Message from the President

Dear <<First Name>>,

I send felicitations from LLI at Bard College for a happy and healthy new year! 

WinterFest 2022 began on Wednesday with our first two sessions; this year’s presenters, producers, and Zoom session managers have collaborated closely to bring us these interesting and thoughtful programs. Please mark your calendar for the next three Wednesdays and share the Zoom link with a friend. WinterFest is a great gift and a perfect introduction to LLI!

Looking towards spring, the Bard College COVID-19 Response Team has apprised the Bard community about their current plan for Bard students to be fully in-person, on-campus for the spring semester. As you know, the team has met every challenge of this pandemic to successfully maintain an extraordinarily low incidence of COVID-19 at Bard.

We do not yet know LLI’s on-campus status for the spring. However, if we are able to use Bard’s classrooms, as in this past fall, we expect to implement a similar vaccination verification plan. We are grateful for Bard’s generosity and care in welcoming us on-campus and are most willing to comply with any and all updated requirements for LLI as directed by the Bard College COVID-19 Response Team. 

To that end, our Curricular and Special Programs, Program Support, and Admin/Infrastructure committees are well along in preparing in-person and hybrid courses for Fridays, with online courses scheduled for Thursdays beginning on March 10. Membership Development has some special social gatherings in the works, too. Now is a great time to volunteer, so please send me an email, and I’ll get you started!

For today, please zoom into WinterFest and join our fellow members and friends in welcoming the new year at LLI. Stay safe and warm!

Yours,

Nanci 
president@lli.bard.edu

Elections: An Invitation to Run for Council

by the Nominations and Elections Committee

January kicks off our 2022 election cycle for Council, the main governing body of Bard LLI. Council comprises five elected officers and four elected members at large, as well as six standing committee chairpersons appointed by the President. Terms for all elected officers are two years. Elections are held every year, with different positions becoming available each year. 

This year we will nominate and elect:

President
1st vice president
Treasurer
Two members at large

Council meetings will give you the opportunity to contribute your ideas about how LLI can be run while working with some interesting, dedicated people. Every member is welcome to run for office.

Wanted: Bard LLI Picture Editor

by Gary Miller

When we open up a magazine or newspaper, print or online, the power of photojournalism comes to life and adds rich depth and perception to stories. Whether it’s a 12-page spread in National Geographic or a single photo in our local paper, it happens in a carefully designed workflow. 

The people who contribute to that success are picture editors. They read calendars to see events worth covering, assign photographers, file and edit the photos, write captions, and check the final layout before turning it over to the managing editor. 

The same process contributes to our Bard LLI newsletter and MailChimp efforts (among others), but the team is overloaded and needs help. It’s a fun, creative, important job, and we on the communications team would welcome with open arms a member who’d like to explore joining. If you’re interested in photography, graphics, art, or most other visual communications, this might be worthy of examination. We hope it will give you a sense of satisfaction and a chance to exercise your creative muscles. Interested? Please email me (Gary Miller) at gmiller@lli.bard.edu.

WinterFest Reminder

WinterFest started on Wednesday, January 5, and continues on January 12 and 19, ending on January 26. Presentations run from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. and from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

All sessions will be on Zoom. Each week you will be sent a link to join the presentations. You may, if you wish, share that link with a friend. Click here to see the WinterFest catalog.

Announcing Spring Courses

by Deborah Lanser

Even though winter has just started, it’s not too early to look forward to spring. And the Curriculum Committee has given us an excellent reason to do so with a compelling roster of classes given by both experienced and new presenters. Online classes will start on Thursday, March 10, and in-person classes on Friday, March 11. Unless otherwise noted, they will run for seven consecutive weeks until April 21 and 22. The complete catalog should be available on February 17, and registration will start on February 24. Here’s a brief description of what we can anticipate.

Some Thoughts From New Members

by Deborah Lanser

In the recent new member survey, 31 of the 63 members of the LLI class of 2021 shared their thoughts about their first semester at Bard LLI. Many were grateful for the welcome they received and they rated the quality of their courses highly. Others had some reservations and offered suggestions for improvement. As in the past year and a half, there were differing opinions about whether courses are best offered in person or on Zoom. A few even started thinking about some new courses they might teach. Here is a sample of their enthusiasms, their suggestions, and their insights.

Bard Aims to Keep Its Students in School

by Felice Gelman

Even the best laid financial plans of students attending college can be upended: Your laptop dies. You have a family emergency. You test positive for COVID and have to drop your travel plans. The friends who said you could stay with them over winter break give your room/couch to someone else.

College is expensive (no news to us!) and more than two-thirds of Bard students are receiving financial aid. Bard is committed to making sure that financial emergencies don’t force kids to drop out. The college’s Student Support & Relief Fund (SSRF) is there to offer stop-gap support.

Council Notes for December 2021

by Deborah Lanser

The following topics were discussed at the December meeting:

Bard is planning on inviting some LLI members to a meet-and-greet in January with some of the recently arrived Afghan students. The date and location are still being determined.

For transparency, the Treasurer’s Report will soon be posted on the website.

The Social Gatherings Team is trying to arrange a backstage tour of the Fisher Center and a cider tasting at Greig Farm for LLI members. Details will be announced when the specifics have been confirmed. 

Any member interested in observing a Council meeting should email Linda Stanley at lstanley@lli.bard.edu.

Bard is on vacation this month.

Important Dates for LLI Members

January 5, 12, 19 and 26:  WinterFest presentations are at 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A meeting link will be sent out at 6:00 a.m. on the morning of each presentation. No registration is required, and you can invite a friend!

January 11: Curriculum Meeting on Zoom at 10:00 a.m. If you would like to attend, please email Bill Tuel at btuel@lli.bard.edu.

January 18: Council Meeting on Zoom at 9:30 a.m. (The meeting is on Tuesday, the 18th so we can honor Martin Luther King Day on Monday). If you would like to attend, please email Linda Stanley at lstanley@lli.bard.edu.

February 8: Curriculum Meeting on Zoom at 10:00 a.m. If you would like to attend, please email Bill Tuel at btuel@lli.bard.edu.

February 9: Membership Development Meeting on Zoom at 9:00 a.m. If you would like to attend, please email Linda Still at lstill@lli.bard.edu.

February 24: Spring Registration begins