Check Out LLI.BARD.EDU

Message from the President

Dear <<First Name>>,

Happy Holidays

The holiday season is a good time to reflect while we enjoy the season and spend time with friends and relatives. I specifically want to mention Bard staff, a few new LLI members, and our dedicated volunteers.

Thank you to the staff at Bard College for their support of LLI. We are grateful for all that they do to make our experience pleasant and comfortable. Bard staff members work with us to handle classroom assignments and provide technology in the classrooms, parking tags and IDs, large event spaces, private tours of exhibits at Hessel Museum, collect our membership fees, pay our bills, and so much more. We are also very fortunate to have professors at Bard present a wide variety of courses and parts of courses on science, math, music, and more, every semester. The campus vibe is positive and welcoming.

I had the good fortune to spend some time with many of our members at the new member orientation in September and the recent reception. A special thank you to those who told me that joining LLI changed their lives. It is gratifying to know that all the work our volunteers do has provided a positive experience with a deeper meaning for some. Thank you to all of our volunteers. LLI is special because of you.     

As we head into 2024, let’s make sure to take advantage of our membership in this wonderful organization and being part of Bard College on this beautiful campus.  

Best, 

Robert Beaury

president@lli.bard.edu

January's Coming Attractions

by Deborah Lanser

Mark your calendars for the return of WinterFest. On four successive Wednesdays—January 10, 17, 24, and 31—there will be two Zoom presentations, one at 9:00 a.m. and one at 11:00 a.m. Each session is 90 minutes. As in previous years, registration is not required. Each week, LLI members will be sent a Zoom link, which they may share with nonmember friends and family. Here’s a foretaste of what will be on offer.

Holiday Party

by Robert Inglish

You are cordially invited to join other LLI members for our holiday party on December 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. All course presenters for 2023 will also be invited. The festivities will be held at the beautiful, historic Blithewood mansion on the Bard campus. 

Parkhurst Catering will provide a nice selection of wines and hors d’oeuvres.  

This event is limited to 100 people. ProClass registration for the event begins December 1 and closes December 15. “Plus ones” will be waitlisted on a first-come, first-served basis until December 16.  If space is available, “plus ones” will be notified. Contact Robert at ringlish@lli.bard.edu to register “plus ones.”

Some Opinions about Fall Classes

by Deborah Lanser

This year’s evaluations of the fall courses and presenters confirmed that the fall semester was generally a hit with LLI members. Courses were often rated a 4 or 5, with many members expressing gratitude for the depth and relevance of the course content. Members also appreciated the presenters, often granting ratings of 4 or 5 while sometimes offering constructive comments on how they can improve. Members also shared some strong opinions about the videos and readings, producers and class managers, and their interactions with other members, as well as some general suggestions for how to improve the overall experience. Here is a brief overview of some of the opinions expressed. 

Fall Semester Highlights

by Carmela Gersbeck

The fall semester is over. Here is a brief video highlighting the pleasures we shared in just a few of the many courses that were offered. Our thanks and appreciation goes out to the presenters, producers, and class/session managers who make these courses possible. We hope you enjoy it!

Have You Met Lynda Christensen?

by Carmela Gersbeck

If you haven’t had a chance to meet Lynda Christensen, one of four Members at Large, you should! Lynda joined Bard LLI in September 2020 and quickly raised her hand to become a session manager when LLI moved to Zoom at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Lynda, who considers herself a “joiner,” didn't hesitate to run for a Member at Large position in 2023 when asked.

New Member Gathering

by Alan Katz

About 25 LLI members, including both newcomers and longstanding members, came to the Barn Taproom at Greig Farm in Red Hook on November 13 to celebrate the end of the fall semester. Kayla Bell and L. Walker of the Membership Development Committee hosted the event. Always on the Hudson Valley cutting edge, LLI and its revelers were some of the first to sample the Barn Taproom’s selection of homemade beer brews. Owner Megan Jordan explained how she and her husband, J.R., met while working at the Brooklyn Brewery. They just opened The Barn Taproom for business the previous weekend.

