The Bard Houses program assigns all first-year and transfer students to one of five “Houses,” named after distinguished alumni/ae, faculty, and friends of the College. The Houses—not actual buildings, but communities—are headed by House professors who reside on campus, plan events, and provide a sense of identity and belonging as well as an important resource for students outside of the classroom.
Our Mission
The goal of this program is to provide an opportunity and resource for students—from the moment they arrive on campus for Language and Thinking—to engage with faculty members and their partners and/or families outside of the classroom. A growing body of research suggests that such interactions outside the classroom enhance learning, cognitive thinking, problem solving, student satisfaction, and academic achievement. Bard’s program builds on its existing strengths as a small, residential liberal arts community to enrich the educational experience of incoming students, in particular as they settle into their academic home in Annandale-on-Hudson.
The Houses
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House Professors: Deirdre d’Albertis and Dinaw Mengestu
Coulter House is named for Bard alumnus George Coulter ’51, whose legacy includes his unfailing loyalty to the College through his unrestricted support of the Bard College Fund and a life in community service.
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House Professor: Prerna Masih and Tanay Kesharwani
Levine House is named for Stuart Stritzler-Levine, professor emeritus of psychology and dean emeritus, who joined the faculty in 1964 and remained at Bard for the next 56 years. He was a legendary Senior Project adviser and devoted to Bard and its students.
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House Professor: David Ungvary
McKenzie House is named for Bard alumna Emerald Rose McKenzie ’52. McKenzie was one of the first African American women to graduate from Bard, and a scholarship established in her name is awarded to students who display a strong commitment to humanitarian ideals.
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House Professors: Rob Cioffi
McWilliams House is named after Marie McWilliams, sister of Bard alumnus Francis X. McWilliams ’44. McWilliams is remembered for her professional ambition, love of nature, and commitment to her community. She fell in love with Bard during the many visits she made to see her brother.
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House Professor: Brooke Jude
Yauch House is named for Bard alum and member of the Beastie Boys Adam Yauch ’86. Yauch embodied the best of a Bard education: the imperative to act with vitality, nonconformity, and rigor, and to insist on exceeding all expectations, especially one’s own.
