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Message from the President

Dear <<First Name>>,

First Days of Class

Today is the first day of LLI’s spring semester in-person classes. We have a lot to look forward to with interesting classes (on Zoom too) and off-campus activities as well. As you get ready to leave the house and head to campus, please keep a few housekeeping details in mind:

•         Wear your lanyard whenever you are on campus or attending an LLI event.
•         Display your parking tag when parking on campus.
•         Notify your class manager if you will be absent.
•         Bring a mask with you even if you are not thinking of wearing it.

LLI’s policy regarding COVID-19 is aligned with Bard’s policy. We no longer require members, presenters, and guests to submit proof of vaccination; however, LLI strongly encourages all members, presenters, and guests who visit the campus to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  

Our plan is to continue with the “mask-friendly” policy that Bard follows as well. Anyone who wants to wear a mask on campus is welcome to do so, and presenters can set a mask policy in their own classrooms. It is important for members to remember to carry a mask with them in case they need one. 

Finally, out of consideration for others, we ask that no one attend class or any other LLI event if they are feeling unwell, including dealing with a persistent cough, or the sniffles, or signs of other easily communicable viruses.

I look forward to seeing you on campus and wish you a safe and enlightening semester.

Best,
Robert Beaury

president@lli.bard.edu

Anne Sunners: From Cookie Lady to LLI President

by Deborah Lanser
Anne Sunners was the third president of LLI and later head of the Curriculum Committee.

About 25 years ago, a friend warned Anne Sunners to apply to Bard LLI quickly as there might be a waiting list. She joined immediately and during her first semester was captivated by a class on Chopin’s Études held in Olin Hall. She also volunteered to serve as chair of the Hospitality Committee, which was then a Council position. As chair, she showed up at the hospitality room with fruit and cookies. So when she chose to run for president, one member quipped, “What, the cookie lady?” 

When she was president, Anne drew on her past managerial experience as head of a local Head Start program and president of the Dutchess County YWCA to ensure that LLI kept functioning smoothly. She remembers working with many committed members who had excellent skills. During her tenure, Anne believed that “it was important that LLI continues to develop and grow. People want to belong to this type of organization.”

Meet the 2025 Candidates for Council

by Mary McClellan

March marks the Council Election period for Bard LLI members. Voting will start on March 9 and end on March 16. The term of office for each position will commence on July 1, 2025, and end on June 30, 2027. The following positions are up for election. Here are the candidates:

Dropping a Class? Here's How!

by Carmela Gersbeck

If you decide to drop a class, please make it official. Here’s how to do it:
Log into ProClass.

• Once you are logged in, click on your name in the top right corner of the page.

• Then click on the word “Account” on the top left corner.

• You will see the information you put in when you joined LLI. Scroll down a bit.

• You will see tabs going across the page. Click on the tab that says “My Registrations.”

• You will see your registered classes there. Click on the “Drop” button next to the class you want to drop.

• Scroll down to save.

That’s it! If you would prefer to watch a video, click here. Your class managers and presenters will appreciate having a current list of students, and you will also open up a space for someone who possibly couldn’t get into the class.

LLIcense to Learn

by Chuck Mishaan

I’ve had the opportunity and pleasure of being a Bard LLI presenter for over 10 years. I’m frequently asked why I continue to maintain a heavy schedule of teaching at Bard and other Hudson Valley LLIs. My answer (though I don’t say this out loud) is because I’m selfish. I treasure the pleasure of doing the research, deepening my understanding of what I began learning in my long-ago college days, augmented by a lifetime of experience, knowledge, and a bit of wisdom.

Becoming a Garden Tour Guide at Bard

by Amy Parrella

The Friends of Blithewood Garden is looking for volunteers to provide garden tours of Blithewood Garden starting in spring 2025. Blithewood Garden is a widely appreciated Hudson Valley destination, as well as a popular local resource that inspires gardeners, artists, and all sorts of history, design, and landscape aficionados. As a garden tour guide, you will get first-hand experience in a historic Beaux Arts garden, interacting with the public and our visitors. Garden guides are essential to our mission of public outreach. Prior experience is not required. Come join us in the gardens! 

Anyone interested should email Amy Parrella directly at blithewoodgarden@bard.edu. And once she hears from you, she’ll ask for a time when you can meet, probably in April.

Council Notes for February 2025

by Susan Simon

At the meeting of February 18, 2025, Council discussed the following:

• The creation of a bylaws team, which will review the LLI bylaws and suggest revisions as voted on by Council. Those revisions will be then presented to LLI membership prior to the May annual meeting. The membership will then vote on the amended document.

• The annual meeting is set for Thursday morning, May 15th, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in Olin Hall.

• The DEI Team has been renamed Civic Engagement Team.

Highlight of the Bard Calendar

by Felice Gelman

Thursday, March 6 through Saturday, March 8 in Olin Auditorium, Rethinking Place: Bard-on-Mahicantuck will hold its third annual conference, Food & Memory. The aim is to explore food systems, agricultural practices, and culinary history as a point of entry into placemaking. The schedule for the conference and the link for registration are here. Don’t miss this! Calling all foodies to take a look at the schedule and its many varied offerings. 

