’26. Photo by Karen Pearson
Porter earned his Bard degree while incarcerated through the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), a nationally recognized program that provides rigorous college education in prisons. During the interview, Porter reflected on maintaining hope throughout decades of wrongful imprisonment, the impact of earning a liberal arts education while incarcerated, and the challenges and opportunities that have accompanied his return home.
“Walking across the stage to get my Bard College diploma was an incredibly meaningful and emotional moment that I dreamed about throughout my time in prison, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Bard Prison Initiative,” said Porter. “This program gave me the unique opportunity to transform my life through the power of a liberal arts degree. I’m excited for where my education will take me now that I’m free.”
Post Date: 07-08-2026
Bard Alumnus George Ball ’73 Featured in Forbes
“One of the most patriotic things you can do is plant a garden,” Ball said.
Bard Alumnus George Ball ’73 Featured in Forbes
George Ball ’73.
The business aims, in Ball’s words, to “help the plants [and] the gardeners thrive.” In addition to sales, Burpee promotes learning about gardening and plant research through grant initiatives. In 2024, Bard received a $1 million grant from the Burpee Foundation for the construction of a trial garden at Bard’s Montgomery Place campus to revitalize historic lawn beds and engage students in horticultural research. Now, on America’s 250th, Ball thinks their mission to popularize gardening is more important than ever: “One of the most patriotic things you can do is plant a garden,” he said.
Post Date: 07-01-2026
Sara J. Winston Receives Helena Svetla Fund Grant
This first grant from the fund supports artists working at the intersection of art and healthcare, and will support the production of Sara's forthcoming monograph, Infusion.
Sara J. Winston Receives Helena Svetla Fund Grant
Sara J. Winston, associate director of the photography program and artist in residence. Photo by Jordan Swartz
The Photography Program at Bard College offers instruction in the medium while providing a historical and aesthetic framework for student development within the context of a broad-based liberal arts education.
Post Date: 06-18-2026