Spotlights

Bard College

AUCA University Partner

Founded in 1860, Bard is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences. The campus, a fusion of two historic riverfront estates, is located in the Hudson Valley. The College offers the bachelor of arts degree with concentrations in more than 40 academic programs in four divisions: Arts; Languages and Literature; Science, Mathematics, and Computing; and Social Studies. In addition, the Bard College Conservatory of Music offers a dual-degree program in which students earn both a bachelor’s degree in music and a B.A. in another field in the liberal arts or sciences.

Unlike many Western universities, Bard has made deep and groundbreaking partnerships with international institutions around the world.  These include AUCA in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Rpublic; Smolny in St. Petersburg, Russia; Al Quds in Abu Dis, Palestine; Central European University in Budapest, Hungary; European College of Liberal Arts in Berlin, Germany; and International Human Rights Exchange in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Bard works at each of these institutions to promote a liberal-arts approach to education, one that values student-centered learning and asks both students and faculty to challenge what they know, and learn to ask the questions that will lead them to the answers.  Through faculty exchange, Bard and AUCA have worked since 2008 to improve curriculum, implement new teaching methods, and create an environement for learning unique to Central Asia.

In 2011 Bard also began issuing Bard diplomas in 9 academic programs at AUCA.  This not only shows the confidence that Bard has in AUCA as the leading university in the region, but also proves that Bard is committed to higher education in Central Asia for the long term.  AUCA students, faculty, and staff benefit greatly from this partnership, and through it AUCA intends to become not only the best university in Central Asia, but one of the best in the world.

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