Newsmakers

The Open Society Foundations today welcome Bard College’s successful completion of a landmark endowment challenge first issued in 2021 by Open Society Founder George Soros. By meeting the challenge, Bard has established the first endowment in its history, positioning the College to sustain and expand its mission as an independent institution of higher education centered on the liberal arts and sciences and dedicated to the public interest for generations to come.

The challenge invited Bard to match a $500 million commitment from Open Society by raising an additional $500 million from other donors, securing a $1 billion endowment to support the college’s undergraduate and graduate programs, faculty, student scholarships, the arts, and international engagement. Bard’s success marks a significant moment for an institution long recognized for its commitment to educational access, academic rigor, and public service. It also reflects Open Society’s historical support for higher education and the role of critical thinking in public life.

At a time when American democracy is under strain and colleges and universities face growing political and financial pressure, Bard’s endowment underscores the importance of investing in independent higher education as a cornerstone of democratic life.

“Higher education is essential to the future of American democracy,” said Alex Soros, chair of the Open Society Foundations. “Bard will continue to be a place where critical thinking flourishes and students learn why the liberal arts are more important to freedom and the rule of law than ever in today’s embattled moment.”

Located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, Bard College has played a leading role in advancing liberal arts and sciences education and expanding access to higher education. Its programs include the Bard Prison Initiative, which provides college education to incarcerated students; Bard Early Colleges, which enable public high school students to earn college degrees tuition free in supportive environments; and a wide range of international partnerships focused on expanding educational opportunity for underserved communities.

“Bard is profoundly grateful to George Soros, Alex Soros, and the Open Society Foundations,” said Leon Botstein, president of Bard College. “The response of our donor community, which has given and pledged over $500 million to meet the OSF challenge, affirms George Soros’s belief in Bard and its mission. This outpouring of support endorses Bard’s excellence and innovation and bodes well for the future of the College.”

Three Bard College alumni/ae will be among the 56 artists and collectives selected to participate in this year’s Whitney Biennial, the 82nd installment of the longest-running survey of contemporary art in the United States. Works by multimedia artist Sula Bermudez-Silverman ’15, sculptural artist Cooper Jacoby ’11, and artist and filmmaker Jordan Strafer MFA ’20 will be featured in the exhibition series. The Whitney Biennial 2026, which opens on March 8, offers a vivid atmospheric survey of contemporary American art shaped by a moment of profound transition by inviting visitors into environments that evoke tension, tenderness, humor, and unease. Together, the works capture the complexity of the present and propose imaginative and unexpected forms of coexistence. “We are giving platforms to artists that we felt were making major contributions to the field,” curator Drew Sawyer told the New York Times.

The Ask, a podcast by Bard alumnus Waise Azimi ’05, brought Bard Chief of Staff Malia Du Mont ’95, Vice President for Student Affairs Dumaine Williams ’03, and Associate Director of the Human Rights Project Danielle Riou to discuss the ongoing detention of Bard student Ali Faqirzada ’28. Alongside Anwen Hughes, director of legal strategy for refugee programs at Human Rights First, the five discussed the ongoing efforts to advocate for Faqirzada’s return to his studies at Bard, the current legal and political environment for asylum seekers, and more. Speaking to the College’s support of Faqirzada, Du Mont said, “Nobody here at Bard thought twice about any of it. There was no question in my mind.”

To learn more about Faqirzada’s case and to share media coverage of his story, visit go.bard.edu/take-action. With initiatives like the Human Rights Program, the Center for Human Rights and the Arts, and the launch of GHEA21, Bard has a storied history of supporting academic freedom and human rights around the world. To learn more about how Bard supports displaced students and students in need, please visit cce.bard.edu/engaged-learning/the-sanctuary-fund.

American theater and opera director and cofounder of SITI Company Anne Bogart ’74 was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame on November 17. In order to receive the award, the only nationally recognized hall of fame honoring lifetime achievement in the American theater, the awardee must have given 25 years distinguished service to the American theater and at least five major production credits on Broadway. Bogart, who studied drama and dance at Bard and received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from the College in 2014, teaches at Columbia University, where she is a professor and head of the directing concentration.

In December 2022, Bard’s Fisher Center presented the world premiere of SITI Company’s reimagining of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, codirected by Anne Bogart and Tony Award winner Darron L West. The work, commissioned by the Fisher Center, was the final production in SITI Company’s 30th anniversary “Finale Season.” 

