Dear Families of the Class of 2025:
Congratulations on your student’s upcoming graduation!
Some highlights of Commencement Weekend include:
Commencement procession and exercises, which will include the
awarding of seven honorary degrees.
Bard soloists and composers in concert with The Orchestra Now (TŌN),
conducted by Bard President Leon Botstein.
Post-Commencement barbecue with live music, dancing, and fireworks
overlooking the Hudson River on Blithewood lawn.
And of course, most importantly, your student receiving their degree from
President Botstein on the Commencement stage in front of 3,000 people!
Important to note:
The barbecue is free for graduating seniors, but they need to register in
advance to receive their complimentary ticket. They can register
themselves, or families have the option to sign them up through the
registration form.
Commencement is not ticketed.
Seating is offered on a first come, first served basis.
The tent opens at 1:00 pm, and the procession begins at 2:30 pm.
There are no limits to the number of guests in your party.
Registration closes on Friday, May 5.
Congratulations! I look forward to seeing you in May.
Best wishes,
Sasha Boak-Kelly
Senior Director of Development
families@bard.edu
P.S. If you have not already done so, please add families@bard.edu to your
address book to ensure you will receive communications from our office and
follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @bardfamilynetwork.
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| 165TH COMMENCEMENT
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165th COMMENCEMENT
ANNOUNCEMENT
165TH COMMENCEMENT
REGISTER TODAY!
We look forward to welcoming you to campus on May 23–25, 2025,
to celebrate with your graduate.
Kindly register by May 5, 2025.
HOPE TO SEE YOU
IN PERSON SOON!
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| 165TH COMMENCEMENT
ALL GUESTS ARE SUBJECT TO BARD POLICIES
Bard College endeavors to foster mutual respect and understanding among all
members of the College Community. To that end, the College will not tolerate
discrimination or harassment by any alumni/ae or other visitors.
All visitors are subject to Bard’s Policies, which can be found at
bard.edu/nondiscrimination/policies.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
ACADEMIC PROCESSION
SATURDAY | 2:30 PM
Alumni/ae from reunion classes
are invited to join the Class of
2025, trustees, and faculty in the
procession to the
Commencement tent.
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES
SATURDAY | 3:00 PM
Celebrate the Class of 2025 and
the awarding of honorary degrees.
James C. Chambers ’81, chair of
the Board of Trustees of Bard
College, presiding, and The Right
Reverend Matthew F. Heyd,
officiating. A professional
photographer will take photos of
graduates receiving their degrees.
COMMENCEMENT BBQ
SATURDAY | 6:00 PM
$28; $12 for 4–12 yr olds; free for
children three and under.
Advance reservations
recommended. Cash bar.
DANCING AND FIREWORKS
SATURDAY | 8 PM
Bard’s favorite graduation dance
band gives it up for new graduates,
alumni/ae, and families.
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ALUMNI/AE BRUNCH
SUNDAY | 10:30 AM
Join Bard President Leon Botstein
for a celebration brunch.
165TH COMMENCEMENT
WHAT ARE THE DATES?
Friday through Sunday,
May 23–25, 2025.
DO I HAVE TO REGISTER?
No, although we ask that
you register so we can best
gauge the number of people
attending.
WHERE CAN WE FIND THE
SCHEDULE?
Visit bard.edu/commencement.
WHERE DO I CHECK IN?
Registration is open on Friday
from 2–7 pm and on Saturday
from 10 am – 3 pm at the
Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert
J. Kayden Center for Science
and Computation (RKC) lobby.
WILL COMMENCEMENT BE
LIVESTREAMED?
Yes, there will be a live webcast
of the ceremony beginning at
2:30 pm on May 24. The link will
be posted Saturday morning on
bard.edu/commencement.
FULL LIST OF FAQS
IS COMMENCEMENT
TICKETED?
No. The Commencement
tent opens at 1 pm, and
seating is first come, first
served. We suggest that you
arrive as early as possible.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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165TH COMMENCEMENT
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COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis
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Bard College President
Leon Botstein and the
Board of Trustees are
pleased to announce the
2025 honorary degree
recipients. We are proud
to celebrate
the exceptional
achievements of these
alumni/ae, faculty, and
friends of the College.
Michèle Duvivier Pierre-
Louis
Doctor of Humane Letters
Justin Vivian Bond
Doctor of Fine Arts
Maja Hoffmann
Doctor of Fine Arts
Josef Joffe
Doctor of Humane Letters
Cindy Sherman
Doctor of Fine Arts
Yaron Tomer
Doctor of Science
HONORARY DEGREES
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DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS
165TH COMMENCEMENT
MICHÈLE DUVIVIER
PIERRE-LOUIS
Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis
was the prime minister of Haiti
from 2008–09. Upon leaving
office, she returned to the
foundation she created in 1995,
Fondation Connaissance et
Liberté (Foundation for
Knowledge and Liberty, or
FOKAL). She is FOKAL’s president,
coordinating special projects in
sustainable development and
higher education.
Pierre-Louis is also a professor at Université Quisqueya in Port-au-Prince,
Haiti. She holds a master’s degree in economics from Queens College in
New York, and honorary doctorates from Saint Michael’s College in
Vermont and the University of San Francisco. In 2010, she was a resident
fellow at Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Pierre-Louis has contributed to several books and publications about
Haiti, and she is a founding member of the Haitian/Caribbean review
magazine Chemins Critiques, in which she has published articles on
politics, gender, economics, arts, and culture. She is board chair of Haiti’s
prominent cultural institution Le Centre d’art, a position she also holds
with the Centre de Promotion de la Femme Ouvrière and Caribbean
Culture Fund. Among numerous other awards, she is the 2023 recipient of
the French Legion of Honor.
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DOCTOR OF FINE ARTS
165TH COMMENCEMENT
JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND
Justin Vivian Bond is an artist
and performer working in the
cabaret tradition. Their work
weaves history, cultural critique,
and an ethic of care into
performances and artworks that
are animated by wit, whimsy,
and calls to action. Through
cabaret, Bond explores the
political and cultural ethos of
the moment and ties it back to
history to address contemporary
challenges, in particular those
facing queer communities.
Bond’s decades-long journey across the landscape of gender has both
informed their artistic practices and played a significant role in ongoing
conversations around gender identity and LGBTQ+ rights. Bond has
appeared on stage at such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera
House, and the Vienna State Opera, among others. They are also the
author of a memoir, Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High
Heels. Bond studied theater at Adelphi University and received an MA
from Central Saint Martins College, London in 2005. They have taught
performance at New York University and Bard College.