in recent history. In 2021, philanthropist George Soros made a $500 million endowment pledge to Bard College. It is one of the largest pledges of money ever made to higher education in the United States.
In June 2021, Bard College was declared an "undesirable organization" in Russia, becoming the first international higher education organization to be branded with this designation. Bard president Botstein hypothesized that this tag was due their association with and funding from the Open Society Foundations which was also classified as undesirable in Russia and related conspiracy theories about George Soros.
=== College leaders ===
At various times, the leaders of the college have been titled president, warden or dean. They are listed below:
George Franklin Seymour (1860–1861)
Thomas Richey (1861–1863)
Robert Brinckerhoff Fairbairn (1863–1898)
Lawrence T. Cole (1899–1903)
Thomas R. Harris (1904–1907)
William Cunningham Rodgers (1909–1919)
Bernard Iddings Bell (1919–1933)
Donald George Tewksbury (1933–1937)
Harold …