Bard’s Theater and Performance Program offers an interdisciplinary, liberal arts-based approach to the making and study of theater and performance, and embraces a wide range of performance practices, from live art and interactive installation to classical theater from around the globe.

Composer and Bard alumnus Prokhor Protasov MM-Conducting ’20 has been announced as the winner of the Peace Symphony Concours, a conducting award conferred by County Hall Arts for works written as a musical representation of and inspiration for humanity's quest for global peace. “We appreciated Prokhor’s melodic gift and how his symphony explores humanity’s search for peace in a fractured world—tracing a journey from grief and cruelty toward hope and reconciliation across its four movements,” said County Hall Arts. The charity received 83 entries in total and commissioned a short-list of gifted composers, including Prokhor, to create symphonies to illustrate the pursuit of peace.

“I am deeply grateful for County Hall Arts’ trust and for the extraordinary opportunity to compose an orchestral work on such an important theme—one which I feel a personal connection to,” Protasov said. “At a time when division and indifference prevail, the values of humanity, reconciliation, and compassion cannot be overstated. I hope that my art may offer consolation and support to those seeking it.”

The mission of the Bard College Conservatory of Music is to provide the best possible preparation for a person dedicated to a life immersed in the creation and performance of music.

On Monday, November 17, Bard College Margaret and John Bard Society members, staff, and students gathered in New York City for this year’s annual luncheon. The special occasion serves as a heartfelt recognition of the generous contributions made by members through their estate plans. Their forward-thinking and commitment to Bard College's mission not only enrich the lives of current students but also ensure a vibrant future for generations to come. Bard is deeply appreciative of the generosity and foresight that the members of the Margaret and John Bard Society have, and their belief in Bard’s mission and their commitment to future planning are instrumental in fostering a nurturing environment for both students and faculty alike.

“It is always wonderful to welcome and bring together so many generations of Bardians,” said Debra Pemstein, vice president of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs. “Margaret and John Bard Society members help the College plan for a vibrant future with their generosity.”
 

Bard College alumna Leslie Kean ’73 has coauthored an article in the New York Times about The Age of Disclosure, a film in which 34 former and current senior members of US government, military and intelligence groups discuss what they can disclose about unidentified aerial phenomena, also known as UAP or UFOs. The controversial documentary—which debuted at South by Southwest earlier this year to mixed reactions—was screened for a bipartisan group of members of the House of Representatives, who later discussed their support for legislation to increase transparency. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, did not attend but sent a statement calling for greater transparency and saying she would work to “reduce the stigma around reporting, strengthen our national security, and ensure UAP records are being properly disclosed.”

Bard College has concluded a month-long celebration honoring our exceptional Student Scholars and the generous donors who support their educational journeys. In line with National Scholarship Month, the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs shared inspiring testimonials from our students, illustrating how their Bard experiences have profoundly shaped both their academic and personal lives. A standout moment of the month was the Annual Scholarship Reception, where faculty and staff united to applaud the significant influence scholarships have on our students’ lives. One student spoke of the opportunities given to them at Bard, saying, "Everybody here has really enriched me and helped me in my journey and my educational journey—my journey as a person—and I’m just very grateful overall.”

Speeches from faculty and institutional leaders, including President Leon Botstein, reinforced the critical importance of philanthropy in enriching the educational landscape at Bard. This gathering served as a powerful reminder of our shared commitment to education and the incredible impact of generosity, creating a night filled with gratitude, and connection.

Learn more about Giving at Bard:
giving.bard.edu/donor-impact/
giving.bard.edu/scholarships/
giving.bard.edu/stories-of-impact/

A Bard College Music Program faculty member and three Conservatory of Music alumni/ae have been nominated for the 2026 GRAMMY Awards. Gwen Laster, visiting artist in residence, is nominated in the category of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Lights on a Satellite recorded with Sun Ra Arkestra. Devony Smith VAP ’14, is nominated in the category of Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for her album In This Short Life with pianist Danny Zelibor. Julia Bullock VAP ’11, is also a featured artist on the album Schubert/Beatles, nominated in the same category. Eri Nakamura CPF ’15, a member of the Neave Trio, is nominated in the category of Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their album, La Mer: French Piano Trios. The 2026 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 68th GRAMMY Awards, will take place on Sunday, February 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. 

