L&T Engagement

× Welcome, First-Years!

Dear Class of 2030:

In my new capacity as acting president, I look forward to welcoming you to campus on August 7 and to the many opportunities we will have to meet in person during the Language and Thinking Program (L&T). 

Bard’s Center for Civic Engagement and Election@Bard, a student-led voter engagement program, will be registering students to vote (either at your home address or on campus). I strongly encourage everyone to register (if you are eligible), and to consider where you would like to register so that you have a plan when you arrive on campus.

Bard foregrounds voter registration from day one because we believe in the foundational link among higher education, civic participation, and democracy; now, more than ever, it is important for colleges and universities to emphasize that link. That commitment is reflected in our celebration on August 19 of Democracy Day, which will provide students the opportunity to discuss challenges of democracy and to engage with local community organizations. It is also reflected in our assignment as a part of the Language and Thinking anthology of the oft-overlooked “Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States,” which was distributed by suffragists (much to the surprise of the event organizers and Acting Vice President Thomas W. Ferry) and read aloud by Susan B. Anthony during the Centennial July 4 celebration at Independence Hall in Philadelphia 150 years ago. 

Our commitment includes actively protecting students’ right to vote here in Dutchess County. In the past quarter century, we have successfully participated in four lawsuits—three state and one federal—to assure that students have the right to vote and to establish a polling site on campus at the Bertelsmann Campus Center. We also helped good-government groups pass a law requiring boards of election to propose polling sites on New York State college campuses with 300 or more registered voters. You can read about Bard’s voting rights history in a book that I coedited, Youth Voting Rights: Civil Rights, the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, and the Fight for American Democracy on College Campuses (De Gruyter, 2026) and more broadly about the intersection of higher education, voting, and democracy in my piece “Give Them Ballots,” which was published last month in Liberal Education Magazine.

Although I emphasize voting and elections here, there are many ways to participate in the electoral process, and civic engagement more broadly, both within and outside of the classroom, even for those not eligible to vote. Election@Bard welcomes student volunteers for nonpartisan registration and get-out-the-vote efforts ([email protected]), and Bard’s Center for Civic Engagement offers a broad range of initiatives that connect students to community and help them develop skills fundamental for engaged citizenship ([email protected]).

The College also offers some 20 Engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences courses each term that feature forms of community-based learning. Two courses that might be of particular interest: The Fight for the Right to Vote: Student Voting, Civil Rights and the Fight for American Democracy (PS 161) is offered in partnership with three Historically Black Colleges and Universities—Tuskegee University, North Carolina A&T, and Prairie View A&M—and includes joint sessions with students from those institutions as well as funding for students to lead civic engagement projects. All Politics is Local (PS 270) places students in internships with local government officials and explores how local politics intersect and differ from state and national politics. If you are interested or want more information on either class, please contact Vice President for Civic Engagement Erin Cannan at [email protected].

This month not only marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence but the 55th anniversary of the ratification of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. The amendment, which was passed with bipartisan support and received the quickest passage by state governments in the nation’s history, succeeded due to the dedication of a diverse coalition of youth and civil rights groups from across the country. As authoritarians seek disengagement, its passage is a reminder of the power of young people to be agents of change. 

We believe in the capacity of young people to make a difference. We look forward to seeing you all on arrival day.

With best wishes,
Jonathan Becker
Acting President