GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Bard College announced Tuesday plans to close its Simon's Rock campus in Great Barrington and consolidate to Bard's Massena Campus in Barrytown, NY, starting in fall 2025. 

 

The decision, made by Bard's Board of Trustees and Simon's Rock's Board of Overseers, responds to challenges including declining enrollment and increased competition in early college programs.

 

"Departing from our beloved Great Barrington campus is heartbreaking — the campus has been my professional home for more than twenty years and my literal home for nearly five," wrote Provost John B. Weinstein. "It is full of memories for so many people. But this move is the only course of action for the school to preserve the viability of a residential early college experience in an unpredictable time for institutions of higher education nationwide. I feel so many conflicting emotions as I share the news with you."

 

Weinstein continued that during the school's  60-year history in Great Barrington, Simon's Rock has graduated more than 6000 students.

 

"We are fortunate to be able to continue our mission and uphold the legacy of our founder Elizabeth "Betty" Blodgett Hall at our new campus," he wrote. "Betty Hall was a pioneer in education with the radical idea that curious and independent adolescents deserve a new path to college in a fast-changing world. Betty was the founder of the early college movement and we will continue to honor her vision by offering students a safe and creative intellectual haven."

 

Current students will be supported through the transition, with the option to complete their studies at the new campus or explore transfer opportunities. Applications for fall 2025 are now open for students to begin their studies at the Barrytown location.

 

"We will work with faculty and staff to assist them in their next steps in the coming months, including helping students who are unable or unwilling to make the move to the New York campus identify suitable alternatives in Massachusetts," wrote Weinstein.

 

Simon's Rock, a private liberal arts early college, was founded in 1960s.  Bard College acquired the college in 1979. The school is located on a 275 acre campus in Great Barrington and is named after a large glacial erratic rock located in the woods on campus.