The Bard College campus is awash in music—by all accounts, one of the school’s most distinctive features. The Music Program, one of the largest programs on campus, provides a wide range of musical concentrations, and the Bard Conservatory aims to provide the best possible preparation for a person dedicated to a life immersed in the creation and performance of music.

When Bard Baccalaureate student and Afghan asylum seeker Ali Faqirzada ’28 was detained on October 14 after a routine hearing in New York, officials from Bard College and the Episcopal Diocese mobilized their networks to help. Dionne Searcey for the New York Times reports on these ongoing efforts. “The only chance of rescuing this individual from injustice is to make it visible,” President Leon Botstein told the Times. “If you stand for the truth and for learning and all the virtues of a serious education and an examined life and you believe in the idea of justice, you have to act.” 

Immediately following his detainment, Bard Vice President for Strategy and Policy and Chief of Staff Malia Du Mont ’95 and Vice President for Student Affairs Dumaine Williams ’03 visited Faqirzada at Delaney Hall, the ICE detention facility in New Jersey where he is being held. “I would describe it as feeling like a member of the family had been taken,” said Du Mont, a US veteran of the Afghan War.

The College, alongside Human Rights First and the Episcopal Diocese of New York, has worked to enlist bipartisan federal, state, and local elected officials in efforts to organize and advocate for Faqirzada’s release. Two Bard alumni/ae at the law firm Quinn Emanuel have offered pro bono legal services to represent Faqirzada in his asylum case.
 

In a conversation with Jack Stripling on College Matters, a podcast produced by the Chronicle of Higher Education, Director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate Kenneth Stern ’75 discussed what he saw as the “weaponization of the definition” of anti-Semitism that he helped to create. “I’m not ever saying don't combat speech or contest speech that you don’t like,” Stern said, “but I’m saying don’t use instruments of the state to suppress what teachers can teach and what students can hear.” College, ideally, should be a place where you go “to spend the rest of your life recalibrating how you think about things,” Stern said. “We want to make you critical thinkers. We want to encourage you to try on ideas.” Policing, through university policy, what can and can’t be said diminishes this essential capacity of higher education, Stern argued. “I want to create the environment on a campus in particular where people can have productive discussions.”

The Bard Center for the Study of Hate (BCSH) works to increase the serious study of human hatred, and ways to combat it. The Center supports faculty and students throughout the Bard network who want to study and/or combat hatred and its various manifestations. BCSH brings scholars from diverse disciplines to Bard College and all of its campuses to speak about the human capacity to hate and demonize others. The Bard Center for the Study of Hate was established in 2018 with a generous endowment from the Justus & Karin Rosenberg Foundation and is a program of Bard’s Human Rights Project.

Poetry helped BHSEC Newark alumna Rashanna James-Frison BHSEC ’25 cope with the loss of her parents, and now she’s looking to share that feeling with other teens in Newark, New Jersey. “My first poem was actually to my biological father, that passed,” James-Frison told NJ.com. “It was just to remember him in a way, and also put how I was feeling about the situation on paper.” Now a first-year junior at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania after earning her associate’s degree at BHSEC Newark, James-Frison published her first book of poetry, The Black Unicorn: A Daughter From Newark. Hoping to share her experiences with the next generation of young women from Newark, she’s launched a campaign to assist in distributing 1,000 copies to eighth-graders.

Bard Early College is a multi-campus network with nine degree-granting campuses established to provide adolescents in American public school systems with the chance to go farther and faster than the status quo allows.

For Interview magazine, writer and director Jordan Tannahill spoke with Bard alumnus Arthur Tress ’62 about his new book of photography, The Ramble. The book is a collection of photographs from the 1960s of an “overgrown stretch of Central Park that’s served as a cruising ground for gay men for nearly a century,” Tannahill writes. The photographs, Tress says, weren’t initially taken with any kind of publication in mind, given their subject and the politics of the time. “Well, at that time, there really was no audience or publications that would show gay photography,” Tress said. “They were mostly for myself, but I had a sense that they were historically important.” Some of the photographs were taken “surreptitiously,” Tress said, but others were semiposed: “My work has always been a little bit of improvised, stage-directed imagery, especially in portraits, so it’s kind of a combination. I call it a sort of ‘poetic documentary.’” The Ramble, published by Stanley/Barker, will be released November 1, 2025.