Friday, March 7 at noon the Bard Center for Human Rights and the Arts will host a webinar talk by filmmaker and artist Amar Kanwar titled “The Scene of Crime.” The link to register for the webinar is here. Kanwar’s films and multimedia works explore the politics of power, violence, and justice. He will talk about how he responds to and comprehends traces of violence in images, sound, and text.

Monday, March 10 at the Bitó Conservatory Building Performance Space, don’t miss the Noon Concert Series. Bard Conservatory students will present an hour-long program. 

Monday, March 24 from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center, the Bard Center for Moving Image Arts will screen Robert Flaherty’s Man of Aran and Aram Avakian and Bert Stern’s Jazz on a Summer’s Day. 

Tuesday, March 25 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center, the Bard Center for Moving Image Arts will screen three films by Jean Renoir:  Salute to France, This Land is Mine, and Swamp Water. 

Wednesday, March 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the Resnick Studio North at the Fisher Center, comedian and activist Morgan Bassichis will speak on Comedy for Organizers: Cliff Notes from a Jewish Anti-Zionist.  

Thursday, March 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at the Reem-Kayden Center auditorium, this year’s De Gruyter-Arendt Center Lecture in Political Thinking will be given by Neil Roberts, Williams College professor of Africana studies, political theory, and philosophy of religion. The talk is titled The Revolutionary Spirit: Hannah Arendt and Black Political Thought. The talk will also be live-streamed here.

Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m. in the Bitó Conservatory Building Performance Space, Joseph Lin, Claire Bourg, Natalie Loughran, Raman Ramakrishnan, and Helen Huang will perform Paths to Enlightenment: Beethoven’s string quartets Opp. 95, 96, and 97. 

Tuesday, April 1 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center, the Center for Moving Image Arts continues its Jean Renoir series with The Woman on the Beach and Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street.

Lecture on Recent Egyptian History

by Robert Inglish

On Tuesday, March 18, Bard professor James Ketterer will give a talk on American misreadings of the 2011 revolution and 2013 coup in Egypt to a maximum of 60 LLI members. The lecture will be held in RKC room 103 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The MailChimp registration link was sent March 4.

James Ketterer is a Senior Fellow at the Bard Center for Civic Engagement and teaches in the Master of Arts in Global Studies program. He was dean at the American University in Cairo and Egypt Country Director for AMIDEAST. He has also worked in government at the federal and state levels, including at the National Security Council.

As a result of American policy errors, missed opportunities to reset relations resulted in default to decades-long patterns of substantial assistance to the Egyptian military with some support to educational and public initiatives. More recently, bilateral relationships have been buffeted by increased concerns on Capitol Hill about human rights abuses and alleged links between Egyptian intelligence and recently convicted Senator Robert Menendez, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee until his indictment. Egypt’s economy is strained by the military governance and management choices. Egypt’s role in the current Israel-Gaza crisis further complicates relations in ways that remain unpredictable.

Plan to attend this timely and informative lecture with Professor Ketterer.

Upcoming Meetings and Important Dates
for Members

by Carmela Gersbeck

Thursday, Friday, March 6, 7: Spring semester starts with Zoom classes on Thursday, March 6, and in-person classes on Friday, March 7. 

Tuesday, March 11: Curriculum Committee meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Zoom. Anyone interested in joining a meeting should email Anne Brueckner at abrueckner@lli.bard.edu.  

Wednesday, March 12: Membership Development Committee meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Zoom. Any member interested in joining a Membership Development meeting should email Robert Inglish at ringlish@lli.bard.edu.

Thursday, March 13: The Civic Engagement Team will meet via Zoom at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 13. Anyone interested in joining a meeting should email Laura Brown at lbrown@lli.bard.edu.

Monday, March 17: Council meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom. Any member interested in observing a Council meeting should email Mary McClellan at mmcclellan@lli.bard.edu.

Tuesday, March 18: Bard professor James Ketterer will provide LLI members with a talk beginning with American misreadings of the 2011 revolution and 2013 coup in Egypt and concluding with current tensions arising from the Israel-Gaza conflict. The event will be held in the Reem-Kayden Center in Room 103 from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Monday, March 31: The Communications Team meets at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom. Any member interested in observing a Communications meeting should email Deborah Lanser at dlanser@lli.bard.edu.

Tuesday, April 8: Curriculum Committee meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Zoom. Anyone interested in joining a meeting should email Anne Brueckner at abrueckner@lli.bard.edu. 

Wednesday, April 9: Membership Development Committee meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Zoom. Any member interested in joining a Membership Development meeting should email Robert Inglish at ringlish@lli.bard.edu.

Monday, April 21: Council meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom. Any member interested in observing a Council meeting should email Mary McClellan at mmcclellan@lli.bard.edu.

The opinions and views expressed in the LLI Newsletter are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of LLI or its members. In addition, any link to a website or content belonging to or originating from third parties are not investigated, monitored or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability or completeness by LLI, nor does LLI accept any responsibility for such content.