We have some wonderful NEW things happening around campus this year.  Please read the stories below and reach out to us with any questions.  We hope you have had a productive fall!

The Science Pathways Scholars Program – (SP)² is a NEW, highly-selective, four-year program designed to support talented young women from Black, Native-American and Latina backgrounds and first generation college students, who convey strong interest in biology, chemistry, environmental science, physics/astronomy, or neuroscience. 

Interested students will apply by selecting (SP)² from a list of special programs via our member questions on the Common Application and replying to a short essay prompt. Students who are selected as (SP)² Scholars will benefit from an exceptional set of opportunities and resources, including faculty mentorship and paid research opportunities.

Approved in May 2015 by our faculty and by our Board of Trustees in June, Barnard's new general education requirements, tentatively titled Foundations, will go into effect for the Class of 2020.

How will the new curriculum work?

Foundations will be flexible and forward thinking. Requirements will emphasize technology and digital learning, international perspectives and a more global curriculum, and it will encourage thinking, formulating, experimenting.  Given that courses may count for up to two requirements, it is estimated that the new curriculum will represent 25% of a Barnard education.

The First-Year Experience will include First-Year Writing and a First-Year Seminar with expanded choices and more faculty involvement.

Distribution Requirements will include two courses each in Languages, Arts/Humanities, Social Sciences, and Sciences, and one course in Physical Education

Modes of Thinking will include one course each from the following themes:  Thinking Quantitatively and Empirically, Thinking Technologically and Digitally, Thinking through Global Inquiry, Thinking Locally—New York City, Thinking about Social Difference, and Thinking with Historical Perspective.

Faculty will spend this year approving course lists from which students will craft their academic experience.

Set to open its doors in August 2018, the 128,000 square foot building—with a base of five floors and a narrow tower of eleven floors aligned with Altschul Hall—will be a distinctive place that brings students and faculty together, facilitating collaborations and fostering dialogue. It will include a new kind of library, one that incorporates modern technologies and learning spaces in an interactive setting.

And, don't be concerned about research and study space in the interim. Until we open the doors to our new teaching and learning center, students will still benefit from Barnard (through our relationship with Columbia) being part of the fifth largest library system in North America, while working with with some of the best personal librarians around!

Barnard’s Global Symposia series was launched in 2009 with four main goals in mind:  to provide a dynamic forum for discussion of women's issues in regions where such opportunities do not readily exist, to create a network of women leaders from around the world, to inspire young women and spark their own leadership potential, and to provide an opportunity for Barnard, as an American college, to learn from women in other parts of the world and bring their stirring stories back to our students.

Symposia have taken place in Beijing, China (2009), Dubai, UAE (2010), Johannesburg, South Africa (2011), Mumbai, India (2012), Sao Paolo, Brazil (2013), Shanghai, China (2014) and New York (2015). This year, the Symposium will be held in Paris, France.  More on the Symposia can be found here.

SAVE THE DATE
February 18-21, 2016
New York City

The Athena Film Festival — a celebration of women and leadership through film — was founded by Barnard College's Athena Center for Leadership Studies.  It is an engaging weekend of feature films, documentaries and shorts that highlight women’s leadership in real life and the fictional world.  The four-day festival, which includes conversations with directors and Hollywood stars and workshops for filmmakers, has quickly established itself as one of the most prestigious festivals of its kind.  If you find yourself in the neighborhood of Morningside Heights during the dates of the Festival, we would love to have you join us.