Rolling Stone has named the song “Maps” by the band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, in which Bard alumnus Nick Zinner ’96 plays guitar and keyboard, as number two in their list of the 250 Greatest Songs of the Century So Far. “What remains in ‘Maps’ is pure feeling, so much so that the song has reappeared as musical inspiration for artists from Kelly Clarkson to Beyoncé over the years,” writes Rolling Stone about the band’s 2003 song. “Still, the original has held out strongest through the decades, speaking to anyone who has understood whispered pleas in the face of cruel timing and inevitable goodbyes — and what it means to hold on even when it hurts.” The list draws on 25 years worth of classics and hits from across the world.

Jessica Mah SR ’06, an entrepreneur and alumna of Simon's Rock at Bard College, was profiled in a piece by the San Francisco Examiner, which looks back on her history of exploring and building businesses, from when she was a young teenager through her latest venture. Her first major breakthrough came in 2009 when she cofounded the software inDinero to make accounting and financial management accessible for small businesses, and then again in 2012 when she was named as one of Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in the Enterprise Technology category. She later embarked on projects such as internshipIN, a platform that aimed to connect employers and aspiring interns, and Mahway, a women-led investment firm created to build world-changing companies. “Mah’s story is proof that the entrepreneurial path is open to anyone willing to think differently and persevere,” writes the Examiner. “She’s shown time and time again that early ideas can blossom into industry-shaking companies and that true innovators never stop building.”

Bard College alumni/ae Catherine Lamb MFA ’12, Berlin-based composer, and Ben Richter ’08, director of Ghost Ensemble, have released a new collaborative album called interius/exterius, which was engineered by Bard music faculty Matt Sargent and mixed at Bard’s recording studio. The work, which Igloo Magazine calls “a vast, resonant world of sound, where every listening reveals infinite layers of beauty,” is currently in first-round Grammy consideration in the categories of Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance, Best Contemporary Classical Composition, and Best Engineered Album, Classical. “A stellar recording,” wrote Peter Margasak for Bandcamp’s Best Contemporary Classical roundup about Catherine Lamb x Ghost Ensemble’s LP. “This stands as one of more electrifying accounts of [Lamb’s] sound world. It’s thrilling to witness over the last few years how Lamb’s harmonic imagination and compositional voice have been reinforcing one another as they grow inexorably more refined and powerful.” The first round of Grammy voting ends on Oct 15.

The Naming Song, the newest novel by author and Bard alumnus Jedediah Berry ’99, was awarded the 2025 Massachusetts Book Award for fiction. The Massachusetts Book Awards recognize works by current Commonwealth residents in multiple categories. “I was so pleased to see my book included among a list of so many extraordinary writers’ works who I admire,” Berry said to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. “Winning it was just an astonishing thing. I felt incredibly grateful.”

The Naming Song, also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, is a fabulist novel that takes place after an apocalyptic event makes names disappear. The novel’s protagonist works for “the Names Committee” as a courier, delivering names to their proper places. “I came to love these characters and the strange journey that they’re on in the book,” Berry said. “Living with that for so long and knowing that it’s finally out of the world is kind of a strange experience. It’s like finally introducing people to these old friends.”

Hosted by the Levy Economics Institute, Bard alumna Erika McEntarfer ’95, former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), spoke to an audience of Bard students, faculty, staff, and community members in Olin Hall on September 16. She recounted the day of her abrupt dismissal following the release of the July jobs report and discussed the ways that nonpartisan statisticians affect our everyday lives as Americans. McEntarfer compared the efforts of the BLS to the work of city planners involved in transportation infrastructure. “Real-time economic data is like live traffic updates—helpful for making quick decisions—like adjusting interest rates quickly to avoid an economic downturn,” she said. The data produced by BLS is used widely, from top officials in the federal government to traders on Wall Street, whose decisions have real consequences for Americans. “The decisions they make—to adjust interest rates to avoid a recession, to build a new plant in your city, to sell stocks or bonds—impact how easy it will be for you to find a good job, how affordable it will be for you to buy a house and raise a family, and how comfortable your retirement will be.”

Introducing McEntarfer, Pavlina Tcherneva, president of the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, noted that this event was more than just an academic talk. “This is our community gathering to champion a vital idea: that truth and rigorous analysis matter,” Tcherneva said. “That our ability to solve problems and find common ground depends on a shared commitment to facts and honest inquiry.” She emphasized that the work done at the Levy Institute relies on “reliable, trustworthy data,” and that without that, “We would lose our capacity to truly understand the economic forces shaping our communities and our country.”

