Botstein: “… commitment to
the principal …”
(file photo: Steve Pyke)
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON – Saying Bard College has “a long and proud history as a haven for refugees,” its president said it “will support and protect students without reference to their immigration status.”
In an open letter to the college community, Bard President Leon Botstein wrote that “The recent directives from President Trump demand careful scrutiny with respect to their implications. However, I believe that Bard must sustain its commitment to the principal of non-discrimination by reason of race, religion, or national identity.”
Botstein said Bard’s history as a haven for refuges began in the 1930s and after the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956. “It will continue to honor the humanist traditions of higher education, Bard’s own history, and above all the ideals of the United States and the principles of its Declaration of Independence and its Constitution.”
Noting he is an immigrant and a naturalized citizen, Botstein said Bard “will support and protect students without reference to their immigration status [and] will admit students in a non-discriminatory manner with regard to religion, race and national origin.”
