How did the Bard Microcolleges come about?
The Bard Microcolleges are a project of the Bard Prison Initiative, which has been delivering high-quality liberal arts education to students incarcerated in New York prisons since 2001. The Microcolleges extend BPI’s mission outward, bringing the same rigorous, degree-bearing liberal arts coursework to students in other unlikely places.
- The first Microcollege was founded in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 2016.
- The first New York City Microcollege was founded in 2018 in partnership with the Brooklyn Public Library. Brooklyn Microcollege students come to class in one of the greatest public halls of learning in the country, and study everything from sociology to statistics to poetry to photography.
- The Harlem Microcollege, launched in 2021, is run in partnership with JustLeadership USA and College & Community Fellowship. The curriculum covers the full breadth of the liberal arts, with a special focus on system-impacted students and students who want to change the system.
In the years since the first Microcollege was founded, over 130 students have earned AAs and over a dozen have gone on to BA programs of their choice.
Who are our partner organizations?
Our partners provide local know-how and credibility, class and study space, and a community from which to draw a student body. They bring unique expertise and resources and are deeply invested in democratizing access to education.
BPI
Since 1999, the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) has been a national leader in restoring and expanding college opportunity to incarcerated people nationwide. In 2016, BPI expanded its work redefining the place of higher education to enroll traditionally excluded students in community-based settings.
Learn MoreThe Care Center
The Care Center is an innovative community-based educational organization with expertise supporting the academic achievement of young mothers with limited financial resources.
Learn MoreJLUSA
JustLeadershipUSA is a national non-profit, led by directly impacted people, dedicated to decarcerating the United States by educating, elevating and empowering the people and communities most impacted by systemic racism to drive the kinds of policy reform that builds thriving, sustainable and healthy communities.
Learn MoreCollege & Community Fellowship
College & Community Fellowship (CCF) enables women with criminal justice involvement to earn their college degrees so that they, their families and their communities can thrive. CCF helps women and families most harmed by mass criminalization gain equitable access to opportunity.
Learn MoreBrooklyn Public Library
Established in 1896, Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest public library systems and currently has more than 620,000 active cardholders. With a branch library within a half-mile of the majority of Brooklyn’s 2.7 million residents, BPL is a recognized leader in cultural offerings, literacy, out-of-school-time services, workforce development programs, and digital literacy. In a borough of wide economic disparity, where the costs of basic necessities often take priority over spending on cultural enrichment opportunities, BPL provides a democratic space where patrons of all economic standings can avail themselves and their children of cultural and educational programs in a broad range of disciplines.
Learn MoreWant to get involved?
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Accreditation
Bard College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The courses of study leading to the bachelor of arts, bachelor of music, and bachelor of science degrees at Bard are registered by the New York State Education Department. The programs of study leading to the master of arts, master of arts in teaching, master of fine arts, master of business administration in sustainability, master of music, master of science in environmental policy, master of science in climate science and policy, and master of science in economic theory and policy degrees and the master and doctor of philosophy degrees in decorative arts, design history, and material culture at Bard are registered by the New York State Education Department, Office of Higher Education, Education Building Annex, Room 977, Albany, NY 12234; phone 518-486-3633.
Bard is also a member of the American Council on Education, American Council of Learned Societies, Association of American Colleges and Universities, College Entrance Examination Board, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, Education Records Bureau, and Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities.
Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Bard College complies with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This act assures students attending a postsecondary institution that they will have the right to inspect and review certain parts of their educational records and, by following the guidelines provided by the College, to correct inaccurate or misleading data through informal or formal hearings. It protects students’ rights to privacy by limiting transfer of these records without their consent, except in specific circumstances. Students have the right to file complaints with the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. College policy relating to the maintenance of student records is available, on request, from the Office of the Registrar.
Notice of Nondiscrimination
Bard College is committed to ensuring equal access to its educational programs and equal employment without regard to an individual’s sex, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, veteran status, military status, domestic violence victim status, ex-offender status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Students, employees, applicants, and other members of Bard College community (including, but not limited to, vendors, visitors, and guests) shall not be subject to discrimination or harassment prohibited by law or otherwise treated adversely based upon a protected characteristic. Similarly, the College will not tolerate harassing, violent, intimidating, or discriminatory conduct by its students, employees, or any other member of, or visitor to, the College community. This includes, without limitation, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual violence, dating violence, and domestic violence.