McEntarfer warned of the potential costs of politicization of economic data. “Economic data must be free from partisan influence. That is essential to the mission of the agency. Markets have to trust that the data are not manipulated,” she said. “Firing your chief statisticians for releasing data you do not like will have serious economic consequences.” After the talk concluded, she took the time to answer questions from the audience, including from current students on topics ranging from data science, job prospects, and their Senior Projects. The talk was widely covered across all major news outlets, from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg to CNN.

The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public policy research organization that encourages diversity of opinion in the examination of economic policy issues while striving to transform ideological arguments into informed debate. The Levy Institute is home to two Master's degree programs—a one-year MA and two-year MS—in Economic Theory and Policy.
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• Financial Times: “Fired BLS chief calls Donald Trump’s attack on US data agency a ‘dangerous step’”
• Bloomberg: “Former BLS Chief Recounts Shock of Getting Fired Over Jobs Data”
• Politico: “Ex-BLS chief said she was blindsided by Trump firing Erika McEntarfer said she is fearful about the possible loss of the statistical agency’s independence from political actors.”
• The Hill: “BLS chief fired by Trump over jobs report comments publicly for first time”
• The Guardian: “Labor statistics chief fired by Trump sounds alarm over White House’s ‘dangerous’ interference”
• Daily Mail: “Fired federal employee warns Trump he made a 'dangerous' misstep when he publicly terminated her”
• Business Insider: “The fired head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics is warning about data manipulation”
• Reuters: “Ex-BLS chief says her firing by Trump marked 'dangerous step' for economy”
• The Independent: “Former BLS chair breaks silence on being fired by Trump and going from unknown to ‘household name’”
• The Huffington Post: “Official Fired By Trump For Poor Jobs Report Breaks Silence On Shocking Ouster”

This October, Bard College presents renowned tenor and musical scholar Ian Bostridge delivering the Anthony Hecht Lectures in the Humanities in honor of preeminent poet, alumnus, and former Bard faculty member Anthony Hecht ’44. In his lecture series, “Ancestral Voices Prophesying: Notes on Britten's War Requiem,” Bostridge—who has performed War Requiem nearly a hundred times since 1994—will examine the layers of meaning and context in the piece, one of the most important works of classical music written after 1945.

The first lecture in the series, “Requiem,” takes place on Monday, October 27 at 5:00 pm, and the second, “Anthem,” will be held on Tuesday, October 28 at 5:00 pm.  A reception precedes both lectures, which will take place in Olin Auditorium on Bard’s Annandale campus. The final lecture in the series, “Akedah,” will be held on Friday, October 31 at 6:00 pm in the Irving Posner and Herman Ackman Space at Kaufman Music Center located at 129 West 67th Street, NYC.  All lectures are free and open to the public. For more information about this lecture series, please call (845) 758-7405.

Ian Bostridge’s extraordinary career has taken him to the foremost concert halls, orchestras and opera houses in the world, and his recordings have been nominated for 15 Grammys. An internationally celebrated author and academic, Bostridge published his book Schubert’s Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession in 2014, and his most recent book Song and Self was published in 2023. In 2004, he was made a CBE, or Commander of the Order of the British Empire, a prestigious British honor recognizing individuals for their significant contributions to their field or community.

Last Thursday, August 28, Bard College celebrated its annual Thank-a-Donor event, hosted by the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs. Thank-a-Donor events encourage students to write a thank you note to some of the College’s dedicated and generous donors who have supported the Bard College Fund. 

The Bard College Fund plays a vital role in supporting the annual costs of the undergraduate College. By providing essential resources for scholarships, academic programs, faculty support, and campus facilities, the Bard College Fund ensures that students receive a world-class liberal arts and sciences education in an environment that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and social engagement, and is where every gift—from $5 a month to $50,000—is welcome.

First-year students participated enthusiastically, handwriting messages on postcards featuring a photo of Bard students in an outdoor class or by creating short videos, while learning about the important role philanthropic support plays in making Bard possible. These freshly matriculated students sat down and shared a bit about themselves and what they already appreciate about Bard and hope to do with their time here. Donors will receive those cards in the next few weeks. 

Part of the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs' mission is to recognize the vital role that donors play in supporting the College, and making them feel good about their decision to contribute to Bard. Thank-a-Donor is designed to help with this, as well as introduce students to the vital role philanthropy plays in their Bard journey, and that there is a community of people who believe in them and the power of a Bard liberal arts and sciences education. 
 
