Great Barrington — Back in November 2024, Bard College announced that it would shut down its campus at Simon’s Rock after the end of the 2025 spring semester.
The college is now going ahead with opening its fall 2025 semester at a new campus at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.
A group formed back in January to look at purchasing the campus.
A second group, known as Simon’s Rock Village, has recently formed.
From these conversations, a movement was born. Alumni like Marla Goldberg-Jamate ’83, David Long ’80, Charlie Derr ’82, Elisa Sideli ’83, and Jonathan Lothrop ’82 were among the first to step forward, but they were soon joined by hundreds more—each bringing their own passion, skills, and ideas. Through open surveys, community meetings, and heartfelt outreach, a shared vision began to crystallize. The message from the community was clear: The future of the campus should be rooted in education, housing, and the arts, continuing the legacy of innovation and inclusion that made Simon’s Rock so special.
According to its website, Simon’s Rock Village is made up of several graduates of Simon’s Rock: Stephen Lieberman, Jonathan Lothrop, Marla Goldberg-Jamate, and Ann Braun.
Lieberman is the president of Youbilee, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based out of Monterey, Calif. According to its website, Youbilee is a consulting organization that helps nonprofits and communities to pursue economic and social collaboration.
Simon’s Rock Village is listed as a nonprofit initiative under Youbilee.
Lothrop is a former Pittsfield city councilor, and both he and Goldberg-Jamate spoke to The Berkshire Edge about the group’s plans. “Simon’s Rock means so much to all of us,” Lothrop said. “I was engaged in this incredible academic programming that was really advanced for its time. To me, it was like the beginning of my life as an adult. It was formative in who I am, what I care about, and what I believe in.”
“We just all shared a powerful collective experience as students there,” Goldberg-Jamate said. “The campus really feels like a kind of tribal homeland. The prospect of it being broken up or sold into pieces for McMansions is just very emotionally painful. It really does feel like our home, and I just want alumni to be able to return there. Betty Hall did something very generous in donating that land for the college. I think we need to replicate that sort of wild generosity in creating opportunities for the public there for learning, affordable housing, and recreation. It should continue to be an important place.”
As for specific plans, both Goldberg-Jamate and Lothrop said the organization’s board is still working on a business plan with specifics. However, both mentioned that the board has some ideas for the 275-acre campus. “Not all 275 acres of the campus are buildable, and we would not want to see a city rise up there,” Goldberg-Jamate said. “Our goal is to keep the existing buildings and improve them, and try to confine new development to the existing built footprint whenever possible. We are not going to be purists about this because we know we need to be realistic, but we want to conserve a lot of the open land. My vision for the open land is that we create with the state a series of nature trails, like interpretive trails that [would be] similar to what you have at the Silvio O. Conte refuge [in Haddam, Conn.,] where trails are accessible and the public could use for birding and passive recreation. In terms of the classrooms, we’d very much like those to remain and to be put to use for educational purposes. In an ideal world, the community college system would be part of what we do.”
Both Goldberg-Jamate and Lothrop said that the group would not bring back a variation of Bard College at Simon’s Rock. “We are not going to try to start our own college,” Lothrop said. “Unfortunately, all of the metrics around that are all the reasons why. There have been colleges in Vermont that have closed in recent years, including Marlboro College, Green Mountain College, and many more. But we’re not purists, we are realists. We have a strong vision and a great group of people who are working with us, most of whom are alumni who really care and are passionate about the campus.”
According to a press release sent by the group, Simon’s Rock Village is currently looking for $100,000 in donations. “The $100,000 is really just to cover expenses that we anticipate in the next few years as far as maintenance operations, consulting fees, legal fees, and architects,” Goldberg-Jamate said. “We fully recognize that the asking price for the campus will be much higher. That said, we know that college campuses are a bit of a white elephant. They are not easily repurposed for a typical private investment. I think the time to return on investment can be a bit slow. However, we have a nonprofit model, and we are willing to wait to realize a vision slowly over time.”
In July, Bard College announced JLL Commercial Commercial Real Estate and Property Investment of Chicago as its real estate advisor and broker for the former Simon’s Rock property.
As of press time, the campus has not been put up for sale.
For more information about the Simon’s Rock Village group, visit its website.
