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On Friday, Aug. 6, the Albany Times Union reported that activities at Bard College, located in Dutchess County, in Annandale-on-Hudson, were deemed "undesirable" by the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation in June.
Russia did not cite a specific reason for the designation, but hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable gifts given to the college by Hungarian-born American billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros were cited by the Times Union as a possible reason. Russia banned Soros and his charities in 2015, saying they posed a risk to the nation's security.
The ban means the college can no longer continue its program with Smolny College in St. Petersburg, Russia. The program was created through a partnership between Bard and St. Petersburg State University.
The Times Union reported that Bard President Leon Botstein said the ban has been met with "shock and confusion" at Bard College, and he hopes it will be reversed.
Bard is the first educational institution named to the list of undesirable nongovernmental organizations, the Times Union said.
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