Explore the impact of Bard’s generous donors on our website at giving.bard.edu/donor-impact 

Photography Program Director and Susan Weber Professor in the Arts Stephen Shore was profiled by the New York Times. Photographer and Bard alumnus Gus Aronson ’20 shot a video that accompanies the profile of Shore, who has headed the photography program at Bard for over 40 years. The profile celebrates the publication of his new collection Early Work, containing photography he took from the ages of 12 to 17. The photos show Shore’s early street photography in Manhattan, shaped by inspirations like Walker Evans and Bruce Davidson; “I was looking a lot and had a lot of influences,” Shore says. Several years later, at 24, Shore would have a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Shore has had many exhibitions around the world since then, in Milan, Cologne, Chicago, and more. He has taught in Bard’s Photography Program since 1982. He says these early photos reflect concerns he’s addressed through his entire practice: “I see a formal awareness from the beginning. I’m framing, not pointing.”

Jazz pianist and Bard College alumnus Ran Blake ’60 was interviewed by the Boston Globe for an article covering the artist’s career, which has spanned more than 60 years, and how he at 90 is preparing to perform a solo concert in Brookline, MA, this September. Blake, whose career has yielded over 40 recording credits on jazz albums, has also spent over 40 years teaching jazz at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC), where he cofounded and led the Department of Third Stream, now called the Department of Contemporary Improvisation. “Ran gave me the freedom to find myself in jazz standards,” said Portuguese singer Sara Serpa, who studied with Blake at NEC and collaborated on an album with him, adding that he “really gave me permission to find myself in the songs, to create my own stories.”Blake also spent years bringing music programming to the public as NEC’s community services director, telling the Globe, “It was very important to send music to where the people are and encourage them to play.”
 

Associate Professor of Photography Tanya Marcuse was interviewed by her former student Emma Ressel ’16 in Lenscratch. They discussed how Marcuse’s work is inspired by the ecology of the Hudson Valley, with her projects ranging from photographs of local apple trees to images of fantastical structures she built with natural material gathered in the region. They also discussed their individual approaches to photographing nature. In photography “sometimes things truly, fully come together,” Marcuse said. “You get a random reward, which isn’t so random, because it’s about continually showing up and paying attention.”

Ressel was a Lenscratch Student Prize winner in 2024. She attended Bard’s Photography Program and has held solo exhibits in New Mexico and is on the shortlist for the 2025 Aperture Portfolio Prize. Marcuse has taught at Bard since 2012. She recently completed her 14-year, three-part project Fruitless | Fallen | Woven, inspired by the Biblical story of the fall from Eden.

Sonita Alizada ’23, a rapper and human rights activist, will embark on a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford beginning this fall. She joins Ronan Farrow ’04 as the second Rhodes winner from Bard College in Annandale. (Nawara Alaboud ’23, originally from Syria, is the first Bard College Berlin student to receive a Rhodes Scholarship.)

Alizada, who double-majored in human rights and music, says Bard played a “crucial” part in her award. “The faculty here have been incredibly supportive, offering guidance, mentorship, and resources that helped me refine my academic and professional goals. They provided encouragement and constructive feedback throughout my application process and helped me navigate each step with confidence.”

She looks forward to continuing her work supporting Afghan women and children by combining “academic research with practical impact.” She looks forward to taking public policy classes at Oxford and focusing specifically on women and children's rights. “I’m deeply honored to receive the Rhodes scholarship, [and] I hope to bring back insights that can further support vulnerable communities,” she said.

Max Maslansky ’99, artist and Bard College alumnus, was interviewed by ArtNews for the article “Why Are So Many Artists Becoming Therapists?” Emily Watlington writes about the long connection between artists and psychotherapy, questioning why so many are talking about being in both careers now and noting that, “the practices involve many of the same skills: soul-searching, analyzing, and embracing complexities of life that cannot be easily resolved.”

Maslansky was interviewed along with three other artists about his choice to become a therapist. Since graduating from Bard’s Studio Arts program, his work has included paintings, photography, and sculpture. He went back to school in his 40s for counseling after deciding he wanted a stable career that could also give back to society. Asked how working as a therapist changed his art, he reflected, “It’s made my practice feel much more open-minded and expansive, less concerned with distinct purposes and goals in mind.”