Great Barrington — On Tuesday, Nov. 19, Bard College at Simon’s Rock announced that the college would be shutting down its Great Barrington campus after the end of the spring semester next year. The college will be relocating its campus to Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., starting in fall 2025.
In an interview with The Berkshire Edge, Bard College at Simon’s Rock Provost and Vice President John Weinstein cited declining enrollment for shutting down the Great Barrington campus. “Institutions of higher education with under 500 students, or even under 1,000 students, have certainly been challenged financially over the past decade or two,” Weinstein said. “Our high numbers of enrollment had been in the mid-400 students for short periods of time.”
Weinstein said that, before the pandemic, the college would typically have 390 students enrolled each semester. This semester, however, the college currently has 281 students enrolled. “It seems like within the current demographics, there was no likelihood of that going up in the near future,” he said. “Moving to the New York campus is the most viable way to continue to offer high-quality academic learning.”
Weinstein said that the college currently employs around 140 full-time staff members, including professors.
He said that when the Great Barrington campus closes in the spring, around 100 full-time staff members will be laid off, but 40 positions will be available at the Annandale-on-Hudson campus.
Weinstein added that all 100 part-time employees will be laid off as part of the Great Barrington campus shutdown. “This is going to be a significant layoff for this region,” Weinstein said. “There’s no getting around that. There may be some retirements for some of the full-time employees.”
Weinstein said that students currently enrolled at the college “will all have a place at the new Bard campus, if they want that.” “It’s certainly up to them,” Weinstein said. “We’re certainly working on supporting students looking to transfer to another college, as we always have.”
When asked who would be making decisions on the sale of the campus property, Weinstein said, “The property is owned by Bard College, so that’s ultimately where the decision would be.”
The Berkshire Edge would like to hear from professors, staff, and students who will be impacted by the closure of Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Contact Managing Editor Shaw Israel Izikson sizikson@theberkshireedge.com.
