Recognize the building above? Would you believe me if I told you it was located at Bard College in upstate New York? This past Saturday I spend the day at Bard at a Counselor Appreciation Day event that culminated in a concert at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Sadly I didn't stay for the evening concert, but I include the photo above to remind everyone that colleges are doing some amazing (and sometimes unexpected) things on their campuses.
The bulk of the day was spend in a writing workshop, similar to the Learning and Thinking workshop that Bard incoming Freshman complete in the weeks before the Fall semester. (New this year, Freshman will also complete a similar seminar in Science during the January Term.) We also had a chance to have an unvarnished (his words, not mine) conversation with Dr. Leon Botstein, the President of Bard.
I enjoy visiting campuses, and counselor events, because I think you can tell a lot about the school through these types of experiences. Case in point: despite being on Bard's campus for over six hours with a group of guidance counselors, the Bard staff never once mentioned admission rates, testing, GPAs, or recruitment. Instead, they exposed us to the essence of a Bard education and the values that they hold dear. There was no glossy Admissions pomp and circumstance and no over-the-top giveaways. Our incentives for attendance were the tickets to the concert that evening, the chat with Dr. Botstein, a writing workshop, and upon arrival a copy of an anthology of Bard published writing called Conjunctions. That alone says more about the culture of the college than any Information Session.
And lest you think that the whole campus looks like Bilbao, never fear, the gorgeous Hudson River views and historic buildings still abound. Thanks Bard for hosting me!
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