Bard College developed the Program in International Education (PIE) in 1990, to promote friendship and democratic thinking among future leaders from the United States and from regions of the world that are undergoing a transition to more democratic forms of government. In its earliest incarnation, and as a response to the end of the Cold War, the program admitted students from Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, and the former Yugoslavia. In 1994, it expanded to include southern Africa. Beginning in 2009, the program’s reach was broadened to include students from Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Palestine, and Nepal, among others. Since 1991, PIE has brought more than 200 students to Bard from 23 countries.

The PIE program supports gifted students from these “countries in transition” as they develop their critical thinking and gain knowledge while forming close friendships with peers from other countries. American and other international students at Bard benefit from the chance to study and socialize with their international counterparts in a context that emphasizes shared issues and problems. Each year, some of the PIE students are recipients of special scholarships available through the generosity of the Open Society Institute and the Kellner, Ottaway, and Thorne families.