Dear [FIRST NAME],

As we begin a new academic year unlike any other, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for being a part of the Bard Graduate Center community and for supporting the advanced study of decorative arts, design history, and material culture. As Dean of BGC, I could not be prouder of all that the faculty and staff have done over the last six months to ensure that our students have access to the same tradition of academic excellence upheld at the institution since its founding twenty five years ago. 

In order to fully support all our students, we have increased financial aid; redesigned curriculum and class plans to accommodate online as well as in-person learning; invested in technology to ensure all our scholars have access to important research collections, and, most significantly, we have launched a new tutorial model where faculty members will have regularly scheduled sessions with students to support and encourage the highest standards of academic research. Additionally, in keeping with our founding, we have continued our commitment to the future of research and exhibition practice. Our faculty is taking steps to address biases in our field that have limited the scope and ambition of scholarship in the past; we are launching new initiatives dedicated to engaging scholars from diverse backgrounds, and are opening areas of research that have been overlooked. You will hear much more about these efforts in the coming months.  

As BGC continues to evolve in response to the principles of both equity and excellence, I want to thank you again for all you have done to support our students in the past, and I hope you will continue to partner with us in this endeavor moving forward. Should you be in a position to make a gift to support our academic programs, we would be very grateful for your consideration.  If you should have any questions, please contact Minna Lee at minna.lee@bgc.bard.edu or 212.501.3038.

I look forward to a time when we can be together on West 86th Street once again. Until then, you can stay connected to BGC programming on our website. 

My sincerest wishes for your health and safety, with thanks, 

Prof. Peter N. Miller
Dean, Bard Graduate Center