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 2015.
- 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 70 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?
Contact us, or learn how to apply.