May 01, 2010

JKBF makes first grant to Bard College Scholarship Fund

The James Kirk Bernard Foundation’s first grant since its inception in February 2010 will go to the Bard College Class of 2010 Scholarship Fund. The fund was established by the graduating senior class to provide scholarships to rising seniors unable to complete their education due to financial hardship. The fund honors the memory of the three members of the class of 2010 who died before graduation, Jamie Bernard, Anna Finkelstein and Warren Hutcheson.  

The James Kirk Bernard donation is for $42,000. It is a dollar-for-dollar match for the amount the senior classed raised for the scholarship fund. The Bard reunion classes of ’60, ’70 and ’85 raised an additional $11,900 for the fund, bringing the total amount of the fund to over $95,000. Bard’s Development Director, Matt Soper, described the class effort as “unprecedented” in Bard’s history, with these seniors having raised far more dollars than any prior class. The citation on the fund appearing in the Bard College 2010 Commencement Brochure is provided below.

It was Jamie’s wish that his fellow classmates at Bard be able to obtain their degrees if they so choose.

This grant from his foundation will help to make this wish a reality.

Founded in 1860, Bard is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located in the Hudson River Valley. With 1,600 undergraduates, the College offers the bachelor of arts degree with concentrations in more than 40 academic programs.