independent institution covering 600 acres (240 hectares) next to a nature preserve in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of New York City. It began as St. Stephen's College, an Episcopal college for men founded by John Bard in 1860. It took its present name in 1928 upon becoming part of Columbia University. The college broke its ties to Columbia in 1944, the same year it became coeducational. Bard awards bachelor's and master's degrees. Enrollment consists of about 1,100 undergraduates and 100 graduate students, about three fourths of whom come from outside the state. The numbers of men and women attending are relatively equal. Bard is a selective institution, and only about half the applicants to undergraduate programs are accepted. Some applicants participate in a day-long seminar and interview, after which they immediately receive an acceptance or rejection. The college operates on a 4-1-4 calendar, meaning two full semesters of roughly four months each with a one-month term in between for concentrated courses, travel, or internships. Virtually all of the full-time faculty hold doctorates. Undergraduate degrees are offered through the divisions of languages and literature, natural sciences and mathematics, the arts, and social studies. All students take at least two courses in each division before graduation. Students interested in engineering, business management, public administration, social work, forestry, environmental studies, public health, city planning, or architecture can enroll in dual-degree programs arranged between Bard and other institutions. All freshmen arrive on campus three weeks before the fall semester begins so that they may take an intensive reading and writing workshop. During the year, they take two freshmen seminars, one on ancient worlds and another on the modern era. At the end of the sophomore year, students present their educational history and future objectives to a committee made up of faculty from the division that conducts their proposed major. Juniors and seniors spend much of their time in one-to-one tutorials with professors, leading up to the completion of a senior project. About half of the undergraduates pursue advanced studies within a year of graduation. The college conducts its own graduate programs in the arts and environmental studies. Bard also runs Simon's Rock College of Bard in Massachusetts, a college designed to educate students who are younger than the traditional age for college. The majority of students live in campus housing, which consists of cottages, mansions converted into dormitory units, and regular dormitories. Extracurricular activities include publications, performing arts groups, volunteer organizations, a campus radio station, a film series, and intramural sports. Bard holds membership in both the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. |