Dear Friends,

Since its founding in 2011, Bard High School Early College Newark has offered Newark public school students an unparalleled educational opportunity. Through a partnership between Bard College and Newark Public Schools, we make it possible for students to earn both a New Jersey high school diploma and an Associate’s Degree in four years.

We have been building a successful intellectual community that supports students’ development toward living successful and purposeful lives. These are the elements of this mission:

• BUILDING: All community members realize that achieving the highest academic success is a process that requires patience, recognition of short-term successes, and perseverance in working towards long-term goals.
• INTELLECTUAL: We have established an environment that nurtures critical thought and productive creativity by providing a rigorous liberal arts education. Intellect is not a matter of merely having knowledge, but of analysis, integration, and synthesis that makes knowledge useful.  In supporting the intellectual growth of our diverse student body, faculty and staff understand that to be useful, knowledge must also be relevant.
• COMMUNITY: We have developed an environment that nurtures students’ strengths and provides support for their weaknesses.  We honor each person as the author of his or her own future.  Therefore, we respect actions that are productive for the individual without causing harm to the whole.  We maintain a safe space for making mistakes and for healthy disagreements.  We promote collaboration toward innovative solutions to challenges, helping to enhance young people’s problem solving skills and educational independence.

We strive to live up to the Bard College motto, “A Place to Think,” from the moment that eighth graders enter our Summer Bridge orientation program in August of their first year to the joyous occasion of their high school and college commencements at the end of their four years with us. As these young men and women transition from our academically rigorous, collegial, and nurturing community, we are confident that they have been prepared to fulfill their potential as members of the greater global society.

Best regards,

Carla R. Stephens, PhD
Principal, Bard High School Early College Newark