New members mingled and discussed what they liked about their classes, expressed their interest regarding topics for future classes, and explained their reasons for joining LLI. Veteran members talked about how important LLI has been in their lives in terms of satisfying intellectual curiosity and providing social interaction. Entertainment was provided by new LLI members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who both expressed a strong interest in the WinterFest psychedelics course. Okay, maybe some of that was not true, but clearly, all in attendance enjoyed themselves and looked forward to WinterFest.

Walking the Bard Cemetery

Just to the north of Faculty Circle, nestled in the woods around the hillside of outcroppings, is the Bard cemetery. It’s a lovely, peaceful area for a walk and contemplation, with places to sit along the way. To get there, walk north on the Main Campus up the pathway that runs between the Stevenson Library and the President’s House. Look just past the parking area at the top, and walk down to enter through the Lych Gate, the roofed gateway where a bier might have been settled for the first part of a burial service. (Lychgate is derived from the Anglo Saxon, lich for body.) The oldest marked grave says 1860, the founding date of St. Stephen’s College, the initial incarnation of what is now Bard College. Perhaps this was originally a European family’s burial ground? Much remains to be sorted out about the cemetery’s history as well as many of the people who lie in rest there. 

Names of families, friends, colleagues, teachers, and historical Bard leaders surround you as you enter. Some of the gravestones carry names of well-known, great thinkers and writers as well as performing and visual artists. Take a walking tour and see.

Council Notes for October 2023

by Susan Simon

At the November 20, 2023 meeting, Council formed a long-range planning subcommittee of the Planning and Evaluation standing committee.

Highlights of the Bard Calendar

by Felice Gelman

Christmas is coming, and so is Bard’s vacation, but we still have a chance to attend a few interesting events. 

Friday, December 8 and Saturday, December 9, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 9. at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Fisher Center Luma Theater, the Bard College Dance Program presents Body Concepts, senior projects in dance. Free and no reservations are required. 

Saturday, December 9, at 6:00 p.m. in the Campus Center Multipurpose Room, the Vietnamese Student Organization will teach you how to make your own spring rolls. 

Monday, December 11, and Tuesday, December 12, the Center for Human Rights and the Arts will present a microfestival of arts projects. These works-in-progress are part of The Politics of Interactive Live Art course taught by Tania El Khoury, the director of the Center for Human Rights and the Arts. The microfestival takes place at various times and locations on campus. It includes intimate performances, sound installations, games, and walks. For more specific information, check here. 

Tuesday, December 12, at 5:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Multipurpose Room, the Bard Center for Civic Engagement invites you to join Bard students, faculty, and the Bard community in decorating some holiday cookies. RSVP here. 

Tuesday, December 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Blum Hall, you can hear the Sun Ra Ensemble perform. The ensemble is a student group who have studied the work and philosophy of the revolutionary jazz artist Sun Ra. 

Upcoming Meetings and Important Dates
for Members

by Carmela Gersbeck

Saturday, December 9: WinterFest Catalog is released.

Tuesday, December 12: 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, December 13: Membership Development Committee meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Zoom. Any member interested in observing a Membership Development meeting should email Robert Inglish at ringlish@lli.bard.edu.

Monday, December 18: 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, December 19: Bard LLI will be celebrating the holidays at Blithewood Manor from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 2: 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.

Thursday, January 4: The DEI/Social Justice team meets at 4:00 p.m. on Zoom. Any member interested in observing a meeting should email Laura Brown at lbrown@lli.bard.edu.

Tuesday, January 9: 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.

Wednesdays, January 10, 17, 24, 31: WinterFest classes begin. Members are welcome to invite guests to join any classes.

Tuesday, January 16: 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 meeting  will be held on Tuesday in observance of the Martin Luther King holiday on January 15.

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.